Neocallotillus crusoe (Wolcott, 1921) Wolcott, 1921

Burke, Alan F. & Zolnerowich, Gregory, 2016, Taxonomic revision of the New World genus Callotillus Wolcott (Cleridae, Tillinae), with the description of the new genus Neocallotillus, and an illustrated key of identification to species, ZooKeys 617, pp. 65-89 : 75-77

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Cleridae

Neocallotillus crusoe (Wolcott, 1921) comb. n.

Holotype depository.

(AMNH). Holotype locality: Camuy, Puerto Rico.

Distribution.

Puerto Rico (Fig. 8C).

Differential diagnosis.

Neocallotillus crusoe is similar to Neocallotillus elegans but differs from the latter species by the absence of seriate elytral punctures, its larger size, its broader form, and the impunctate metaventrite and abdomen. The differently formed and arranged raised fasciae or maculae are also distinguishing characters. The head and pronotum in Neocallotillus crusoe are densely pubescent, sparsely so in the Neocallotillus elegans species; the antennae are differently formed, having a greater number of triangular segments; the color pattern is unique; the arrangement of the pubescence in basal half of elytra is distinctive; and the densely pilose elytral tubercles are present only in Callotillus eburneocinctus .

The following is Wolcott’s original description.

N=1. Form: Moderately slender. Color: Black. Dorsal surface rather feebly shining; ventral surface very shining; front of head narrowly rugulose; antenna (apical two segments black) and labrum at sides testaceous; elytra black with the apical half in large part pale yellow; a large, ovate, ante-apical, black maculation; sides at middle with an oblique, elevated, white maculation; a similar minute, slightly transverse maculation at basal fourth at middle of width of each elytron.

Head: Including the not prominent eyes, equal in width to pronotum at apex; surface rather coarsely rugoso-punctate; pubescence dense, semi-recumbent, grayish white. Antennae slightly longer than head and prothorax, ten-segmented; basal segment short, very stout; second small, subtriangular; third to ninth triangular, their apices acute; ninth and tenth forming an elongate ovate mass; tenth narrower than eighth, nearly as long as seventh and eighth together; color testaceous; ninth and tenth segments black, the former narrowly testaceous at base.

Pronotum: Slightly longer than wide; apical margin truncate; sides parallel to slightly behind the middle, then rather strongly arcuately narrowing to about basal fourth, thence subparallel to base; base truncate, the extreme edge with a fine elevated margin; subapical constriction wanting; subapical transverse impression nearly obsolete, only faintly indicated in certain lights; surface with sculpture same as that of head; pubescence same as that of head but with long, sparse, erect, black hairs intermixed.

Elytra: Base nearly twice as wide as pronotum at base; length 1/3 × times width at base; humeri obtusely rounded; sides from humeri to middle straight, nearly parallel, behind the middle gradually broadening to apical fourth, thence arcuately narrowing to the conjointly rounded apices; color black, apical half pale yellow, anterior margin of yellow portion convex; in apical third a large, elongate ovate, common, sutural maculation, extending very nearly to apical margin, black; sides slightly anterior to middle with a feebly arcuate, linear, elevated, white maculation, this extending obliquely and attenuate forward from lateral margin halfway to suture; at basal fourth a minute, slightly transverse, elevated, white maculation midway between the lateral margin and the suture; base with a broad triangular area, having one angle on suture, and an oblique fascia each side, extending from immediately behind the humeri to the suture at a point slightly before the middle, composed of dense, coarse, grayish-white pubescence; a large, feebly elevated, subbasal tubercle, midway between lateral margin and suture, densely clothed with a tuft of long, black hairs; black portions densely clothed with short, semi-recumbent, black pubescence, longer and erect in humeral region; the yellow portion densely clothed with pale yellowish pubescence, a few nearly erect, long, black hairs intermixed; surface finely and sparsely punctate at extreme base, becoming closer at about basal fourth, and a little coarser toward the apex; punctuation irregular throughout, showing no tendency to become seriate.

Abdomen: Impunctate; very sparsely clothed with long, black hairs. Meso[ventrite]sternum smooth; moderately clothed with semi-recumbent, grayish-white pubescence. Legs rather short and stout; moderately clothed with rather long, white hairs. Length, 4.2 mm.

Remarks.

Wolcott (1923) described Callotillus crusoe from a single male specimen collected near Camuy, Puerto Rico. Wolcott concluded that this species was allied to Callotillus elegans and Callotillus vafer but could be differentiated from the latter two based on the absence of elytral punctations, a relatively larger size and broader body shape, and the absences of punctations on the metaventrite and abdomen. Based on Wolcott’s illustration and his descriptive work, the shape of the antennae appear to be serrate, and the species seems to be comparatively larger and broader than remaining Neocallotillus species. These characteristics may suggest a relationship to Callotillus . Due to the absence of material of Neocallotillus crusoe , a redescription of this species is not presented in this study; however, in order to complement the revision of the newly erected genus Neocallotillus , the descriptive work given by Wolcott (1923) is transcribed above. Based on Wolcott’s assessment, we tentatively place Callotillus crusoe within Neocallotillus . Further examination of material from this species will serve to corroborate the relatedness of this species with those species composing Neocallotillus , or conversely, its reassignment to Callotillus .