Platynoptera potaro

Opitz, Weston, 2019, Descriptions of new genera and new species of Western Hemisphere checkered beetles (Coleoptera, Cleroidea, Cleridae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 51 (2), pp. 959-1076 : 1023-1024

Platynoptera potaro OPITZ nov.sp. ( Figs 40 , 167 , 356 )

Holotype: ♀. Type locality: Kaieteur, BG ( Guyana), 6.VIII 1911. A second label reads: Guyana, Kaieteur Falls , Potaro river ( FSCA).

D i a g n o s i s: The available member of this species is superficially similar to specimens of Platynoptera gratiosa ( PIC) from which it differs by showing a significantly wider pronotum. The genus Platynoptera SPINOLA was revised by OPITZ (2015b).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Size: Length 10.5 mm; width 4.0 mm. Form: As in Fig. 356 . Color: Cranium bicolorous, clypeus and venter testaceous; frons and epicranium black except epicranium with narrow testaceous line at middle, pronotal disc and lower sides black; pterothorax and abdomen brown; elytra mostly black, with testaceous marking on humeral angle and with testaceous fascia at discal middle that expands along epipleural margin and does not reach sutural margin; legs mostly piceous, basal 1/2 of femora testaceous. Head: Eyes large, coarsely facetted, eye wider than frons (EW/FW 45/27); funicular antennomeres ( Fig. 40 ) transverse and very setose; capitular antennomeres 9 and 10 long rectangulate, antennomere 11 very oblong ovate. Thorax: Pronotum ( Fig. 167 ) oblong; pronotum shallow (PW/PL 120/130), disc finely punctate; elytral asetife- rous punctures minute and profusely distributed, elytra slightly flared in anterior 1/2 (EL/EW 510/130). Abdomen: Pygidium scutiform.

N a t u r a l H i s t o r y: The holotype was collected in August.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: This species is known from Guyana.

E t y m o l o g y: The trivial name, potaro, is a noun in apposition and refers to the type locality.

Figures

Figs 28-42: Antennae; (28) Neorthopleura thomasi, male; (29) N. thomasi, female; (30) N. subfasciata, male; (31) Artoadenus atrafinus; (32) Neorthopleura subfasciata, female; (33) Akonesis atraordinis; (34) Pelonium erudiatum; (35) Neorthopleura cuspidis, female; (36) Agnatis curvabilis; (37) Ichnea paraguayensis; (38) Neorthopleura quintana, male; (39) Pyticara frontegalba; (40) Platynoptera potaro; (41) Neorthopleura cuspidis, male; (42) Nanoclerus fuscus.

Figs 163-170: Pronota; (163) Artoadenus atrafinus; (164) Cregya triguttula; (165) C. biguttula; (166) Perilypus schusteri (167) Platynoptera potaro; (168) Pelonium erudiatum; (169) Parapelonides aodontus; (170) Isoparis cassidilis.

Figs 354-357: Habitus; (354) Sirpa latiflava; (355) Topainca pachacutii; (356) Platynoptera potaro; (357) Artoadenus atrafinus.