Xenofrea simplicioi, Santos-Silva & Botero & Nascimento & Martins, 2020

Santos-Silva, Antonio, Botero, Juan Pablo, Nascimento, Francisco Eriberto de Lima & Martins, David dos Santos, 2020, New species, new records, and taxonomical notes in Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) from the state of Espírito Santo (Brazil), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (Pap. Avulsos Zool., S. Paulo) 60, pp. 1-22 : 18-20

Xenofreini Aurivillius, 1923 Xenofrea simplicioi sp. nov.

( Figs. 56-59 )

Description: Holotype male. Integument mostly dark brown; frons somewhat dark reddish brown; anteclypeus and labrum orangish brown.

Head: Frons abundantly micropunctate; with minute light yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument. Vertex with sculpturing as on frons; with minute yellowish-brown pubescence, more conspicuous between upper eye lobes, nearly absent centrally toward prothoracic margin. Area behind upper eye lobes, very finely, densely, confluently punctate; with yellowish-brown pubescence, moderately dense and longer close to eye, shorter slightly, sparser, slightly distinct on remaining surface. Area behind lower eye lobes with dense yellowish-brown pubescence close to eye, gradually widened from area between lobes to middle of lobe, then gradually narrowed toward inferior margin of lobe, remaining surface with minute, nearly inconspicuous pubescence of same color. Genae micropunctate, nearly glabrous, except for short,sparse yellowish-brown pubescence close to eye; with on long, erect dark seta close near eye. Postclypeus nearly smooth and glabrous, with a few long, erect dark setae. Labrum with short, decumbent, sparse yellowish setae, especially on transverse central area. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.27 times length of scape (0.18 times distance between outer margins of eyes); in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.67 times length of scape (0.46 times distance between outer margins of eyes). Antennae 1.8 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at posterior fifth of antennomere VIII; with yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, slightly denser toward distal antennomeres. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.73; pedicel = 0.19; IV = 0.97; V = 0.65;VI = 0.61;VII = 0.56;VIII = 0.54;IX = 0.51; X = 0.49; XI = 0.51.

Thorax: Prothorax wider than long; sides with large, rounded protuberance centrally. Pronotum with anterolateral angles slightly projected; somewhat finely, abundantly punctate (punctures confluent in some areas); with dense yellowish-brown pubescence except for almost X-shaped area with pubescence distinctly sparser, from anterior margin to just after middle (anterior arms of “X” shorter than posterior ones). Sides of prothorax with dense yellowish-brown pubescence close to pronotum, slightly less dense toward ventral surface. Prosternum with yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument (lighter than on pronotum). Narrowest area of prosternal process about 0.25 times width of procoxal cavity; with yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, denser than on central area of prosternum. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with dense yellowish-brown pubescence laterally, sparser more yellowish-white centrally. Mesoventral process distinctly narrower than mesocoxal cavity. Scutellum with yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument. Elytra: Coarsely, abundantly punctate on anterior ¾, punctures finer, sparser on posterior quarter; nearly parallel-sided in anterior ¾, strongly narrowed toward sutural angle in posterior quarter (together, posterior quarter triangularly-shaped); with wide, slightly oblique carina dorsally, from about anterior quarter to posterior quarter; outer side of dorsal carina depressed from middle to posterior quarter; in side view, posterior fifth distinctly oblique, with its anterior area gibbose, especially laterally; anterior third with dense yellowish-brown pubescence, except for areas with minute, slightly conspicuous brownish pubescence, one wide, oblique band from middle of dorsal surface to near suture, one irregular macula on basal area (as a fragmented continuation of the anteri- or band), another wide, slightly oblique, from sides of dorsal surface to epipleural margin; area close to apex of anterior third with rectangular region dorsally (near suture) with minute, slightly conspicuous brownish pubescence (this area surrounded by yellowish-brown pubescence); central third with dense yellowish-white pubescence centrally and on entire area close to anterior third, with yellowish-brown pubescence on remaining surface, with large irregular areas with minute, slightly conspicuous brownish pubescence interspersed; posterior third with large yellowish-brown pubescent band close to central third, from suture to epipleural margin, oblique dorsally, transverse laterally; posterior quarter with large, irregular area with minute, slightly conspicuous brownish pubescence, except for area close to apex with yellowish-brown pubescence. Legs: Femora with yellowish-brown pubescence dorsally and laterally, more yellowish-white ventrally. Pro- and mesotibiae mostly with yellowish-white pubescence except for apex of protibiae with pubescence less conspicuous and darker, and apex of dorsal surface of mesotibiae with dark pubescence;metatibiae mostly with yellowish pubescence, lighter on some areas, except for apex with pubescence shorter and less conspicuous (appearing to be dark due to the integument color).

Abdomen: Ventrites with yellowish-brown pubescence laterally, yellowish-white, sparser centrally, except for apex of I-IV with fringe of yellowish-brown pubescence. Posterior area of ventrite V slightly depressed centrally, with posterior margin truncate.

Dimensions in mm: Total length, 4.85; prothoracic length, 1.00; anterior prothoracic width, 1.20; posterior prothoracic width, 1.25; maximum prothoracic width, 1.40; humeral width, 1.85; elytral length, 3.55.

Type material: Holotype female from BRAZIL, Espírito Santo: Aracruz , 19°51′29″S, 40°12′00″W, 22.V.1995, J.A.C. Simões col. ( MZSP, formerly SSA).

Etymology: The new species is dedicated to José Simplício dos Santos, a retired employee of the RNV. He was responsible for insect collection, assembly and conservation of the entomological collection of the RNV, serving in a very dedicated way as curator of the collection since the 1980s.

Remarks: Xenofrea simplicioi sp. nov. is similar to X. murina Néouze & Tavakilian, 2005 (see photographs at Bezark, 2020), but differs as follows: antennomeres III-XI unicolorous (bicolorous in X. murina ); elytral apex nearly triangularly-shaped (more rounded in X. murina ). The new species differs from X. arcifera Néouze & Tavakilian, 2005 (see photographs at Bezark, 2020), by the antennomeres III-XI unicolorous (bicolorous in X.arcifera ), protibiae without tooth at inner apex (present in X. arcifera ), and by the different elytral pubescence pattern. It differs from X.obscura Galileo & Martins, 2005 (see photographs at Bezark, 2020), by the different elytral pubescence pattern, and elytra with dorsal surface depressed on posterior half (lacking depression in X. obscura ), and by the mesoventral process distinctly narrower than mesocoxal cavity (almost as wide as mesocoxal cavity in X.obscura ).

Note: The width of the mesoventral process was not mentioned in the original description of X. obscura . However, the two female paratypes currently deposited at MZSP have the width distinctly different (but not as in Xenofrea simplicioi ). This associated with some other differences suggests that the type series encompasses more than one species. It will be necessary to examine the holotype and all paratypes to clarify this problem.

Figures

Figures 56-59. Xenofrea simplicioi sp.nov.,holotype female:(56) dorsal habitus;(57) lateral habitus;(58) ventral habitus;(59) head,frontal view.