Phrynidius murallaensis Noguera, Anderson & Santos-Silva, 2025

Noguera, Felipe A., Anderson, Robert & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2025, Synopsis of Phrynidius Lacordaire (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae, Apomecynini): description of new species, new records, checklist and updated key to species, Zootaxa 5686 (3), pp. 301-338 : 315-318

Phrynidius murallaensis Noguera, Anderson & Santos-Silva , sp. nov.

( Figs 35–47 )

Dimensions in mm (male holotype /female paratype). Total length, 7.20/7.70; prothoracic length, 2.20/2.25; anterior prothoracic width, 1.70/1.80; posterior prothoracic width, 1.85/1.95; maximum prothoracic width, 2.30/2.25; humeral width, 2.00/2.10; elytral length, 4.50/4.95.

Description. Male holotype ( Figs 35–44 ). Integument mostly black; ventral mouthparts reddish brown except palpomeres brown with yellowish apex; anteclypeus yellowish brown except translucent anterior region; antennae brown, except reddish-brown base of pedicel and slightly lighter base of antennomeres III–IV; trochanteres mostly reddish brown, especially pro- and mesotrochanters; tarsomeres V and tarsal claws dark reddish brown.

Head. Frons sparsely, coarsely punctate; with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence and short, squamiform, arched whitish setae interspersed. Vertex, area behind eyes, and genae with sculpturing, pubescence and squamiform setae as on frons, except glabrous apex of genae. Antennal tubercles close to each other, with area between them almost V-shaped; with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence and abundant, short, squamiform, arched whitish setae interspersed frontally. In frontal view, genae 1.8 times longer than lower eye lobe. Area close to frons of wide central area of postclypeus with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence and short, arched, squamiform whitish setae interspersed; area close to anteclypeus with moderately sparse whitish pubescence and long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed. Labrum with sparse white pubescence and long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed on anterior half, except anterior margin with fringe of dense yellowish-brown setae. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.46 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.73 times distance between outer margins of eyes; upper lobe slightly inclined in relation to the axis of lower eye lobe; area between eye lobes without ommatidia. Antennae 1.2 times elytral length, almost reaching posterior third of elytra. Scape slightly, gradually widened on basal third, subcylindrical on remaining surface; with dense yellowish-white pubescence, except yellowish pubescence on base and dense pale-yellow pubescence on apex of dorsal and lateral surfaces; with short, squamiform, suberect, arched yellowish setae interspersed basally, and short, suberect, arched, squamiform, both whitish and brownish setae interspersed on remaining surface. Pedicel with basal half glabrous, except dorsal surface with sparse yellowish-brown pubescence, and distal half with dense yellowish-white pubescence and short, squamiform, arched whitish setae interspersed. Antennomere III with dense yellowish-white pubescence on basal quarter and narrow apical area on dorsal surface; remaining surface with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence, and short, squamiform, arched, suberect, both whitish and brownish setae interspersed. Antennomere IV ( Fig. 39 ) without flattened and depressed area on apex of dorsal surface; with dense yellowish-white pubescence on basal fifth, brownish pubescence on remaining basal 3/4, and abundant brownish pubescence not obscuring integument on apical quarter; basal 3/4 with short, squamiform, arched, suberect, both whitish and brownish setae interspersed; apical quarter with a few short, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed. Antennomeres V–X with abundant brownish pubescence partially obscuring integument, and short, erect yellowish-white setae interspersed. Antennomere XI with abundant yellowish-white pubescence dorsally and on apical half of sides, and abundant brownish pubescence partially obscuring integument on remaining surface; with short, erect yellowish-white setae interspersed. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.08; pedicel = 0.24; IV = 0.68; V = 0.36; VI = 0.30; VII = 0.30; VIII = 0.28; IX = 0.28; X = 0.28; XI = 0.40.

Thorax. Prothorax about as long as wide; sides gradually widened from anterolateral angles to about posterior third, then rounded and narrowed toward subparallel-sided posterior sixth. Pronotum rugose; somewhat sparsely, coarsely punctate; with three slightly distinct gibbosities, one on each side about middle, another centrally near posterior third; with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence, except gibbosities partially with yellowish-white pubescence converging toward their apices; with short, squamiform whitish setae interspersed, squamiform setae more abundant on center of posterior third. Sides of prothorax with sculpturing, pubescence, and whitish setae as on pronotum, except absent on gibbosities. Prosternum moderately sparsely, coarsely punctate; with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence, with abundant, minute whitish setae interspersed. Prosternal process with yellowish-brown pubescence and abundant, bristly whitish setae interspersed; narrowest area 0.38 times procoxal width. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence and moderately abundant, bristly whitish setae interspersed, pubescence sparser and whitish near metacoxal cavities and absent close to them. Mesoventral process subparallel-sided, 0.48 times mesocoxal width. Scutellum with exposed area triangular, with its basal area about twice its length; with dense pale-yellow pubescence except subglabrous laterobasal areas.

Elytra. Ovoid, basally slightly wider than posterior region of prothorax; widest area 1.55 times humeral width; with moderately abundant and small tubercles subaligned in three rows, one near suture, one about lateral curvature, another arched located between innermost and outermost ones; abundantly, coarsely punctate; with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence; with short, squamiform whitish setae interspersed, whitish setae denser on nearly all tubercles, and converging toward their apices. Legs. Femora slightly, gradually widened on basal half, more distinctly widened on apical half; ventral surface concave near apex; with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence except base with slightly sparser yellowish-white pubescence and apex with sparser whitish pubescence; with short, squamiform, arched whitish setae interspersed. Tibiae with abundant yellowish-white pubescence basally and abundant, squamiform, arched whitish setae interspersed; apical sides with moderately sparse whitish pubescence; dorsal apex of protibiae glabrous; ventral sixth with bristly dark yellowish-brown pubescence; dorsal sulcus of mesotibiae with dense, erect, short golden setae; remaining surface with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence and short, squamiform whitish setae interspersed. Ventral apex of pro- and mesotibiae with distinct spiniform projection ( Figs 40–41 ). Dorsal surface of tarsomeres with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous anterocentral region of tarsomeres I; central apex of tarsomeres I–II with a few short yellowish-white setae directed backward.

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument; ventrites 1–2 with short, squamiform whitish setae interspersed; ventrites 3–5 with abundant, short, slender whitish setae interspersed.

Female ( Figs 45–47 ). Similar to male, differing by pro- and mesotibiae ( Figs 45–46 ) without spiniform projection on apex of ventral surface.

Etymology. The epithet ‘ murallaensis’ refers to the name of La Muralla National Park, a protected natural area in the Department of Olancho, Honduras, where the individuals of the type series were collected.

Type material. Male holotype from HONDURAS, Olancho: P. N. [Parque Nacional] La Muralla, Sendero Pizote , 10.VI.2003, R. Turnbow leg. ( FSCA, formerly RHTC). Female paratype, same data as holotype ( RHTC) .

Remarks. Phrynidius murallaensis is similar to P. cristinae (see photographs on Bezark (2025) and in Gutiérrez et al. (2020)), but differs as follows (female): body, in lateral view not strongly convex ( Fig. 37 ); elytra proportionally narrower, maximum width equal to 1.55 times humeral width ( Fig. 35 ); antennomere IV longer than V–VI together ( Fig. 35 ); and mesoventral process ( Fig. 36 ) distinctly wider basally than apically and not gradually widened from base to apex. In females of P. cristinae , the body, in lateral view, strongly convex, elytra are wider, with a maximum width equal to 1.65 times the humeral width, antennomere IV as long as V–VI together and the mesoventral process is distinctly wider apically than basally and is gradually widened from base to apex. It differs from P. armatus Linsley, 1933 (see photographs on Bezark (2025) and in Noguera & Santos-Silva (2023)) by the prothorax proportionally wider (slender in P. armatus ), pronotum, in lateral view, not strongly convex (strongly convex in P. armatus ), central region of the prosternal and mesoventral processes narrower than the half of pro- and mesocoxa, respectively (distinctly wider in P. armatus ), and elytral tubercles not aligned and shorter (subaligned and distinctly larger in P. armatus ). See remarks under Phrynidius tigranensis .

Figures

FIGURES 35–41. Phrynidius murallaensis, holotype male: 35) Dorsal habitus; 36) Ventral habitus; 37) Lateral habitus; 38) Latero-oblique habitus; 39) Antennomeres III–IV; 40) Apex of protibia; 41) Apex of mesotibia.

FIGURES 42–47. Phrynidius murallaensis. 42–44) Holotype male: 42) Head, frontal view; 43) Scutellum; 44) Eye lobes. 45–47) Paratype female: 45) Apex of protibia; 46) Apex of mesotibia; 47) Dorsal habitus.