Phrynidius sanctabarbaraensis 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 : 312-313

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

( Figs 24–34 )

Dimensions in mm (male holotype /male paratypes /female paratypes). Total length, 6.70/6.20–6.90/6.75–7.85; prothoracic length, 2.00/1.85–2.20/1.85–2.30; anterior prothoracic width, 1.85/1.65–1.90/1.70–2.15; posterior prothoracic width, 2.00/1.85–2.20/1.95–2.25; maximum prothoracic width, 2.20/2.10–2.45/2.20–2.65; humeral width, 2.10/2.00–2.30/2.10–2.55; elytral length, 4.10/3.85–4.50/4.35–4.70.

Description. Male holotype ( Figs 24–33 ). Integument mostly dark brown; palpomeres light brown; antennae brown basally, gradually lighter toward apex; anteclypeus dark yellowish brown close to labrum. Tibiae mostly brown, lighter depending on light intensity; tarsi dark yellowish brown. Apical region of abdominal ventrite 5 brown.

Head. Frons convex, abundantly, coarsely punctate; with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence except sparse pubescence on wide posterocentral region (pubescence on this area probably lost). Median groove very fine, slightly distinct. Vertex moderately abundantly, coarsely punctate; with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring punctures. Antennal tubercles not close to each other in dorsal view ( Fig. 24 ); in frontal view, forming V-shaped area ( Fig. 32 ); with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence basally, moderately abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument on wide central area, glabrous on apex. Area behind eyes abundantly, coarsely punctate; with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring punctures close to eye, smooth, glabrous close to prothorax. Genae 1.75 times longer than lower eye lobe; abundantly, coarsely punctate; with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence except glabrous narrow apical region. Wide central area of postclypeus close to frons with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument and abundant, minute, bristly yellowish-white setae interspersed; area close to anteclypeus with sparse yellowish-white pubescence, and short, long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed. Sides of postclypeus glabrous. Labrum sparsely, minutely punctate, with coarse punctures interspersed on transverse central area; with sparse, bristly yellowish-white setae, slightly more abundant anterocentrally, long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed, yellowish-brown setae more abundant laterally, and fringe of dense yellowish-brown setae on anterior margin. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.43 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.75 times distance between outer margins of eyes; upper eye lobe slightly oblique in relation to the axis of lower eye lobe; area between eye lobes with one ommatidium ( Fig. 33 ). Antennae 1.45 times elytral length, almost reaching posterior seventh of elytra. Scape slightly, gradually widened from base to near apex; with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument except apex of dorsal surface with abundant pale-yellow pubescence; with short, arched, squamiform whitish setae interspersed dorsally. Pedicel almost glabrous on basal half, with abundant yellowish-white pubescence partially obscuring integument on apical half. Antennomere III glabrous on narrow basal and apical areas, with somewhat narrow area with abundant pale-yellow pubescence close to each glabrous area; remaining surface with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument and short, arched, squamiform whitish setae interspersed dorsally. Apex of outer surface of antennomere IV depressed and flattened, with dense yellowish-white pubescence ( Figs 28–29 ); remaining surface with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence and short, arched, squamiform whitish setae interspersed dorsally and laterally. Antennomeres V–XI with abundant yellowish pubescence partially obscuring integument and short erect setae of same color interspersed. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.96; pedicel = 0.18; IV = 0.71; V = 0.36; VI = 0.32; VII = 0.28; VIII = 0.28; IX = 0.25; X = 0.23; XI = 0.36.

Thorax. Prothorax slightly rounded on 4/5, subparallel-sided on apical fifth. Pronotum with distinct protuberance centrally between anterior and posterior fifths, with its dorsal surface distinctly concave on middle of pronotum, forming two moderately elevated tubercles with blunt apex; with slightly elevated, conical tubercle on each side of middle; surface mostly rugose, abundantly, coarsely punctate; central protuberance with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence, pubescence denser on tubercles and with short, squamiform whitish setae on apex of tubercles; lateral tubercles with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence; remaining surface with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, but with areas with sparse pubescence. Sides of prothorax coarsely rugose-punctate; with moderately abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument. Prosternum with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument except almost glabrous sides of anterocentral region. Prosternal process with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument; narrowest area 0.3 times procoxal width. Wide central area of mesoventrite with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument centrally and laterally; sides with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence. Mesanepisterna, mesepimera, metanespisterna, and metaventrite with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence slightly denser and yellower on center of metaventrite. Scutellum with its exposed region triangular ( Fig. 31 ), with base of this area 2.0 times its length; with abundant yellowish-white pubescence obscuring integument, except sparser pubescence on sides. Elytra. Ovoid, with base slightly wider than posterior region of prothorax; anterior 3/4 of dorsal surface with moderately abundant and large conical tubercles not aligned, posterior ones close to suture; abundantly, coarsely punctate; with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence absent close to some of punctures, denser on apex of nearly all tubercles. Legs. Femora slightly, gradually widened on basal half, more distinctly widened on apical half; ventral surface concave near apex; with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence slightly darker depending on light intensity. Protibiae with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence except apex of dorsal and lateral surfaces with sparse yellowish setae and apical third of ventral surface with dense, erect, squamiform yellowish-brown setae; with a few, minute, squamiform, decumbent whitish setae interspersed; apex of ventral surface with distinct spine ( Fig. 30 ). Mesotibiae with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence except apical fifth of lateral surfaces with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, apical fifth of ventral surface with short, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence, and dorsal sulcus with fringe of dense golden erect setae; ventral apex of ventral surface with spine with same length of that on protibia. Metatibiae with pubescence as on mesotibiae except erect golden setae on dorsal surface. Dorsal surface of tarsi with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous central region of tarsomeres I–II; central apex of tarsomeres I–II with a few short yellowish-white setae directed backward.

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant, pale yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence whitish on sides of intercoxal process.

Female. Similar to male, differing by the antennae shorter, 1.2 times elytral length, slightly surpassing base of posterior third of elytra, and ventral apex of pro- and mesotibiae without spine ( Fig. 34 ).

Variation. Frons with dense pale yellowish-brown pubescence throughout; prosternum with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument throughout.

Etymology. The epithet ‘ sanctabarbaraensis’ refers to the state of Santa Barbara, Honduras, where the type locality occurs and from where all specimens have been collected.

Type material. Male holotype from HONDURAS, Santa Barbara: 13 km SE El Mochito, 16.VII.1977. C.W. & L. O’Brien & Marshall leg. ( FSCA, formerly RHTC). Paratypes — 1 male, same data as holotype ( RHTC) ; 3 females, same data as holotype, except 22.VII.1977 (1 male, 3 females, RHTC; 1 female, MZSP); 1 male, 2 females, same data as holotype, except 31.VII.1977 (3 females, RHTC; 1 male, MZSP) .

Remarks. Phrynidius sanctabarbaraensis is similar to P. wibmeri (see photographs on Bezark 2025 and the original description), but differs as follows: body slender; elytra about twice as long as humeral width; distance between upper eye lobes shorter than basal width of elytron; distance between apices of antennal tubercles shorter than maximum diameter of scape; and elytra without erect and arched setae. In P.wibmeri , the body is stouter, distance between upper eye lobes larger than the basal width of elytron, distance between the apices of the antennal tubercles is equal to maximum diameter of the scape, and elytra with short and arched setae. Phrynidius sanctabarbaraensis differs from P. hondureno ( Figs 48–59 ) by the slender body (stouter in P. hondureno ), distance between the upper eye lobes equals to 2/3 the basal width of the elytron (at least slightly shorter than the basal width of the elytron in P. hondureno ), and distance between the apices of the antennal tubercles shorter than the maximum diameter of the scape (at least equals to maximum diameter of the scape in P. hondureno ). It differs from P. echinus Bates, 1880 (see photographs on Bezark 2025 and Noguera & Santos-Silva 2023) especially by the dorsal protuberance at the center of the pronotum concave between the tubercles (not concave and forming two tubercles in P. echinus ), and by the metatibiae wider (slender in P. echinus ). Phrynidius sanctabarbaraensis differs from P. cristinae (see photographs on Bezark (2025) and in Gutiérrez et al. (2020)) especially by the antennal tubercles not contiguous basally (contiguous in P. cristinae ), area near apex with large tubercles, causing the elytra not to be distinctly rounded at the apex in dorsal view (without large tubercles near apex and elytra distinctly rounded at the apex in dorsal view in P. cristinae ), and by the elytra coarsely punctate (finely punctate in P. cristinae ).

Figures

FIGURES 24–34. Phrynidius sanctabarbaraensis. 24–33) Holotype male: 24) Dorsal habitus; 25) Ventral habitus; 26) Lateral habitus; 27) Latero-oblique habitus; 28) Antennomere IV, dorsal view; 29) Antennomere IV, lateral view; 30) Protibia, frontal view; 31) Scutellum; 32) Head, frontal view; 33) Eye lobes. 34) Paratype female, protibia, lateral view.

FIGURES 48–54. Phrynidius hondureno, holotype male: 48) Dorsal habitus; 49) Ventral habitus; 50) Lateral habitus; 51) Latero-oblique habitus; 52) Scutellum; 53) Antennomere IV; 54) Eye lobes.

FIGURES 55–59. Phrynidius hondureno, 55–57) Holotype male: 55) Head frontal view; 56) Apex of protibia; 57) Frontooblique habitus. 58–59) Paratype female: 58) Apex of protibia; 59) Dorsal habitus.