Elaphidion jaragua Lingafelter, 2024

Woodley, Steven W. Lingafelter Norman E., 2024, New species, new combinations, synonymies, and nomenclatural discussion for Hispaniolan longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Disteniidae, Cerambycidae), Insecta Mundi 2024 (69), pp. 1-41 : 11-13

Elaphidion jaragua Lingafelter , new species

( Fig. 6 )

Diagnosis. At 3 cm long, this species is among the largest Elaphidion species in Hispaniola, along with E. androsensis Fisher and E. conspersum (Newman) . In the key to Elaphidion of Hispaniola ( Lingafelter 2008), E. jaragua would key closest to E. androsensis . Both species share a similar large size, moderately bispinose elytral apices with the spines approximately equal in length, bispinose basal antennomeres, and short antennae that extend to about the apical third of the elytra. Elaphidion jaragua differs in having a dense covering of ochraceous pubescence over all the pronotum except for a round, glabrous middle callus and two much smaller anterolateral calli. The pronotum of E. androsensis is only partially pubescent and the middle callus is prominent and elongate, extending nearly to the anterior and posterior margins. The pronotum of E. jaragua has small lateral tubercles while in E. androsensis the pronotum is rounded at the sides.

Description. Holotype female. 30 mm long; 8 mm wide at humeri. Color: Head and pronotum dark brown; legs, antennae, and venter, dark reddish-brown; elytra reddish-brown with piceous extreme apices and spines.

Head. Moderately produced and widely angled antennal tubercles, rounded at apices. Clothed in short, dense, appressed, off-white pubescence covering nearly the entire surface and obscuring most of the integument. Glabrous portions of head including post-gula, narrow vertex suture, and upper margin of antennal tubercles, shiny and impunctate. Eyes large, occupying most of head from lateral view; upper eye lobe connected to lower lobe by 7 ommatidia at narrowest point and continue around antennal tubercle to just inside inner margin of tubercles; upper eye lobes separated on vertex by a little more than width of base of antennal scape. Antennae robust, short, extending to apical third of elytra. Antennomeres 3–8 subequally bispinose apically; antennomeres 9–10 dentiform apically. Antennal scape cylindrical and outwardly curved at apex. Antennomere 3 slightly shorter than scape; antennomeres 4–5 subequal and shorter than 3; remaining antennomeres successively shorter to 10; antennomere 11 slightly longer than 10.

Thorax. Pronotum with small acute lateral tubercles at sides; one prominent, smooth, oval callus at center of disk, and two smaller circular, smooth calli on disk anterolaterally to central callus. Pronotum covered, except for calli, with dense, appressed, off-white pubescence. Pronotum shorter than wide (5.5 mm long, 7 mm wide). Prosternal process acutely declivous behind procoxae; apex broad, but not expanded; procoxae open posteriorly by about one-fourth their width. Ventral thorax including prosternum, mesosternum, and metasternum, along with lateral sclerites, all covered in dense, appressed, off-white pubescence. Elytra with dense, short, appressed off-white pubescence, interdigitated with narrow glabrous regions; with dense, separate, setiferous punctures at basal half, becoming shallower and sparser at apical half. Elytral apices strongly bispinose with outer spine 1.5 × longer than sutural spine. Scutellum broadly rounded at apex, covered in dense, short, appressed, off-white pubescence. Femora cylindrical, slightly expanded at middle. Metafemora attaining apical fourth of elytral apices. Profemoral apices rounded; mesofemoral and metafemoral apices with short inner and outer spines. Mesocoxae separated by broad mesosternal process that is nearly the width of the mesocoxa.

Abdomen. Sternites covered in dense, appressed, off-white pubescence. Apex of last ventrite broadly rounded.

Type material. Holotype (female): DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: RD-082 Pedernales Province, Trudillé, Parque Nacional Jaragua , nr. sea level, 17°45.184′N, 71°31.670′W, 4 December 2002, D. Perez, B. Hierro R. ( USNM).

Etymology. This species epithet, a noun in apposition, is named after Jaragua National Park in which the holotype was collected.

Linsleyonides Skiles, 1985

Figures

Figure 6. Elaphidion jaragua Lingafelter, new species. a) Digital illustration of dorsal habitus on left by Aiden Jimeno. b) Digital photograph of ventral habitus of holotype on right by Eugenio Nearns.