Prionus (Prionus) lecontei Lameere, 1912

Santos-Silva, Antonio, Nearns, Eugenio H. & Swift, Ian P., 2016, Revision of the American species of the genus Prionus Geoffroy, 1762 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prioninae, Prionini), Zootaxa 4134 (1), pp. 1-103 : 74-75

Prionus (Prionus) lecontei Lameere, 1912

( Figs. 49–51 , 130–132 )

Prionus Le Contei Lameere, 1912a: 244 ; 1913: 78 (cat.); 1919: 139.

Prionus lecontei ; Leng, 1927: 39 (cat.); Linsley, 1935b: 161 (distr.); Hovore & Giesbert, 1976: 350 (host); Hovore, 1988: 3 (distr.); Chemsak et al., 1992: 21 (checklist); Noguera & Chemsak, 1996: 396 (distr.); Linsley & Chemsak, 1997: 424 (host); Monné, 2002: 25 (host); Monné & Hovore, 2005: 20 (checklist); 2006: 19 (checklist); Swiecki & Bernhardt, 2006: 66; Barbour et al., 2011: 588–591; Rodstein et al., 2011: 114, 119–123.

Prionus (Prionus) lecontei ; Linsley, 1962: 45; Monné & Giesbert, 1994: 15 (checklist); Monné, 1995: 53 (cat.); Chemsak, 1996: 108; Monné, 2006: 87 (cat.); Özdikmen & Turgut, 2009: 411; Bezark & Monné, 2013: 28 (checklist); Monné, 2015: 176 (cat.).

Prionus californicus lecontei ; Leng, 1920: 266 (cat.).

Male ( Figs. 130, 132 ). Integument reddish-brown, slightly darker dorsally, especially on head (often also ventrally), pronotum, and basal one-third of elytra; antennae from reddish-brown to dark-brown, usually lighter toward apex; legs from reddish-brown to brown, margined with dark-brown or black. Head, excluding mandibles, from 1.0 to 1.2 times as long as prothorax at central area, moderately elongate behind eyes (distance from posterior ocular edge to the prothorax from 0.5 to 0.9 times length of upper eye lobe, typically smaller in small specimens). Longitudinal dorsal furrow distinct from clypeus to near anterior margin of prothorax (sometimes reaching prothorax), always less distinct toward prothorax. Frons short, smooth, shining, glabrous. Area on each side of longitudinal furrow, between antennal tubercles and middle of eyes, deeply sulcate, coarsely, moderately abundantly punctate (usually with confluent punctures). Area close to ocular carinae coarsely, confluently punctate, with short, sparse setae. Central area between middle of eyes and anterior margin of prothorax moderately finely, sparsely punctate; glabrous or with very short, sparse setae; lateral areas between eyes and prothorax with punctures slightly coarser, denser than on central area, with short, moderately sparse setae. Area behind upper eye lobes moderately finely, abundantly punctate (punctures denser and slightly coarser toward lower eye lobes); with short, moderately abundant setae. Area behind lower eye lobes finely rugose, with short, moderately sparse setae toward prothorax, with brush of moderately short setae close to eye. Antennal tubercles nearly contiguous on base; finely, sparsely punctate (usually smooth at apex), but sometimes with fine, dense punctures anteriorly close to clypeus. Postclypeus narrow, moderately finely, abundantly, confluently punctate laterally, gradually sparser toward center; with short, sparse setae laterally, glabrous centrally. Anteclypeus shining, glabrous, impunctate. Labrum with very long, abundant setae. Eyes large; distance between upper eye lobes from 0.40 to 0.55 times length of scape; distance between lower eye lobes from 0.4 to 0.5 times length of scape. Submentum trapezoid, slightly depressed, rugose, with short, sparse setae; anterior edge distinctly carinate. Apex of labial palpi not attaining middle of maxillary palpomere IV. Antennae with 13 segments; attaining from distal one-third to distal one-fourth of elytra. Scape clearly not attaining posterior ocular edge, slightly enlarged toward apex; finely, sparsely punctate dorsally (denser on basal one-third); punctures on latero-outer side slightly coarser than dorsally. Antennomere III from 1.1 to 1.2 times longer than scape dorsally, distinctly enlarged toward apex (distal width from 2.2 to 2.9 times basal width); on dorsal view, imbrication distinct, projected ( Fig. 49 ); on ventral view ( Fig. 50, 51 ), imbrication forming two distinct lobes, separated by deep emargination, with outermost largest, slightly emarginate at level of carina; finely, sparsely punctate on basal one-half dorsally, (sometimes only basal one-third), microsculptured toward apex (sometimes with smooth, small area at apex). Remaining antennomeres microsculptured dorsally. Antennomere IV from 0.75 to 0.90 times as long as III. Imbrication of antennomeres IV– XII as in III, but usually with deeper emargination of outermost lobe.

Maximum prothoracic width slightly smaller than elytral base; anterolateral angle spined (spine long), with anterior margin straight or slightly rounded; lateral spine very long, projected backwards; posterolateral angle acute, distinctly projected. Pronotum somewhat flat centrally; disc very finely, moderately abundantly punctate, finely punctate laterally, but distinctly coarser than center of disc; with sparse, short setae laterally (also, sometimes with very sparse setae on central area). Prosternum finely and sparsely asperate; with long, moderately abundant setae. Elytra finely, abundantly punctate; each elytron with three carinae (innermost two most distinct); sutural apex with short spine.

Ventrites almost smooth; ventrite I usually with short setae on basal one-third. Pro- and mesotarsomeres I–II with short spine at apex (shorter in protarsomeres); apex of metatarsomeres I–II distinctly projected (usually slightly spined).

Female. Not examined.

Dimensions in mm (male). Total length (including mandibles), 34.5–46.5; prothoracic length at center, 4.2– 6.2; widest prothoracic width, 11.1–15.4; humeral width, 11.5–17.0; elytral length, 24.7–33.6.

Geographical distribution. Canada [British Columbia ( Linsley, 1962)], USA [California (Lameere, 1912)], Mexico [Baja California ( Hovore, 1988)].

Type, type locality. Described from USA, California, based on three syntypes (two males and one female) deposited at NHMW.

We designate as lectotype the male ( Fig. 130 ) with the following labels ( Fig. 131 ):

White (Handwritten): Le Contei / [male symbol] / type / Lam. White (Handwritten): Pars. / 858.

Red (Printed): TYPUS

Red (Printed), added by us: LECTOTYPE / Prionus lecontei / Lameere, 1912.

Material examined. USA, California: Dunlap (Fresco County), 9 males, VII.2.1973, Doug Whitman col. ( ESSIG); Joshua Tree, 1 male, VI.25.1960, E. L. Sleeper col. ( MZSP); Oakland (Alameda County), 1 male, VI.1937, [no collector indicated] ( ESSIG); 25 miles NE Redding (Shasta County), 1 male, VII.14.1960 (no collector indicated) ( MZSP); Santa Clara County, 1 male, VII.1973, Doug Whitman col. ( ESSIG); Trabuco Oaks (Orange County), 1 male, VII.15.1977, D. W. Jordan col. ( ESSIG).

Remarks. Leng (1920), without any explanation, considered P. lecontei as a subspecies of P. californicus . Linsley (1935b) recorded: “ P. lecontei is not a variety or synonym of P. californicus as it has been placed by recent writers, but is a very distinct species. It differs markedly from californicus in having thirteen-segmented rather than twelve-segmented antennae, with the external processes of segments four to eleven very strongly produced and longer than the segments to which they are attached (in californicus the processes are shorter than the segments on which they occur).” However, Linsley (1962) suggested the possibility of synonym between P. lecontei and P. californicus : “The status of this form is perplexing. I have seen specimens from about a dozen localities, sometimes captured along with typical californicus . The characters which separate the two suggest that they represent distinct species. However heterogony may be involved.” For the time being, there is no reason to affirm that both are the same species.

According to Lameere (1912a), this species differs from P. californicus [translation]: “by the lobes of third article of hind tarsi just angular and not dentate at apex; by the process of ventrite I wide and rounded in female; by the metasternum glabrous in female; by the sculpture of the elytra more finely rugose, with punctures more or less visible; by the antennae shorter and more tumid, with 13 segments in both sexes, with outer process of the articles very developed.” However, the apex of metatarsomere in some specimens of P. californicus is similar to specimens of P. lecontei . The antennae, as in P. californicus , are variable in length and frequently have equal length in both species.

Figures

FIGURES 20 – 51. Antennae. 20 – 23, Prionus (Prionus) pocularis: 20, male, scape, pedicel, antennomeres III – IV, dorsal view; 21, male, antennomeres III – IV, lateral view; 22, male, antennomeres III – IV, ventral view; 23, female, antennomeres IX – XI, ventral view. 24 – 28, P. (P.) poultoni: 24, male, scape, pedicel, antennomeres III – IV, dorsal view; 25, male, antennomeres III – IV, latero-ventral view; 26, male, antennomeres III – V, ventral view; 27, female, scape, pedicel, antennomeres III – IV, dorsal view; 28, female, antennomeres VII – IX, ventral view. 29 – 32, P. (P.) aztecus: 29, male, antennomeres III – IV, ventral view; 30, male, antennomeres III – IV, latero-ventral view; 31, female, antennomers VII – IX, ventral view; 32, male, scape, pedicel, antennomeres III – VIII, dorsal view. 33 – 37, P. (P.) mexicanus: 33, male, scape, pedicel, antennomeres III – VIII, dorsal view; 34, male, antennomeres III – IV, latero-ventral view; 35, male, antennomeres III – IV, ventral view; 36, female, scape, pedicel, antennomeres III – IV, dorsal view; 37, female, antennomeres VII – IX, ventral view. 38 – 41, P. (P.) fissicornis: 38, male, scape, pedicel, antennomeres III – V, dorsal view; 39, male, antennomeres III – V, lateral view; 40, male, antennomeres III – V, ventral view; 41, female, antennomeres VIII – X, ventral view. 42 – 45, P. (P.) imbricornis: 42, female, antennomeres VIII – X, ventral view; 43, male, scape, pedicel, antennomeres III – IV, dorsal view; 44, male, antennomeres III – IV, lateral view; 45, male, antennomeres III – IV, ventral view. 46 – 48, P. (P.) laticollis: 46, male, scape, pedicel, antennomere III, dorsal view; 47, male, antennomeres III – VII, ventral view; 48, female, scape, pedicel, antennomere III, dorsal view. 49 – 51, P. (P.) lecontei, male: 49, scape, pedicel, antennomeres III – IV, dorsal view; 50, antennomeres III – IV, latero-ventral view; 51, antennomeres III – IV, ventral view.

FIGURES 128 – 132. 128 – 129, Prionus poultoni, holotype male: 128, dorsal habitus; 129, ventral habitus. 130 – 132, Prionus (Prionus) lecontei, male: 130, lectotype male, dorsal view; 131, lectotype male, labels; 132, male, ventral view. Photographs 128 – 129 by James E. Hogan; photographs 130 – 131 by Harald Schillhammer.