Hylettus eremita ( Erichson, 1847 )

Vlasak, Josef, Santos-Silva, Antonio & Nascimento, Francisco Eriberto De L., 2020, Two new species, transference, notes, and new record in South American Acanthocinini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae), Zootaxa 4779 (3), pp. 355-366 : 360-361

Hylettus eremita ( Erichson, 1847)

( Figs. 13–17 )

Liopus eremita Erichson, 1847: 145 ; Gemminger, 1873: 3163 (cat.).

Leiopus eremita ; White, 1855: 381; Aurivillius, 1923: 410 (cat.); Blackwelder, 1946: 615 (checklist).

Eleothinus eremita ; Gilmour, 1965: 580 (cat.).

Hylettus eremita ; Monné, 1982: 96; 1988: 125 (key); Monné & Giesbert, 1994: 246 (checklist); Monné, 1995: 147 (cat.); 2005: 45 (cat.); Wappes et al., 2006: 35 (distr.); Monné & Hovore, 2006: 35 (checklist); Monné et al., 2012: 26 (distr.); Monné & Chaboo, 2015: 75 (distr.); Lingafelter et al., 2017: 152; Monné, 2020: 55 (cat.).

Astynomus sallei Candèze, 1861: 382 ; Rojas, 1866: 245.

Astyochus sallei ; Aurivillius, 1923: 427 (cat.); Blackwelder, 1946: 619 (checklist); Duffy, 1960: 242.

Acanthocinus sallei ; Gemminger, 1873: 3154 (cat.).

Hylettus sallei ; Gilmour, 1965: 602 (cat.).

Hylettus decorticans Bates, 1864: 12 ; Gemminger, 1873: 3160 (cat.); Aurivillius, 1923: 426 (cat.); Blackwelder, 1946: 619 (checklist); Gilmour, 1965: 602 (cat.).

Erichson (1847) described Leiopus eremita (genus name wrongly graphed as Liopus ) based on a single female. Currently, most of the catalogues (Tavakilian & Chevillote, 2019; Monné, 2020) reported its type locality only from Peru, but the accurate locality should be “ Peru - area placed at the eastern side of Andes Mountain” (see Erichson 1847: 67).

Candèze (1861) described Astynomus sallei based on a series of imagoes and immatures (unknown quantities) from Venezuela (vicinity of Caracas). It is apparent from the original description that he had at least one adult male and female and not a “type” (holotype), as reported by Tavakilian & Chevillotte (2019). According to Tavakilian & Chevillotte (2019) and Monné (2020), the depository of the “type” is unknown. Horn & Kahle (1935) reported that the former Cerambycidae collection of Ernest Charles Auguste Candèze is deposited at IRSN. However, according to Alain Drumont (IRSN, personal communication): “I have checked all specimens of Hylettus we have, and we don’t have any specimen corresponding to eremita , nor to sallei . We have material from the Candèze collection but mostly in Elateridae and Scarabaeidae . Unfortunately, it seems that the holotype you are searching for is not present in RBINS [= IRSN].” As the specimens were collected and belonged to Auguste Sallé, it is possible that Candèze has returned the specimens to him. According to Horn & Kahle (1935), part of his Cerambycidae collection is in MNHN: “Cupesid., Clerid, Malacoderm., Cebrionid., Authicid., Longicorn. ex parte ( Lepturini etc.), Phytophaga, Scarabaeid. ex parte (Megasoma etc.) via Grivard an E. Oberthür (Rennes).” In the 1970s, Jesus Santiago Moure photographed a specimen in the MNHN collection as being the “typus” of Astynomus sallei ( Fig. 16 ). However, that specimen is a male and has distinctly yellow maculae on pronotum, which were not mentioned by Candèze (1861) and, apparently, is not present in the illustration of the original description too. Accordingly, it is not possible to know if the specimen is or is not one of the syntypes. The type locality of Astynomus sallei has been registered as Venezuela only (Tavakilian & Chevillote, 2109; Monné 2020). However, the accurate type locality is Venezuela, Caracas surroundings. We agree with the synonymy proposed by Monné (1982) between A. sallei and Hylettus eremita .

Bates (1864) described Hylettus decorticans based on a single male from Venezuela ( Fig. 17 ). Monné (1982) listed this species as a synonym of Hylettus eremita , but did not indicate it as a new synonymy, as he did regarding A. sallei . However, we were unable to find an author who had done the synonym before Monné (1982). Accordingly, it was Monné (1982) who synonymized it.

The pronotum of Hylettus eremita may have yellow maculae, one surrounding the central tubercle, and one oblique band on each side of the anterior half ( Figs. 13, 14, 16 ). In some individuals, the oblique bands are present, but almost indistinct ( Fig. 15 ). Furthermore, the elytral pubescent pattern is often variable, especially the dark area of posterior third, which is variable in size and shape, and may be absent or nearly so ( Fig. 14 ).

Material examined. VENEZUELA, Aragua: Rancho Grande , 1,100 m, 1 female, 2.XI.1973, no collector indicated ( MZSP) . COLOMBIA (new country record), Tolima: Espinal , 4º09’10”N / 74º53’19”W, 322 m, 1 male, 23.XI.1992, M. Daza col. ( UNAB) . Boyacá: Otanche , 5.736631 / -74.218591, 1 female, III.2016, R. Gostovannyi col. ( MZSP) . PERU, Junin: Chanchamayo : 2 males, 3-12.VIII.1963, Caballero col. ( MZSP) . BOLIVIA, Potosí: Caranani , 1-25.XII.2007, 1300 m, 2 males, S. Le Tirant col. ( MZSP) .

Figures

FIGURES 13–17. Hylettus eremita, dorsal habitus: 13) Female from Colombia (Boyacá); 14) Male from Colombia (Tolima); 15) Female from Venezuela (Aragua); 16) Male deposited at MNHN (photograph by Jesus Santiago Moure); 17) Holotype male of Hylettus decorticans (photograph by Jesus Santiago Moure).