Sternacutus cupelloi, Heffern & Nascimento & Santos-Silva, 2024

Heffern, Daniel, Nascimento, Francisco Eriberto De L. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2024, Lamiinae (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) from Panama: new species, new records, and new synonymy, Zootaxa 5458 (2), pp. 247-262 : 255-258

Sternacutus cupelloi sp. nov.

( Figs 17–21 )

Description. Holotype male. Integument mostly dark brown; ventral mouthparts reddish brown, except light yellowish-brown palpi; anteclypeus dark brown close to postclypeus, reddish brown close to labrum; labrum mostly reddish brown; scape mostly light brown on basal quarter, dark brown on remaining surface; pedicel orangish brown basally, dark brown on remaining surface; antennomeres III–VI orangish brown on basal third or quarter, lighter depending on light intensity, dark brown on remaining surface; antennomeres VII–IX orangish brown basally, dark reddish brown on remaining basal quarter, dark brown on remaining surface. Profemora mostly orangish; mesofemora mostly brownish. Trochanters, femoral peduncles, basal area of dorsal and lateral surfaces of femoral clubs, and most of ventral surface of femoral clubs orangish brown, more yellowish depending on light intensity; remaining surface of femoral clubs brown. Tibiae dark brown basally, dark brown on apical half of protibiae, blackish on apical half of meso- and metatibiae, and with wide pale-yellow ring on remaining anterior half. Protarsomeres I pale yellow on basal 2/3, brown on apical third; meso- and metatarsomeres I pale yellow on basal 3/4, brown on apical quarter; tarsomeres V orangish brown basally, gradually brown toward apex on remaining surface. Abdominal ventrite 1 dark brown, slightly lighter on apical quarter; ventrites 2–4 mostly reddish brown, except pale yellow central apex; ventrite 5 brown laterally, orangish brown centrally.

Head. Frons abundantly, very finely, shallowly punctate; with moderately sparse yellowish-white pubescence on inferior half close to postclypeus (pubescence partially lost), abundant, mostly yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument on area between central region of eyes, and abundant yellow pubescence not obscuring integument superiorly, except glabrous median groove; with one long, erect seta close to eyes, seta blackish on basal half, gradually pale toward apex on apical half. Area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes with dense yellow pubescence, except glabrous median groove, glabrous area widened between superior region of upper eye lobes; remaining surface of vertex glabrous close to prothorax and sparse yellowish pubescence close to dense yellow pubescent area.Area behind upper eye lobes with dense yellow pubescence close to eye, glabrous close to prothorax. Area behind lower eye lobes with dense yellow pubescence superiorly close to upper eye lobe, this area following obliquely, not close to eye up to inferior third, with dense yellowish pubescence close to eye on remaining inferior 2/3, glabrous on remaining surface. Genae 0.6 times as long as lower eye lobe; with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous apex; with a few long, erect setae interspersed, setae blackish on basal half, gradually paler toward apex on apical half. Antennal tubercles mostly with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument. Wide central area of postclypeus with sparse yellowish pubescence and long, erect, mostly yellowish-brown setae interspersed. Sides of postclypeus glabrous. Labrum with sparse yellowish pubescence posteriorly, glabrous on remaining surface, except fringe of yellowish-brown setae on anterior margin; posterior third with long, erect yellowish setae, setae entirely pale, blackish basally and yellowish on remaining surface, or mostly yellowish-brown. Gulamentum glabrous, except sparse yellowish pubescence on intermaxillary process. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.18 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.60 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 3.3 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at apex of antennomere V. Scape with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument basally, abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument ventrally, and mostly brown pubescence not obscuring integument on remaining surface; with a few long, erect setae near apex of ventral surface, setae dark brown, gradually yellowish brown on remaining surface. Pedicel with moderately abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument on light integumental area, and moderately abundant brown pubescence not obscuring integument on dark integumental area; with a few long, erect, thick dark setae ventrally. Antennomeres III–IX with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument on light integumental area, and abundant, mostly dark pubescence not obscuring integument on dark integumental area; with short, erect whitish setae interspersed throughout; ventral surface of III–V with a few short, thick, erect dark setae ventrally; dorsal and lateral apex of III– IX with a few short, thick dark setae. Antennomeres X–XI mostly with dark pubescence not obscuring integument and short, erect whitish setae interspersed throughout. Antennal formula based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.03; pedicel = 0.11; IV = 1.10; V = 1.06; VI = 1.00; VII = 0.94; VIII = 0.91; IX = 0.91; X = 0.97; XI = 1.06.

Thorax. Prothorax wider than long; anterior and posterior constrictions narrow, well marked; sides slightly tumid close to anterior constriction, divergent from anterior constriction to lateral tubercle, subparallel-sided on posterior seventh; lateral tubercles large, conical, located between middle and posterior seventh, apex slightly projected upward and backward. Pronotum sparsely, coarsely punctate, punctures forming transverse row not continuing toward sides of prothorax on posterior fifth; sides mostly with dense yellowish-brown pubescence on anterior half and close to posterolateral angles, and dense pubescence partially obscuring integument centrally, this pubescence yellowish on anterior third, whitish on remaining surface, except: moderately narrow, oblique dark-brown pubescent macula on each side near anterior constriction, large, oblique dark-brown pubescent macula on each side of anterior half, and moderately large, irregular dark-brown pubescent macula close to anterior region of lateral tubercles of prothorax; with a few long, erect dark setae interspersed on posterior half. Sides of prothorax with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument close to pronotum and abundant yellowish pubescence partially obscuring integument close to prosternum, except glabrous anterior sulcus. Prosternum with abundant yellowish pubescence partially obscuring integument laterally, abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument centrally, except glabrous anterior sulcus. Prosternal process with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument; narrowest area 0.14 times procoxal width. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with dense yellowish-brown pubescence laterally, distinctly sparser, yellowish-white on mesoventrite and mesoventral process, and slightly sparser, gradually yellowish white toward central area of metathorax. Narrowest area of mesoventral process 0.21 times mesocoxal width. Scutellum with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument on wide anterocentral 2/3, sparse yellowish-brown pubescence on sides of anterior 2/3, and abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument on posterior third. Elytra. Abundantly, coarsely punctate on anterior half, punctures gradually finer, sparser, becoming minute toward apex on posterior half; subparallel-sided on anterior half, gradually narrowed toward apex on posterior half; apex slightly obliquely truncate, with long, triangular projection on outer angle; centrobasal crest ( Fig. 21 ) moderately elevated, with dense tuft of erect blackish setae dorsally, setae inclined backward; anterior fifth of dorsal surface with irregular yellowish-brown pubescent maculae; dorsal surface with dense, irregular, large, mostly yellowish-white pubescent macula from anterior apex of anterior fifth to about posterior third, this macula with irregular areas with sparse dark-brown pubescence interspersed, and transversely projected toward sides about middle of elytra, not reaching epipleural margin; sutural region with dense yellowish-white pubescence from previous macula to apex; sides of anterior 3/4 with dense pubescence not reaching dorsal surface, pubescence yellowish-brown on anterior half, gradually yellowish-white toward posterior quarter; posterior third of dorsal surface with wide, irregular yellowish-white pubescent macula, with three projections forward on its anterior margin, projected backward posterolaterally, narrowly, longitudinally projected backward toward apex near suture, narrowly following toward side close to apex, then expanded, reaching epipleural margin on area of outer angle of elytra; remaining surface with moderately abundant dark brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence paler, shorter on posterior quarter. Legs. Femora with moderately abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument. Protibiae with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, except dense, bristly yellowish brown pubescence on apical half of ventral surface, and short, erect, thick brownish setae on apical half of inner surface; mesotibiae with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument on basal 2/3, pubescence slightly more yellowish on basal dark integumental area, moderately sparse whitish pubescence on apical third, except dorsal surface of apical half with dense, short, erect, yellowish-brown setae with short, thick, erect brown setae interspersed, and ventral surface of apical third mostly with dense, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence; metatibiae with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, except dense, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence on apical third of ventral surface, with short, erect, thick brown setae interspersed on entire dorsal surface and sides and ventral surface of apical half. Dorsal surface of tarsomeres with abundant white pubescence not obscuring integument on light area of tarsomeres I, somewhat sparse brownish pubescence on dark area of tarsomeres I and tarsomeres II–III, and moderately sparse whitish pubescence on tarsomeres IV–V; metatarsomere I 1.7 times length of II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument; ventrite 5 with sparse, thick, erect blackish setae interspersed, especially on apical third; apex of ventrite 5 subtruncate.

Dimensions (mm). Total length, 6.55; prothoracic length, 1.20; anterior prothoracic width, 1.35; posterior prothoracic width, 1.55; maximum prothoracic width, 2.00; humeral width, 2.20; elytral length, 4.65.

Type material. Holotype male from PANAMA, Panama Oeste: Howard area , 8.9°N 79.59°W, 26.VIII.2021, B.T. Raber leg. ( TAMU, formerly DHCO).

Etymology. This new species is dedicated to Mario Cupello, Assistant Curator of the insect collection at Texas A&M University (formerly from Brazil) for assisting the authors.

Remarks. Sternacutus Gilmour, 1961 includes 33 species distributed from Mexico to southern South America (Roguet 2023) . This genus includes species with differences in body shapes, prothoracic shapes, lateral tubercles of prothorax, elytral apices, as well as with or without humeral carina. These strong differences suggest that the species belong to more than one genus. A full revision of this genus and closely related genera is necessary to correctly allocate its species. Therefore, S. cupelloi sp. nov. is provisionally included in Sternacutus . We also considered that it would not be useful to provide a key to species of Sternacutus prior to a revision.

Sternacutus cupelloi sp. nov. is similar to S. jubapennis (Fisher, 1938) (see photographs on Bezark 2024a and Lingafelter et al. 2014), but differs as follows: Posterior third of elytra with dense and well-delimited pubescent macula; and outer angle of elytra long and spiniform. In S. jubapennis , the pubescence on the posterior third of elytra is not dense and well-delimited, and the outer angle of elytra is shorter and not spiniform. It differs from S. albidus ( Monné, 2009) (see photographs on Bezark 2024 a and Monné 2009) and S. alienus ( Melzer, 1932) (see photographs on Bezark 2024a and Melzer 1932) by the pubescence of elytra not entirely dense on the anterior half and close to suture on posterior half (dense on entire anterior half and entire posterior half close to suture in S. albidus and S. alienus ), elytra without dense and irregular longitudinal pubescent macula on the dorsal surface of the anterior half (present in S. albidus and S. alienus ), and elytral apex obliquely truncate with spiniform projection on outer angle (rounded divergent from suture to outer angle in S. albidus , and obliquely truncate and not spiniform on outer angle in S. alienus ).

Figures

FIGURES 17–21. Sternacutus cupelloi sp. nov., holotype male: 17) Dorsal habitus; 18) Ventral habitus; 19) Lateral habitus; 20) Head, frontal view; 21) Elytral centrobasal crests.