Muisca hexa, Opitz, Pitz Pinola Weston, 2018

Opitz, Pitz Pinola Weston, 2018, Classification, Natural History, and Evolution of the Subfamily Peloniinae O (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Cleridae). Part IX. Taxonomic revision of the New World genus Muisca S, Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 587-653 : 614

Muisca hexa OPITZ nov.sp. ( Figs 29 , 58, 94, 137)

Holotype: ♀. Brézil, Rio de Janeiro, 1883, P. Germain ( MNHN).

Paratypes: 2 specimens. Brazil: Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro,?-?-1883, P. Germain ( MNHN, WOPC).

D i a g n o s i s: Muisca hexa specimens may be distinguished from those of its sister species, M. maculosa , by coloration of the pronotal disc. In M. hexa specimens the pronotal disc is uniformly castaneous. In M. maculosa specimens the pronotal disc shows two brown maculae.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Size: Length 6.5 mm; width 2.5 mm. Form: As in Fig. 137 . Color: Castaneous, except thoracic sternum black, elytral disc with 4 mall black spots, and elytral apex black. Head: Funicular antennomeres subfiliform progressively more triangular, capitulum longer than combined length of funicular antennomeres, capitular antennomeres 9 and 10 triangular ( Fig. 29 ), antennomere 11 obovate; eyes coarse and bulging, frons wider than width of eye ( EW /FW 30/35). Thorax: Pronotum (Fig. 58) oblong ( PW /PL 90/110), side margin with well-developed tubercle, punctation distributed throughout disc; elytral asetiferous punctation striate to distal 3/4 th ( EL /EW 255/75). Abdomen: Pygidium scutiform.

V a r i a t i o n: Size: Length 4.3-7.0 mm; width 2.0- 2.5 mm. Other than body size, the available specimens are quite homogeneous.

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet, hexa, stems from the Greek hex (= six). I refer to the 6 black punctations near the elytral sutural margin.

D i s t r i b u t i o n ( Fig.94 ): This species is known only from Brazil.

Figures

Figs 14-33: Antennae. (14) Muisca dilatata, male. (15) M. apicalis, male. (16) M. hirtula, male. (17) M. xanthura, male. (18) M. angulicollis, male. (19) M. signa, male. (20) M. fera, male. (21) M. octonotata, male. (22) M. maculosa, male. (23) M. anachyma, male. (24) M. insigna, male. (25) M. dozieri, male. (26) M. togata, male. (27) M. irrorata, male. (28) M. menda, female. (29) M. hexa, female. (30) M. heppneri, male. (31) M. magdalena, female. (32) M. mestolinea, male. (33) M. omma, male.

Figs 137-140: Habitus. (137) Muisca hexa. (138) M. maculosa. (139) M. anachyma. (140) M. mestolinea.

Fig. 94: Geographic distribution of Muisca species as listed.