Acutandra caterinoi Lingafelter & Tishechkin

Lingafelter, Steven W. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2017, Two new species of Parandrinae (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in the genera Parandra and Acutandra from South America, Zootaxa 4272 (3), pp. 401-410 : 406-410

Acutandra caterinoi Lingafelter & Tishechkin , new species

( Figs. 3–4 )

Description. Male ( Figs. 3 a–g). Color generally piceous with some areas including parts of venter, legs, palpi, and antennomeres, dark reddish-brown. Body length (end of elytra to base of mandibles) = 19.7 mm; body width (at humeri) = 6.3 mm. Width of head including eyes slightly narrower than pronotum at anterior angles. Mandibles ( Fig. 3 f) relatively short, robust, elongate-triangular, dorsal face with distinct sharp ridge; finely and sparsely punctate, punctures smaller than those of head; apices bifurcate, left mandible with three large teeth along inner curvature, the largest being the basal-most, right mandible with two weak tooth-like projections. Length of mandible shorter than length of head (left mandible = 2.0 mm, right mandible = 1.7 mm). Dorsal surface of head weakly convex with a shallow median inverted T-shaped sulcus. Disc finely, rather densely and evenly punctured; most punctures of head larger, deeper, and denser than those of mandibles and pronotum. Punctures small and sparse across anterior half of hypostoma and gula from between posterior eye margin to just before anterior margin, this area with two deep transverse sulci, spaces between outer ends of these sulci and posterior eye margins flat, with small dense punctures. Anterolateral region of gula merging with gena and extending in lobe on either side by less than one-third the length of gula. Clypeus with broad triangular projection with sub-acute apex medially. Eye ( Figs. 3 f–g) bean-shaped, about twice as long as wide, weakly protuberant laterally (intraocular distance 5.3 mm). Antenna ( Figs. 3 c–d) 11-segmented; 3–10 subequal in length, 3 being the longest; apicoventral projections weak and indistinct; ventral sensory regions pronounced and divided by distinct, median longitudinal carina on segments 3–11. Antennal pubescence sparse, present only in apical areas of most antennomeres.

Pronotum ( Fig. 3 a) moderately convex, maximum width near anterior angles, equal to elytral width at humeri, then narrowing posteriorly. Pronotal length = 4.7 mm; pronotal width = 6.5 mm. Lateral margins complete and demarcated, dorsally visible and continuous through posterior margin. Posterolateral regions not projecting. Pronotal margin not delineated on anterior edge of pronotum. Pronotal disc with distinct anteromedial and medial longitudinal impression and fine, shallow, relatively dense punctures, only slightly smaller than those on head and elytra. Elytra ( Fig. 3 a) parallel-sided to near apex and then rounded to suture. Elytron 2.11 X longer than wide; elytral length = 13.3 mm; elytral width = 6.3 mm. Rather dense, fine, shallow punctures, similar in size to those of head, evenly covering elytral surface. Margin delineated and visible from dorsal view except for small area around slightly projecting humeri, anterior two-thirds of lateral sides distinctly sulcate next to margin. Elytral disc with two weak and low, but distinct, longitudinal ridges in anterior two-thirds, inner one being slightly shorter than outer one, especially posteriorly. Prosternum ( Fig. 3 b) sparsely punctate, glabrous, with declivous rounded intercoxal process slightly extending beyond procoxae; dorsolateral extensions closing external halves of the procoxal cavities posteriorly. Prosternal intercoxal process subequal in width to mesosternal intercoxal process ( Fig. 3 b). Mesosternum asetose. Metasternum almost half length of elytron and slightly shorter than abdomen, glabrous, with small sparse punctures being larger and denser anteriorly and laterally. Metepisternum ( Fig. 3 g) glabrous, punctation similar to that of adjacent metasternum. Punctation of ventrites ( Fig. 3 b) similar to that of metasternum, slightly denser, especially at sides. Ventrite 5 length subequal to that of ventrite 4, straight at apex. Femora ( Figs.

3b, g) nearly glabrous and very sparsely, shallowly punctate; each subequal to and 2.0–2.2X the greatest width of the associated tibia. Tibiae sparsely, shallowly punctate and nearly glabrous with setae primarily on ventral margins and apex; about 2.5 times as wide at apex as base; with complete, or nearly complete straight middle carina on anterior faces; apices each with two ventral spurs and one dorsal spine. Each tarsus approximately three-quarters length of its associated tibia; tarsomere 5 slightly longer than 1–4 combined on each tarsus.

Female ( Figs. 4 a–g) with proportions, coloration, punctation, and pubescence similar to that of male with differences noted as follows: overall size, slightly longer and broader than male (body length = 19.2–23.7 mm; body width = 6.3–7.5 mm). Head less robust; width including eyes slightly narrower than that of pronotum at anterior angles. Eyes less projecting than in male and slightly smaller. Median sulcus not T-shaped, just longitudinal. Mandible ( Fig. 4 f) shaped as in male, broader basally, with weak and indistinct dorsal ridge; slightly shorter than in male (left mandible = 1.3–2.0 mm; right mandible = 1.3–1.7 mm); both mandibles with three teeth, much shorter, broader and blunter than in males. Lateral margins of pronotum ( Fig. 4 a) rounded, widest point approximately at anterior third; pronotum dimensions similar to those of male (length 4.0–5.0 mm, width 5.7–7.0 mm), punctation distinctly denser, longitudinal median impression much less pronounced. Anterior gular/ hypostoma area ( Fig. 4 b) without transverse sulci, its surface somewhat irregularly, densely punctate. Punctation of metasternite and abdominal ventrites much sparser than male, especially laterally. Terminal ventrite somewhat narrower and longer than in male. Ovipositor ( Fig. 4 e) highly sclerotized with two dorsally projecting teeth, basal one wider, bicuspidate.

Discussion. This new species belongs in the genus Acutandra due to the open procoxal cavities, sinuate anterior margin of the pronotum, acute apex of the labrum in both sexes, and modest mandibles that are not falciform in both sexes. Acutandra contains five species and is restricted to South America ( Santos-Silva and Martins, 2010) . No species of Acutandra have been recorded from Ecuador. In Santos-Silva and Martins’s (2010) key to species of Acutandra , A. caterinoi possesses the following character states taking it to couplet 4 with the species A. murrayi (Lameere) from east and south Brazil and A. araucana (Bosq) from Chile and Argentina: ventral antennal carinae present dividing the sensory regions of each antennomere; eyes small and not prominent; antennomeres III and IV approximately equal in length; dorsal sensory region of antennomere XI small in both sexes, but well-delimited. It is most similar to A. murrayi in having antennomeres 3 and 4 subequal in length and a distinctly delimited dorsal sensory region on antennomere XI. A new couplet is presented (4a) and the original couplet 4 is translated (4b) from Santos-Silva & Martins (2010):

4a. Posterolateral margin of pronotum weakly produced, lateral margin unevenly curved at junction with posterior margin; pronotum without or with very weak medial longitudinal impression; color most often reddish brown ( Brazil, Chile, Argentina)...................................................................................................... 4b

4a’. Posterolateral margin of pronotum not produced, lateral margin evenly curved to posterior margin; pronotum with distinct anteromedial and longitudinal impressions; color piceous over dorsal surface ( Ecuador)................................................................................. Acutandra caterinoi Lingafelter & Tishechkin , new species

4b Antennomeres 3 & 4 subequal in length; dorsal sensory area of antennomere XI well delimited and deep. (East and south Brazil).......................................................................... Acutandra murrayi (Lameere)

4b’. Antennomere 3 longer than 4; dorsal sensory area of antennomere XI poorly delimited and shallow. ( Chile, Argentina)................................................................................... Acutandra araucana (Bosq) Etymology. We dedicate this species to Michael S. Caterino, a colleague and friend, co-collector of the type series, in recognition of his contributions to the study of the Neotropical beetles.

Type material. Holotype male: " ECUADOR: Pichincha, Res. El Pahuma. 1,900–2,100m. 0.0264°N 78.6344°W. Hand colld. 28.v.-1.vi.2011. AT1324. M.S. Caterino & A.K. Tishechkin " ( USNM) . Paratypes: one female with same data as holotype ( CUAC), four females with the same locality and collector data, but collected on 28–31 May 2011 at 2500 m under bark/in rotten wood ( PUCE, SWLC, USFQ, USNM)

Figures

FIGURE 3. Acutandra caterinoi Lingafelter & Tishechkin, new species, holotype male. a) dorsal view, b) ventral view, c) antenna, d) close-up of sensory regions of antennomeres, e) lateral view of terminal abdominal sclerites, f) detail of head and mandible, g) lateral view.

FIGURE 4. Acutandra caterinoi Lingafelter & Tishechkin, new species, paratype female. a) dorsal view, b) ventral view, c) antenna, d) close-up of sensory regions of antennomeres, e) lateral view of terminal abdominal sclerites, showing ovipositor, f) detail of head and mandible, g) lateral view.