Vandenbergheius, Heffern & Santos-Silva & Botero, 2019

Heffern, Daniel, Santos-Silva, Antonio & Botero, Juan Pablo, 2019, A new genus and two new species of Apomecynini, a new species of Desmiphorini and new records in Lamiinae and Disteniidae (Coleoptera), Zootaxa 4691 (5), pp. 561-574 : 563

Vandenbergheius gen. nov.

Etymology. Vandenbergheius . Masculine gender. The genus name recognizes Eric van den Berghe, Director of Biodiversity and Associate Professor of Ecology, Zamorano University, Honduras, for his dedicated fieldwork in zoology and botany.

Type species. Vandenbergheius celaquensis , here designated.

Description. Small size, cylindrical. Head not retractile; frons transverse; antennal tubercles moderately elevat- ed, distinctly separate from each other basally; palpi slender, unequal, with apical segments pointed; eyes coarsely faceted, not divided; upper eye lobes well-separate; lower eye lobes about as long as gena; antennae slender, 11- segmented, distinctly longer than body; scape moderately short, wide, fusiform, without apical cicatrix; antennomere III distinctly longer than scape, shorter than IV; antennomeres gradually decreasing in length from V to XI. Prothorax slightly transverse, with posterior constriction well-marked; sides slightly rounded anteriorly, widely, distinctly rounded from before middle to posterior constriction. Pronotum with large, strongly elevated, nearly conical tubercle on each side, from anterior quarter to after middle, and another tubercle centrally, distinctly less elevated, placed from posterior constriction to about middle. Prosternal process moderately narrowed centrally. Procoxal cavities closed posteriorly. Elytra gradually narrowed from base to apex, more strongly from posterior quarter; with distinct centrobasal crest in anterior quarter, with top inclined toward outer side; with three moderately well-marked carinae dorsally, from centrobasal crest to near apex; apex almost truncate, unarmed; without isolated erect setae. Pro- and mesofemora clavate; metafemora pedunculate-clavate. Protibiae slightly, gradually widened from base to apex; mesotibiae strongly sulcate dorsally; metatibiae slightly depressed dorsally in posterior third, and with fringe of thick, short, erect setae in this area. Pro- and mesotarsi slightly longer than tibia; metatarsi about as long as tibia; metatarsomere I shorter than II–III together. Abdominal ventrite I longest, II–IV subequal in length, V longer than IV.

Remarks. Following the key to genera of Apomecynini from Lacordaire (1872), Vandenbergheius gen. nov. is similar to Mycerinopsis Thomson, 1864 , a genus distributed in the Australian zoogeographical region. However, it differs from Mycerinopsis by the pronotum distinctly tuberculate (not tuberculate in Mycerinopsis ), and elytra with centrobasal crest (absent in Mycerinopsis ). Following the key to genera of American Apomecynini from Breuning (1971), Vandenbergheius gen. nov. lies with Tucumaniella Breuning, 1943 . However, according to Breuning (1943, 1971), the scape in Tucumaniella is very long (short in Vandenbergheius ), antennomere III slightly longer than scape (distinctly longer in Vandenbergheius ), antennal tubercles forming lobe at apex (not so in Vandenbergheius ), prothorax with sides nearly straight (not so in Vandenbergheius ), and pronotum with three transverse and deep sulci (absent in Vandenbergheius ). It slightly resembles Irundiaba Martins & Galileo, 2008 by the prothoracic and pronotal shape, and by the presence of a centrobasal crest. However, in Irundiaba the lower eye lobes are longer than gena (about as long in Vandenbergheius ), antennomere III longer than IV (shorter in Vandenbergheius ), outer apex of the elytra projected (rounded in Vandenbergheius ), and tarsomere V longer than I–III together (distinctly shorter in Vandenbergheius ). The general appearance is also similar to that of Paraesylacris Breuning, 1940 , but differs by the absence of erect setae on the elytra (present in Paraesylacris ), scape fusiform (gradually widened basally, then nearly parallel-sided toward apex in Paraesylacris ), and upper eye lobes distinctly separated from each other (upper eye lobes separated by distance shorter than width of one lobe in Paraesylacris ). Finally, the new genus differs from Tethystola Thomson, 1868 especially by the absence of erect setae on the elytra (present in Tethystola ).