Cymatodera lineata Burke

Burke, Alan F. & Zolnerowich, Gregory, 2014, Four new species of Cymatodera Gray from Mexico (Coleoptera, Cleridae, Tillinae), ZooKeys 387, pp. 33-49 : 45-48

Cymatodera lineata Burke sp. n. Figs 4, 9, 14, 22, 23

Type material.

Holotype: male, México, Michoacán, km 23 carretera Morelia - Pátzcuaro, 2000 m, 26-V-1988, A. Cadena and L. Cervantes, printed red label, holotype deposited in CNCI. Paratype: 1 female: Mexico, Durango, 26 miles W Durango, 13-VII-1974, beating oak, collector unknown (WFBM).

Differential diagnosis.

The distinctive dark, longitudinal fasciae on the elytral ground, unique among all Cymatodera species, serve to separate Cymatodera lineata from those species with a similar metathorax and anterior elytral margin.

Description.

Holotype. Moderately long, slender, posterior wings absent, TL = 9.9 mm. Color: Head, except gular region and pronotum, fuscous; antennae, mouthparts, gular region, prosternum, mesosternum and abdomen, except anterior portion of first visible ventrite, testaceous; legs, metasternum and anterior portion of first visible ventrite brown. Each elytron adorned with five longitudinal, moderately regular, fuscous fasciae; fasciae becoming paler and narrower toward epipleuron; fasciae 2-4 not reaching elytral apex; first and fifth fasciae interconnected at posterior portion of elytra, reaching apex (Fig. 4).

Head: HL = 1.3 mm, HW = 2.25 mm, length to width ratio of holotype 0.58. Measured across eyes conspicuously wider than pronotum; surface rugose; moderately, coarsely punctate; clothed with a set of intermixed moderately long, recumbent and semirecumbent setae; frons inconspicuously bi-impressed; eyes small, subsinuate, taller than wide, feebly bulging laterally, separated by approximately 3.2 eye widths. Antennae extending to base of elytra; third antennomere slightly longer than second antennomere; antennomeres 3-5 subequal in length; sixth antennomere slightly shorter than fifth antennomere; antennomeres 6-10 subequal in length; antennomeres 2-4 subcylindrical; antennomeres 5-10 very feebly serrate; last antennomere subacuminate, about the same length as tenth antennomere (Fig. 9).

Thorax: PL = 2.55 mm, PW = 1.8 mm; length to width ratio of holotype 1.42 mm. Pronotum somewhat elongate; widest at middle, middle slightly wider than anterior margin; sides constricted subapically, more strongly constricted behind middle; disc feebly convex; moderately impressed in front of middle; subbasal tumescences pronounced; surface moderately clothed with short, semirecumbent setae interspersed with erect setae of three lengths; surface feebly rugose, less rugose than head; moderately, shallowly punctate. Prosternum rugulose; surface feebly concave; weakly, shallowly punctate. Mesosternum concave; moderately, coarsely punctate, scarcely clothed with long, erect setae; metasternum conspicuously wider than long; strongly concave; rugulose; moderately, shallowly punctate.

Legs: Femora and tibiae profusely clothed with short, semirecumbent setae interspersed with long, semierect and erect setae; femora and tibiae transversally, moderately rugose; fourth protarsomere with pulvillus medially incised, incision not extending beyond middle.

Elytra: EL = 6.05 mm, EW = 2.8 mm; length to width ratio of holotype 2.16. Base narrower than pronotum; humeri very feebly indicated; sides subparallel; widest at posterior 1/3; disc feebly convex; surface rugose; apices rounded; strongly dehiscent; clothed with erect setae of three sizes; sculpture consisting of coarse punctations arranged in irregular striae that gradually become smaller, shallower and less numerous before apex; interstices at elytral base about 1.5 × the width of punctuation.

Abdomen: Ventrites 1-5 rugulose, subquadrate, moderately, shallowly punctate, vested with short, fine, pale, recumbent setae; posterior margin of third and fourth visible ventrite broadly, deeply emarginate. Fifth visible ventrite subquadrate; surface convex; moderately, coarsely punctate; lateral margins subparallel; posterior margin broadly, deeply emarginate; emargination reaching median region; posterolateral angles pointed (Fig. 22). Sixth visible ventrite subquadrate, longer than broad; surface rugose; moderately, coarsely punctate; with a pair of longitudinal carinae that extend from about the base to near posterolateral angles; lateral margins subparallel, posterior margin broadly, deeply triangularly emarginate, emargination extending from near posterolateral angles to basal fourth; posterolateral angles rounded, recurved ventrally. Fifth tergite rugulose, lateral margins subparallel; posterior margin truncate, with a narrow, shallow, triangular emargination on median region (Fig. 23). Sixth tergite subquadrate, broader than long; surface rugulose; lateral margins feebly arcuate, oblique; posterior margin, broadly, shallowly emarginate; posterolateral angles pointed, recurved dorsally. Sixth tergite extending slightly beyond apical margin of sixth visible ventrite, fully covering the latter from dorsal view. Aedeagus: 2.1 mm long; ratio of length of parameres to whole tegmen 0.65:1; tegmen fully covering phallus; parameres robust at base, then gradually becoming slender toward distal end, pointed at apex, lateral margins oblique; phallobase broad; phallus with copulatory piece rounded distally, posteriorly dilated; phallic plate armed with a row of moderately long denticles along dorsal margin; phallobasic apodeme short, robust, dilated distally; endophallic struts slender throughout their length (Fig. 14).

The only female in the type series has the fifth visible ventrite rugulose; surface convex; lateral margins strongly oblique, rather arcuate; posterior margin widely, deeply emarginate. Sixth visible ventrite rugulose; coarsely punctate; moderately convex; lateral margins feebly arcuate, moderately oblique; posterior margin truncate. Fifth tergite rugulose; surface feebly convex; lateral margins oblique, moderately arcuate; posterior margin broadly, shallowly emarginate. Sixth tergite subtriangular; rugulose; coarsely punctate; lateral margins strongly oblique, feeble arcuate; posterior margin narrowly truncate. Sixth tergite extends very slightly beyond sixth visible ventrite.

Variation.

The female has a length of 8.2 mm. Length to width ratio of head: 0.52. Length to width ratio of thorax: 1.51. Length to width ratio of elytra: 2.11. The female shows a moderately brownish coloration, somewhat lighter than the male, and the antennomeres 5-10 are filiform, rather than feebly serrate, as observed in the male.

Distribution.

The holotype was collected in the state of Michoacán, at the central-western portion of Mexico, on km 23 on the Morelia-Pátzcuaro highway, a region that has suffered extensive logging and was originally covered by a high to mid altitude Pinus - Quercus association; the female was collected in the state of Durango, 26 km west of the city of Durango, Mexico (Fig. 34).

Etymology.

The specific epithet comes from the Latin linea (= line) and refers to the longitudinal fasciae on the elytral ground of this species.

Comments.

Although it is not usually desirable to describe a new species based on two specimens, this species is strikingly different from all other known Cymatodera species. In addition, the urgent need for identifying and cataloging this diverse group of beetles justifies this description, particularly if such species inhabit poorly known or threatened environments ( Rifkind 2012).