Katerinaella, Vlasak & Santos-Silva, 2018

Vlasak, Josef & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2018, New genus, species, redescription, and new rank in Cerambycinae (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Zootaxa 4446 (3), pp. 384-396 : 386-387

Katerinaella gen. nov.

Type species: Katerinaella costaricensis sp. nov.

Etymology. The genus is named after the first author’s wife, Katerina Vlasakova, in recognition of her enthusiasm for observing and protecting nature, with the Latin suffix “ ella ” = small, referring to the size of the species. Feminine gender.

Diagnosis. The general appearance of Katerinaella gen. nov. resembles that of Isthmiade Thomson, 1864 especially by the antennal, prothoracic, and femoral shapes, but male differs as follows: in frontal view, lower eye lobes distinctly distant from each other; rostrum short; elytra not reaching second abdominal segment, with apex narrowly rounded. In Isthmiade , the lower eye lobes are nearly contiguous in frontal view, rostrum distinctly elongate, and elytra distinctly surpassing second abdominal segment, with apex narrowly truncate. Katerinaella gen. nov. also resembles species of Ischasia Thomson, 1864 , primarily by the elytral shape. However, in Ischasia , the rostrum is distinctly elongate, distal antennomeres are somewhat widened (less so in I. valida Gounelle, 1911 ), and the lower eye lobes in males are nearly contiguous frontally.

Description. Male. Moderate size. Head not prolonged behind eyes (posterior edge of eyes near anterior edge of prothorax), not forming a distinct rostrum (distance from inferior side of lower eye lobe to apex of genae about half of length of lower eye lobe). Eyes large; lower eye lobe occupying most of side of head; in frontal view, lower eye lobes very distant from each other (distance equal to about length of lower eye lobe). Galea shorter than maxillary palpus. Antennae filiform, reaching about apex of abdomen; scape distinctly shorter than antennomere III. Prothorax distinctly wider close to elytra than to head; sides rounded at basal 2/3, nearly parallel-sided at distal third. Pronotum with five distinct tubercles, one elongate placed centrally mostly at basal half, two on each side of basal two-thirds. Procoxal cavities closed behind; mesocoxal cavities closed laterally (apex of metaventrite nearly touching apex of mesoventrite); mesepimeron distinctly narrow at basal 2/3, moderately widened distally. Mesoscutal stridulatory plate slightly distinct, undivided. Elytra distinctly short, not reaching second abdominal segment, outer sides slightly convergent toward apex, sutural margins dehiscent toward apex almost from basal quarter; apex narrowly rounded; without humeral carina; without translucent or vitreous areas; humeri obscuring sides of mesothorax when viewed dorsally. Pro- and mesocoxae without spicule. Femora pedunculate-clavate; pro- and mesofemora somewhat curved; pro- and mesofemoral club moderately abruptly widened; metafemoral club gradually widened; apex of metafemora surpassing abdominal apex. Metatibiae without brush of setae. Meso- and metatarsomeres I and II distinctly tumid; metatarsomere II distinctly longer than III; metatarsomere I distinctly longer than II–III together. Abdomen narrow, subcylindrical; apex of abdominal ventrite V strongly notched centrally.

Female. Unknown.

Remarks. As usual in Rhinotragini , often new species cannot be included in known genera due to the set of features presented by them. The type species of Katerinaella also could not be included in any described genera, which forced us to create a new genus for it. The large distance between lower eye lobes in males is among the most conspicuous features of the new genus since it is not too frequent in Rhinotragini (usually the lower eye lobes are contiguous or nearly so in nearly all genera). However, no genera with lower eye lobes in males distant each other can be confused with Katerinaella because the general appearance (and many morphological features) is noticeably different. Accordingly, eventual comparison with those genera (e.g. Corallancyla Tippmann, 1960) is necessary.