Sternacutus akersae, Lanuza-Garay & Rivera, 2024

Lanuza-Garay, Alfredo & Rivera, Marleny, 2024, Description of four new species of Lamiinae (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from Panama, Zootaxa 5492 (3), pp. 440-448 : 441-442

Sternacutus akersae sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–6 )

Holotype female, Panama, San Blas region , Nusagandi, 9–11.xi.1991, M. Akers col. (MACO).

Description. Holotype female. Integument mostly dark brown; scape pale brown; antennomeres III–VI yellowish brown except dark-brown apex; antennomere VIII yellowish on basal third, dark-brown on remaining surface; antennomeres VII, IX–XI dark brown; mouthparts yellowish brown; mandibles dark brown. Pronotum with two rounded blackish maculae centrally and one moderate and elongated blackish macula near base of lateral tubercles of prothorax. Elytral anterior third dark brown; premedial to posterior third yellowish with two transverse, irregular dark-brown macula, one postmedial, another anteapical; with sparse dark spots along humeral carina, between postmedial and apical maculae, and along elytral suture; epipleura with dark-brown macula basally. Coxae pale brown; femora yellowish brown basally, then progressively brown to dark brown toward apex; tibial medial third yellowish, basal and apical thirds dark brown; tarsomeres I yellowish, rest of tarsomeres dark brown.

Head. Frons abundantly, minutely punctate; with sparse pale-yellowish pubescence. Area between antennal tubercles with sparse yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument; area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes with yellowish pubescence obscuring integument. Distance between upper eyes lobes 0.15 times distance between outer margins of eyes; frontally, distance between lower eye lobes 0.44 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Genae 0.68 times shorter than lower eye lobe, with dense yellowish pubescence.Antennal tubercles with abundant pale-yellow pubescence frontally, sparse yellowish-brown pubescence dorsally, except apex with dense yellow pubescence, and abundant yellow pubescence posteriorly. Clypeus with one long, erect brownish seta on each side, clypeal surface near fronto-clypeal suture with short yellowish setae. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous. Antennae slender, reaching elytral apex at base of antennomere VII. Scape slightly sinuous ventrally; with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, with a few long, erect brown setae interspersed near apex of ventral surface. Pedicel with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument and one long, erect yellowish-brown seta ventrally; antennomeres III–VIII with abundant yellowish-white pubescence on light area, sparse on dark area; antennomeres VII, IX–XI with sparse yellowish-white pubescence; antennomeres III and IV with short, erect, thick black setae ventrally; antennomere V with two short, thick black setae ventrally; antennomeres VI and VIII with short, thick black seta ventrally. Antennal formula based on length of antennomere III:—Scape = 0.95.—Pedicel = 0.10.—IV = 0.88.—V = 0.75.—VI = 0.55.—VII = 0.40.—VIII = 0.55.—IX = 0.65.—X = 0.60.—XI = 0.60.

Thorax. Prothorax 1.75 times wider than long; lateral tubercles short, with acute apex directed backward. Pronotum with yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument; coarsely punctate, punctures abundant on central disc and posteriorly; central disc maculae with sparse yellowish pubescence not obscuring the integument, each one of them surrounded by yellowish pubescence not obscuring the integument. Sides of prothorax with abundant pale-yellow pubescence. Prosternum with pale-yellow pubescence, distinctly sparser on wide central region. Prosternal process narrow, not laminiform, expanded apically, narrowest area 0.23 times procoxal width. Margins of mesanepisternum and mesepimeron with dense grayish pubescence, remaining surface with sparse grayish pubescence not obscuring integument; mesoventral process not laminiform, narrowest area 0.37 times mesocoxal width; metanepisternum and metaventrite with dense yellow pubescence, pubescence paler and distinctly sparser on wide central region of metaventrite. Scutellum with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument.

Elytra. Elytral surface abundantly, coarsely punctate on anterior half, punctures gradually finer, sparser toward apex on posterior half; centrobasal crest elevated, directed backward; apex of elytron emarginated with outer angle triangularly acuminate; humeral carina moderately well marked from humerus to posterior quarter; dorsal surface with two moderately well-marked carinae, outermost oblique, from near humeri to posterior third, innermost straight, from apex of centrobasal crest to posterior third; with abundant grayish pubescence partially obscuring integument, except dark areas with dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument.

Legs. Femora with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence slightly denser and whiter on some areas of femoral club, especially on meso- and metafemora, and dense and longer on apex. Tibiae with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, except sparser pubescence on dorsal and lateral surfaces of posterior third, and dense, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence on posterior third of ventral surface; dorsal surface of posterior third of mesotibiae with abundant, short, thick, erect blackish setae; dorsal surface of posterior third of metatibiae with a few short, thick, erect dark-brown setae. Tarsomeres with abundant whitish pubescence dorsally not obscuring integument; metatarsomere I distinctly longer than II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant yellowish and whitish pubescence not obscuring integument; apex of ventrite 5 slightly concave, with yellowish setae.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Sternacutus akersae, sp. nov., holotype female: 1. dorsal habitus; 2. Close-up of pronotum and anterior third of pronotum; 3. head, frontal view; 4. ventral habitus showing prosternal and mesoventral process; 5. abdomen; 6. lateral habitus.