Phaea aurantia Wappes and Santos-Silva, 2021

Wappes, James E. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2021, Three new species of Phaea Newman (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), with discussion of the need for and designation of a lectotype for Phaea rufiventris Bates, Insecta Mundi 2021 (845), pp. 1-13 : 4-7

Phaea aurantia Wappes and Santos-Silva , new species

( Fig. 5–11 )

Description. Holotype male ( Fig. 5–8 ). Integument mostly bright orange; outer side of mandibles brownish on margins of basal half, entirely black on apical half; anterior half of labrum brown; sides of postclypeus and apex of genae brownish; antennae dark brown, almost black; dorsal surface of pronotal umbone black; elytra bright orange; apex of meso- and metafemora black, more so on metafemora; tibiae and tarsi dark brown, almost black.

Head. Frons finely, sparsely punctate (punctures sparser centrally toward clypeus; with bristly yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument (depending on light intensity can appear grayish-white), or depending on the viewing angle appear to be absent, with long, abundant dark setae interspersed. Vertex and area behind upper eye lobes with sculpturing pubescence and erect setae as on frons (punctures slightly sparser). Area behind lower eye lobes tumid, with a few fine punctures close to eye, smooth close to prothorax; with sparse yellowish pubescence, and long, erect dark setae on tumid area, glabrous close to prothorax. Genae with a few fine punctures; with yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, with long, erect dark setae interspersed (part of them yellowish basally), except glabrous apex. Postclypeus with sparse yellowish pubescence on wide central area, with long, erect setae of same color interspersed, especially on sides of this area, glabrous laterally. Labrum coplanar with anteclypeus at posterior half, oblique at anterior half; with a few fine punctures on coplanar area near oblique area; glabrous, with a few long, erect yellowish setae on coplanar area near oblique area. Antennal tubercles with sculpturing, pubescence (except glabrous apex), and erect setae as on frons (pubescence less conspicuous toward upper eye lobes). Gulamentum smooth, glabrous, with a few long, erect, dark setae on anterior margin. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.80 times length of scape (0.38 times distance between outer margins of eyes); in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 1.36 times length of scape (0.64 times distance between outer margins of eyes). Antennae 1.45 times elytral length, slightly surpassing elytral apex. Scape gradually widened toward apex, not flattened, finely, abundantly punctate, posterior third of outer side asperate; with bristly yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, with long, erect dark setae interspersed throughout, longer ventrally. Pedicel and antennomeres with yellowish pubescence, denser, less conspicuous from antennomere IV; pedicel and antennomeres III–X with long, erect dark setae ventrally (gradually shorter and sparser toward X). Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.00; pedicel = 0.28; IV = 0.96; V = 0.82; VI = 0.76; VII = 0.72; VIII = 0.62; IX = 0.60; X = 0.56; XI = 0.70.

Thorax. Prothorax wider than long; anterior and posterior constrictions well marked; sides with rounded central tubercle large, projected. Pronotum with central umbone large, subdiamond-shaped, sides vertical anteriorly, oblique posteriorly; vertical area with two coarse, deep, subelliptical punctures on each side; dorsal surface with dense, erect dark brown setae. Remaining surface of prothorax nearly smooth; with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (depending on light intensity can appear more grayish-white), depending on the viewing angle pubescence can appear to be absent, with long, abundant, erect dark brown setae interspersed. Sides of prothorax with pubescence and erect setae as on sides of pronotum, except for lateral tubercle nearly lacking pubescence. Prosternum with a few fine punctures laterally; with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (more grayish-white depending on light intensity), indistinct centrally depending on the viewing angle, with long, erect setae of same color interspersed. Prosternal process noticeably narrow centrally. Metaventrite nearly glabrous centrally; mesanepisternum and mesepimeron with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (more grayish-white depending on light intensity). Metanepisternum with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (more grayish-white depending on light intensity), longer and more distinct than on mesanepisternum, with long, erect setae of same color interspersed. Sides and posterior area of metaventrite with long, abundant, erect yellowish setae (sparser and shorter centrally or even absent on some areas). Scutellum with sparse yellowish pubescence, with long, erect, abundant yellowish setae (some of them brown). Elytra. Coarsely, sparsely punctate on anterior half, punctures gradually finer toward apex; apices individually rounded; with grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, distinctly sparser on dorsal surface of anterior quarter, with long, erect, abundant setae of same color interspersed (some brown setae on margins, especially toward apex). Legs. Femora with yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, denser, bristly ventrally, with long, erect, abundant setae of same color interspersed ventrally. Tibiae with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, with long, erect setae of same color interspersed dorsally (some of them brownish).

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant long, erect, yellowish setae laterally and on apex of I–IV, distinctly sparser on central area of I–IV; ventrite V with long, erect, sparse dark setae interspersed throughout; apex of ventrite V widely rounded.

Female ( Fig. 9–10 ). Differs from male by the shorter antennae (1.2 times elytral length, almost reaching posterior quarter of elytra), and abdominal ventrite V with shallow, narrow blackish sulcus centrally from base to apex.

Dimensions in mm (male holotype /female paratypes). Total length, 8.90/10.40–10.60; prothoracic length, 1.95/1.95–2.10; anterior prothoracic width, 1.85/2.25–2.30; posterior prothoracic width, 2.10/2.40–2.45; widest prothoracic width, 2.35/2.60–2.65; humeral width, 2.65/2.95–3.10; elytral length, 5.90/6.25–6.60.

Type material. Holotype male from MEXICO, CHIAPAS: Simojovel , 8–10.VI.1991, R. Mendoza col. ( FSCA, formerly ACMT) . Paratypes – 2 females, same data as holotype ( ACMT, MZSP).

Etymology. Named for the primarily bright orange integumental color.

Remarks. Phaea aurantia sp. nov. is similar to P. carnelia Chemsak and Linsley, 1988 (see photographs on Bezark 2020b), but differs as follows: antennomeres thicker, entirely dark; scape asperate at outer side; pronotal umbone subdiamond-shaped. In P. carnelia , the antennomeres are slender and with basal yellowish ring, scape is not asperate at outer side, and the pronotal umbone is subchordate-shaped.

According to the alternative of couplet “37” from Chemsak (1999): “37(36) Elytra reddish or with dark apices or dark longitudinal fasciae behind humeri… 38 / Elytra orange or mostly dark or with apical 1/2 dark.... 40.” Often, delimiting the difference between “orange” and “reddish” is difficult, as the intensity of light can make the color appear to be one or the other or somewhere in-between. If the elytra are considered reddish, the new species can be included in the alternative of couplet “39” (modified):

39(38). Elytra with posterior area black; pronotal umbone lacking dark erect setae; Mexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca).............................................................. P.noguerai Chemsak, 1999

— Elytra with posterior area not contrasting in color with remaining surface; pronotal umbone with dark erect setae.......................................................................... 39 ′

39′(39). Scape strongly asperate at outer side, bicolorous; Mexico (Jalisco, Morelos, Guerrero, Puebla, Oaxaca, Chiapas).................................................... P. maccartyi Chemsak, 1999

— Scape slightly asperate at outer side, unicolorous; Mexico (Chiapas)........................................................................... P. aurantia Wappes and Santos-Silva , sp. nov.

Considering the elytra orangish, the new species can be included in the alternative of couplet “40”:

40(37). Pronotal umbone black; Mexico (Chiapas)........... P. aurantia Wappes and Santos-Silva , sp. nov.

— Pronotal umbone orangish.............................................................. 40 ′

40′(40). Elytra usually with at least apical 1/2 black, head, pronotum and legs orange; pubescence dense, grayish, appressed, partially obscuring surface on dark portion of elytra. Length, 8.5–15 mm; El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama............. P. giesberti Chemsak, 1999

— Elytra mostly vaguely metallic bluish black (females) or orange with vague narrowly black apices (males), head and pronotum reddish orange; pubescence fine, dark on dark surface, not obscuring surface. Length, 8.5–16 mm; Colombia................................. P. astatheoides Pascoe, 1866

Figures

Figures 1–8. Phaea spp. 1–4) Phaea quadrimaculata, holotype female. 1) Dorsal habitus. 2) Ventral habitus. 3) Lateral habitus. 4) Head, frontal view. 5–8) Phaea aurantia, holotype male. 5) Head, frontal view. 6) Dorsal habitus. 7) Umbone, lateral view. 8) Ventral habitus.

Figures 9–15. Phaea spp. 9–11) Phaea aurantia. 9) Dorsal view, paratype female. 10) Ventral view, paratype female. 11) Lateral view, holotype male. 12–15) Phaea tavakiliani, holotype male. 12) Head, frontal view. 13) Dorsal habitus. 14) Lateral habitus. 15) Head, oblique view.