Aplagiognathus Thomson, 1861

Santos-Silva, Antonio & Wappes, James E., 2012, The genus Aplagiognathus Thomson, 1861 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prioninae, Macrotomini), Insecta Mundi 2012 (264), pp. 1-13 : 3-4

Aplagiognathus Thomson, 1861

Mallodon (Aplagiognathus) Thomson, 1861: 320 (originally described as a division of Mallodon ).

Aplagiognathus ; Thomson 1864: 307; 1867: 90; Bates 1879: 7; LeConte and Horn 1883: 272; Lameere 1901: 316, 322; 1903: 16; 1912: 180; 1913: 10 (cat.); 1919: 26; Casey 1912: 222 (key), 226; Blackwelder 1946: 552 (checklist); Chemsak and Linsley 1982: 3 (checklist); Chemsak et al. 1992: 14 (checklist); Monné and Giesbert 1994: 5 (checklist); Monné 1995: 5 (cat.); 2002: 12 (hosts); Santos-Silva and Martins 2005: 399 (key); Monné and Hovore 2005: 12 (checklist); 2006: 12 (checklist); Monné 2006: 45 (cat.).

Type-species. Mallodon spinosum Newman, 1840 (subsequent designation by Thomson 1864: 307).

Redescription. Medium (about 30.0 mm) to large (about 60.0 mm) size, variable intraspecifically. Integument shiny, brown to dark-brown.

Male. Head large ( Fig. 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9), from almost horizontal (prognathous) to distinctly oblique (hypognathous); length, excluding mandibles, equal to or greater than that of pronotum; from slightly to distinctly elongated behind eyes. Longitudinal dorsal furrow of head well marked from base to near occiput (sometimes weaker behind eyes), situated in deep, triangular depression between antennal tubercles. Dorsal punctation of head coarse, dense and anastomosed; pilosity moderately long and sparse, longer and more abundant close to eyes. Lateral area behind eyes punctate-striate or microsculptured and with small granules (usually just striate near gula). Antennal tubercles large and rounded. Clypeus longer centrally, rugose-punctate or densely punctate, slightly elevated laterally or almost flat; separated from frons by a deep, wide furrow that, with the longitudinal sulcus of the frons, forms a “Y”; anterior margin nearly straight or slightly projected centrally; pilosity long and dense (more so frontally). Labrum oblique in relation to the clypeus, and its surface distinctly placed in a lower level than dorsal surface of clypeus; pilosity long and dense, found throughout or only centrally. Eyes large, elongated, about three times longer than wide; distance between upper ocular lobes slightly more than two times width of single lobe; distance between lower ocular lobes slightly less than three times width of lobe. Ocular carina narrow and low, but distinct from antennal tubercle to posterior edge of eye. Sculpture of hypostomal area variable; pilosity abundant and varying in length. Hypostomal carina slightly elevated. Maxillary palps with palpomere III shorter than II and IV; palpomere IV slightly securiform. Apex of labial palps approaching base of maxillary palpomere IV. Galea long (reaching middle of maxillary palpomere II) or moderately long, reaching apex of maxillary palpomere I, densely setose towards apex. Length of mandible about two-thirds that of head; dorsal mandibular carina moderately to strongly elevated, but sometimes wide and indistinct from lateral surface; pilosity and punctation moderately abundant; apex bifid. Antennae filiform, reaching middle of elytra or nearly so; scape not reaching posterior edge of eyes; antennomere III shorter than scape.

Prothorax transverse. Pronotum convex, almost flat centrally; disc with two large impunctate or nearly impunctate callosities, centrally interconnected or not, and also interconnected or not with another transverse impunctate area at base; sexual punctation fine and abundant; sides with long sparse setae, center bare or with very short setae; anterior angles slightly projected forward; lateral and posterior angles usually indistinct; lateral margins with spines of varying length and number. Prosternum, proepimera, and proepisterna with same sculpturing as pronotum. Prosternal process with apex rounded, surpassing the procoxal cavities. Scutellum glabrous, shape interspecifically variable: rounded or pentagonal. Elytra glabrous, finely and abundantly punctate or finely reticulate; carinae from distinct to almost absent (variable intraspecifically); apices uniformly rounded; sutural angle with short spine. Metasternum sides microsculptured, distinctly setaceous; near metasternal suture with sub-triangular central area that is impunctate or almost impunctate and nearly glabrous. Metepisterna wide; inner margin convex; pilosity and sculpture similar to that of metasternum. Ventrites I-IV finely, abundantly punctate, except on apical one-third or one-fourth where it is impunctate and shiny; sides with short, abundant setae, center with setae shorter and less abundant, impunctate areas shiny. Legs with tibiae uniformly enlarged from base to apex, protibiae more strongly so. Metatarsomere V about as long as combined length of I-III.

Female. Head ( Fig. 13, 14, 17, 18) narrower than that of male. Distance between upper and lower ocular lobes less than twice width of upper lobe. Antennae slightly surpassing basal one-third of elytra. Mandibles shorter than those of males. Pronotum, prosternum, proepisterna, and proepimera impunctate.