Paracometes raberi, Heffern, Daniel & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2016

Heffern, Daniel & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2016, A new species of Paracometes Villiers, 1958 from Panama (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Disteniinae), Zootaxa 4072 (5), pp. 593-595 : 593-595

Paracometes raberi sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–6 )

Type material. Holotype female. Label data verbatim as follows: Panama, Darién NatPk / Cerro Pirre 620 m / “Campo Plastico” / 7.9973ºN, 77.7129ºW / VI-3 /5-2015 B. Raber. Deposited in Texas A&M University Insect Collection (College Station, Texas USA).

Dimensions (mm). Total length (including mandibles), 10.60; prothoracic length, 1.55; anterior prothoracic width, 1.20; basal prothoracic width, 1.50; largest prothoracic width, 1.85; humeral width, 2.15; elytral length, 7.60.

Description. Holotype female. Integument blue with distinct violaceous reflections (green on some areas); antennae gradually blackish toward distal antennomeres; elytra yellowish from base to beyond middle ( Fig. 1 ).

Head. Frons ( Fig. 4 ) narrow, finely and abundantly punctate on small area laterally, smooth on large central region; with moderately long setae on punctate region, glabrous on remaining surface. Area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes finely and sparsely punctate (punctures distinctly coarser than on frons); with short, slightly distinct, oblique striae close to longitudinal sulcus; with long sparse setae. Area between upper eye lobes and margin of prothorax finely and sparsely punctate (punctures finer than between upper eye lobes); with fine transverse striae; with long sparse setae centrally, almost glabrous laterally; with pit at center, close to tumid region. Tumid area behind upper eye lobes finely and sparsely punctate, with long sparse setae; flat area behind upper eye lobes finely and sparsely punctate, glabrous. Tumid area behind lower eye lobes finely and sparsely punctate, with long sparse setae; flat area smooth, glabrous. Area between lower eye lobes and gulamentum with long sparse setae. Gulamentum finely striate centrally; with long sparse setae on anterior half; with deep transverse sulcus anteriorly. Gena very finely and abundantly striate; with short moderately sparse setae. Maxillary palpomere IV fusiform. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.4 times length of scape; distance between lower eye lobes in ventral view 0.6 times length of scape. Antennae 1.75 times elytral length, 1.25 times body length; reaching elytral apex at basal half of antennomere VIII; antennal formula based on antennomere III: scape = 1.01; pedicel = 0.14; IV = 1.01; V = 0.98; VI = 0.94; VII = 0.90; VIII = 0.79; IX = 0.64; X = 0.46; XI = 0.51.

Thorax. Prothorax (including lateral tubercles) transverse, 1.15 times as wide as long; lateral tubercles large, conical, slightly acute at apex. Pronotum with five gibbosities: two subrounded, subfused each side (anterior one more distinct), one elongate, central, coarsely, abundantly, confluently punctate around gibbosities, sparser on lateral gibbosities, smooth on central gibbosity; finely striate centrally, near base and anterior margins; with long, erect, sparse setae throughout. Prosternum with transverse and wide sulcus at middle; basal region smooth, with short, erect, sparse setae; anterior region with coarse, confluent, shallow punctures close to margin, with long sparse setae. Mesosternum centrally tumid, with anterior margin slightly elevated ( Fig. 3, 6 ); with long sparse setae centrally, smaller laterally. Mesepisternum and metepisternum with long, decumbent, abundant setae, not obscuring the surface. Mesosternal process deeply emarginate at apex. Metasternum finely and abundantly punctate on narrow band close to metepisterna, punctures sparser, slightly distinct on remaining surface; with long abundant setae laterally, distinctly sparser toward center. Scutellum finely, smoothly, sparsely punctate; with short, decumbent, sparse setae. Elytra. Coarsely and densely punctate throughout (punctures somewhat reticulate); with long, erect, moderately abundant setae throughout; each elytron with two carinae, outermost longer and more distinct; apex ( Fig. 5 ) obliquely truncate, with outer angle distinctly projected. Legs. Profemora fusiform; mesofemora slightly fusiform; metafemora subcylindrical; inner apex of metafemora with triangular lobe; outer apex of metafemora with distinct spine.

Abdomen ( Fig. 2 ). Ventrites I–IV finely, sparsely punctate; with erect sparse setae, slightly more abundant laterally. Ventrite V finely, sparsely punctate (punctures more abundant than other ventrites), slightly denser on distal third; with long, erect, sparse setae.

Etymology. The new species is named after Brian Raber, collector of the holotype, and personal friend of the first author.

Remarks. Paracometes raberi sp. nov. is similar to P. m icans Santos-Silva & Tavakilian, 2009, but differs by the features in the key below, notably by the antennal length (longer in P. m i c a ns), and by the elytral apex with outer angle projected (uniformly rounded in P. micans ).

Key to species of Paracometes (adapted from Santos-Silva and Tavakilian (2009b)) (photographs of previously known species available from Bezark (2015)):

1. Elytra mostly with light color ........................................................................................................................................................ 2

- Elytra mostly with dark color......................................................................................................................................................... 5

2(1). Apex and base of elytra concolorous. Costa Rica and Panama............................................................... P. venustus (Bates, 1885)

- Apex and base of elytra with different colors ................................................................................................................................ 3

3(2). Elytra darkened only on a small distal area; scape distinctly shorter than antennomere III. Colombia.. P. m a t h a n i Villiers, 1958

- Elytra with almost entire distal half darkened; scape about as long as antennomere III. .............................................................. 4

4(3). Antennae in female about 1.5 times as long as body; elytral apex narrowly rounded; ventrite V with coarse, confluent punctures. Panama......................................................................................................................... P. m ic a n s Santos-Silva & Tavakilian, 2009

- Antennae in female about 1.3 times as long as body; elytral apex obliquely truncate, with outer angle distinctly projected; ven- trite V finely, sparsely punctate. Panama.............................................................................................................. P. raberi sp. nov.

5(1). Sutural angle of elytra projected; each elytron with a pale transverse band on distal half. Panama, Costa Rica............................. .....................................................................................................................................................................P. ex im i u s (Bates, 1885)

- Elytral apex obliquely truncate or rounded, with sutural angle not or slightly projected; elytra without transverse band on distal half or with longitudinal band laterally .......................................................................................................................................... 6

6(5). Elytral apex subrounded or slightly, narrowly, obliquely truncate; distal half of elytra without light band; dark area of elytra not reaching scutellum. French Guiana.................................................................................................... P. acutipennis (Buquet, 1851)

- Elytral apex distinctly obliquely truncate; distal half of elytra with longitudinal light band laterally; dark area of elytra reaching scutellum. Costa Rica.......................................................................................................... P. birai (Hovore & Santos-Silva, 2007)

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Paracometes raberi sp. nov., holotype female: 1, dorsal; 2, ventral; 3, lateral; 4, head, frontal view. 5, elytral apex; 6, mesosternum, lateral view.