Kozlovellus, Santos-Silva, 2017

Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2017, Synonymy and descriptions in Cerambycinae (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) from Costa Rica, Zootaxa 4319 (1), pp. 177-184 : 178-181

Kozlovellus gen. nov.

Type species: Kozlovellus bicolor sp. noV.

Etymology. The genus is named for Anton OlegoVich KoZloV ( Russia), who sent and donated the holotype of the type species, with the Latin suffix “ellus” = small, relating to the siZe of the type species. Masculine gender.

Description (Male). Head. Moderately long behind eyes (about 1/3 length of scape), slightly constricted toward prothorax, distally with distinct rostrum. Frons subVertical, transVerse, not depressed, densely punctate. Median grooVe deep, distinctly from clypeus to behind upper eye lobes. Eyes finely granulate; lower eye lobes large, with superior margin rectilinear and close to antennal tubercle; area of connection between eye lobes as large as one upper lobe. Gena about as long as width of lower eye lobe. Galea about as long as maxillary palpus; apical segments of maxillary and labial palpi cylindrical. Mandibles not angulate at apical third. Antennae 11-segmented, unarmed, without tuft of setae; notably longer than body; scape elongate, slightly widened toward apex, with narrow longitudinal sulcus at basal half, deeper basally; antennomeres III–IV dorsally carinate; antennomeres III– V with increasing length; antennomeres III–IV with erect, dense short setae interspersed with long, erect setae Ventrally; antennomere V with long, erect, sparse setae Ventrally; antennomeres VI–XI not shortened.

Thorax. Prothorax longer than wide, strongly constricted basally and distally (more so distally); sides subrounded, unarmed, slightly wider centrally than basally. Pronotum with inVerted V-shaped basal sulcus shallow, not well-delimited; central gibbosity indistinct and four lateral tubercles distinct and well-marked. Procoxal caVities rounded, moderately open laterally, open posteriorly (not widely open). Prosternal process distinctly narrow centrally, expanded distally. Mesosternal process about as wide as mesocoxal caVity. Mesocoxal caVities closed laterally, with apex of mesosternum not touching lateral base of metasternum.

Elytra. Flattened, sides slightly narrowed centrally, conjointly acuminate apically, not carinate; without bands with golden setae.

Legs. Hind legs about 1.5 times longer than forelegs; median legs slightly shorter than hind legs. Femora longpedunculate, moderately abruptly claVate; peduncle flattened, bicarinate on both sides (superior carina slightly marked), without spicules or asperities; metafemoral peduncle about 1.5 times as long as club; apex of metafemora distinctly surpassing elytral apex. Metatibiae slightly flattened, not carinate on outer side, sub-carinate on inner side, slightly sinuous; without tuft of setae. Metatarsomere I slightly shorter than II–V together.

Abdomen. Ventrite I, without central projection, about as long as II–III together. Apex of Ventrite V subtruncate, with central area slightly projected.

Remarks. Following Marques & Napp (2003), Kozlovellus belongs to the group formed by Closteropus Guérin-MéneVille, 1844, Gurubira Napp & Marques, 1999 , Cosmisoma Audinet-SerVille, 1834, and Disaulax Audinet-SerVille, 1833 by the following features: lower eye lobs Very large, adjacent frontal line (lateral View), with upper margin rectilinear; prothorax cylindrical-elongate, narrowed anteriorly, with bulged and unarmed sides, and presence of V-shaped sulcus on posterior area of the pronotum; procoxal caVities almost closed posteriorly by expansion of the prosternal process and proepimeron; and peduncle of femora depressed, sulcate and bicarinate.

The state of some features that result in the separation of these four genera in two groups of genera ( Marques & Napp 2003: figs 330–302) are Variable in these genera (except Disaulax with a single species). Thus, we belieVe that the results in the trees resulting from the cladistic analysis of Marques & Napp (2003) are contaminated and do not reVeal reality. The use of a single species as representatiVe of the genus, eVen when it is the type species, does not preVent problems in the final analysis. For example, the shape of the scape, form of the V-shaped sulcus on pronotum, and type of pronotal gibbosities are Variable in Cosmisoma and Gurubira , and other characters are Variable in Cosmisoma , as for example, tibial shape, or in Closteropus , presence, position and siZe of antennal spines. Actually, Marques & Napp (2003) had already drawn attention to this problem (translated): “Due to the Variability in the features of the four species studied [ Cosmisoma and Disaulax ], and also due to the small amount of specimens, it was not possible, for the time being, to define other synapomorphies to the genus [ Cosmisoma ].”

Kozlovellus differs from Closteropus especially by the absence of a spicule on the inner apex of antennomeres (present in C. speciosus (Klug, 1825) , notably in V–VI; distinct a V in C. blandus Guérin-MéneVille, 1844; absent in C. herteli Tippmann, 1960 ; C. argentatus Bates, 1879 , not examined), and the pronotal V-shaped sulcus slightly (notably deep in Closteropus ). It can be separated from Gurubira mostly by the mesocoxal caVities closed laterally, but apex of mesosternum not touching lateral base of metasternum (closed, but touching in Gurubira , and usually with apex of metasternum eleVated in this area). With the inclusion of G. apicalis (Fuchs, 1966) by Napp & Martins (2006), some of the original characters of Gurubira (e.g. prothorax shape, tibial curVature), cannot be used to differentiate it from Kozlovellus . It differs from Disaulax and Meringodes Wappes & Lingafelter, 2011 , by antennomeres III–V with sparse long setae, and antennomere IV slightly longer than III. In Disaulax , the antennomeres III–V haVe long and dense erect setae on Ventral and lateral areas, and antennomere IV is distinctly shorter than III (from Meringodes , also by the absence of tuft of setae at metatibiae).

Kozlovellus differs from Cosmisoma primarily by the absence of a tuft of setae on antennomeres V or V–VI. According to Marques & Napp (2003) (translated): “In Cosmisoma , there is the presence of tufts of setae with condensed and uniform appearance, surrounding the entire article, in articles V and/or V–VI, synapomorphic condition”. Zajciw (1962) pointed out that “... although the genus is characteriZed by the presence of tufts of setae on the V or V–VI antennal articles, actually a Very important feature, it also counts with a species, C. nudicorne (Panama) [= C. martyr Thomson, 1861 , synonymy by Giesbert & Chemsak 1993], and a Variety, cyaneum Gounelle [apparently they are talking about C. cyaneum psilocerum Monné & Magno, 1988 , a subspecies from BraZil, Paraíba, which was mentioned by Zajciw (1962) as a form from this BraZilian state], without this feature”. Being that Cosmisoma is the largest genus of Rhopalophorini , with 41 species, and this feature being absent only in one, it is accepted Zajciw’s (l.c.) [sic] affirmation, and the presence of tufts of setae on the antennae is considered as synapomorphic for the genus. Actually, according to Bates (1892): “One example, differing in nothing from C. martyra [sic] except in the absence of hair-brush from the antennae… It is possible it may be only a Variety or aberration.” Apparently the same Variation occurs in C. cyaneum Gounelle, 1911 . If so, it is possible that C. nudicorne is a subspecies of C. martyr , or that both ( C. nudicorne and C. psilocerum ) are different species. In this case, comparing Kozlovellus with the type species of Cosmisoma , Saperda scopulicornis Kirby, 1818 , it is possible to see that antennomere IV is longer than III, while in C. scopulicorne it is distinctly shorter than III, and the distal antennomeres are not notably shorter than III (distinctly shorter in C. scopulicorne ).