Caribbomerus elieri, Devesa & Santos-Silva, 2021

Devesa, Sergio & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2021, Transference, descriptions, and notes on Cuban Graciliini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Cerambycinae), Zootaxa 4908 (4), pp. 527-536 : 530-531

Caribbomerus elieri sp. nov.

( Figs 10–15 )

Description. Male holotype ( Figs. 10–12 ). Head mostly dark brown, almost black; ventral surface close to prothorax reddish brown; anteclypeus and labrum reddish brown; antennal tubercles dark reddish brown; scape and pedicel reddish brown (scape slightly lighter toward apex); antennomere III light orangish brown, and remaining antennomeres orangish; mouthparts mostly orangish brown; pronotum dark brown, almost black, with anterior area narrowly dark reddish brown. Sides of prothorax dark brown close to pronotum dark reddish brown toward prosternum (this latter area lighter anteriorly). Prosternum reddish brown except narrow blackish area close procoxal cavities; prosternal process narrowly dark reddish brown centrally, blackish laterally. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax reddish brown, with area close to coxae narrowly blackish (including sides of mesoventral process). Elytra mostly dark brown, except: trapezoid-shaped reddish-brown macula on dorsal surface of anterior third, fused with band of same color along suture, which ends close to posterior elytral fifth, irregularly widened on its apex; reddish-brown band laterally, including dorsal surface of humerus, distinctly paler toward its apex, widened and reaching sides of dorsal surface centrally and apically. Legs orangish (more yellowish brown depending on light intensity). Ventral surface of abdomen reddish brown basally, gradually pale yellow apically.

Head. Frons, vertex, and area behind upper eye lobes finely, densely punctate; frons and vertex with grayishwhite pubescence not obscuring integument. Area behind upper eye lobes glabrous, except one long, erect yellowish-white seta at level of the third row of ommatidia; area behind lower eye lobes rugose-punctate close to eye, finely, sparsely punctate close to prothorax; with grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument close to eye, glabrous close to prothorax. Genae with sparse grayish-white pubescence. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous posteriorly, coarsely, densely punctate, with yellowish-white pubescence and sparse erect setae of same color between eyes. Antennal tubercles micropunctate, glabrous apically. Median groove distinct from clypeus to prothoracic margin. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.5 times length of scape (1.5 times distance between outer margins of eyes); in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.25 times length of scape (1.5 times distance between outer margins of eyes). Antennae (from scape to apex of antennomere VIII) 1.8 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at anterior part of antennomere VIII. Scape, pedicel and antennomeres with thin, yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument; scape and pedicel with decumbent pubescence, erect, evenly distributed on entire surface of antennomeres III–XI. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.33; pedicel = 0.17; IV = 1.33; V = 2.00; VI = 2.67; VII = 2.67; VIII = 3.00; missing antennomeres IX–XI.

Thorax. Prothorax distinctly longer than wide, slightly widened from middle to posterior quarter. Pronotum with slightly longitudinal gibbosity from middle to posterior third; somewhat coarsely, abundantly punctate, except smooth central gibbosity; with, moderately abundant, bristly grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument on wide central area, from base to apex, except glabrous gibbosity, shorter, decumbent laterally. Sides of prothorax somewhat coarsely, abundantly punctate, except sparsely striate-punctate anterior area (this area gradually widened toward prosternum); with short, decumbent grayish-white pubescence on punctate area, nearly glabrous on striatepunctate area. Prosternum coarsely, somewhat abundant punctate on central area (punctures slightly sparser close to procoxal cavities), sparsely punctate on anterior third, except transverse row of punctures near anterior margin; with short yellowish-brown seta emerging from most punctures. Prosternal process strongly narrowed centrally, expanded posteriorly. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, sparser on center of mesoventrite, and center of metaventrite, especially on posterior 2/3 of the latter; metanepisternum, sides and anterior central third of metaventrite coarsely, moderately abundantly punctate. Scutellum with dense grayish-white pubescence. Elytra. Coarsely, abundantly punctate on anterior third, punctures gradually finer, sparser toward apex, especially on posterior third; apex narrowly individually rounded; with abundant grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (pubescence appearing to be yellowish on lighter areas due to the integument color). Legs. Profemora subfusiform; meso- and metafemora subcylindrical, slightly arched in basal quarter; with very short grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument. Tibiae somewhat asperate ventrally; with grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, and short erect setae on ventral asperities. Metatarsomere I longer than II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrite I coarsely, sparsely punctate on anterior third, finely sparsely punctate on remaining surface, except smooth apex; ventrites II–V finely sparsely punctate, except smooth apex of II–IV; apex of ventrite V truncate, slightly, widely emarginate centrally.

Female paratype ( Figs. 13–15 ). Similar to male. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.57 times length of scape (1.57 times distance between outer margins of eyes); in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.29 times length of scape (1.57 times distance between outer margins of eyes). Antennae 2.19 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at posterior part of antennomere VIII. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.40; pedicel = 0.20; IV = 1.20; V = 2.00; VI = 2.20; VII = 2.20; VIII = 2.40; IX = 2.00; X = 1.80; XI = 2.00. Scutelum shiny, with only 3–4 small setae. Elytra not covering apex of abdomen.

Dimensions in mm (male holotype /female paratype). Total length, 7.40/6.20; prothoracic length, 1.50/1.20; anterior prothoracic width, 0.90/0.75; posterior prothoracic width, 0.90/0.75; widest prothoracic width, 1.00/0.90; humeral width, 1.30/1.20; elytral length, 4.80/4.20.

Type material. Holotype male from CUBA, Artemisa: Candelaria, Sierra del Rosario, Loma “El Salón” (22°49′52″N / 82°57′24″W), 10.IV.2011, S. Gutiérrez col. ( MHNUSC, temporary in SDPC) . Paratype female, same data as holotype, except at light trapping (500W/Hg vapors), 18.V.2012, E. Fonseca col. ( SDPC) .

Etymology. The species is named in honor of Elier Fonseca, who collected the paratype of the new species.

Remarks. Caribbomerus elieri sp. nov. is somewhat similar to C. picturatus (Napp & Martins, 1984) (see photographs on Laplante 2020), described and known only from Jamaica, but differs as follows: body proportionally slender and longer; distance between the upper eye lobes equal to about half the width of the anterior margin of the prothorax; head, pronotum, and elytra distinctly pubescent; elytral punctures finer, especially from middle; mesoand metafemora not clavate. In C. picturatus , the body is proportionally wider and shorter, distance between the upper eye lobes is distinctly greater than half the width of the anterior margin of the prothorax, head, pronotum, and elytra are not distinctly pubescent, elytral punctures are coarser, including from middle, and meso- and metafemora are clavate. It is slightly similar to C. decoratus ( Zayas, 1975) ( Figs. 24–25 ), but differs by the slender body (stouter in C. decoratus ), elytra light maculae more abundant (only one distinct light elytra macula, placed close to suture before middle in C. decoratus ), and meso- and metafemora not clavate (clavate in C. decoratus ).

Figures

FIGURES 10–15. Caribbomerus elieri sp. nov.: 10–12) Holotype male: 10) Dorsal habitus; 11) Ventral habitus; 12) Lateral habitus. 13–15) Paratype female: 13) Dorsal habitus; 14) Ventral habitus; 15) Lateral habitus.

FIGURES 16–26. 16–17) Paralectotype male of Merostenus exiguous (= Perigracilia exigua), dorsal habitus. 18–23) Caribbomerus zayasi sp. nov. (paralectotype of Merostenus exiguous): 18) Dorsal habitus; 19) Lateral habitus; 20) Lateral habitus showing entire antennae; 21) Pronotum; 22) Upper eye lobes; 23) Original label. 24–26) Merostenus decoratus, holotype male: 24) Dorsal habitus; 25) Lateral habitus; 26) Labels.