Oncideres tavakiliani, Nearns, Eugenio H. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2016

Nearns, Eugenio H. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2016, Two new species of Onciderini Thomson, 1860 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae) from South America, Zootaxa 4137 (3), pp. 445-450 : 446-448

Oncideres tavakiliani sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–8 )

Description. Male ( Figs. 1–4 ). Length 17.1 mm (measured from vertex to elytral apices), width 6.4 mm (measured across humeri). Habitus as in Fig. 1 . General form elongate-oblong, moderate-sized. Integument almost black on head, scape, pedicel, antennomere III, prothorax, and femora; black on elytral tubercles; dark-brown on antennomeres IV–XI, meso- and metathorax, basal third of elytra, tibiae, and tarsi; brown on remaining surface of elytra; reddish-brown on abdominal ventrites.

Head. Frons subquadrate, slightly transverse, about 3.1× width of lower eye lobes ( Fig. 4 ); microsculptured interspersed with moderately fine, sparse punctures (denser centrally close to clypeus); with ochraceous pubescence interspersed with short, white setae, denser close to eyes, more testaceous close to clypeus. Area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes with ochraceous pubescence interspersed with white pubescence. Vertex with ochraceous pubescence. Eyes with lower lobes moderate-sized, oblong; narrowest area connecting upper and lower eye lobes 3 ommatidia wide. Genae slightly longer than wide, about 1.7× as tall as lower eye lobes; moderately coarsely, confluently punctate close to eye, gradually finer, sparser toward smooth apex; with short, sparse, whitish setae. Antennal tubercles prominent, widely separated; inner side of apex with moderately large, blunt projection, slightly emarginate at its apex; with short, sparse, white setae, except for ochraceous band centrally, continuing close to the lower eye lobe. Antennae 1.9× elytral length; reaching elytral apex at about middle of antennomere VIII; scape with deep, oblique groove near base, except for central area of dorsal and ventral sides, finely, moderately abundantly punctate (sparser toward apex); scape, pedicel and antennomeres with yellowish-white pubescence, except for brownish pubescence on part of distal third of antennomeres V–X/VI–X (pubescence distinctly denser on ventral side of antennomere III); antennomeres III–VIII with erect, short, thick, dark setae ventrally (shorter and sparser toward VIII); antennomere III distinctly swollen, thicker than antennomeres IV–XI, but more slender than largest width of scape. Antennal formula based on antennomere III: scape = 0.57; II = 0.10; IV = 0.55; V = 0.53; VI = 0.50; VII = 0.48; VIII = 0.46; IX = 0.42; X = 0.46; XI = 0.60.

Thorax. Prothorax nearly cylindrical, transverse, 1.6× as wide as long (including lateral tubercles); sides with small, blunt, glabrous tubercle before middle. Pronotum with ochraceous and white pubescence ( Fig. 1 ); disk with transverse, wide, moderately tumid band, with curved, moderately low carinae centrally, with transverse sulcus and slightly distinct tubercles laterally. Scutellum transverse; apex rounded. Elytra about 1.90× as long as width at humeri, 2.75× as long as pronotal length, 1.20× broader basally than prothorax at widest (at tubercles); lateral margins attenuate, gradually rounded to apices at apical quarter; apices jointly rounded; basal 1/3 with moderately close, moderate to large-sized, glabrous tubercles (centrally sparser toward distal area of basal third); humeri prominent, glabrous, anterior margin slightly rounded; with ochraceous pubescence, interspersed with white, sparse setae before area with tubercles, interspersed with white, sparse setae and abundant, small spots with white pubescence on remaining surface. Ventral side of thorax with dense, ochraceous pubescence laterally, interspersed with white setae, distinctly white centrally. Procoxae large, globose, not uncate. Mesosternal process about 0.6× as wide as mesocoxal cavity; emarginate at apex.

Abdomen. Ventrites with dense, white pubescence; ventrite V about as long as IV centrally; apex widely emarginate. Legs. Femora robust; profemora coarsely striate on ventral, outer side, and laterally on dorsal surface. Tibiae slightly expanded apically. Metatarsomere V as long as 0.85× I–III combined.

Female ( Figs. 5–8 ). Length 18.0 mm (measured from vertex to elytral apices), width 6.5 mm (measured across humeri). Similar to male except antennae 1.45× as long as elytral length, reaching elytral apex at apex of antennomere X; antennomere III slightly swollen; scape without basal groove; antennal formula based on antennomere III: scape = 0.66; II = 0.11; IV = 0.61; V = 0.54; VI = 0.50; VII = 0.49; VIII = 0.46; IX = 0.41; X = 0.44; XI = 0.28. Pronotum 1.8× as wide as long. Abdominal ventrite V 1.4× as long as IV.

Type material. Holotype male ( MZSP), paratype female ( INPA) from Brazil, Pará: Serra Norte – Carajás, 5- 15.IV.1983, Michael Miles col.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Gérard L. Tavakilian, for his friendship and collaboration. The epithet is a noun in the genitive case.

Remarks. Oncideres tavakiliani is similar to O. ulcerosa (Germar, 1824) , but differs as follows: apex of antennal tubercles distinctly more apart from each other in dorsal view; projection at apex of antennal tubercles in male distinctly shorter; antennae in male 1.9× as long as elytral length; antennomere III in female slightly swollen; elytra not strongly narrowed toward apex; spots with white pubescence on elytra smaller and somewhat sparser. In O. ulcerosa the apices of the antennal tubercles are distinctly closer to each other in dorsal view, the projection at apex of antennal tubercles in male is distinctly longer, the antennal tubercles are closer to each other, the antennae in male are, at least, 2.3× as long as elytral length, antennomere III in female is not swollen, the elytra are notably narrowed towards apex, and the spots with white pubescence on elytra are somewhat larger and more abundant.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Oncideres tavakiliani sp. nov. 1 – 4, holotype male: 1, dorsal habitus; 2, ventral habitus; 3, lateral habitus; 4, head, frontal view. 5 – 8, paratype female: 5, dorsal habitus; 6, ventral habitus; 7, lateral habitus; 8, head, frontal view.