Ischasia gutta, Bezark, 2025

Bezark, Larry G., 2025, Two new species of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) from Central America, with notes and new records, Faunitaxys 13 (36), pp. 1-7 : 1-2

Ischasia gutta sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 -4)

ZooBank:https://zoobank.org/ E7070A3D-22DD-4C7E-9B81-822701CAADE8

Holotype, ♀, Belize, Cayo: Chiquibul Forest Grande d’Oro, 26-29 May, 1995, malaise trap 16, week 29, A. King & J Itowe collectors ( NMH).

Paratype s

- 1 ♀, Belize, Cayo: Chiquibul Forest, San Pastor , 27-30 May, 1999, malaise trap ( NHM) ;

- 1 ♂, Belize, Cayo: Chiquibul Forest, Las Cuevas field Station , 16°44'N, 88°59'W, malaise trap, 500–700 m, D. Inward collector, June 1997 ( LGBC) ;

- 1 ♂, Belize, Cayo: Chiquibul Forest, Las Cuevas field Station , June , 2002, malaise trap, J. H. Martin, collector ( NHM) ;

- 1 ♂, Belize, Cayo: Chiquibul Forest, Las Cuevas field Station , 15 km E Caracol, 16.733N, 88.32.985W, 570’, 29 June- 3 July, 2019, malaise trap, M. F. Keller, collector ( LGBC) ;

- 1 ♀, Belize, Cayo: Chiquibul Forest, Las Cuevas field Station , 15 km E Caracol, 16.733 N, 88.32.985W, 570’, 15-22 June, 2024, malaise trap, M. F. Keller & A. C. Palominos, collectors ( LGBC) ;

- 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Belize, Cayo: Chiquibul Forest, Las Cuevas field Station , 15 km E Caracol, 16.733N, 88.32.985W, 570’, 15-22 June, 2024, lindgren funnel, M. F. Geiser, collector ( UCDC) .

Description of the holotype

Coloration. – Integument mostly orangish, darker on some areas; scape blackish becoming dark reddish brown at apex, antennomeres dark reddish brown, last two slightly lighter; mandibles darker at apex. Pronotum with one medium-sized diamond-shaped black macula, situated slightly before middle (one-third height of pronotum). Elytra with one longitudinal black

Reviewer:

Antonio Santos-Silva ( Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil) - Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7128-1418

vitta starting at humeri and extending to apex, narrowing at anterior one-third length and leaving short orangish lateral area, then widening along lateral edge until entire apex is black. Base of femora yellowish becoming orangish on club which is blackish on apical third of dorsal surface of profemora and on apical third of meso- and metafemora. Tibiae except for extreme orangish base of all tibiae and basal third of ventral surface of protibiae, dark brown, lighter dorsally on protibiae. Tarsi and claws dark brown.Last abdominal tergite becoming brownish on apical third.

Head. – Frons sparsely, coarsely punctate with short golden setae. Area between antennaltubercles sparsely, coarselypunctate with short golden setae, except glabrous median groove. Surface of vertex densely, coarsely punctate, punctures partially confluent, except smooth central area close to prothorax; with numerous thin erect setae. Area behind eyes abundantly, coarsely punctate, punctures partially confluent;with sparse golden pubescence. Genae about0.7 timesfrontal length of lowereye lobe; coarsely punctate close to eye andat apical one-third, smooth andglabrous in between laterally, withsparse short golden setae. Antennal tubercles with a few fine punctures and sparse short golden setae. Wide central area of postclypeus moderately abundantly and coarsely punctate close to frons, smooth close to anteclypeus; with somewhat sparse, decumbent golden setae close to frons, glabrous close to anteclypeus. Labrum sparsely, finely punctate basally with a few short, decumbent yellowish-white setae; with long, bristly dark brown seta laterally on each side of apical region, anterior region with dense fringe of golden setae. Antennae 1.7 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at base of antennomere IX. Scape sparsely, coarsely punctate on basal 2/3, glabrous on apical third, with sparse, minute white setae, a few short, decumbentyellowish setae interspersed ventrally, one long, erect yellowish seta dorsally, and sparse, long, semi-erect brownish setae interspersed on apical third of ventral surface. Pedicel with minute golden setae and a few long, erect yellowish setae interspersed throughout, ventrally with long erect brown setae; antennomeres III–VI with dense yellowish pubescence partially obscuring integument, and long erect brown setae ventrally, becoming less dense on VI;antennomere VII with dense yellowish pubescence partially obscuring integument, and one long erect brown seta ventrally at apex, antennomeres VIII-XI with dense yellowish pubescence partially obscuring integument.

Thorax. –Prothorax longer than wide;anterior constriction wellmarked; parallel-sided on anterior 2/3 then narrowing slightly toward posterolateral angles. Pronotum coarsely punctate between anterior constriction and posterior eighth; dorsally with short, sparse, thin black setae directed backward on apical third centrally; numerous long golden setae directed forward centrally on lower two-thirds; laterally with short golden setae directed backward along entire length. Prosternum coarsely punctate centrally except for small glabrous area between lateral punctures and prosternal punctures extending to anterior edge of pronotum; with both long erect and short appressed golden setae, sparse centrally, longer setae more abundant close to procoxal cavities. Prosternal process roughened, sparsely, finely punctate; with sparse, short, decumbent white setae laterally; narrowest area 0. 25 times procoxal width, widened apically, apex with abundant golden pubescence partially obscuring integument. Mesanepisternum and mesepimeron with scattered punctures, with abundant appressed golden pubescence not obscuring integument. Mesoventralprocess distinctly notched on center of apical margin; with abundant golden pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous mid-length, and a few long, erect golden setae interspersed. Scutellum trapezoidal, truncate apically, with abundant, appressed golden setae, partially obscuring integument.

Elytra. – Shiny, abundantly, coarsely punctate on anterior 2/3, punctures becoming rugose laterally toward apex on posterior half (on dark vitta); apex subrounded; light integumental area with mostly moderately long, golden setae more abundant on anterior third; dark integumental area with moderately long, golden setae on basal quarter, becoming sparser and shorter apically.

Legs. – Pro- and mesofemora with sparse, long golden setae laterally and ventrally with long, erect yellowish-brown setae longer and more abundant ventrally towards apex. Metafemora with sparse, short, golden setae on peduncle; club with moderately long, semi-erect, golden setae throughout, becoming longer and dark-brown on dark femoral apex. Protibiae with sparse, short, decumbent and semi-erect yellowish-brown setae dorsally;laterally and ventrally with abundant, short, erect golden setae. Meso- and metatibiae with pubescence as on protibiae, except dense, bristly golden pubescence absent, replaced by numerous appressed and semi-erect brownish setae. Dorsal surface of pro- meso and mesotarsomeres with moderately sparse yellowish-brown pubescence, with long, semi-erect dark-brown setae interspersed; ventral surface of tarsomeres with abundant golden pubescence not obscuring integument; metatarsomere 1.5 times length of II-III together.

Abdomen. – Ventrites with sparse, short, erect yellowish-white setae, except glabrous apex of ventrites 1-4; lateral sides of ventrites 1-3 with abundant, short yellowish setae not obscuring surface. Apex of ventrite 5 rounded with a few long brownish setae apically.

Variation. – There is some very slight variation in the shape of the pronotal macula in one paratype, the posterior margin being more rounded so the spot appears teardrop-shaped rather than diamond-shaped. Otherwise the paratypes are quite similar to the holotype.

Dimensions (mm)

Female holotype (NHM) length 13.2 (front of head to end of abdomen), prothoracic length 2.3, anterior prothoracic width 1.7, posterior prothoracic width 1.8, maximum prothoracic width 2.0, humeral width 2.4, elytral length 3.5.

Female paratype ( NMH)

length 11.8 (front of head to end of abdomen), prothoracic length 2.1,

anterior prothoracic width 1.6,

posterior prothoracic width 1.7,

maximum prothoracic width 1.9,

humeral width 2.1,

elytral length 3.2.

Male paratypes (2) (NMH, LGBC)

length 9.7-10.2 (front of head to end of abdomen), prothoracic length 1.8-1.9,

anterior prothoracic width 1.3-1.3,

posterior prothoracic width 1.3-1.5,

maximum prothoracic width 1.6-1.7,

humeral width 2.0-2.0,

elytral length 2.6.

Etymology. – The specific name “gutta ” is from the Latin “drop” and refers to the single black macula at the center of the pronotum.

Remarks. – This species is distinct from the others in this genus by the single black spot on the pronotum. Ischasia ecclinusae Peñaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2004 , has a black macula on the pronotum but it occupies the majority of the surface, and the metafemoral club has a dark ring; the other species with isolated dark pronotal area have either longitudinal vittae ( I. mareki Peñaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2004 , I. sabatieri Peñaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2004 , I. pouteriae Peñaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2004 , and I. fasciata Carli, Monné, Santos-Silva & Rafael, 2025 ) or a double spot, sometimes fused to form a V-shaped macula ( I. feuilleti Peñaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2003 ). The isolated orange macula laterally after the humeri is shared only with Ischasia ecclinusae .