Nothopleurus subsulcatus ( Dalman, 1823 )

Wappes, James E. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2011, Descriptions of females of Nothopleurus Lacordaire and Strongylaspis Thomson (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Prioninae: Macrotomini) with new distributional records, Insecta Mundi 2011 (168), pp. 1-6 : 1-4

Nothopleurus subsulcatus ( Dalman, 1823)

( Fig. 1 -5 )

Prionus subsulcatus Dalman, 1823: 63 .

Nothopleurus subsulcatus ( Dalman, 1823) (assigned by Waterhouse 1874: xxviii - as N. gnatho White, 1853 ); Monné 2006: 56; Santos-Silva et al. 2010: 11 .

Mallodon gnatho White, 1853: 45 (syn. by Lameere 1902: 73).

Nothopleurus ebeninus Lacordaire, 1868: 125 (syn. by Lameere 1902:100).

Description. Female ( Fig. 1 ). Length of head ( Fig. 2 ), excluding mandibles, about 0.9 times that of prothorax; slightly elongated behind eyes. Central area between antennal tubercles and middle of upper ocular lobes with gibbosity on each side of longitudinal dorsal furrow. Dorsal face coarsely punctate, punctures coarser and more confluent between eyes, especially close to ocular carina ( Fig. 2 , arrow b); central area close to prothorax with irregular impunctate region on each side of longitudinal furrow ( Fig. 2 , arrow a). Area behind eyes coarsely punctate on basal half of upper ocular lobes, punctate-vermiculate on the remaining. Antennal tubercles rounded; area close to the scape microsculptured, texture differing markedly from that of adjacent areas. Labrum oblique, partially visible dorsally, length about 0.3 times width; distal margin projected centrally; basal portion almost flat, remaining concave; medially pilosity long, abundant. Eye large; distance between upper ocular lobes equal to 1.6 times length of scape; distance between lower ocular lobes equal to 1.8 times length of scape. Apex of gena wide, bidentate.

Hypostomal area ( Fig. 3 , arrows) tumid, very coarsely punctate-rugose from gula to anterior third (arrow b); anterior third (arrow a), vermiculate, distinctly depressed; anterior edge narrow, elevated; pilosity long, sparse (almost absent centrally), but abundant and longer on narrow band bordering hypostomal carina. Hypostomal carinae elevated ( Fig. 3 , arrow c). Maxillary palpomere I shorter than II; II longer than III; III about as long as IV. Apex of labial palpus attaining basal third of maxillary palpomere IV. Galea not reaching apex of maxillary palpomere II. Mandible ( Fig. 2 ) 0.6 times length that of head; dorsal carina ( Fig. 4 ) elevated, not distinctly separated from the outer face, forming tooth close to the base, but not strongly elevated as in male; inner margin with two large teeth together protracted; short sparse pilosity restricted to the base of outer face with inner surface pilosity longer and more abundant. Antenna reaching basal third of elytron. Scape, extending at most to middle of eye; dorsal surface finely, sparsely punctate; outer margin coarser and more densely punctate than dorsal and ventral surfaces.

Anterior angles of prothorax ( Fig. 1-3 ) simple, not spiniform, projecting forward; lateral angles spiniform; posterior angles obtuse, distinct; lateral margins strongly crenulate. Pronotum shining, almost impunctate on disc, coarsely rugose-punctate laterally. Elytron finely punctate; elytral carinae distinct; sutural apex with small spine. Metepisternum ( Fig. 5 ) distinctly narrowed and concave at inner margin (width at narrower region about 0.1 times length). Metepisternum and lateral side of metasternum with abundant, short pilosity. Urosternites I - IV shining, sparsely punctate centrally, chagrinate laterally; pilosity along lateral margin, short and sparse, longer and more abundant on urosternite IV. Urosternite V microsculptured, sparsely punctate; pilosity short and sparse throughout, longer and more abundant laterally and apically.

Dimensions (mm). Total length (including mandibles), 33.8; prothoracic length, 6.3; anterior prothoracic width (between apices of anterior angles), 8.2; posterior prothoracic width (between apices of posterior angles), 9.0; humeral width, 11.0; elytral length, 26.3.

Geographical distribution. Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala and Bahamas. Lacordaire (1868), the first to record the species from Mexico (Yucatán) (as Nothopleurus ebeninus ) did not indicate a precise locality: “Son unique espèce (1) est um grand et bel insecte du Yucatan dont je dois la connaissance à mon savant ami M. C. A. Dohrn”.

Material examined. MEXICO, Yucatán: Piste, one female, VIII.1968, [no collector name indicated] ( ACMT).

Comments. Santos-Silva et al. (2010) did not examine females of N. subsulcatus . However, the female was included in their key to the species of Nothopleurus (see couplets 5 and 6 below), based on the characters of males, and its similarity with N. madericus (Skiles, 1978) :

“5(1). Dorsal carina of mandible strongly elevated at basal half (fig.42) .............................................. 6 — Dorsal carina of mandible not strongly elevated at basal half (figs. 37, 39) ............................... 7

6(5). Hypostomal area with a plate parallel to the hypostomal carina ......................... N. madericus — Hypostomal area without plate parallel to the hypostomal carina ................... N. subsulcatus ”

Although the dorsal carina of N. subsulcatus is not as elevated in females of N. madericus , it is distinctly more elevated than in females of N. castaneus (Casey, 1912) and N. lobigenis Bates, 1884 . Thus, the key to the genus in Santos-Silva et al. (2010) remains correct.

Figures

Figure 1-9. 1-5) Nothopleurus subsulcatus (Dalman, 1823), female. 1) Habitus, dorsal view. 2) Head, dorsal view. 3) Head and prothorax, ventral view. 4) Mandibles, lateral view. 5) Metepisternum. 6-7) Strongylaspis bullata Bates, 1872, female. 6) Habitus, dorsal view. 7) Left side of pronotum, dorsal view. 8-9) Strongylaspis championi Bates, 1884, female. 8) Habitus, dorsal view. 9) Head and prothorax, dorsal view.