Hemilissa birai, Galileo, Maria Helena M., Bezark, Larry G. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2016

Galileo, Maria Helena M., Bezark, Larry G. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2016, Descriptions of three new species and new records of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) from America, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 63 (1), pp. 9-16 : 9-10

Taxon classification Animalia ORDO Cerambycidae

Hemilissa birai sp. n. Figures 1-4

Description.

Male. Integument dorsally dark-brown, ventrally mostly reddish-brown with some areas darker; femoral club reddish-brown with apex dark-brown; tibiae with some areas reddish-brown; antennae mostly reddish-brown with brown and dark-brown areas.

Head. Frons moderately coarsely, densely, shallowly, confluently punctate; with short, sparse setae. Central area between antennal tubercles opaque, glabrous, shallowly, confluently punctate; with longitudinal, well-marked carina on each side, between antennal tubercle and coronal suture. Vertex lower than area between antennal tubercles, coarsely, abundantly punctate; glabrous. Area behind upper eye lobes with sculpture as on vertex, gradually smooth toward area behind lower eye lobe; with some long setae close to eyes. Area behind lower eye lobes with moderately coarse, sparse punctures, slightly denser on area close to apex of lobe; with some long setae close to eye. Apex of antennal tubercle notably horn-shaped. Coronal suture distinct from near clypeus to posterior level of antennal tubercles. Gula finely, transversely striate, more distinctly toward submentum. Submentum depressed, more distinctly toward anterior edge; finely, moderately abundantly punctate; with short, sparse setae. Area between submentum and lower eye lobes with sparse, very long setae. Mandibles with very long, sparse setae on outer surface. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.55 times length of scape; distance between lower eye lobes, in frontal view, 0.85 times length of scape. Antennae as long as 1.65 times elytral length; reaching elytral apex about apex of antennomere X. Scape coarsely, densely, confluently punctate throughout; with moderately long, sparse setae. Antennal formula based on antennomere III: scape = 0.86; pedicel = 0.18; IV = 0.88; V = 0.82; VI = 0.76; VII = 0.72; VIII = 0.60; IX = 0.62; X = 0.56; XI = 0.86.

Thorax. Prothorax slightly longitudinal, about 1.1 times longer than largest width; basal quarter distinctly constricted; slightly narrowed from basal constriction to anterior margin laterally. Pronotum coarsely alveolate, except for more distinctly smoother lateral sides of basal constriction; with long, thick, sparse setae throughout, interspersed with short, sparse setae. Lateral sides of prothorax with sculpture and setae as on pronotum. Basal half of prosternum coarsely, densely, confluently punctate (punctures smaller, shallower than on pronotum, mainly centrally); with long, sparse setae, interspersed with minute setae. Anterior half of prosternum transversely striate; with moderately long, sparse setae. Prosternal process obliquely inclined about level of middle of procoxae, transversely sulcate and flat at apex. Mesosternum moderately coarsely, densely, shallowly punctate centrally, distinctly smoother laterally. Mesosternal process slightly narrower than mesocoxal cavities, deeply emarginate at apex. Metepisterna with very short, abundant setae. Metasternum with very short, slightly conspicuous setae laterally, with long, sparse setae toward center, except for glabrous central area; coarsely, shallowly punctate near mesocoxal cavities, with fine, very sparse punctures on remaining surface, except for smooth central area. Scutellum with minute, sparse setae. Elytra coarsely, deeply, abundantly punctate on basal half, gradually finely punctate toward apex (basal punctures partially tuberculiform); with long, sparse setae throughout; apex with long spine at outer angle, rounded at sutural angle.

Abdomen. Ventrites with short setae interspersed with long setae; ventrite I, without central projection, about as long as II–III together; apex of ventrite V subrounded. Legs. Femoral peduncle longitudinally sulcate ventrally and dorsally. Tibiae distinctly carinate.

Dimensions (mm).

Male. Total length (including mandibles), 15.10; prothoracic length, 3.10; anterior prothoracic width, 2.35; basal prothoracic width, 2.60; largest prothoracic width, 2.90; humeral width, 3.70; elytral length, 10.00.

Type material.

Holotype female, from BRAZIL, Rondônia: 62 km SE Ariquemes, 7-18.XI.1995, W. J. Hanson col. (CAS).

Etymology.

The new species is named after Ubirajara Martins de Souza (Bira) who made the full revision of Piezocerini in 1976, and the revision of South American species in 2003.

Remarks.

Hemilissa birai sp. n. differs from Hemilissa catapotia Martins, 1976 as follows: larger size (15.1 mm); antennal tubercle horn-shaped; pronotum without smooth area at central region. Hemilissa catapotia is smaller in size (from about 6 to 10 mm), the antennal tubercle is not horn-shaped, and the pronotum has a smooth area on the central region. It differs from Hemilissa cornuta Bates, 1870 by the pronotum not pubescent (with large pubescent area in Hemilissa cornuta ), and by the shiny elytra (opaque in Hemilissa cornuta ). Hemilissa birai sp. n. can be separated from Hemilissa opaca Martins, 1976 by the shiny elytra (opaque in Hemilissa opaca ) and with a single spine at the apex (bispinose in Hemilissa opaca ), and by the antennal tubercles horn-shaped (not so in Hemilissa opaca ). It differs from Hemilissa quadrispinosa Gounelle, 1913 by the shiny elytra (opaque in Hemilissa quadrispinosa ), by the elytral apex with a single spine (bispinose in Hemilissa quadrispinosa ), by the antennal tubercle horn-shaped (not so in Hemilissa quadrispinosa ), and by the pronotum not tuberculate (tuberculate in Hemilissa quadrispinosa ). Hemilissa birai sp. n. differs from Hemilissa undulaticollis Zajciw, 1960 by the pronotum not longitudinally sulcate (sulcate in Hemilissa undulaticollis ), and by the antennal tubercle horn-shaped (not so in Hemilissa undulaticollis ).

Hemilissa birai can be included in the alternative of couplet “7”, from Martins (2003) (translated):