Phrynidius echinus Bates, 1880

Noguera, Felipe A. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2023, New species and records in Phrynidius Lacordaire (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae), Zootaxa 5323 (4), pp. 451-476 : 471-474

Phrynidius echinus Bates, 1880

( Figs 46–56 )

Material examined. GUATEMALA, Baja Verapaz: 8 km S Purulhá , 1600 m, 1 male, 7.VI.1993, H. & A. Howden leg. ( MZSP, formerly FSCA) . El Progreso: 21 km N Estancia de la Virgen , 6000’, 1 male, 2 females, 3.VI.1991, J.E. Wappes leg. (1 male, 1 female, FSCA; 1 male, MZSP) .

Phrynidius echinus Bates, 1880: 93 ; Lameere, 1883: 48 (cat.); Bates, 1885: 334; Aurivillius, 1922: 8 (cat.); Blackwelder, 1946: 593 (checklist); Breuning, 1960: 181 (cat.); Chemsak & Linsley, 1970: 416 (lect.); Breuning, 1971: 325; Chemsak et al., 1980: 35 (distr.); Chemsak et al., 1992: 116 (cat.); Monné, 1994: 34 (cat.); Monné & Giesbert, 1994: 189 (checklist); Turnbow et al., 2003: 21 (distr.); Monné, 2005: 305 (cat.); Monné & Hovore, 2006: 228 (checklist); Hovore, 2006: 375 (distr.); Swift et al., 2010: 51 (distr.); Gutiérrez et al., 2020: 55 (key); Monné, 2023: 468 (cat.).

Male ( Figs 46–49 ). Integument mostly blackish; scape and pedicel dark brown; antennomere III brown; basal 2/3 of antennomere IV brown, and apical third reddish brown; antennomeres V–XI reddish brown. Pubescence mostly greenish brown, with short, squamiform whitish setae interspersed, especially on frons, scape, antennomeres III and IV, femora, and tibiae, pubescence sparser on elytra, metaventrite, and abdominal ventrites.

Head. Antennal tubercles not close to each other basally, with area between them U-shaped. Antennae 1.45 times elytral length, almost reaching posterior quarter of elytra. Flagellomeres slender; antennomere III slightly arched. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III (only two males were measured): scape = 0.84/094; pedicel = 0.15/0.16; IV = 0.62/0.61; V = 0.33/0.36; VI = 0.29/0.33; VII = 0.29/0.33; VIII = 0.29/0.30; IX = 0.29/0.30; X = 0.25/0.28; XI = 0.27/0.33.

Thorax. Prothorax slightly wider than long; sides rounded from anterolateral angles to posterior eighth, more distinctly after middle, then parallel-sided to posterolateral angles. Pronotum abundantly, coarsely punctate; with three moderately elevated tubercles, one centrally, from anterior quarter to about posterior third, dorsally sinuous, more strongly elevated before its middle, and one with blunt apex on each side of maximum elevation of central tubercle. Elytra. Sub-ovoid; abundantly, coarsely punctate; with elevated tubercles with blunt apex throughout, and smaller tubercles, with more acute apex basally, forming four arched, transverse rows on anterior 2/3, and two longitudinal rows on posterior third; without thick and erect setae. Legs. Femoral club gradually, not strongly widened.

Female ( Fig 50–51 ). Similar to males; differ by the antennae slightly shorter, 1.1 times elytral length, not reaching posterior third of elytra.

Variation. The pronotal tubercles are somewhat variable and may be slightly elevated; maximum width of the metafemoral club from 1.8 to 2.0 times basal width of the peduncle.

Dimensions in mm (males/females). Total length, 8.80–9.80/9.10–10.30; prothoracic length, 2.65–2.85/2.70– 3.00; anterior prothoracic width, 1.85–1.95/2.00–2.40; posterior prothoracic width, 2.30–2.25/2.35–2.55; maximum prothoracic width, 2.80–2.75/2.80–3.05; humeral width, 2.50–2.30/2.50–2.80; elytral length, 5.40–5.90/5.80–6.50.

Remarks. Gutiérrez et al. (2020) included P. echinus in the alternative of couplet “9” (“Scape distinctly longer than third antennomere”), coming from the alternative of couplet “8” (“Scape equal in length or shorter than third antennomere”). The inclusion in the alternative of couplet “9” is incorrect, since species with the scape longer than the antennomere III must be included in the alternative of couplet “10.” However, the scape in P. echinus is shorter than the antennomere III. Therefore, the length of scape and antennomere III cannot be used to separate P. echinus from P. cristinae Gutiérrez et al., 2020 . Although these two species are very similar, they can be separated by the length of the antennomere IV, distinctly longer than half of antennomere III in P. cristinae , about half the length of antennomere III in P. echinus , and pedicel about as long as wide in P. cristinae , distinctly longer in P. echinus .

Figures

FIGURES 46–51. Phrynidius echinus Bates, 1880. 46–49) Male: 46) Dorsal habitus; 47) Ventral habitus; 48) Lateral habitus; 49) Head, frontal view. 50–51) Female: 50) Dorsal habitus; 51) Ventral habitus.

FIGURES 52–56. 52–54) Phrynidius echinus Bates, 1880, holotype: 52) Dorsal habitus; 53) Lateral habitus; 54) Labels. 55–56) Phrynidius armatus Linsley, 1933, holotype male: 55) Dorsal habitus; 56) Lateral habitus. Figures 52–54 by Keita Matsumoto (BMNH); 55–56 by Ranchel Diaz-Bastin (CASC).