Tethystola alboangulata, Bezark & Santos-Silva, 2019

Bezark, Larry G. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2019, Synonymies and seven new species in Lamiinae from the Neotropical Region (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Zootaxa 4648 (1), pp. 92-110 : 99-102

Tethystola alboangulata sp. nov.

( Figures 19–22 )

Description. Female. Integument mostly dark brown, almost black on some areas; mouthparts and distal area of labrum dark reddish-brown; antennomeres V–XI with basal reddish-brown ring; elytra slightly, gradually lighter toward apex, with narrow orange-brown band along suture; meso- and metatibiae, and meso- and metatarsi dark reddish-brown depending on intensity of light; central area of abdominal ventrites I–IV dark reddish-brown centrally.

Head. Frons, vertex, and area behind eyes moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate; with yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, slightly denser laterally on frons and vertex, with a few long, erect, thick white setae interspersed, and long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed close to eyes. Antennal tubercles elevated, with sculpturing as on frons basally, smooth at apex; with yellowish-brown pubescence, as on frons basally, denser toward apex. Genae transversely, finely striate, except smooth apex; with yellowish-brown pubescence centrally, nearly glabrous close to eye, glabrous posteriorly. Postclypeus with sculpturing and pubescence as on frons on wide central area, with long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed, smooth and glabrous laterally. Labrum coplanar with anteclypeus on posterior 2/3, inclined on anterior third; finely, abundantly punctate on coplanar area; with yellowish-brown pubescence distinctly not obscuring integument on coplanar area, with long, erect setae of same color interspersed; anterior margin with fringe of golden setae. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.48 times length of scape; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes equal to length of scape. Antennae 1.8 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at base of antennomere IX. Scape with dense yellowish-brown pubescence dorsally, gradually shorter, sparser toward ventral surface; with long, sparse, erect whitish and dark setae dorsally, whitish ventrally. Pedicel and antennomeres with yellowish-white pubescence partially obscuring integument (more yellowish-brown on basal antennomeres), with long, erect dark setae interspersed throughout, longer ventrally (basal antennomeres with a few white setae interspersed). Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.86; pedicel = 0.27; IV = 1.04; V = 0.90; VI = 0.86; VII = 0.81; VIII = 0.72; IX = 0.67; X = 0.58; XI = 0.65.

Thorax. Prothorax almost as long as wide; sides sinuous, forming two rounded protuberances, one anteriorly, another about middle. Pronotum with one moderately large tubercle on each side of anterior half, another less elevated centrally on posterior half; coarsely, abundantly punctate; with two longitudinal yellowish-white pubescent centrally, one at anterior quarter, another at posterior half; remaining surface with yellowish-brown pubescence, not obscuring integument, more yellowish-white laterally on some areas; with long, sparse, erect white setae. Sides of prothorax coarsely, abundantly punctate; with yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument, with long, erect white setae interspersed. Prosternum and prosternal process coarsely, abundantly punctate; with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (whiter depending on light intensity), with long, erect white setae interspersed. Ventral surface of mesothorax with yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument (whiter depending on light intensity), distinctly shorter and sparser on central area of mesoventrite and mesoventral process, with long, erect white setae interspersed; mesoventral process, mesanepisternum and mesepimeron coarsely, moderately abundantly punctate; central area of mesoventrite coarsely, shallowly, sparsely punctate. Ventral surface of metathorax coarsely, moderately abundantly punctate laterally, punctures slightly finer and sparser on anterocentral area, distinctly finer and sparser on posterocentral area; with yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument (whiter depending on light intensity), with long, erect white setae interspersed. Scutellum with yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument laterally, lighter, slightly denser along longitudinal central area. Elytra. Parallel-sided on anterior 3/4, gradually narrowed toward widely truncate apex posteriorly; coarsely, moderately abundantly punctate on basal third, punctures gradually finer, sparser toward apex; with oblique, dense white pubescent band centrally, not reaching suture and epipleural margin; with another oblique white pubescent band in posterior third, wider than the former toward suture, with irregular maculae with yellowish pubescence interspersed dorsally; with two more white pubescent bands near apex, irregular and less conspicuous; remaining surface with light yellowish-brown pubescence interspersed with yellowish-white pubescence, not obscuring integument; with long, sparse, erect dark setae dorsally (and a few white setae), white laterally. Legs. Femora and tibiae with abundant light yellowish-brown pubescence, not obscuring integument, with long, erect white setae interspersed.

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (whiter depending on light intensity), with long, erect white setae interspersed. Apex of ventrite V truncate.

Dimensions (mm). Total length, 6.65; prothoracic length, 1.35; anterior prothoracic width, 1.15; posterior prothoracic width, 1.10; maximum prothoracic width, 1.35; humeral width, 1.70; elytral length, 4.60. Type material. Holotype female from TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, Trinidad: Simla [William Beebe Tropical Research Station], 2-15.VI.1981, Hanson & Clemons col. ( LGBC, to be deposited at CASC).

Remarks. Tethystola alboangulata sp. nov. belongs to the group of species with a truncate elytral apex. It differs from T. brasiliensis Breuning, 1940 ( Figs. 23–24 ), by the antennomeres IX–X or IX–XI being not entirely yellowish (yellowish in T. brasiliensis ), the white pubescent band on the central area of the elytra is less oblique and not followed by a dark area (more oblique and followed by dark area in T. brasiliensis ), and the posterior area of the elytra without a dark area (present in T. brasiliensis ). It differs from T. minima Galileo & Martins, 2001 ( Figs. 25–26 ), by the stouter body (more slender in T. minima ), the antennae mostly dark (mostly orangish-brown in T. minima ), and different pubescent patterns on the pronotum and elytra. Tethystola alboangulata differs from T. inermis Galileo & Martins, 2001 ( Fig. 27 ), especially by the noticeably different pubescent patterns on the pronotum and elytra, and darker legs (orangish-brown in T. inermis ). It differs from T. mutica Gahan, 1895 (see photograph of the lectotype female at Bezark 2019), by the oblique pubescent band of the central area of the elytra not sinuous (sinuous in T. mutica ), and the posterior oblique band distinctly wider and irregular (narrower and regular in T. mutica ). Finally, it differs from T. cincta Martins & Galileo, 2008 (see photograph of the holotype at Bezark 2019), by the stouter body (slenderer in T. cincta ), elytra being proportionally shorter (3.4 times pronotal length) (longer in T. cincta , about 3.7 times longer than pronotum), and the elytral apex is not distinctly oblique (oblique, with outer angle projected in T. cincta ).

Etymology. The specific epithet alboangulata refers to the two angulate white lines of pubescence on the elytra.

Figures

FIGURES 19–27. 19–22) Tethystola alboangulata, holotype female: 19) Dorsal habitus; 20) Ventral habitus; 21) Lateral habitus; 22) Head, frontal view. 23) Tethystola flavoapicalis Breuning, 1942 (= T. brasiliensis), dorsal habitus, holotype. 24) Tethystola brasiliensis, dorsal habitus, holotype. 25–26) Tethystola minima, dorsal habitus: 25) Holotype male; 26) Male from Venezuela. 27) Tethystola inermis, dorsal habitus, male from Venezuela.