Tilloclytus neiba Lingafelter

Lingafelter, Steven W., 2011, New myrmecomorphous longhorned beetles from Haiti and the Dominican Republic with a key to Anaglyptini and Tillomorphini of Hispaniola (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Cerambycinae), ZooKeys 106, pp. 55-75 : 65-66

Tilloclytus neiba Lingafelter sp. n. Fig. 5Map 1

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to Tilloclytus rufipes Fisher from Cuba in proportions, color, and in having the antemedial elytral fascia extend completely to the suture, but in Tilloclytus neiba the white elytral fascia is striate and without pubescence; in Tilloclytus rufipes , the white fascia is a band of pubescence. Tilloclytus neiba also differs from Tilloclytus rufipes in having very short, white pubescence covering the entire base of the elytron giving it a matte finish (in Tilloclytus rufipes , this portion of the elytron is glossy and mostly free of appressed pubescence). From the Hispaniolan congener, Tilloclytus baoruco , Tilloclytus neiba differs most distinctly by having 11 antennomeres (10 in Tilloclytus baoruco ) and in having the white fascia extending to the suture (incomplete in Tilloclytus baoruco ).

Description.

Male. 4.08-4.23 mm long; 1.01-1.25 mm wide at humeri. Color: Most of dorsal integument of head, pronotum, and elytra dark brown to golden brown; antenna, legs, mesosternum and sometimes metasternum, prosternum, and base of pronotum, light orange; elytral color interrupted by antemedial transverse, white, microstriate, unelevated fascia that reaches suture. Head: Semi-matte, microsculptured but impunctate throughout; covered with moderately dense mixture of short, semi-appressed and long, erect, translucent and golden setae; frons and gena short, broad, with short, acute projection near base of mandible; with incomplete frontal-genal ridge; without anteclypeal sulcus; without interantennal groove or depression; large, single eye lobe anteroventrally positioned to antennal tubercle; laterally as protuberant as pronotum; finely faceted; antennal tubercle moderately elevated; antenna 11-segmented, without spines, short, extending to apical third of elytron; scape long, slender, extending beyond anterior third of pronotum; antennomere 2 short, less than one-third length of antennomere 3; antennomere 4 distinctly shorter than 3 and 5, 6-10 successively shorter, decreasing in length, not produced apicolaterally; antennomeres orange to light (sometimes with 9-11 dark brown); sparse, elongate, suberect and appressed, yellow-translucent setae throughout. Mandible moderately produced, light brown with piceous apex; terminal palpomeres broadly dilated. Pronotum: Matte except for glossy posterior fifth and sides, with striate microsculpturing over most of disk; impunctate, without calli or tubercles; distinctly longer than broad, 1.23-1.30 mm long, 0.81-0.84 mm wide (length/width = 1.52-1.55); strongly constricted at basal fourth, elevated and widest anteriorly, base distinctly narrower than elytral base; without periscutellar projection at middle; moderately dense, appressed white to translucent pubescence, especially at anterior third and along posterior constriction, combined with scattered, sparse, long, erect white or translucent setae. Prosternum: Glossy, impunctate, with sparse, elongate, translucent setae; prosternal process narrow between procoxae; apex broadly expanded behind, closing procoxal cavities posteriorly; dark brown anteriorly to pale orange posteriorly near procoxae, or uniformly pale orange. Elytron: Mostly glossy and impunctate (but with scattered, dark, subcuticular spots resembling punctures but not depressed on surface); inconspicuously micropunctate at basal third with moderately dense patch of yellow-white and translucent, appressed setae combined with more sparse, long, erect setae; with unelevated antemedial, transverse, white, microstriate fascia attaining suture; apical two-thirds mostly covered by patch of moderately dense, short, yellow-white, appressed setae with interspersed long, erect setae; dark brown to light, golden brown throughout with exception of white fascia; weakly gibbous at apex; elytral apex rounded to suture; 2.52-2.56 mm long, 0.51-0.59 mm wide (length/width = 4.33-4.94). Scutellum: Broad, short, rounded at posterior apex; moderately coated with appressed, short, yellow-white setae. Legs: Femora short, stout, with strongly clavate apices on abruptly narrowed peduncles; metafemur not attaining elytral apex; tibiae straight, not expanded apically; meso- and metatibiae each with two asymmetrical, straight tibial spines; protibia with one broad, curved spine; tibiae and femora sparsely pubescent with long, erect, off-white setae. Venter: Glossy; sparsely pubescent with inconspicuous, erect, translucent setae; dense white, short, appressed setae present on posterior margin of metasternum to sides, corresponding with white macula of elytron, and along side of mesosternum; integument light brown to orange on mesosternum and sometimes metasternum; dark brown on sternites; mesosternal intercoxal process narrow, but about twice as broad as prosternal process, with strong lateral projection into mesocoxa. Ventrite 1 most elongate; remaining ventrites much shorter and subequal in length; apex of fifth ventrite broadly rounded, without notch, sulcus, or other modification.

Etymology.

The specific epithet, a noun in apposition, is based on the mountain range, Sierra de Neiba, where the holotype was collected.

Type material.

Holotype, male: Dominican Republic, San Juán Prov., Sierra de Neiba, trail to Sabana del Silencio, 10 km SSW of El Cercado, 1650-1700m, 18°39.935'N, 71°31.964'W, July 10-11, 2006, N. E. Woodley, collector, sweeping foliage (USNM). Paratype: Dominican Republic, La Vega Prov., Jarabacoa - El Rio Rd., 910 m, April 11, 1992, M. Ivie, D. Sikes, and W. Lanier, collectors (WIBF, 1 male).

Remarks.

Only males are known. Although this species was not collected with ants, Pheidole could serve as the model given its similarity to Tilloclytus baoruco which was collected with that genus of ant.