Cymatonycha megagena, Bezark & Santos-Silva & Botero, 2023

Cymatonycha megagena sp. nov.

( Fig. 7 - 10 View Figures 7-13 )

ZooBank:http://zoobank.org/ 74DC6291-CCE5-4E56-BE24-58BD0BC14A90

Holotype, ♂, MEXICO, Chiapas: Rte 83 , 9.1-10.0km N Ocozocoautla, beating burn, 19.VI.2016, J. Rifkind & E. Martinez leg. ( CASC, formerly LGBC).

Paratype, ♂, MEXICO, Chiapas: 3.7 km NE Cacahuano, 988 m, 17º01.238’N 93º07.990’W, oak/thorn forest , 25.VI.2016, J. Rifkind & E. Martinez leg. ( LGBC) GoogleMaps .

Description of the holotype

Coloration. – Integument mostly dark brown, almost black; ventral mouthparts dark reddish brown, except black palpomeres with yellowish apex; anteclypeus brown with irregular yellowish-brown areas; labrum brown posteriorly, yellowish-brown anteriorly,except black area oneach side close to anterior margin. Elytra dark brown basally, mostly brown on remaining surface, slightly, gradually lighter toward apex.Procoxae brownish; meso- and metacoxae blackish, except dark reddish brown area close to trochanter. Trochanters dark brown on margins, this area lighter on protrochanters, orangish brown on remaining surface, this area larger on protrochanters. Femora reddish brown, except dark apex.

Head. – Frons abundantly, minutely punctate; with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, except yellowish-white pubescence centrally, and oblique brownish pubescent band on each side of superior region, following toward frontal area of antennal tubercles; with a few long, erect dark setae on each side near eyes.Area between antennal tubercles with abundant, both yellowish and whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous central area. Area between posterior region of antennal tubercles and posterior margin of upper eye lobes with moderately dense yellowish-brown pubescence laterally, glabrous centrally. Remaining surface of vertex finely, abundantly punctate; with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence centrally, not reaching prothoracic margin, shorter than pubescence close to eyes, with very sparse, minute brownish pubescence on remaining surface; with a few long, erect dark setae near eyes. Area behind upper eye lobesmoderatelyabundantly, finelypunctate;with denseyellowishbrown pubescence close to eye, mostly glabrous on remaining surface. Area behind lower eye lobes tumid, densely, minutely punctate close to eye, this area widened toward ventral surface, smooth close to prothorax; with abundant yellowish-white pubescence partially obscuring integument on tumid area, glabrous close to prothorax. Genae microsculptured, except smooth apex; 1.5 times longer than lower eye lobe; with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous apex. Wide central area of postclypeuswithmoderatelyabundant white pubescence, longer close to anteclypeus, and long, erect dark setae interspersed. Sides of postclypeus glabrous. Labrum with whitish pubescence not obscuring integument on posterior half, with transverse row of long, erect blackish setae near middle, dark setae forming one tuft on eachside of this region, and sparse, long, erect yellowish-brown setae on anterior half, except fringe of yellowish-brown setae on sides of anterior margin. Gulamentum with sparse, shallow, moderately sparse punctures; glabrous except intermaxillary process with whitish pubescence not obscuring integument. Antennal tubercles with brownish pubescence dorsally andfrontal area close to dorsal surface, except whitish pubescence on remaining frontal surface, and both whitish and yellowish pubescence posteriorly. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.22 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.64 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 1.9 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at base of antennomere VIII. Scape distinctly widened from basal fifth, subparallel-sided, wider than distance between upper eye lobes on remaining surface; with brownish pubescence not obscuring integument dorsally and superior region of sides, this area wider on outer surface, and abundant white pubescence not obscuring integument on remaining surface. Pedicel with brownish pubescence not obscuring integument dorsally, white on remaining surface. Antennomeres III -IV slightly, gradually widened from base to apex; with brownish pubescence not obscuring integument, except white pubescence on inferior region of basal half of inner surface, and anterior 2/3of ventral surface; with long, erect moderately abundant blackish setae ventrally. AntennomeresV- VIII with brownish pubescence not obscuring integument, except white pubescent macula on base of inner surface; with moderately sparse, long, erect blackish setae ventrally. Antennomeres IX-XI with brownish pubescence, and minute, erect yellowish setae interspersed; IX with sparse, moderately long blackish setae ventrally. Antennomeres IV-X with one long, erect black seta near dorsal apex.

Antennal formula based on length of antennomere III:

– Scape = 0.84. – Pedicel = 0.13. – IV = 1.05. – V = 0.78. – VI = 0.73. – VII = 0.73. – VIII = 0.67. – IX = 0.57. – X = 0.46. – XI = 0.48.

Thorax. – Prothorax as long as wide; anterior constriction well marked; sides rounded from anterior constriction to posterolateral angles. Pronotum moderately sparsely, coarsely punctate, except smooth area close to anterior margin and sparsely, finely punctate sides of posterior quarter;with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence almost absent close to anterior margin, and more yellowish-white close to posterior margin; with a few long, erect dark setae interspersed. Sides of prothorax moderately sparsely, coarsely punctate, except subsmooth area close to anterior margin, and finely punctate area close to posterior margin; with abundant light yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence absentclose to anterior margin, with sparse, long, erect dark setae interspersed. Prosternum glabrous on anterior half, with abundant yellowish-white pubescence partially obscuring integument on posterior half. Prosternal process with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument; narrowest area 0.14 times procoxal width. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence denser laterally. Mesoventral process gradually narrowed toward apex; apex emarginate centrally; dorsal surface with central longitudinal carina.Scutellum with abundant yellowish pubescence, denser apically.

Elytra. – Sides gradually narrowed toward apex; apex truncate, slightly concave centrally, with outer angle slightly projected; moderately sparsely, coarsely punctate on anterior third, punctures gradually sparser and finer toward apex; with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, with whitish pubescence and long, erect, thick blackish setae interspersed.

Legs. –Femora withwhitish pubescence notobscuringintegument. Tibiae with dense white pubescence, except posterior third of ventral surface of protibiae and posterior quarter of ventral surface of meso- and metatibiae with dense, bristly dark brown pubescence, and dorsal posterior half of mesotibiae with very sparse white pubescence; dorsal surface of posterior half of mesotibiae with abundant, short, thick, erect blackish setae; ventral surface of posterior half of meso- and metatibiae with sparse, long, erect dark setae interspersed; dorsal surface of metatibiae with sparse, short, erect, thick setae on anterior third, and denser, slightly longer, thick, erect dark setae on remaining surface. Dorsal surface of tarsomeres I- II with abundant white pubescence, and long, erect dark setae interspersed, especially laterally, erect setae directed sideward and upward laterally; tarsomeres III-V with sparser dark pubescence;tarsomere III and posterior quarter of V with dark erect setae as on I and II; metatarsomere I as long as II -III together.

Abdomen. – Ventrites with abundant whitish pubescence partially obscuringintegumentanda few long, erect darksetae interspersed, erect setae slightly more abundant on apex of ventrite 5.

Dimensions (mm) (holotype ♂ / paratypes ♂).

– Total length, 8.80 / 8.35;

– Prothoracic length, 1.75 / 1.60;

– Anterior prothoracic width, 1.50 / 1.40;

– Posterior prothoracic width, 1.65 / 1.50;

– Maximum prothoracic width, 1.80 / 1.65;

– Humeral width, 2.45 / 2.30;

– Elytral length, 6.25 / 5.60.

Etymology. – The specific epithet “megagena ” (Greek, mégas, meaning large) refers to the large genae of this species which separate it from the other known species in the genus.

Remarks. – Cymatonychamegagena sp. nov. is similar to C. castanea Bates, 1874 ( Fig. 11 - 14 View Figures 7-13 View Figures 14-18 ), but differs by the lower eye lobes smaller, making the genae 1.5 times longer ( Fig. 10 View Figures 7-13 ), pronotal punctures coarser and sparser, and elytra narrower.In C. castanea , the lower eye lobes are about as long as genae ( Fig. 11 View Figures 7-13 , 14 View Figures 14-18 ), pronotal punctures finer and more abundant, and the elytra are wider. It differs from C. meridionalis Martins & Galileo, 1995 ( Fig. 15-18 View Figures 14-18 ) by the lower eye lobes distinctly shorter than genae longer ( Fig. 15, 17 View Figures 14-18 ) than genae in C. meridionalis ).