Zalophia funebris ( Bates, 1880 ), 1912

Zalophia funebris ( Bates, 1880) View in CoL

( Fig. 40–51 View Figures 40–51 )

Zalophia Casey 1912: 333 View in CoL , 335; Monné 1994: 80

Sphenothecus funebris Bates 1880: 85 View in CoL ; Lameere 1883b: civ (cat.)

Zalophia funebris Chemsak and Noguera 1998: 12 View in CoL (syn., comb. nov.); Hovore 2006: 374 (dist.)

Zalophia spissicornis Casey 1912: 336 View in CoL ; Blackwelder 1946: 590 (cat.); Monné 1994: 80 (cat.); Monné and Giesbert 1994: 155 (cat.); Lingafelter et al. 2014: 323 (holotype)

Redescription. Male: Length 13–16 mm. Form moderate sized, slightly tapered posteriorly; integument black, undersurface occasionally dark reddish brown, each elytron with two glabrous longitudinally elevated, yellowish vittae almost connected apically. Head small; vertex with polished and raised median line, integument finely, densely, contiguously punctate; front deeply, irregularly punctate, mid-cranial sulcus narrow extending from postclypeus to anterior margins of upper eye lobes; antennal tubercles with apices acute, deeply, irregularly punctate; postclypeus triangular, finely, densely, deeply punctate with a median impunctate, glabrous area; genae nitid, sparsely punctate; pubescence dense, dark and erect; mandibles with sides impressed, striate-punctate, sparsely covered with depressed setae; antennae exceeding elytral apices by an antennomere, inner and outer surface of antennomeres not carinate; antennomeres I–V finely, densely punctate, densely clothed with short, suberect, black setae, remaining antennomeres apically expanded laterally, finely, densely punctate, densely clothed with very short, appressed pubescence, antennomere VI with longer, depressed setae intermixed underneath and on apex, VII–XI with longer, depressed setae limited to apices; antennomere III longer than I; IV subequal to I; V, VI, VII, and VIII subequal to III; IX shorter than VIII; X subequal to IX; XI longest, vaguely appendiculate on apical fourth. Pronotum slightly broader than long (L/W: 0.83 ×), sides broadly angulate with small lateral tubercle on basal half; disc densely alveolate punctate, apical half with keeled median line terminating as a small glabrous callus near middle, basal half depressed in center and broadly callused on each sides near margin, sides above lateral tubercles shallowly impressed; apical margin slightly elevated, very narrowly impressed transversely behind; base constricted on sides, lobed at middle, margin slightly elevated; pubescence dense, dark, erect intermixed with depressed, transverse setae; proepisternal area irregularly, moderately, densely punctate; prosternum barely impressed, apical half transversely striate, basal half longitudinally impressed in middle and integument rugose, vaguely elevated on either sides, punctures irregular, coarse, pubescence long, erect; mesosternum nitid, sparsely punctate, obscurely, sparsely clothed with long, depressed setae; metasternum subglabrous in middle with median line shallowly excavate, sides sparsely punctate, pubescence obscure, long, suberect to depressed; metepisterna nitid, densely, minutely punctate, sparsely intermixed with larger punctures, pubescence moderately dense, depressed and erect setae intermixed. Scutellum triangular, elongate, narrowly attenuated apically, base broadly depressed in middle, integument discretely punctate, pubescence dark, depressed. Elytra 2.4 times as long as broad; each elytron with broad subsutural, yellowish costa extending from base almost attaining apex, and a narrower submarginal one beginning at basal fifth behind humerus with basal half often dark, and apically yellowish; basal punctures between suture and subsutural costa irregular, discrete, becoming finer apically, punctures between costae, and between submarginal costa and epipleural margin dense, discrete; pubescence dense, short, dark, suberect, sparsely interspersed with long, erect setae near base. Legs slender; femora nitid, slightly clavate, apices coarsely, rugosely punctate, base sparsely punctate, dorsum sparsely clothed with appressed setae, inner surface with pubescence dark, suberect, metafemora not extending to apices of elytra; protibiae with inner surface minutely, densely punctate, densely clothed with short suberect pubescence, outer surface coarsely punctate; meso- and metatibiae coarsely punctate, clothed with short, depressed setae. Abdomen nitid, very sparsely, finely punctate, pubescence sparse, long erect, sides minutely, densely punctate, pubescence short and appressed; last sternite with apex vaguely emarginate at middle.

Female: Length 15–18 mm. Form more robust. Antennae shorter than body, attaining apical fifth of elytra. Abdomen with last sternite broadly truncate at apex.

Materials examined. MEXICO: Chiapas: Municipio Chiapa de Corzo El Chorreadero , 753 m, 1 Nov. 1976, D.E and J.A. Breedlove (1 female, EMEC) ; Chiapas (1 female, EMEC) . GUATEMALA: Tippmann Coll. ’57, 213112 (1 male, EMEC) ; 1884, F. Tippmann, Wien, Tippmann Coll. ’57, 213112 (1 female, EMEC) ; Gua. (3 males, 3 females, EMEC) ; Capital de Guatemala, R. (1 male, 1 female, EMEC) . NICARAGUA: Estelí: Regadio Paraiso Mountain , 4 Nov. 2017, P. Kaufman # 14770, 4157 ft, 16P 557765, 1456982 UTM, Pablo Yoder (1 female, FWSC) . PANAMA: Darien Prov.: El Real St. Maria, F.C. Bowditch (2 males, EMEC) .

Discussion. According to Bates (1880: 85) Sphenothecus funebris (or Zalophia funebris ) is robust, black, slightly narrowed posteriorly with nitid underside. Head, thorax, antennae, and legs are covered with black hairs. Thorax is narrowed anteriorly with conical tubercles on each side in middle, and base is slightly lobate. Scutellum is elongate and attenuated apically with base broadly depressed. Elytra on each side are two elevated eburneous vittae which are connected apically, and space in between and toward base are black and intervals rugose and punctate. Mesosternum is strongly protuberant. The antennae of female are robust and shorter than body. Length is 8 lines (17 mm), and the habitat reported by Bates is Guatemala, Cachil. Casey (1912: 333) adds that the “lateral carinae of the elytra do not attaining humeri” referring to the submarginal elevated, polished costa, which start at the basal fifth of elytra behind humeri.

The Latin meaning of the species name “ funebris ” is “funeral” or “death”, and this name is occasionally given to species that are black with either whitish stripes or bands as in Rosalia funebris Motschulsky. The species name “ funebris ” refers to “the dark ground color” of an animal as in Gymnothorax funebris Ranzani or green moray eel ( Bester and Robins 2024).