Odontogracilis copei, Santos-Silva & Bezark & Nascimento, 2025

Odontogracilis copei sp. nov.

( Figs 1–5 View FIGURES 1–5 )

Description. Holotype female. Cephalic capsule, prothorax, ventral surface of meso- and metathorax, scutellum, and abdominal ventrites 2–5 black; ventral mouthparts brown centrally, yellowish brown on remaining surface, except maxilla and labial palpomeres brownish with both yellowish-brown and pale-yellow areas. Anteclypeus both dark brown and yellowish brown. Labrum dark brown on apical third, yellowish brown on basal 2/3. Mandibles mostly black. Antennae mostly orangish brown. Elytra black anteriorly and laterally on anterior half, distinctly widened laterally on anterior fifth and close to suture on same region; remaining lateral area, apex, and sutural region brown; remaining surface translucent, dull yellowish brown, slightly darker on apical half. Pro- and mesocoxae brown; metacoxae dark reddish brown, gradually dark orangish brown toward apical region. Trochanters and femoral peduncles light orangish, more yellowish-brown depending on light intensity, except orange dorsal macula on apical half of metafemora; femoral clubs orange. Protibiae orange, more orangish brown depending on light intensity; meso- and metatibiae orange on basal 2/3, more pale yellow depending on light intensity, dark orangish brown on apical third. Protarsi mostly reddish brown; meso- and metatarsomeres I–IV and basal third of V orangish brown and apical 2/3 of V brown. Base of abdominal ventrite 1 yellowish brown centrally, gradually brown toward sides; remaining surface black.

Head. Frons abundantly, coarsely punctate, punctures confluent laterally toward clypeus, except central area near clypeus somewhat longitudinally rugose and subsmooth on remaining surface; with longitudinal, narrow, slightly elevated carina laterally, divergent from middle of eyes toward clypeus; with sparse, short, erect yellowish setae, slightly more abundant laterally. Area between antennal tubercles with a few coarse punctures, except smooth central area; with a few, both long and short yellowish setae.Area between antennal tubercles and posterior margin of eyes abundantly coarsely punctate laterally with sparse, long, erect yellowish setae, and smooth, glabrous centrally. Remaining surface of vertex densely, coarsely, somewhat rugose-punctate; glabrous. Area behind upper eye lobes coarsely, shallowly, confluently punctate; with a few yellowish setae superiorly, glabrous on remaining surface. Area behind coarsely, confluently punctate, except smooth area close to eye superiorly, more transversely striate close to prothorax inferiorly; with long, erect dark brown setae. Genae slightly shorter than lower eye lobe in frontal view; coarsely rugose-punctate, less so close to eye, except smooth apex; with sparse, short, suberect yellowish setae, except glabrous smooth area. Wide central area of postclypeus somewhat abundantly, finely punctate laterally, almost smooth centrally; with short, bristly yellowish setae, absent centrally, and one long, erect brownish seta laterally. Sides of postclypeus smooth, glabrous. Labrum somewhat abundantly and coarsely punctate on apical half, smooth on basal third; apical half with a few short, suberect yellowish setae and one long, thick yellowish-brown seta on each side; basal half with short yellowish-brown setae directed forward anterocentrally, glabrous on remaining surface. Gulamentum subsmooth, glabrous close to prothorax; remaining surface with arched striae close to posterior smooth area, coarsely rugose-punctate on remaining region, and with a sparse, long, erect yellowish setae. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.32 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.38 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 1.1 times elytral length, almost reaching apical third of elytra. Scape very sparsely, finely punctate dorsally, punctures more abundant laterally; with a few long, erect dark brown setae dorsally and laterally on basal half and a few short, erect dark setae near apex of ventral surface. Pedicel sparsely, finely punctate, except smooth apical third; with a few short, suberect yellowish setae dorsally and laterally, absent on smooth area, and long, erect dark-brown setae ventrally. Antennomere III cylindrical, slightly widened on apical quarter; somewhat sparsely, finely punctate; dorsally and laterally with sparse, decumbent dark brown setae and a few short, erect, both dark brown and yellowish setae interspersed; with long, erect dark-brown setae ventrally, setae longer apically. Antennomere IV slightly widened from middle; densely microsculptured; with abundant brownish pubescence not obscuring integument and a few short, erect, both dark brown and yellowish setae interspersed dorsally; with long, erect dark-brown setae ventrally. Antennomeres V–X gradually widened from base to apex; densely microsculptured; with abundant brownish pubescence not obscuring integument; with a few short, erect yellowish setae interspersed; V with sparse, long, erect dark-brown setae interspersed ventrally; VI with a few short, erect dark-brown setae interspersed ventrally; VII with sparse, short dark-brown setae directed backward apically. Antennomere XI subcylindrical on basal 2/3, acuminate on apical third; densely microsculptured; with abundant brownish pubescence not obscuring integument. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.70; pedicel = 0.31; IV = 0.55; V = 0.72; VI = 0.72; VII = 0.62; VIII = 0.52; IX = 0.48; X = 0.41; XI = 0.45.

Thorax. Prothorax longer than wide; anterior constriction distinct; sides slightly widened on anterior sixth, rounded between anterior and posterior sixths, then parallel-sided toward posterolateral angles. Pronotum moderately abundantly, coarsely punctate centrally from anterior constriction to before middle, posterolateral areas of this region mostly smooth, then abundantly, coarsely, confluently punctate toward posterior sixth, except smooth anterocentral region; sides moderately abundantly, coarsely, mostly shallowly punctate, punctures partially confluent on some areas; posterior sixth with short, longitudinal sulcus on each side, with the area between them depressed and sparsely, finely punctate; sides and posterior 2/3 with sparse, long, erect yellowish setae, more abundant on posterior third, a few long, erect brown setae on sides of anterior third, and sparse, long, erect white setae on sides of anterior quarter; anterocentral third glabrous; posterocentral sixth with triangular area with dense white pubescence and sides of area close to posterior margin with dense yellowish-white pubescence. Sides of prothorax abundantly, coarsely, partially confluently punctate, except somewhat striate-punctate area close to anterior margin, this region gradually widened toward prosternum; with sparse, long, erect yellowish setae, denser and also with some dark setae anteriorly close to prosternum; area close to posterior margin with dense white pubescence, this pubescent region distinctly wider toward procoxal cavity. Prosternum abundantly, coarsely punctate, opaque, with sparse, long, erect, both white and yellowish setae on wide central region of posterior half, shiny, coarsely punctate, with a few long, erect yellowish setae laterally; anterior half, shiny, somewhat rugose-punctate, with sparse, long, erect dark brown setae. Prosternal process opaque, abundantly, coarsely punctate basally, densely, coarsely, confluently punctate on posterior half, subsmooth on remaining central area; with a few short, bristly white setae; narrowest area 0.14 times procoxal width. Central region of mesoventrite slightly, subtriangularly depressed, densely, finely punctate, opaque, with abundant white pubescence partially obscuring integument; sides of anterior region moderately abundantly and finely punctate, glabrous; sides of posterior region abundantly, finely punctate, with abundant white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence denser close to mesepimera. Mesanepisterna moderately sparsely, coarsely punctate; with dense white pubescence close to prothorax and mesepimeron, and sparse, long, erect white setae on wide central region. Mesepimera with dense white pubescence. Mesoventral process opaque, densely, confluently, somewhat coarsely punctate; slightly concave on anterior half, strongly widened on posterior half; with abundant yellowish-white pubescence on anterior half, sparse on posterior half; narrowest area 0.27 times mesocoxal width. Metanepisterna sparsely, coarsely punctate; with dense white pubescence close to elytra, absent close to metaventrite; with long, erect yellowish setae close to metaventrite. Metaventrite somewhat abundantly, coarsely punctate; with moderately abundant, long, erect yellowish setae, and abundant white pubescence anterolaterally, not reaching metanepisterna, and close to metacoxal cavities. Scutellum with dense white pubescence, not obscuring surface.

Elytra. Reaching apex of second abdominal segment; dark integumental area abundantly, coarsely punctate; translucent area sparsely, finely punctate, punctures becoming absent toward its apex; with a few minute, erect yellowish setae, setae longer dorsally on anterior quarter. Legs. Femora with moderately sparse, short, erect pale-yellow setae. Protibiae with a few short, erect, both pale-yellow and dark brown setae on basal third, moderately abundant, both short and long, erect dark brown setae dorsally, outer surface, and superior region of inner surface, and dense, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence on remaining surface (pubescence appears to be whiter depending on light source and intensity). Meso- and metatibiae with moderately abundant, erect, both short and long dark-brown setae not obscuring integument, distinctly denser ventrally on apical third. Dorsal surface of tarsomeres with moderately sparse, both short and long, erect dark-brown setae, sparser on tarsomeres V; metatarsomere I slightly longer than II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites sparsely, finely punctate, punctures sparser on ventrite 1, except smooth apex of ventrites 1–4; nearly all punctures with moderately long, erect yellowish-brown seta; apex of ventrite 5 truncate.

Dimensions in mm. Total length, 15.80; prothoracic length, 2.35; anterior prothoracic width, 1.80; posterior prothoracic width, 1.90; maximum prothoracic width, 2.15; humeral width, 2.25; elytral length, 7.50.

Type material. Female holotype from MEXICO, Jalisco: 40 km S Chamela, 14–18.VII.1986, no collector indicated ( CSCA) .

Etymology. The species is dedicated to the late James S. Cope.

Remarks. Odontogracilis copei sp. nov. is similar to O. cracentis (Chemsak & Noguera, 1997) ( Figs 6–15 View FIGURES 6–15 ), but differs as follows: anterocentral area of pronotum without pubescence; elytral blackish area reaching humerus and involving scutellum; antennal tubercles approximate basally; frons with coarser punctures, without pubescence close to clypeus, and proportionally narrower; profemoral peduncles distinctly slender; and general pubescence white. In O. cracentis , the anterocentral area of the pronotum has pubescence in both sexes, the elytral blackish area does not reach the humerus or scutellum, the distance between the antennal tubercles is distinctly wider basally in females, the frons has finer punctures, has pubescence close to clypeus, and is proportionally wider, the profemoral peduncle is distinctly wider, and the general pubescence is golden in both sexes. It differs from O. exilis (Fisher, 1947) (see photographs on Bezark 2025 and in Lingafelter et al. 2014), especially by the femora and tibiae not black and the tarsi not distinctly bicolorous; and from O. gracilis ( Klug, 1825) (see photographs on Bezark 2025 and drawing in Klug 1825) and O. violaceus ( Santos-Silva, Bezark & Martins, 2012) (see photographs on Bezark 2025 and in Santos-Silva et al. 2012) by the absence of dark blue or violaceous integumental areas (present in O. gracilis and O. violaceus ) and the anterior area of the elytra entirely dark (not dark on sides of scutellum in O. gracilis and O. violaceus ).