Sternacutus monnei, Santos-Silva & Bezark & Nascimento, 2025

Sternacutus monnei sp. nov.

( Figs 31–37 View FIGURES 31–34 View FIGURES 35–37 )

Description. Female holotype ( Figs 31–34 View FIGURES 31–34 ). Head capsule dark brown, except brown dorsal surface of antennal tubercles; ventral mouthparts with irregular pattern of both brown and orangish brown color; anteclypeus brown close to postclypeus, yellowish brown on remaining surface; labrum dark brown close to anteclypeus, light brown on remaining central surface, yellowish brown on sides of basal half; scape mostly light brown dorsally, mostly dark brown on remaining surface; pedicel orangish brown except reddish brown ventral surface; antennomere III dark brown basally, dark orangish-brown on remaining basal 2/3, dark brown on apical third; antennomeres IV–VI orangish on basal half, reddish brown on beginning of apical half, dark brown on remaining surface; antennomere VII brownish on basal third, dark brown on remaining surface; antennomeres VIII–XI dark brown. Pronotum dark brown, except mostly light brown area close to posterior margin. Sides and ventral surface of prothorax blackish. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax blackish. Scutellum light brown anterocentrally, dark brown on remaining surface. Elytra brown, slightly lighter laterally and apically, except blackish centrobasal crest and some punctures. Coxae dark brown, except reddish-brown area close to trochanter. Trochanters and femoral peduncles orange; femoral clubs brownish, except darker arch dorsally and laterally on apical quarter and orangish apex. Tibiae dark brown on basal and apical thirds, slightly lighter on basal third of protibiae, pale yellow on central third. Tarsi dark brown except tarsomeres V lighter. Ventral surface of abdomen dark brown.

Head. Frons densely, finely punctate; with pale-yellow pubescence on some areas, glabrous on remaining surface (at least part of pubescence appears to have been lost); with one long, erect dark-brown seta close to eyes. Antennal tubercles with sculpturing as on frons; pubescence as on frons frontally and dorsally (at least part of pubescence appears to have been lost) and more abundant and orangish posteriorly.Area between antennal tubercles with abundant yellow pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous median groove. Area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes abruptly lowered, with its margin distinctly sinuous; mostly glabrous. Area between upper eye lobes with sparse yellow pubescence, except glabrous median groove and denser pubescence close to eyes. Remaining surface of vertex mostly glabrous. Area behind upper eye lobes with somewhat sparse yellow pubescence, slightly denser close to eye and absent close to prothorax. Area behind lower eye lobes with abundant yellow pubescence close to eye, this area distinctly narrowed centrally, glabrous close to prothorax. Genae about one-third shorter than lower eye lobe in frontal view; abundantly, finely punctate, except smooth apex; with abundant yellow pubescence close to eyes, except almost glabrous area close to frons and clypeus and glabrous remaining surface. Wide central area of postclypeus with moderately abundant orangish pubescence close to frons, and sparse, somewhat elongated setae of same color directed forward along sides close to anteclypeus; with one long, erect dark-brown seta on each side near frons. Sides of postclypeus glabrous. Labrum abundantly, finely punctate on posterior half, smooth on anterior half; with sparse yellowish-white pubescence close to anteclypeus and laterally, absent on remaining surface; with a few long, erect dark-brown setae laterally; apical margin with fringe of yellowish-brown setae. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.29 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.59 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 2.5 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at middle of antennomere VI. Scape with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence slightly distinct depending on light source due to integumental color; with moderately short, thick, erect black setae on apical third of ventral surface. Pedicel with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, except almost glabrous apex; with a few moderately short, erect, thick black setae ventrally. Antennomeres III–VI with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument on light integumental area and abundant dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument on dark integumental area; with sparse, moderately short, thick, erect black setae interspersed ventrally, erect setae gradually sparser toward VI. Antennomeres VII–XI with abundant dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument; VII–IX with short, erect, black setae on apex. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.02; pedicel = 0.09; IV = 0.89; V = 0.84; VI = 0.81; VII = 0.75; VIII = 0.79; IX = 0.83; X = 0.81; XI = 0.70.

Thorax. Prothorax wider than long; anterior constriction distinct; sides slightly rounded and divergent from anterolateral angles to lateral tubercles, then convergent toward posterolateral angles; lateral tubercles somewhat small, slightly directed backward, conical, located on posterior fifth. Pronotum slightly longitudinally carinate centrally close to anterior and posterior margins; with longitudinal, slightly depressed central area on posterior third; sparsely, finely punctate on sides of central area, close to anterior margin, and laterally; with transverse, sinuous row of coarse punctures on posterior fourth; remaining surface smooth; sides with dense yellow pubescence, with irregular yellowish-brown pubescent maculae interspersed; central region with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument with large areas with dark-brown pubescence interspersed, except smooth anterior and posterior carinae and depressed posterior area; with a few long, erect dark setae near lateral tubercles of prothorax. Sides of prothorax with dense yellow pubescence; with row of coarse punctures near posterior margin. Prosternum with abundant yellow pubescence laterally, and sparse yellowish-white pubescence centrally (central pubescence apparently lost). Prosternal process with moderately sparse yellowish-white pubescence; narrowest area 0.6 times procoxal width. Mesanepisterna, mesepimera, posterolateral area of mesoventrite, metanepisterna, and sides of metaventrite with dense yellow pubescence; remaining surface of meso- and metaventrite with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous metathoracic discrimen. Apex of mesoventral pocess concave; narrowest area 0.46 times mesocoxal width. Scutellum with moderately sparse brownish pubescence laterally and sparse yellowish-white pubescence centrally. Elytra. Centrobasal crest slightly elevated, subconical, with brownish pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous dorsum; abundantly, coarsely punctate on anterior half, punctures gradually finer and sparse toward apex on posterior half; with large, irregular areas with dense yellow pubescence (pubescence apparently lost centrally on anterior half), with large, irregular areas with brownish pubescence not obscuring integument; apex obliquely concave, outer angle triangularly projected and sutural angle slightly projected. Legs. Femora with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, except brownish pubescence on dark integumental arc on femoral club. Protibiae with sparse whitish pubescence on basal third, abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument on central third, sparse brownish pubescence dorsally and laterally on apical third, and dense, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence on ventral surface of apical third. Basal 2/3 of meso- and metatibiae with pubescence as on protibiae; apical third with abundant, thick, erect, short dark-brown setae dorsally, and abundant yellowish-brown pubescence on remaining surface with moderately sparse, short, erect dark-brown setae interspersed laterally. Dorsal surface of tarsomeres I–II with dense whitish pubescence except brownish pubescence close to apex; dorsal surface of tarsomeres III–V with abundant dark yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument; tarsomere V 1.65 times longer than II–III together.

Abdomen. Sides of ventrites 1–3 with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence obscuring integument on some areas; remaining surface with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument. Ventrites 4–5 with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument. Apex of ventrite 5 slightly concave.

Male ( Figs 35–37 View FIGURES 35–37 ). Similar to females but differs by the antennae distinctly longer, 3.0 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at apex of antennomere V; centrobasal crest of elytra strongly elevated, acutely directed backward; and stouter femoral clubs.

Dimensions in mm (Female holotype /male paratype). Total length, 9.50/10.00; prothoracic length, 1.60/1.90; anterior prothoracic width, 1.85/2.00; posterior prothoracic width, 2.20/2.45; maximum prothoracic width, 2.45/2.85; humeral width, 3.10/3.40; elytral length, 6.90/7.00.

Type material. Female holotype from PANAMA, Panama: Cerro Azul / Jefé, 21 Jan 1996, F. T. Hovore leg. ( CSCA). Male paratype from PANAMA, Panama: 14 km N El Llano, 29.VII.1990, F. T. Hovore leg. ( MZSP) .

Etymology. The species is dedicated to the late Miguel A. Monné in recognition of his outstanding contributions to scientific knowledge of American Cerambycidae .

Remarks. Sternacutus monnei sp. nov. is similar to S. akersae Lanuza-Garay & Rivera, 2024 (see photographs on Bezark 2025 and in Lanuza-Garay & Rivera 2024), but differs as follows: maximum diameter of upper eye lobes about as wide as basal diameter of scape; distance between upper eye lobes almost three times maximum diameter of one upper lobe; pronotum without two circular dark pubescent maculae; elytra without dark subtrapezoidal macula just after middle; and elytral centrobasal crest conical and without erect setae. In S. akersae , the maximum diameter of the upper eye lobes is distinctly wider than the basal diameter or the scape, the distance between the upper eye lobes equal to the maximum diameter of one upper lobe, the pronotum has two circular dark pubescent maculae, elytra with dark subtrapezoidal macula just after middle, and the centrobasal crest of the elytra is elongated and has arched dark setae. It differs from S. annulicornis (White, 1855) (see photographs on Bezark 2025), especially by the pronotum without four circular whitish pubescent maculae (present in S. annulicornis , sometimes anterior and posterior one fused) and by the centrobasal crest of elytra not elongated and without long and decumbent setae (present in S. annulicornis ); and from S. odettae Roguet, 2022 (see photographs on Bezark 2025 and in Roguet 2022) by the prothorax slightly divergent from anterior constriction to lateral tubercles (more distinctly divergent in S. odettae ), the narrowest area of the prosternal process is approximately half the width of the procoxa (about one-third in S. odettae ), mesoventral process slightly narrow than half the width of the mesocoxae (distinctly narrower than half in S. odettae ), and the apex of the mesoventral process concave apically (truncate in S. odettae ).

Sternacutus comprises species with very different features. Among these features, the shape of the centrobasal crest of the elytra is one of the most notable. Although the female of the new species has a centrobasal crest of the elytra very similar to that of other species of the genus, the male paratype’s crest ( Fig. 37 View FIGURES 35–37 ) is very aberrant. We believe there are specimens with intermediate forms between the two extremes represented by the holotype and the paratype. Using the key from Monné et al. (2020), the male paratype would fall under couplet “12,” with Hamatastus Gilmour, 1957 . Hamatastus is another genus including species with very different features ( e.g. body shape); however, in this genus, the lateral tubercles of the prothorax are never located near the lateroposterior angles.