Linsleyonides guerreroi Lingafelter, 2024

Linsleyonides guerreroi Lingafelter , new species

( Fig. 7 View Figures 7–8 )

Diagnosis. Linsleyonides guerreroi is most similar to L. chemsaki Skiles (known only from Jamaica) by its somewhat ochraceous or yellowish head and pronotal maculations (variable, however) of dense pubescence and prominent apicolateral elytral spine. These dense patches in the two other known species, L. albomaculatus (Champlain and Knull) , known from Cuba, the Bahamas, and Florida and L. portoricensis (Fisher) , known from Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Dominican Republic ( Bezark 2024) are bright white. Linsleyonides guerreroi is distinguished from the other species by having the pronotum covered in large, confluent, somewhat alveolate punctures and lacking an impunctate middle callus. In L. chemsaki , the pronotum is finely micropunctate and has a poorly defined median elongate callus. In L. portoricensis , the pronotum is shiny with few punctures and bright white pubescent patches, and in L. albomaculatus the pronotum is densely punctate as in L. guerreroi , but has bright white pubescent patches.

Description. Holotype female. 13.3 mm long; 3.3 mm wide at humeri. Color: Reddish-brown throughout with mesosternum, metasternum, and posterior margins of sternites dark brown.

Head. Weakly elevated antennal tubercles, rounded at apices. Very dense, large, contiguous patches of yellowish-white pubescence on vertex and occiput between upper eye lobes, otherwise pubescence sparse and limited to separate, short, yellow-white setae that do not obscure the integument. Post-gula and posterior eye margins shiny and impunctate. Integument sub-rugose posteroventrally around eye margins. Eyes large, occupying most of head from lateral view; upper eye lobe connected to lower lobe by 6–7 ommatidia at narrowest point; continuing around antennal tubercle and extending just inside inner margin of tubercles; upper eye lobes separated on vertex by nearly 1.5 × width of base of antennal scape. Antennae extending beyond elytral apices by nearly 2 antennomeres. Antennomeres 3–7 apicomesally spined; 8 dentiform. Antennal scape cylindrical, slightly thickened subapically. Antennomere 3 longest, approximately 1.2 × longer than scape. Antennomere 4 shortest among flagellomeres, slightly shorter than 3 and 5. Antennomeres 5–10 subequal. Antennomere 11 slightly shorter than penultimate.

Thorax. Pronotum approximately as wide as long, slightly broader anteriorly than posteriorly; lacking lateral or dorsal tubercles; uniformly alveolate-punctate. Two large, dense patches of yellowish pubescence on sides extending from posterior margin to just anterior of middle and two additional smaller oval patches just anterior to large patches. Prosternal process gradually declivous behind procoxae; apex weakly expanded; procoxae open posteriorly by about one-third their width. Mesepisternum, metepisternum, and sides of metasternum all covered with dense yellowish, appressed setae; remainder of ventral and lateral thoracic sclerites mostly impunctate, with sparse, scattered yellowish setae. Elytra partially glabrous and shiny, but interrupted with variably-sized patches of dense, appressed, yellowish pubescence. Punctures deep and closely spaced at elytral base, becoming shallower and sparser toward apex. Most of these punctures each bearing a single, short, suberect yellow seta. Elytra strongly spined apicolaterally, suture broadly dentiform. Elytral humeri each with a small projecting denticle. Scutellum broadly rounded at apex, covered in dense, short, appressed, yellowish pubescence. Profemora clavate; meso- and metafemora less clavate. Metafemora not quite attaining elytral apex. Profemoral apices rounded; mesofemoral and metafemoral apices with broad, acute projections mesally and apicolaterally. Mesosternal process between mesocoxae a little less broad than mesocoxa and with two ventrally projecting tubercles on anterior margin.

Abdomen. Mostly shiny and glabrous except for dense patches of yellowish appressed pubescence on lateral margins of ventrites 1–4 and scattered longer setae at middle. Apex of last ventrite narrowly rounded.

Variation. Some paratypes have the dense pubescent patches of the head, pronotum, and elytra white rather than yellowish and some, including males, lack ventral tubercles on the mesosternal process. Antennae of male longer, extending beyond elytral apices by 3 antennomeres. Paratype (male): 13 mm long; 3.4 mm wide at humeri. Paratypes (2 females): 9–13 mm long; 2.5–3.3 mm wide at humeri.

Type material. Holotype (female): DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Pedernales Province, Parque Nacional Sierra de Baoruco, Las Abejas , 18°09.011′N, 71°37.342′W, 1150 m, 18 June 2005, blacklight, S. Lingafelter ( USNM) GoogleMaps . Paratypes: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Azua Province, east side of crest of Sierra Martín García, 7 km WNW Barrero, 18°21′N, 70°58′W, 860 m, 25–26 July 1992, C. Young, R. Davidson, S. Thompson, J. Rawlins, cloud forest adjacent to disturbed forest (2 males, 1 female, CMNH).

Etymology. This species is named for my friend and colleague, Kelvin Guerrero, who facilitated many great expeditions to the Dominican Republic and has helped to document and protect the biodiversity of Hispaniola.

Remarks. Linsleyonides was described by Skiles (1985) and included two species at that time: L. albomaculatus (Champlain and Knull) , known from Cuba, the Bahamas, and Florida, and his new species, L. chemsaki Skiles , known from Jamaica. Lingafelter (1998) generated a phylogenetic analysis of the genera of Elaphidiini and showed Linsleyonides Skiles to be a potential sister group to Elaphidion Audinet-Serville. The genera were most easily distinguished by the lack of an acutely declivous prosternal process in Linsleyonides and which is present in Elaphidion . In addition, the mesofemoral apices and antennae of Linsleyonides have much weaker spines than in Elaphidion and have very dense white or ochraceous patches of pubescence on the vertex above the upper eye lobes, on the pronotum, usually as four separate spots, and scattered on the elytra. Lingafelter (1999) redescribed the genus Linsleyonides , transferred Elaphidion portoricensis Fisher to the genus, and provided a key to the three known species at that time. With the description of L. guerreroi , there are now two species of Linsleyonides known from Hispaniola, L. portoricensis and L. guerreroi .