Eulachnesia penrosei, Bezark & Santos-Silva, 2022

Eulachnesia Bates, 1872 View in CoL

Eulachnesia penrosei sp. nov.

( Fig. 20-23)

ZooBank:http://zoobank.org/ 2F970B23-512A-4F97-8492-3A0C6A2E23AF

Holotype, ♂, ECUADOR, Napo: Jatun Sacha Biol. Stat., attracted to MV light, 14.IX.1998, R. L. Penrose leg. ( CSCA).

Description of the holotype

Coloration. – Head capsule black with bluish reflections on some areas; palpi pale yellow; apex of postclypeus and anteclypeus brownish; labrum blackish posteriorly, dark reddish brown anteriorly; scape, pedicel, and antennomere III blackish blue; antennomeres IV–XI dark brown, X– XI slightly lighter. Prothorax almost black, except dark brown prosternal process and postcoxal process; prosternum with bluish reflections. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax dark brown with bluish reflections on some areas. Scutellum mostly light brown. Elytra orangish brown, slightly lighter toward apex, except reddish brown punctures. Ventrites 1–3 blackish blue, except dark brown apex, this area longer centrally; ventrite 4 blackish blue on center of basal third and 2/3 of sides, brown on remaining surface, except dark brown apex; ventrite 5 blackish blue basally and sides of basal half, dark brown on remaining surface of basal half, brown on posterior half. Trochanters orangish; pro- and mesofemora brown basally, blackish on remaining surface, except brownish apex and blackish blue part of posterior third; metafemora, tibiae, and tarsomeres I– II mostly blackish blue; tarsomeres III mostly dark brown; tarsomeres IV– V brown.

Head. – Frons abundantly, finely punctate; with dense yellowish-white pubescence close to inferior region of eyes and genae, with both yellowish-white and bluish pubescence on remaining surface, except blue pubescence and scale-shaped setae toward antennal tubercles and vertex; with moderately abundant, long, erect dark setae interspersed.Antennal tubercles with dense, both yellowish and blue pubescence, except dark brown pubescence on apex; with long, erect dark setae interspersed. Area between antennal tubercles with dense greenish pubescence except glabrous median groove; with long, erect dark setae interspersed. Remaining surface of vertex sparsely, somewhat finely punctate; with two longitudinal greenish pubescent bands, divergent toward prothorax,dense dark-brown pubescence close to inner margin of greenish pubescent bands, this pubescence slightly sparser toward prothorax, glabrous on remaining surface; with long, erect, both yellowish and brownish setae interspersed, yellowish setae more abundant.Area behind upper eye lobes sparsely, somewhat finely punctate; with dense dark brown pubescence close to eye, with long, erect yellowish setae interspersed, almost glabrous on wide area close to prothorax. Area behind region of connection of eye lobes and superior third of lower eye lobes with dense greenish pubescence, with bluish pubescence and long, erect yellowish setae interspersed; central third behind lower eye lobes with abundant yellowish-white pubescence with bluish pubescence interspersed, not obscuring integument; inferior regionbehindlower eye lobes with dense yellowish-white pubescence and a few long, erect yellowish setae interspersed. Genae with dense yellowish-white pubescence, except glabrous apex. Wide central area of postclypeus with dense yellowish-white pubescence, pubescence yellower on some areas, and long, erect yellowish setae interspersed. Sides of postclypeus partially glabrous. Labrum coplanar with anteclypeus on narrow basal area, inclined on remaining surface; almost glabrous posteriorly, with abundant, decumbent, somewhat short yellowish-white setae close to coplanar area and laterally, and long, erect yellowish setae interspersed close to coplanar area. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.17 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.48 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 2.1 times elytral length, reaching elytra apex at basal quarter of antennomere VII. Scape with abundant dark pubescence not obscuring integument, except outer surface with dense yellowish-white pubescence, and a few short, decumbent bluish setae ventrally; with long, erect dark brown setae interspersed throughout. Pedicel with abundant, bristly dark brown pubescence dorsally, pubescence sparser on remaining surface; with a few long, erect dark-brown setae dorsally, and somewhat abundant very long dark-brown setae ventrally. Antennomeres III–IV with abundant, bristly dark brown pubescence dorsally, pubescence dark brown, sparser, decumbent, on remaining surface, except basal half of ventral surface with abundant bluish pubescence not obscuring integument; with a few long, erect dark brown setae interspersed dorsally, and abundant, long dark brown setae ventrally, setae from about as long as diameter of antennomere to about 1.5 times diameter of antennomere, and very long erect setae longer than twice diameter of antennomere interspersed. Antennomeres V–XI with abundant dark brown pubescence, bristly ventrally, and ventral erect setae on V–X as on IV, but sparser toward X; antennomeres IX–X with short, bristly yellowish-white setae interspersed; apex of XI with short yellowish setae. Antennomeres V–XI with abundant, short grayish-white pubescence; V–X with a few short dark setae apically.

Antennal formula based on length of antennomere III:

– Scape = 0.69. – Pedicel = 0.15. – IV = 0.65. – V = 0.57. – VI = 0.51. – VII = 0.46. – VIII = 0.41. – IX = 0.34. – X = 0.32. – XI = 0.31.

Thorax. – Prothorax as long aswide;posterior marginsinuous; sidesslightly rounded centrally. Pronotum somewhat finely and sparsely punctate; with one slight gibbosity on each side on anterior half; sides with dense, sinuous longitudinalpubescentband,distinctly widened from middle to posterior region, pubescence scale-shaped, greenish anteriorly, gradually bluish toward apex; central region with abundant golden pubescence, absent on gibbosities, almost absent on transverse area close to middle, and center of area between middle and posterior quarter; with long, erect yellowish-white setae interspersed, especially on area with golden pubescence. Sides of prothorax with dense, wide, longitudinal bluish pubescent band close to pronotum and prosternum, pubescence slightly sparser close to prosternum, and abundant dark brown pubescence centrally; with long, erect dark setae interspersed. Sides of prosternum with dense yellowish-white pubescent band; with abundant yellowish-white pubescence on remaining surface of posterior 2/3 of wide central region and entire sides close to dense lateral pubescent bands, pubescence gradually sparser toward center; remaining surface with sparser yellowish-white pubescence. Prosternal process with abundant yellowish-white setae not obscuring integument, setae longer toward apex; narrowest area located near base, 0.18 times procoxal width. Sides of ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with dense bluish pubescence, denser on mesothorax, except glabrous superior area of mesanepisternum close to mesoventrite;mesoventrite with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument on superior lateral surface, slightly sparser centrally and distinctly sparser between center and sides; remaining surface of metaventrite with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuringintegument,pubescenceslightly bluish on some areas, except glabrous metathoracic discrimen, with long, erect yellowish-white setae interspersed.Scutellum concave on posterior 4/5, with apical margin not elevated;with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument; pubescence longer apically;apex subtruncate.

Elytra. – Humeral carina absent; abundantly, coarsely punctate on basal half, punctures gradually finer and sparser toward apex; with abundant, minute whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, appearing to be absent depending on viewing angle, long, erect dark setae interspersed, and long, erect yellowish-white setae interspersed on sides of posterior third and apex; apex wide, truncate, with outer angle rounded, and sutural angle rounded and slightly projected.

Legs. – Profemora with abundant bluish pubescence, distinctly denser ventrally, and long, erect yellowish-white setae interspersed, erect setae more abundant ventrally, except glabrous central area of posterior third of ventral surface;meso- and metafemora with abundantbluishpubescence, pubescence sparser on inner surface, except glabrous central area of ventral surface on posterior third of mesofemora and posterior quarter of metafemora, with long, erect yellowish-white setae interspersed. Tibiae with abundant yellowish-white pubescence dorsally and laterally, denser, bristly, yellowish-brown ventrally, especially from middle; with long, erect yellowish-white setae interspersed. Metatarsomere I slightly shorter than II–III together; dorsal surface of tarsomeres with abundant, decumbent white setae partially obscuring integument, setae shorterand sparser on apex of tarsomere V, and a few long, erect dark setae interspersed.

Abdomen. – Ventrites with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument centrally, except glabrous apex of ventrites 1–4; sides with dense bluish pubescence, almost obscuring integument; with long, erect yellowish setae interspersed.Apex of ventrite 5 slightly concave.

Dimensions (mm).

– Total length, 9.50;

– Prothoracic length, 1.75;

– Anterior prothoracic width, 1.50;

– Anterior prothoracic width after basal constriction, 1,60; – Posterior prothoracic width, 1.60;

– Maximum prothoracic width, 1.75;

– Humeral width, 2.20;

– Elytral length, 6.45.

Etymology. – This species is named for the late Richard Lynn Penrose, who collected the holotype. Dick was an outstanding cerambycid collector and friend and colleague of the first author. We worked together for many years at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, where we engaged in numerous discussions regarding cerambycid beetles and methods for excluding and controlling plant pests.

Remarks. – Eulachnesia penrosei sp. nov. is similar to E. cobaltina Bates, 1881 ( Fig. 24; see also photographs on Bezark 2022a), but differs as follows: frons with abundant long erect setae; distance between upper eye lobes shorter than the maximum diameter of the scape, about as wide as one upper lobe; lower eye lobes longer than genae; scutellum distinctly pubescent; scutellum widely concave on posterior 4/5, with posterior margin subtruncate and not elevated; posterocentral region of the pronotum without dense bluish or greenish pubescence; center of the pronotum with dense golden pubescence and distinct long and erect setae interspersed; elytral apex widely truncate, not spiniform on outer and sutural angles. In E. cobaltina the frons has a few moderately short erect setae (in two females examined), distance between upper eye lobes about as wide as the maximum diameter of the scape, about 1.5 times width of one upper lobe, lower eye lobes shorter than genae, scutellum is almost glabrous with transverse depression posteriorly, not reaching the truncate apex, posterocentral region of the pronotum with dense bluish or greenish pubescence (present in a syntype and two females examined), center of the pronotum without dense golden pubescence and without distinct long and erect setae, and the elytral apex is narrow and acutely projected on outer and sutural angles. It differs from E. boteroi Monné & Monné, 2015 , especially by the pubescence on the center of the pronotum (without abundant golden pubescence and long erect setae in E. boteroi ), and the apex of antennomere XI not aculeus-shaped (aculeus-shaped in E. boteroi ). Eulachnesia penrosei sp. nov. differs from E. humeralis (Fabricius, 1801) by the pubescence on central area of the pronotum (in E. humeralis as in E. cobaltina ), absence of humeral carina (present in E. humeralis ), and shape of the elytral apex (in E. humeralis as in E. cobaltina ).

As the keys from Martins & Galileo (2014) and Devesa (2020) used the pattern and color of the elytra to separate some species, we prefer not to include the new species in these keys because the shape and extent of the orange area of the elytra is commonly highly variable.