Xenocona plagiata, Nascimento & Botero & Jimenez & Goycolea, 2025

Xenocona plagiata sp. nov.

( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 )

Description. Male. Integument mostly greenish except reddish-brown labrum, clypeus, antennae, anterior ⅔ of lateral of elytra, base of profemora, basal third of mesofemora, basal half of metafemora, tarsomeres and ventral region of body; and dark brown areas on elytra and base of femoral clubs.

Head. Frons sparsely, minutely punctate; with dense pale pubescence obscuring integument, centrally slightly yellowish, with a small dark pubescent macula between eyes; vertex punctate as on frons; with yellowish-brown pubescence, whitish toward longitudinal sulcus, forming a triangular macula close to prothorax, pubescence sparser than on frons. Genae truncate apically, with dense yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument. Antennal tubercles gradually elevated from median groove, area between tubercles strongly depressed. Median groove distinct from clypeus to area behind upper eye lobes. Postclypeus distinctly pubescent centrally, glabrous laterally. Labrum with decumbent whitish setae; with long setae laterally. Lower eye lobes, laterally, about 1.5 times genal length; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes almost 4 times width of a lower eye lobe. Upper eye lobes with eight rows of ommatidia; distance between them about 1.5 times largest width of an upper eye lobe. Antennal tubercles distinctly elevated. Antennae reaching elytral apex at antennomere VI; scape long, reaching base of elytra, gradually widened from base to apical 4/5, then slightly narrowed toward apex; with moderately sparse pubescence, yellowish dorsally and ventrally, whitish laterally; pedicel with whitish pubescence on base; antennomere III slightly sinuous, more evident toward apex, apex with inner projection marginally rounded, directed upward; antennomeres IV–VI with whitish pubescence except basal dark macula dorsally and apex with black pubescence, this area of black pubescence increasing in size towards distal antennomeres, on antennomere XI on more than apical 3/4. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.93; pedicel = 0.09; IV = 0.66; V = 0.44; VI = 0.38; VII = 0.34; VIII =0.33; IX = 0.31; X = 0.29; XI = 0.29.

Thorax. Prothorax 1.5 times wider than long; lateral tubercles blunt apically; pronotum with three elevated tubercles, two parallel-sided anteriorly and another posterocentrally; with sparse, coarse, shallow punctures between tubercles; posterior margin with a double sparse row of fine punctures; with whitish pubescence, yellowish around tubercles. Prosternum with whitish pubescence, denser laterally. Prosternal process about ⅓ of procoxal cavity diameter. Mesoventrite strongly depressed centrally, with whitish pubescence, denser laterally. Metaventrite with dense whitish pubescence laterally, centrally with dense, long, semi-erect yellowish setae; mesanepisternum, mesepimeron, metanepisternum, and metepimeron with whitish pubescence. Scutellum triangular, with emarginated apex; with whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, denser laterally. Elytra. With dense whitish pubescence not obliterating surface, interspersed with some sparse spots of black pubescence. On anterior third, behind centrobasal crest, with a brownish V-shaped pubescent area; on posterior third with a brownish inverted V-shaped pubescent area, anterior margin of this area darker, and some dark areas laterally close to humeral carina. Anterior 2/3 of sides subparallel; posterior third convergent toward apex; dorsally with two longitudinal, slightly elevated areas basally; humerus rounded, slightly projected forward; with longitudinal, slightly elevated centrobasal crest, with semierect blackish setae apically; with a sinuous carina starting laterally on humerus and reaching posterior third dorsally; densely, coarsely punctate on anterior two-thirds, punctures sparser and shallower on posterior third; apex subrounded. Legs. Coxae with sparse whitish pubescence not obscuring integument; pro- and mesofemora strongly pedunculate-clavate, metafemora clavate (less than in pro- and mesofemora); femora with moderately sparse whitish pubescence, meso- and metafemora with a spot of black pubescence dorsally on median region; tibiae with whitish pubescence and with two rings of black pubescence, one on basal half, another on distal half.

Abdomen. With moderately abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, denser laterally; ventrites 1–4 subequal in length (ventrite 1 measured behind the metacoxae); 5 about twice length of 4, strongly notched apically.

Female. Antennae shorter than in males, reaching elytral apex at antennomere VIII; antennomere III without inner projection. Ventrite 5 about four times length of ventrite 4, truncate apically.

Dimensions (in mm) (Holotype / Paratype female). Total length, 8.5/6.8; prothorax length, 1.5/1.0; greatest width of prothorax, 2.2/1.7; anterior width of prothorax, 1.8/1.4; posterior width of prothorax, 2.0/1.5; humeral width, 3.2/2.5; elytral length, 6.2/5.3.

Type material. Holotype male from COLOMBIA, Norte de Santander: Toledo ( PNN Tamá, Vda. Quebradagrande; Finca El Porvenir , 7°30'N, 72°32'W, 2,640 m), 7–14.IV.2004, C. Leal leg., Malaise ( IAvH-E-209962 ) GoogleMaps . Paratypes: female from Colombia, Cundinamarca: Bogotá, Reserva Forestal Thomas van der Hammen, Bosque las Mercedes , 17.V.2021. Malaisse, Vargas S. leg ( MPUJ_ENT0092818 ); GoogleMaps male from Colombia, Norte de Santander: Toledo ( PNN Tamá, Vda. Quebradagrande; Finca El Porvenir , 7°30'N, 72°32'W, 2,640 m), 1–7.IV.2004, C. Leal leg., Malaise ( IAvH-E-215861 .) GoogleMaps

Etymology. The epithet plagiata refers to the similarity of the new species with some species of Xenocona ( X. audureai and X. nubicola ).

Remarks. By the general coloration of the body, Xenocona plagiata sp. nov. is similar to X. audureai Vlasak & Santos-Silva, 2022 and X. nubicola Vlasak & Santos-Silva, 2024 , but differs by the antennae of females slightly shorter, reaching the elytral apex at antennomere VIII (at antennomere VI in X. audureai and X. nubicola ); the centrobasal crest of the elytra short and slightly elevated (wide and distinctly elevated in X. audureai and X. nubicola ); the elytral apex subrounded (obliquely truncate in X. audureai and X. nubicola .); the elytral pubescent pattern (see the pattern of both species in Vlasak & Santos-Silva (2022), Vlasak & Santos-Silva (2024), and Bezark (2024).) It also differs from X. nubicola by the ventral region covered by dense white pubescence; in X. nubicola the ventral region of the body is mainly covered by dense yellowish pubescence.