Hyperplatys vilcabambaensis Vlasak and Santos-Silva, 2024

Hyperplatys vilcabambaensis Vlasak and Santos-Silva , new species

( Fig. 12–19 View Figures 12–17 View Figures 18–19 )

Description. Holotype male ( Fig. 12–17 View Figures 12–17 ). Head capsule dark brown, except mostly light-brown ventral surface; anteclypeus brown close to postclypeus, dull yellowish brown close to labrum; labrum yellowish brown with irregular brown areas; ventral mouthparts orangish brown, scape brown, slightly, irregularly darker on some areas; pedicel reddish brown; antennomere III reddish brown on basal half, gradually blackish toward apex of apical half; antennomere IV orangish brown on basal 2/3, blackish on apical third; antennomeres V–VI orangish brown on basal 3/4, blackish on apical quarter; antennomeres VII–IX orangish brown on basal half, blackish on apical third, reddish brown on remaining surface; antennomere X dark brown; antennomere XI brown on basal half, gradually darker brown toward apex. Pronotum and sides of prothorax dark brown, except darker irregular macula on each side of center of anterior third of pronotum. Ventral surface of prothorax reddish brown, darker toward anterior margin. Ventral surface of mesothorax reddish brown, darker laterally, except orangish-brown apex of mesoventral process. Metanespisterna dark reddish brown. Metaventrite mostly blackish with irregular dark reddish-brown areas. Scutellum brown. Elytra mostly dark brown on anterior 2/3, dull orangish brown, with irregular, both dark-brown and brown maculae interspersed on posterior third. Femoral peduncles orangish brown; femoral clubs dark brown. Tibiae brown on basal third, orangish on central third, blackish on apical third. Tarsomeres I orangish except dark-brown apex; tarsomeres II–V dark brown; tarsal claws orangish. Abdominal ventrites orangish, with irregular dark-brown maculae on ventrites 1–4 and dark-brown macula on each side of anterior half of ventrite 5.

Head. Frons densely, shallowly micropunctate; with abundant dull yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument toward clypeus and close to eyes and abundant yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument centrally toward vertex, except glabrous median groove; with one long, erect dark-brown seta close to eyes. Area between antennal tubercles with abundant pale-yellow pubescence partially obscuring integument anterocentrally, abundant, both brownish and yellowish pubescence partially obscuring integument posterocentrally, except glabrous median groove, and moderately abundant dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument laterally. Remaining surface of vertex with dense light yellowish-brown pubescence, except glabrous median groove and transverse, narrow band between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes, and dark-brown right-triangle macula on each side close to prothorax. Area behind upper eye lobes with dense light yellowish-brown pubescence. Area behind lower eye lobes with dense light yellowish-brown pubescence close to eye, pubescence yellowish white close to ventral surface, glabrous close to prothorax. Genae with abundant yellowish-white pubescence toward ventral surface and abundant dull yellowish-brown pubescence toward clypeus and frons, both not obscuring integument, except glabrous apex; with a few long, erect dark-brown setae interspersed. Antennal tubercles with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument. Wide central area of postclypeus with abundant dull yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence distinctly sparser close to anteclypeus, and one long, erect dark-brown seta on each side. Sides of postclypeus mostly glabrous. Labrum with moderately abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument on posterior third and sides, pubescence sparser on remaining surface; with long, erect yellowish setae interspersed. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous, except sparse yellowish pubescence on intermaxillary process. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.31 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.61 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 3.3 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at base of antennomere VI. Scape with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, except dorsal surface of apical third with sparser pubescence; with a few short, erect dark-brown setae near apex of ventral surface. Pedicel with dense yellowish-brown pubescence basally, pubescence sparser, more yellowish on remaining surface; with two long, erect, thick dark-brown setae ventrally. Antennomeres III– IX with moderately abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument on light integumental area; with moderately abundant dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, with sparse, decumbent whitish setae interspersed on dark integumental area; with short, erect whitish setae interspersed throughout; III–VI with sparse, moderately short, erect, thick dark-brown setae ventrally, V–VI only apically. Antennomeres X–XI with abundant dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, with short, both decumbent and erect whitish setae interspersed. Antennal formula based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.03; pedicel = 0.16; IV = 0.89; V = 0.86; VI = 0.82; VII = 0.86; VIII = 0.89; IX = 0.82; X = 0.96; XI = 1.07.

Thorax. Prothorax wider than long; anterior constriction narrow, well-marked; sides slightly sinuous from anterior constriction to lateral tubercles, then parallel-sided toward posterolateral angles; lateral tubercle moderately large, conical, slightly directed backward, almost located on posterior fifth. Pronotum moderately abundantly, coarsely punctate; with dense, oblique yellowish-white pubescent band on each side of anterior half, not reaching anterior constriction, glabrous on anterior sulcus, with moderately abundant yellowish setae close to anterior sulcus, with moderately sparse dark-brown pubescence on darker integumental areas on anterior third, dense pale-yellow pubescent macula between darker integumental areas, abundant dull yellowish-brown pubescence between anterior sulcus and oblique band with yellowish-white pubescence, moderately abundant dull yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument close to posterior margin of oblique band with yellowish-white pubescence, and mostly with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument on remaining surface; with a few long, erect dark-brown setae after lateral tubercles of prothorax. Sides of prothorax with abundant light yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument, pubescence yellower depending on light intensity, except glabrous anterior sulcus. Ventral surface of prothorax with abundant light yellowish-brown pubescence laterally, partially obscuring integument, and abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument centrally, except glabrous anterior sulcus. Narrowest area of prosternal process 0.23 times procoxal width. Mesoventrite with moderately abundant yellowish-white pubescence centrally, almost glabrous on each side of center, and with dense yellowish-white pubescence laterally. Mesoventral process with moderately abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument; sides distinctly convergent from base to posterior fifth, then slightly widened; narrowest area 0.3 times mesocoxal width. Metanepisterna and sides of metaventrite with dense dull yellowish-brown pubescence; remaining surface of metaventrite with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument. Scutellum with abundant light yellowish-brown pubescence basally and close to margins; remaining surface with sparse, minute yellowish-brown pubescence. Elytra. Abundantly, coarsely punctate on anterior 2/3, punctures finer, sparser on posterior third; with dense yellowish pubescence basally close to scutellum; dense, oblique whitish pubescent band dorsally after middle; dense pubescence close to suture from anterior quarter to middle; dashed white pubescent band close to suture from middle to near apex; dashed white pubescent band on area of humeral carina, from humerus to near apex; remaining surface with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence sparser on some areas of posterior third, except sparse brownish pubescent maculae interspersed, including on darker integumental maculae; apex obliquely concave. Legs. Femora with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, except yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument on dorsal surface of femoral club. Tibiae with moderately abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument on basal third, sparse whitish pubescence on light integumental central area, sparse whitish pubescence dorsally and laterally on apical third of protibiae, dense, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence ventrally on apical third of protibiae, sparse whitish pubescence on sides of meso- and metatibiae, abundant, short, erect, thick blackish setae dorsally on mesotibiae, and abundant, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence ventrally on apical third of meso- and metatibiae; metatibiae with moderately sparse, short, erect, thick dark-brown setae on apical half of dorsal surface. Dorsal surface of tarsomeres with moderately abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument; metatarsomere I 1.9 times longer than II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous central apex of ventrites 2–4; apex of ventrite 5 slightly concave centrally.

Female ( Fig. 18–19 View Figures 18–19 ). Similar to male, differing by the antennae shorter, 3.0 times elytral length, femoral clubs slender; narrowest area of prosternal process wider, 0.39 times procoxal width; narrowest area of mesoventral process wider, 0.50 times mesocoxal width; and apex of abdominal ventrite 5 slightly rounded. Differences observed, probably representing only intraspecific variations: abdominal ventrites blackish except orangish apex; dense white pubescent band after middle of elytra wider and almost transverse; elytra with large dark-brown macula dorsally close to posterior margin of transverse white pubescent band; white pubescence close to suture on anterior half distinctly wider.

Variation. Dense white pubescent band after middle of elytra oblique and with the width between the holotype male and paratype female illustrated herein.

Dimensions (mm) (holotype male/ paratype females). Total length, 5.00/4.05–5.15; prothoracic length, 1.00/0.65–0.80; anterior prothoracic width, 1.05/0.85–1.00; posterior prothoracic width, 1.25/1.00–1.20; maximum prothoracic width, 1.55/1.20–1.50; humeral width, 1.85/1.50–1.85; elytral length, 3.55/2.90–3.75.

Type specimens. Holotype male from ECUADOR, Loja: Rumi Wilco Ecolodge , 1600 m, Vilcabamba, 11 Aug 2023, J. Vlasak leg. ( MZSP, formerly JVCO). Two paratype females, same data as holotype ( JVCO).

Etymology. The name refers to the Ecuadorian town of Vilcabamba, where the type series was collected.

Remarks. Hyperplatys vilcabambaensis new species is similar to H. pichinchensis Nascimento, Santos-Silva and McClarin, 2020 , a species formally known only by the female holotype, but with another specimen illustrated on Bezark (2024a). The female of H. vilcabambaensis differs from that of H. pichinchensis by the stouter body (slender in H. pichinchensis ), the distance between upper eye lobes 2.5 times larger than the maximum diameter of one upper lobe (slightly shorter than 1.5 times the maximum diameter of one upper lobe in H. pichinchensis ),

and the dense white pubescent band after middle of elytra transverse (ascending from the sides to the middle of the dorsal surface in H. pichinchensis ).