Sympagus griseus, Vlasak & Santos-Silva, 2025

Sympagus griseus sp. nov.

( Figs 56–61 View FIGURES 56–59 View FIGURES 60–63 )

Description. Male holotype ( Figs 56–59 View FIGURES 56–59 ). Integument mostly brown; ventral mouthparts orangish brown, except palpomeres black with brown apex; anterior half of anteclypeus and labrum dark orangish brown; scape dark-brown on apical quarter; pedicel orangish on basal third; antennomeres III–IV, VII–VIII, and XI reddish brown, except dark-brown apical third; antennomeres V–VI mostly dark brown; antennomere IX mostly reddish brown; antennomere X reddish brown on basal quarter, dark brown on remaining surface. Sides of anterocentral area of mesoventrite and mesoventral process orangish; metaventrite orangish close to meso- and metacoxal cavities. Trochanters orangish. Femoral clubs brownish, more orangish brown depending on light intensity. Tibiae brown dorsally and laterally on basal third, dark brown on remaining surface. Tarsi dark brown. Abdominal ventrites orangish laterally, dark brown centrally, except orangish posterior third of ventrite 5.

Head. Frons densely, minutely punctate; with dense pubescence, except glabrous median groove, pubescence whitish close to clypeus, gradually yellowish white from anterior third, becoming brownish close to antennal tubercles; with one long, erect brownish seta close to eyes. Antennal tubercles with abundant brownish pubescence frontally and abundant dull yellowish-brown pubescence on remaining surface, pubescence more grayish depending on light intensity.Vertex with dense dull yellowish-brown pubescence, paler between antennal tubercles and posterior margin of eyes and on triangular area close to prothorax, except glabrous median groove between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes and close to prothorax. Area behind upper eye lobes with dense pale-yellow pubescence close to eye and dense dull yellowish-brown pubescence on remaining surface. Area behind lower eye lobes with dense pubescence, dull yellowish brown close to upper eye lobe, pale yellow toward ventral surface. Genae distinctly longer than lower eye lobe in frontal view; with dense pale-yellow pubescence, more whitish close to frons and clypeus, except glabrous apex; with one long, erect dark-brown seta interspersed laterally. Wide central area of postclypeus with dense whitish pubescence close to frons, sparse close to anteclypeus; with one long, erect dark-brown seta on each side. Sides of postclypeus glabrous. Labrum with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument on posterior third, mostly glabrous about anterior 2/3, except fringe of yellowish-brown setae on anterior margin; with transverse row of long, erect dark-brown setae about middle. Gulamentum glabrous, except dense whitish pubescence on intermaxillary process. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.2 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 3.15 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at apical fifth of antennomere V. Scape with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence whiter ventrally, except dark-brown pubescence apically; with a few long, erect dark-brown setae near apex ventrally. Pedicel with abundant whitish pubescence, except mostly glabrous basal region; with a few short, erect, thick dark-brown setae ventrally. Antennomeres III–XI with moderately abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence appearing darker on some areas due to the integumental color; with short, erect yellowish setae interspersed throughout; III–IV with a few short, thick, erect dark-brown setae ventrally; V–VIII with a few short, thick, erect dark-brown setae dorsally and ventrally. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.96; pedicel = 0.11; IV = 0.91; V = 0.83; VI = 0.79; VII = 0.75; VIII = 0.83; IX = 0.79; X = 0.77; XI = 0.91.

Thorax. Prothorax wider than long; anterior and posterior constrictions distinct; sides divergent from anterior constriction to posterior quarter, then convergent toward posterolateral angles; lateral tubercles rounded, as a continuation of anterolateral margin. Pronotum sparsely, finely, shallowly punctate, except transverse row of coarse punctures near posterior margin, punctures not following toward side of prothorax; with dense grayish pubescence laterally and posteriorly and abundant brownish pubescence centrally, except dull yellowish-brown pubescent macula centrally close to anterior constriction, longitudinal dull yellowish-brown pubescent band centrally, and moderately distinct, dull yellowish-brown pubescent arc fusing the two previous areas, and glabrous anterior sulcus. Sides of prothorax with dense yellowish-gray pubescence superiorly, gradually whiter toward prosternum, except glabrous anterior sulcus. Prosternum with dense white pubescence laterally, slightly sparser toward central region, except glabrous anterior sulcus. Prosternal process with abundant white pubescence, slightly sparser toward posterior margin, except glabrous lateral apices; narrowest area 0.46 times procoxal width. Mesoventrite with moderately sparse white pubescence anterocentrally, sparse yellowish-white pubescence anterolaterally, and dense white pubescence on remaining surface. Mesanepisterna and mesepimera with dense pale-yellow pubescence close to elytra, gradually whiter toward mesoventrite. Mesoventral process with abundant white pubescence not obscuring integument; apex 1.1 times mesocoxal width. Metanepisterna with dense pale-yellow pubescence. Metaventrite with dense white pubescence laterally, gradually sparser toward center. Scutellum with abundant brown pubescence on anterior 2/3 and dense yellowish-brown pubescence on apical third. Elytra. Subparallel-sided on anterior 2/3, sides distinctly convergent on posterior third; apex obliquely concave, making outer angle triangularly projected, rounded on sutural angle; moderately abundantly, coarsely punctate on anterior third, punctures sparser on central third, especially laterally, and almost indistinct on posterior third; pubescence on dorsal surface forming complex pattern, consisting mainly of dense grayish pubescence, more dull yellowish brown depending on light intensity, with small and large, irregular brownish areas interspersed, except small whitish spot near suture about end of anterior third, and dense yellowish-white pubescence on apical fifth; epipleural area with dense whitish pubescence, reaching sides of dorsal surface on anterior, central, and posterior thirds, except large, oblique brownish pubescent band on anterior third, not reaching epipleural margin, reaching sides of dorsal surface, and another large, irregular brownish pubescent macula, located slightly after middle, also reaching the sides of dorsal surface; pubescence on epipleural margin dashed with sparse brownish pubescent maculae. Legs. Coxae, trochanters, ventral surface and part of sides of femora with white pubescence; remaining surface of femoral peduncles with dense pale-yellow pubescence; femoral clubs with yellowish-brown pubescent macula dorsally on base, and abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument on remaining surface of dorsal and lateral surfaces, except pale-yellow pubescence on apex. Basal 3/4 of dorsal and lateral surfaces of protibiae with yellowish-white pubescence, sparser on apical quarter of dorsal surface, and dark brown on remaining surface, bristly on apical half of ventral surface. Basal 2/3 of dorsal and inner surfaces of mesotibiae with dense white pubescence; basal 2/3 of outer surface with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence; remaining surface with abundant dark-brown pubescence, bristly on apical half of ventral surface; with short, erect dark-brown setae on apical half of ventral surface, and very short dark-brown setae on apical third of dorsal surface. Basal 2/3 of dorsal and lateral surfaces of metatibiae, and basal quarter of ventral surface with dense white pubescence; remaining surface with abundant dark-brown pubescence, bristly ventrally on apical half; with short, erect dark-brown setae interspersed throughout, setae longer ventrally. Basal half of pro- and mesotarsomeres I and basal quarter of metatarsomeres I with moderately abundant whitish pubescence dorsally, and abundant dark-brown pubescence on remaining surface; with long, erect dark-brown setae laterally; metatarsomere I slightly longer than II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites with dense yellowish-white pubescence laterally and abundant white pubescence not obscuring integument centrally. Ventrite 5 about as long as ventrite 4, with apex slightly concave.

Female ( Figs 60–61 View FIGURES 60–63 ). Very similar to males, differing especially by the antennae slightly shorter and abdominal ventrite 5 longer, about as long as ventrites 3–4 together, noticeably narrowed toward apex, surpassing elytral apex.

Dimensions (mm) (male holotype /female paratype). Total length, 8.35/6.55; prothoracic length, 1.60/1.25; anterior prothoracic width, 1.85/1.45; posterior prothoracic width, 2.15/1.70; maximum prothoracic width, 2.35/1.95; humeral width, 2.95/2.35; elytral length, 5.40/4.50.

Type specimens. Male holotype from ECUADOR, Loja: Vicinity of Macará , 700 m, at UV light, 20–24 Feb 2024, J. Vlasak leg. ( MZSP, formerly JVCO). Female paratype, same data as holotype ( JVCO) .

Etymology. The specific epithet “ griseus ” (Latin, meaning grey) alludes to the overall grayish appearance of the beetle.

Remarks. Sympagus griseus sp. nov. is similar to S. bimaculatus (Gilmour, 1959) ( Figs 62–63 View FIGURES 60–63 ), but differs as follows: body proportionally slender; elytral apex oblique; elytral pubescent pattern different; and metafemoral club slender in males. In S. bimaculatus , the body is proportionally stouter, the elytral apex is transverse, the elytral pubescence is different, and the metafemoral club is stouter in males.