Novantinoe pallida, Vlasak & Santos-Silva, 2025

Novantinoe pallida sp. nov.

( Figs 5–8 View FIGURES 5–8 )

Description. Male holotype. Integument mostly orangish brown, lighter on some areas, darker ventrally, especially on head and thorax; apical third of mandibles black.

Head. Frons and antennal tubercles smooth; with a few, bristly yellowish-white setae laterally on frons and frontally and posteriorly on antennal tubercles. Area between antennal tubercles smooth, glabrous. Area between antennal tubercles and posterior margin of eyes sparsely, finely punctate, except smooth central region; with sparse, short, bristly yellowish setae, except glabrous central area, and a few long, erect setae of same color interspersed. Remaining surface of vertex with punctures gradually more abundant and coarser toward prothorax, with a few short, bristly yellowish setae, mostly absent close to prothorax. Area behind upper eye lobes somewhat abundantly, coarsely punctate; with a few short, erect yellowish setae near eye, glabrous on remaining surface. Area behind lower eye lobes sparsely, finely punctate; with a few long, erect yellowish setae near eye, glabrous on remaining surface. Genae very finely punctate; with somewhat sparse yellowish pubescence close to eye, glabrous on remaining surface. Postclypeus somewhat striate-punctate on wide central area, sparsely, finely punctate on remaining surface; with sparse, both short and long, bristly yellowish setae, and a few long light yellowish-brown setae directed forward anterolaterally. Labrum very finely punctate on posterior half, smooth on anterior half; with long, erect light yellowish-brown setae on posterior half, setae longer laterally, glabrous on remaining surface, except fringe of yellowish-brown setae on anterior margin. Gulamentum sparsely, finely punctate; with a few both short and long, erect yellowish-white setae, with sparse, short, yellowish setae on intermaxillary process. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.31 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in ventral view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.53 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 3.0 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at basal sixth of antennomere VI. Scape arched basally, distinctly widened from base to near apex; abundantly coarsely rugose-punctate, except subsmooth apex; ventral surface slightly asperate; with sparse, both decumbent and bristly, short yellowish setae; with long, erect yellowish setae interspersed throughout. Pedicel with abundant, both short and long, bristly yellowish setae on apical half, glabrous on basal half. Antennomeres III–XI with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument; with short, erect yellowish setae interspersed throughout; III–X with yellowish setae directed backward on entire apex, setae longer and more abundant on III. Antennal formula based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.68; pedicel = 0.08; IV = 1.03; V = 1.02; VI = 0.96; VII = 0.87; VIII = 0.79; IX = 0.73; X = 0.64; XI = 0.80.

Thorax. Prothorax wider than long; sides distinctly constricted before and after lateral tubercle; central tubercle large, conical, with blunt apex directed upward. Pronotum with one large, elevated gibbosity on each side of central region, and elliptical gibbosity centrally; central area, including gibbosities, slightly rugose-punctate, except smooth central gibbosity; remaining surface sparsely, finely punctate; with sparse, both short and long yellowish setae, except on central gibbosity. Sides of prothorax subsmooth, with a few short and long, erect yellowish setae. Prosternum mostly finely, transversely striate, especially about middle, with a few coarse, shallow punctures laterally and sparse, fine punctures interspersed, fine punctures more abundant near coxal cavities; with a few short, decumbent yellowish setae, more abundant and whitish near coxal cavities, and sparse, both short and long yellowish setae throughout. Prosternal process parallel-sided from anterior quarter; apex slightly rounded; with sparse whitish pubescence; narrowest area 0.16 times procoxal width. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, sparser on center of mesoventrite, on mesoventral process, and close to glabrous central area of metaventrite; with both short and long, erect, yellowish setae interspersed on mesoventral process and pubescent area of metaventrite. Mesoventral process with sides convergent from base to near apex, then roundly widened; apex strongly notched centrally; narrowest area 0.57 times mesocoxal width; apical width 0.64 times mesocoxal width. Scutellum with sparse yellowish-white pubescence, slightly more abundant laterally and apically. Elytra. Gradually narrowed from base to apex; apex with outer angle slightly triangularly projected, sutural angle rounded, area between them slightly concave; dorsal surface with two distinct longitudinal carinae starting at base, innermost disappearing on posterior third and outermost on posterior quarter, with row of coarse punctures adjacent to outer surface of both carinae, punctures gradually finer toward posterior region; sutural area carina-shaped; with row of coarse punctures adjacent to outer surface of carinae, punctures gradually finer toward posterior region, almost absent from posterior third; humeral carina distinct on anterior half, gradually disappearing on posterior half, with row of coarse punctures adjacent to it, punctures coarser than on dorsal surface, becoming shallower and finer toward apex from middle; area between rows of punctures and carinae smooth; with sparse, short, bristly yellowish setae throughout, setae slightly longer and more abundant laterally on posterior quarter. Legs. Coxae partially with moderately abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, and partially glabrous. Trochanters with sparse yellowish-white pubescence, more abundant, bristly, and with a few long, erect setae of same color interspersed ventrally. Femora with sparse, minute dark asperities throughout, slightly more distinct ventrally; inner and outer apices of profemora with rounded projection; outer apex of meso- and metafemora with rounded projection and inner apex with triangular projection; with sparse, both short and long, erect yellowish setae. Tibiae with sparse, erect, both short and long yellowish setae dorsally, laterally, and on basal 2/3 of ventral surface, and abundant, bristly yellowish pubescence on apical third of ventral surface, pubescence denser on protibiae. Dorsal surface of tarsi with moderately abundant, decumbent yellowish setae not obscuring integument, with long, erect setae of same color interspersed. Metatarsomere I about as long as II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence sparser on center of ventrites 1–3, slightly sparser on center of ventrite 4, absent on apex of ventrites 1–4 and anterocentrally on ventrite 5; with long, erect yellowish setae interspersed on pubescent areas; apex of ventrite 5 truncate.

Dimensions (mm). Total length, 17.55; prothoracic length, 2.65; anterior prothoracic width, 2.30; posterior prothoracic width, 2.40; maximum prothoracic width, 3.55; humeral width, 3.80; elytral length, 12.10.

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

Etymology. The specific epithet “ pallida ” (Latin, “ pallidus,” meaning pale) refers to the distinctly pale color of the beetle.

Remarks. Novantinoe pallida sp. nov. resembles some species of Distenia ( Distenia) Lepeletier & Audinet-Serville, 1828 , especially by the long antennomere III. However, the shape of the galea, without a distinctly elongated base, includes the new species in Novantinoe .

Novantinoe pallida sp. nov. is similar to N. chemsaki Santos-Silva & Hovore, 2007 (see photographs on Bezark (2025) and in Botero et al. (2024)) but differs as follows: integument mostly orangish brown; antennomere III distinctly longer; elytral punctures finer; elytra without punctures between innermost longitudinal carinae; and femora unicolorous. In N. chemsaki , the integument is mostly dark, the antennomere III is distinctly shorter, the elytral punctures are coarser, the elytra have punctures between the innermost longitudinal carinae, and the femora are bicolorous. It differs from N. pubescens Bezark, Santos-Silva & Botero, 2023 (see photographs on Bezark (2025) and in Bezark et al. (2023)), by the same differences as in N. chemsaki , except by femoral color; and from N. rufa (Villiers, 1959) (see photographs on Bezark (2025) and in Santos-Silva & Martins (2010)), by the scape stouter (slender in N. rufa ), the elytral punctures distinctly finer (coarser in N. rufa ), and the outer apex of elytra not spiniform (spiniform in N. rufa ).

Novantinoe pallida can be included in the alternative of couplet “25” from Botero & Almeida (2019):

25(24). Pronotum dark. Guyana, French Guiana, Colombia ( Cundinamarca, Norte de Santander, Valle del Cauca), Ecuador.....

........................................................................... N. bicolor (Thomson, 1864) - Pronotum light.................................................................................. 25’

25’(25). Elytral punctures coarse; outer apex of elytra spiniform. Venezuela.......................... N. rufa (Villiers, 1959) - Elytral punctures fine; outer apex of elytra slightly projected. Ecuador ( Loja)..................... N. pallida sp. nov.

CERAMBYCIDAE Latreille, 1802

CERAMBYCINAE Latreille, 1802

HEXOPLONINI Martins, 2006 View in CoL