Afti, Vlasak & Botero & Santos-Silva & -, 2025

Afti gen. nov.

( Fig. 9-13)

ZooBank:https://zoobank.org/ AEF4931E-334A-44C0-A385-67288B68883C

Type species. – Afti citrinum sp. nov., here designated.

Etymology. – Greek, “αφτί” (aftí), meaning “ear.” Alluding to the shape of the lateral tubercles of the prothorax, the most conspicuous feature of the genus. Neuter gender.

Description

Female. – Moderately large-sized body, not flattened, somewhat slender. Head without dense pubescence and/or long erect setae; frons proportionally short; postclypeus large; frontoclypeal sulcus well marked; sensory area of apical palpomeres well marked; antennal tubercles moderately elevated, well separated; genae slightly shorter than maximum diameter of lower eye lobe; area behind upper eye lobes about as long as maximum diameter of one upper lobe; mandible shorter than width of postclypeus; eye lobes not separated; antennae 11-segmented, distinctly shorter than elytra, unicolorous; scape without dorsal depression, not flattened dorsally; antennomeres III-XI not flabellate, without dorsal sulcus, without fringe of setae ventrally and tuft of setae; antennomeres gradually shorter from V to X; antennomere III as long as scape, longer than IV; antennomere IV slightly shorter than V; apex of antennomeres III-X without apical spiniform projection. Prothorax transverse; anterior margin distinctly narrower than posterior one; lateral tubercles large, oblique truncate apically, located about middle; posterior area rounded projected. Pronotum opaque, densely, moderately finely, shallowly punctate except smooth central gibbosity; with distinctly, circular gibbosity on each side of anterior half and elongated, slightly elevated gibbosity centrally on posterior 2/3; without pubescence and erect setae. Prosternum transversely concave. Prosternal process slightly vertical apically. Mesoventral process distinctly wider than prosternal process, with lateroapical flaps; not tuberculate and not projected forward on anterior area; apical width slightly shorter than mesocoxa. Scutellum moderately small, about as long as half length of antennomere III, with rounded apex. Elytra about four times longer than prothorax; mostly parallel-sided; opaque, without eburneous callosities; abundantly, finely punctate; without distinct longitudinal dorsal and humeral carinae; apex unarmed, together rounded; without long, erect setae. Meso- and metafemora not pedunculate-clavate; apices without spines. Metatarsomere I longer than II-III together.

Remarks. – Afti gen. nov. is somewhat similar to Athetesis Bates, 1870 ( Fig. 14-17), but differs as follows: body proportionally wider; lateral tubercles of prothorax obliquely truncate apically; pronotal and elytral punctures fine; prosternum transversely concave; elytra without distinct longitudinal carinae dorsally; and inner apex of meso- and metafemora rounded. In Athetesis , the body is proportionally narrower, lateral tubercles of the prothorax are subacute apically, pronotal and elytral punctures are coarse, prosternum not transversely concave, elytra have distinct longitudinal carinae dorsally, and the inner apex of the meso- and metafemora has short spiniform projection. The new genus is also similar to Amphionthe Bates, 1879 but differs especially by the antennae distinctly shorter than elytra in female (longer in females of Amphionthe ), and by the shape of the lateral tubercles of the prothorax (conical in Amphionthe ); from females of Crioprosopus Audinet-Serville, 1834 by the antennae distinctly shorter than the elytral length (about as long in females of Crioprosopus ), shape of the lateral tubercles of the prothorax (conical in females of Crioprosopus ), and scutellum not triangular (triangular in Crioprosopus ); from Gambria Chevrolat, 1863 by the antennae distinctly shorter than the elytral length (about as long in females of Gambria ) and the shape of the lateral tubercles of the prothorax (conical in females of Gambria ); from females of Megapurpuricenus Eya, 2015 especially by the pronotal and elytral sculpturing much less distinct (densely punctate in Megapurpuricenus ) and the shape of the lateraltubercles of the prothorax (conicalin Megapurpuricenus ); from Neoxoplus Eya, 2019 by the shape of the lateral tubercles of the prothorax (not truncate in Neoxoplus ), procoxal process distinctly narrower than the procoxal cavity (about as wide as 2/3 of the procoxal width in Neoxoplus ), and the apex of the scutellum rounded (acute in Neoxoplus ); from Parevander Aurivillius,1912 by the shape of the lateral tubercles of the prothorax (subacute in Parevander ) and by the elytra without distinct longitudinal carinae dorsally (present in Parevander ); from Paroxoplus Chemsak, 1959 by the antennae in female much shorter than the elytra (about as long in females of Paroxoplus ) and by the shape of the lateral tubercles of prothorax (subacute in Paroxoplus ); and from Phaedinus Dupont, 1834 , a genus with specimens sharing some features but strongly different in others, by the shape of the lateral tubercles of the prothorax (subacute in Phaedinus ) and scutellum short and with rounded apex (long and with acute apex in Phaedinus ).Additionally, it differs from some species of Eriphus Audinet-Serville, 1834 especially by the shape of the lateral tubercles of the prothorax (subacute in some species of Eriphus ).