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

Afti citrinum sp. nov.

( Fig. 9-13)

ZooBank:https://zoobank.org/ EE8747D7-8314-40A6-B748-BDDE75BC8456

Holotype, ♂, ECUADOR, Pichincha: Milpe Bird Sanctuary , 1100 m, 7 Jul 2023, J. Vlasak leg. ( MZSP, formerly JVCO).

Description of the holotype ( Fig. 9-13)

Coloration. – Headcapsule black except ventral surface light brown with sidesof posterior half orangish; ventralmouthpartsmostly darkbrown, except light brown base of mentum and yellowish apex of palpomeres; anteclypeus partially dark brown; mandibles black; antennae black, more dark brown toward apical segments. Prothorax light orange, except dark-brownarea close to procoxal cavities and wide central area of prosternal process. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax dark brown. Scutellum and elytra orange, except brown macula near elytral apex. Coxae dark brown;femora, tibiae, and tarsi black.Ventral surface of abdomen dark brown.

Head. – Frons densely, finely punctate anterocentrally, punctures slightly sparser and coarser laterally and posteriorly; punctures with minute dark-brown setae. Median groove well marked from clypeus to area between upper eye lobes. Area between antennal tubercles excavated centrally; densely, moderately coarselypunctate on sides of excavated area and close to antennal tubercles, subsmooth on center of excavated area; a few punctures with minute dark-brown setae. Area between antennal tubercles and center of area between uppereye lobesabundantly, coarselypunctate, exceptsmooth central area. Remaining surface of vertex densely, moderately coarsely punctate. Area behind upper eye lobes abundantly, coarsely punctate, except smooth inferior area close to eye; with one long, erect dark yellowish-brown seta close to superior area of eye. Area behind lower eye lobes densely, moderately finely punctate close to eye, punctures slightly sparser and coarser close to prothorax, and shallower and sparser centrally. Genae densely, moderately coarsely punctate toward ventral surface, slightly sparser toward frons and clypeus. Tentorial pits well marked. Postclypeus densely, finely punctate close to frons, subsmooth on remaining posterior half, anterior half densely, finely punctate close to subsmooth area, and moderately sparsely, finely punctate close to anteclypeus; punctures on anterior half with minute yellowish seta. Sides of postclypeus smooth, glabrous. Labrum coplanar with anteclypeus posteriorly, inclined on remaining surface, more abruptly on anterocentral region; moderately sparsely, finely, shallowly punctate close to anteclypeus, abundantly punctate on remaining wide central area, subsmooth on remaining surface; punctures on posterior third with minute brownish seta, punctures on middle of wide central area with minute brownish seta except a few punctures with long, erect yellowish-brown seta, and punctures on sides of wide central area with abundant, long, erect, thick dark-brown seta; anterior region glabrous except apex of central region with fringe of yellowish-brown setae. Outer surface of mandibles abundantly, coarsely punctate on basal half, smooth on apical half; punctures with minute yellowish-brown seta, except punctures close to smooth area with long, erect, thick yellowish-brown seta. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous on posterior half, except transversely striate sides; anterior half abundantly, finely punctate laterally, striate-punctate centrally, except subsmooth intermaxillary process, with long, erect yellowish-brown setae laterally, mostly glabrous centrally. Antennal tubercles abundantly, moderately coarsely punctate basally, smooth apically. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.44 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.65 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 0.7 times elytral length, slightly surpassing anterior 2/5 of elytra. Scape abundantly, finely punctate, except smooth dorsal apex; punctures with minute brown seta, except on apical region of inner and ventral surfaces with short, erect dark-brown seta. Pedicel moderately abundantly, finely punctate, except smooth basal and apical surfaces; punctures with minute dark-brown seta, except a few punctures on ventral surface with short, erect dark-brown seta. Antennomeres III-XI densely, finely punctate, punctures denser and minute from VI, except smooth dorsal apex of III-VI; with abundant dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence denser from VI; ventral surface of III-VI with sparse, short, erect dark-brown setae, setae more abundant apically; apex of dorsal surface of III-X with moderately abundant, short, erect dark-brown setae; apex of ventral surface of VII-X with sparse, short, erect dark-brown setae; XI with sparse, short, erect dark-brown setae.

Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III:

– Scape = 1.00. – Pedicel = 0.20. – IV = 0.83. – V = 0.87. – VI = 0.75. – VII = 0.77. – VIII = 0.63. – IX = 0.63. – X = 0.50. – XI = 0.67.

Thorax. – Pronotum glabrous, except a few short, erect pale-yellow setae posterolaterally. Sides of prothorax abundantly, shallowly, moderately coarsely punctate, except smooth area close to anterior and posterior margins and area close to procoxal cavities; glabrous. Prosternum moderately abundantly, finely, shallowly punctate on posterior 2/3, punctures partially asperate, with a few short, erect brown setae posterocentrally and close to procoxal cavities; anterior third abundantly, finely, shallowly punctate laterally, slightly transversely striate on wide central area, except smooth, slightly depressed area close to anterior margin, glabrous except one moderately long, erect brown seta on each side. Prosternal process slightly depressed centrally; abundantly, finely punctate; with sparse yellowish-white setae; narrowest area 0.32 times procoxal width. Mesoventrite densely, moderately finely punctate, except subsmooth apices; with abundant, bristly brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence indistinct depending on viewing angle, with a few short, erect brown setae interspersed, except subsmooth apices with sparse, decumbent yellowish-white setae. Mesanepisterna and mesepimera densely asperate-punctate; pubescence and erect setae as on central area of mesoventrite, except fringe of dull yellowish-brown setae on posterior margin of mesepimera. Mesoventral process densely, moderately finely punctate, except subsmooth apical tabs; with abundant brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence indistinct depending on viewing angle, and short, erect brown setae interspersed, except subglabrous apical tabs and posterocentralarea with moderately abundant, short yellowish-brown setae directed backward; narrowest area 0.68 times mesocoxal width. Metanepisterna with abundant brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence indistinct depending on viewing angle, and short, erect brown setae interspersed. Metaventrite densely, finely punctate laterally, abundantly, moderately coarsely centrally, except subsmooth area close to metacoxal cavities; with abundant brown pubescence laterally not obscuring integument, pubescence sparser centrally, absent close to metathoracic discrimen, and short, erect, abundant yellowish-brown setae interspersed, pubescence and erect setae indistinct depending on viewing angle. Scutellum abundantly, minutely punctate except smooth sides; with moderately abundant, minute brown setae centrally, absent laterally.

Elytra. – Glabrous, except dense fringe of yellowish setae on epipleural margin and short, erect yellowish-brown setae on posterior sixth, setae more abundant close to apex.

Legs. – Femora abundantly, moderately coarsely asperate-punctate, punctures slightly sparser apically; a few punctures on profemora with short dark-brown seta; meso- and metafemoral punctures on dorsal and lateral surfaces with short, decumbent dark-brown seta except a few punctures with short, erect dark-brown seta; meso- and metafemoral punctures on ventral surface with short, erect dark-brown seta. Tibiae densely, finely asperate-punctate,punctures slightly sparser onprotibiae andabsentclose toapex of sides of meso- and metatibiae; with abundant, bristly, short dark-brown setae not obscuringintegument, setae denserventrally,especially apically,exceptglabrous smooth areas on meso- and metatibiae. Tarsomeres I-III with abundant, decumbent dark-brown setae dorsally; IV-V with sparse dark-brown setae.

Abdomen. –Ventrites with abundant, bristlyyellowish-brown pubescence, indistinct depending on viewing angle, with slightly longer, erect setae interspersed, except glabrous central apex of ventrites 1, 2, and 4, and partially glabrous central apex of ventrite 3; apex of ventrite 5 truncate.

Dimensions (mm)

– Total length, 20.35;

– Prothoracic length, 3.30;

– Anterior prothoracic width, 2.60;

– Posterior prothoracic width, 4.00;

– Maximum prothoracic width, 5.15;

– Humeral width, 5.40;

– Elytral length, 15.50.

Etymology. – The name “citrinum ” (Latin, meaning “lemon yellow”) alludes to the color of the beetle.

Remarks. – The holotype was found in a large living branch that broke off and fell because of the galleries the beetled excavated, suggesting that this species develops in living wood, which is not uncommon among Trachyderini . Originally, the beetle was distinctly lemon yellow ( Fig. 9a), which is why we named the species “citrinum ,” but the color faded over time.