Aneflomorpha makra, Heffern & Santos-Silva, 2025

Aneflomorpha makra sp. nov.

( Figs 11–20 View FIGURES 11–20 )

Description. Holotype male. Head capsule reddish brown, darker centrally from frontal plate to area between antennal tubercles, narrow area close upper eye lobes, area behind lower eye lobes, and apex of antennal tubercles, except orangish-brown ventral surface; postclypeus reddish brown; anteclypeus reddish brown except brown sides and narrow central area close to postclypeus; labrum reddish brown except orangish brown anterocentral region and narrow dark-brown oblique band on each side of anterior 2/3; scape, pedicel, and antennomeres III–IV reddish brown; antennomeres V–XI orangish brown; pronotum and sides of prothorax reddish brown, darker close to anterior and posterior margins; prosternum light reddish brown on posterior third, except dark-brown area close to procoxal cavities, dark reddish brown on anterior fifth, orangish brown on remaining surface. Prosternal process dark brown, except reddish-brown sides on posterior fifth. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax mostly dark reddish brown except irregular orangish areas and dark-brown area close to coxal cavities. Scutellum dark reddish brown. Elytra orangish brown, gradually lighter toward apex, except narrow dark-brown sutural band on anterior quarter. Femora orangish brown except reddish brown apex. Tibiae orangish except reddish brown base. Tarsi orangish except posterocentral area of tarsomeres I–II reddish brown and tarsomeres V mostly reddish brown. Abdominal ventrites dark reddish brown except some irregular light reddish brown areas.

Head. Frons abundantly, coarsely punctate, central area somewhat rugose, except frontal plate with moderately fine punctures centrally and smooth laterally; with moderately abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous median groove and sides of frontal plate. Vertex abundantly, coarsely punctate, punctures denser between antennal tubercles and dense and shallower close to prothorax; with moderately abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument; with a few long, erect yellowish setae close to eyes. Area behind upper eye lobes abundantly, coarsely punctate, punctures partially confluent, except smooth area close to eye; with sparse yellowish pubescence superiorly, absent inferiorly and close to eye. Area behind lower eye lobes shallowly rugose-punctate, except smooth area close to eye, glabrous. Genae moderately finely punctate near eye, moderately coarsely punctate on wide central area, smooth apically; with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous apex. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous on posterior half; anterior half coarsely rugose-punctate, with sparse yellowish pubescence and long, erect setae of same color interspersed, except glabrous and smooth intermaxillary process. Antennal tubercles abundantly, moderately coarsely punctate, except smooth apical area; apex elevated, subacute. Maxillary palpomeres IV and labial palpomeres III cuneiform. Basal half of inner surface of mandibles transversely striate, striae moderately well marked. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.31 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in ventral view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.48 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 1.45 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at base of antennomere XI. Scape abundantly, coarsely punctate except smooth dorsal apex; with moderately abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous smooth area, and long, erect setae of same color interspersed, especially ventrally. Pedicel with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument and long, erect setae of same color interspersed, erect setae more abundant ventrally. Antennomeres III–IV with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous apex, apical spine, and longitudinal carina; with long, erect yellowish setae interspersed ventral and dorsal area near apex, erect setae distinctly more abundant ventrally; longitudinal carina moderately well marked, from base to apical quarter; inner apex of III ( Fig. 14 View FIGURES 11–20 ) with long spine with acute apex, as long as 1.35 times apical diameter of antennomere; inner apex of IV ( Fig. 17 View FIGURES 11–20 ) with long spine with acute apex, as long as 1.2 times apical diameter of antennomere. Antennomeres V–XI with yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, denser than on III–IV, except glabrous longitudinal carina on V–VIII; V–VI with long, erect yellowish setae interspersed ventrally; V–X with a few long, erect yellowish setae on dorsal apex; inner apex of V ( Fig. 18 View FIGURES 11–20 ) with moderately long spine with acute apex, as long as 0.68 times apical diameter of antennomere; inner apex of VI ( Fig. 19 View FIGURES 11–20 ) with moderately long spine with acute apex, as long as 0.72 times apical diameter of antennomere; inner apex of VII ( Fig. 20 View FIGURES 11–20 ) with short spine with acute apex, 0.34 times apical diameter of antennomere; dorsal longitudinal carina on V–VIII slightly elevated, well marked. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III (excluding apical spines): scape = 0.79; pedicel = 0.18; IV = 0.86; V = 0.90; VI = 1.00; VII = 1.04; VIII = 1.04; IX = 1.04; X = 1.00; XI = 1.44.

Thorax. Anterior and posterior constriction well marked; sides distinctly widened close to anterior constriction, parallel-sided toward posterior third, distinctly narrowed on beginning of posterior third, then slightly widened toward posterolateral angles. Pronotum coarsely rugose-punctate, except smooth central area from about middle to posterior quarter; with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, except dense pubescence close to anterior margin and on posterior sixth, especially laterally, and glabrous anterior sulcus and smooth central area; with a few long, erect yellowish setae laterally. Sides of prothorax abundantly rugose-punctate; with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous anterior sulcus; with a few long, erect yellowish setae interspersed, erect setae distinctly more abundant near anterior margin, especially close to prosternum. Posterior 2/3 of prosternum moderately abundantly, coarsely punctate, with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence gradually sparser toward center, and a few long, erect setae of same color interspersed; anterior third moderately abundantly and finely punctate close to anterior margin, finely, transversely striate-punctate close to posterior 2/3; with sparse yellowish pubescence, sparser on striate area, and a few long, erect yellowish setae interspersed. Prosternal process with dense yellowish-white pubescence laterally on anterior 3/4, glabrous centrally from base to apex, glabrous laterally on posterior quarter, and with dense yellowish-white pubescence between glabrous areas on posterior quarter; narrowest area 0.19 times procoxal width. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with abundant yellowish pubescence, pubescence distinctly denser on mesanepisterna, mesepimera, metanepisterna, and large C-shaped macula on sides of posterior half of metaventrite, except glabrous area close to metathoracic discrimen; with long, erect yellowish setae interspersed on metaventrite. Sides of mesoventral process convergent from base to middle, slightly, gradually widened toward posterior fifth, then abruptly, strongly widened; posterior margin strongly notched centrally; narrowest area 0.34 times mesocoxal width. Scutellum with dense pale-yellow pubescence. Elytra. Abundantly, coarsely punctate on anterior third, punctures gradually finer, sparser toward apex on posterior 2/3; with abundant, slender yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument; with long, erect yellowish setae near epipleural margin on posterior third and dorsal surface on posterior seventh; apex with two long spines with similar length. Legs. Femora with moderately abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence sparser on inner surface of basal third, and long, erect setae of same color interspersed; inner and outer apices of profemora with rounded projection; inner and outer apices of meso- and metafemora with triangular projection. Tibiae longitudinally carinate laterally, carinae gradually becoming absent toward apex; base of dorsal surface of protibiae longitudinally carinate; protibiae almost glabrous basal third on inner surface, with sparse yellowish pubescence on dorsal and outer surface, sparse pubescence on central third of inner surface, and abundant yellowish pubescence on apical third of inner surface and almost entire ventral surface, pubescence bristly ventrally, with long, erect yellowish setae interspersed, especially on apical half of dorsal surface and entire outer surface; meso- and metatibiae with sparse yellowish pubescence, except denser, bristly pubescence on apical third of ventral surface, with long, erect yellowish setae interspersed. Tarsi with moderately abundant, both short and long, suberect yellowish setae; Metatarsomere I slightly shorter than II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, more yellowish-white centrally, pubescence denser laterally on ventrites 1–4, except glabrous apex on ventrites 1–4; with a few long, erect yellowish setae interspersed throughout; apex of ventrite 5 subtruncate.

Dimensions in mm. Total length, 22.10; prothoracic length, 2.85; anterior prothoracic width, 2.40; posterior prothoracic width, 2.65; maximum prothoracic width, 2.70; humeral width, 4.50; elytral length, 16.45.

Type material. Holotype male from MEXICO, Oaxaca: Comaltepec , 2650 m, 16.V.1996, G. Nogueira leg. ( TAMU, formerly DHCO).

Etymology. Greek, “makra ,” meaning long; alluding to the shape of the body.

Remarks. The key to species from North America by Linsley (1963) leads Aneflomorpha makra sp. nov. to the alternative of couplet “3” with A. aculeata (LeConte, 1873) (see photographs on Bezark (2024) and Lingafelter (2022)). However, the new species has the elytra notably longer, almost six times prothoracic length (about 4.0 times in A. aculeata ).

The key to species from the United States of America by Lingafelter (2022) leads the new species to the alternative of couplet “19” with A. linearis (LeConte, 1859) (see photographs on Bezark (2024) and Lingafelter (2022)) and A. paralinearis Lingafelter, 2022 (see photographs on Bezark (2024) and Lingafelter (2022)). Aneflomorpha makra differs from both by the elytra proportionally much longer (at most, 5.0 times prothoracic length in A. lineraris and slightly longer than 4.0 times in A. paralinearis ), and with apex with two long spines (at most, with short projections in A. linearis and A. paralinearis ).

The key to species from Mexico by Chemsak & Noguera (2005) leads the new species to the alternative of couplet “9” with A. preclara Chemsak & Linsley, 1975 (see photographs on Bezark (2024) and CNC (2024)). However, A. makra differs by the pronotum without very sparse pubescence on wide posterocentral area (very sparse in A. preclara ), pedicel and antennomeres with light integumental color (dark in A. preclara ), apical spine of the antennomere III distinctly longer than pedicel (shorter in A. preclara ), and elytral apex bispinose (not bispinose in A. preclara ).

Aneflomorpha makra sp. nov. is similar to A. spinifera sp. nov. but differs as follows: apex of antennal tubercles subacute; antennomeres III–IV with longitudinal carina more distinct and glabrous, pronotum and elytra lighter; elytral setae shorter and slender; and femoral peduncle almost entirely light in color. In A. spinifera , the apex of antennal tubercles are rounded, antennomeres III–IV with longitudinal carina almost indistinct and not glabrous, elytral setae are distinctly longer and thicker, pronotum and elytra are mostly darker, and the femoral peduncles are mostly dark. The new species differs from A. crinita Chemsak & Linsley, 1975 (see photographs on Bezark 2024) by the pronotal pubescence not dense throughout (dense in A. crinita ), and apex of antennomeres III–IV with long spine (both shorter than pedicel in A. crinita , especially on IV). It is also similar to A. yumae Giesbert & Hovore, 1976 (see photographs on Bezark (2024) and Lingafelter (2022)) but differs by the elytra proportionally longer (shorter than 4.0 times the prothoracic length in A. yumae ), and elytral apex with two long spines (at most with short spine or dentate in A. yumae ); from A. wappesi Chemsak & Noguera, 2005 (see photographs on Bezark 2024 and in the original description) it differs especially by the acute apex of the spine of the antennomere III (blunt in A. wappesi ).