Aneflomorpha spinifera, Heffern & Santos-Silva, 2025

Aneflomorpha spinifera sp. nov.

( Figs 1–10 View FIGURES 1–10 )

Description. Holotype female. Frons, vertex, area behind upper eye lobes, and antennal tubercles both light brown and orangish brown; area behind lower eye lobes and sides of gulamentum between eyes and prothorax light brown; genae, remaining surface of gulamentum orangish except brown anterior margins; ventral mouthparts orangish with irregular brownish areas, except light brown anterior region of mentum and whitish apex of palpomeres; postclypeus mostly light brown laterally, blackish centrally; anteclypeus mostly brownish centrally, dark brown laterally; labrum dark brown anterocentrally, orangish-brown on remaining surface; mandibles mostly orangish brown, gradually reddish brown toward apex and inner surface of dorsal surface, except dark brown innermost region of dorsal surface, inner surface, and apical region; scape and pedicel mostly orangish brown; antennomeres III–XI orangish, slightly darker toward apex of antenna. Pronotum brown, slightly darker anteriorly and posteriorly. Sides of prothorax brown except transverse orangish brown band on anterior third, this band gradually narrowed toward pronotum. Prosternum orangish brown with irregular brownish areas, except brown anterior margin and margins close to procoxal cavities; prosternal process orangish brown except brown margins on anterior half. Ventral surface of mesothorax mostly brown on anterior half, orangish on posterior half, except brown margins of mesoventrite and mesoventral process. Ventral surface of mesothorax mostly orangish brown with large, irregular brownish areas interspersed. Scutellum brown. Elytra mostly light brown on wide inner dorsal surface, orangish on remaining surface, orangish area gradually lighter toward apex. Coxae and trochanters mostly orangish brown. Femora orangish on peduncle and basal region of club, brown on remaining lateral and ventral surfaces and reddish brown on remaining dorsal surface. Tibiae orangish. Tarsomeres I–II orangish except reddish-brown posterocentral region; antennomere III, IV, and basal 2/3 of V reddish brown; remaining surface of V brown. Abdominal ventrites orangish with large, irregular reddish-brown areas.

Head. Wide central area of frons longitudinally striate-punctate, except almost smooth anterior plate; sides abundantly, moderately coarsely punctate, except subsmooth area close to striate-punctate region; with moderately sparse, bristly pale-yellow setae, except almost glabrous anterior plate and glabrous area close to median groove. Vertex moderately coarsely and abundantly punctate; with moderately abundant, bristly pale-yellow setae not obscuring integument, setae slightly denser close to eyes and between antennal tubercles. Area behind upper eye lobes abundantly, coarsely punctate, except smooth area close to eye; with abundant pale-yellow pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous smooth area. Area behind lower eye lobes somewhat rugose, glabrous. Genae moderately abundantly and coarsely punctate, except smooth apex; with pale-yellow pubescence and long, suberect setae of same color interspersed, except smooth, glabrous anterior half. Wide central area of postclypeus abundantly, coarsely punctate; with a few bristly setae, setae longer, yellowish-white centrally, more abundant, pale-yellow laterally. Sides of postclypeus densely microsculptured, glabrous. Labrum sparsely, coarsely punctate posterocentrally, moderately abundantly and finely punctate anterocentrally, smooth on remaining surface; with sparse, long, erect yellowish-brown setae posterocentrally, moderately abundant and short yellowish-brown setae anterocentrally, glabrous on remaining surface. Outer and dorsal surface of mandibles densely, coarsely punctate, except smooth innermost area of dorsal surface, apical quarter, and inferior margin of outer surface; punctate area with sparse whitish pubescence, with one long, erect white seta basally and sparse tuft of long, erect yellowish-brown setae close to smooth apical area; remaining surface glabrous; basal 2/3 of inner surface abundantly, finely, transversely striate, striae more conspicuous on left mandible. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous on posterior third; anterior 2/3 rugose-punctate, with sparse, bristly pale-yellow setae, more abundant, shorter, and decumbent on intermaxillary process, and long, erect setae of same color interspersed. Maxillary palpomere IV and labial palpomere III cuneiform. Apex of antennal tubercles rounded. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.35 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in ventral view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.52 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 1.1 times elytral length, almost reaching posterior sixth of elytra. Scape moderately abundantly and coarsely punctate, except smooth dorsal apex; with moderately sparse yellowish-white pubescence, pubescence sparser ventrally, except glabrous smooth area; with a few long, erect yellowish-white setae interspersed on apical region of ventral surface. Pedicel with sparse yellowish-white pubescence, almost absent ventrally, and long, erect setae of same color interspersed throughout, erect setae longer ventrally. Antennomeres III–XI with abundant white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence shorter and denser toward XI; ventral surface of III–VIII with long, erect whitish setae ventrally, setae gradually sparser toward VIII; dorsal apex of III–X with long, erect whitish setae, setae gradually shorter toward X; inner apex of III ( Fig. 4 View FIGURES 1–10 ) with long spine with acute apex, as long as 1.40 times apical diameter of antennomere; inner apex of IV ( Fig. 7 View FIGURES 1–10 ) with long spine with acute apex, as long as 1.25 times apical diameter of antennomere; inner apex of V ( Fig. 8 View FIGURES 1–10 ) with long spine with acute apex, as long as 0.95 times apical diameter of antennomere; inner apex of VI ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 1–10 ) with long spine with acute apex, as long as 0.85 times apical diameter of antennomere; inner apex of VII ( Fig. 10 View FIGURES 1–10 ) with long spine with acute apex, as long as 0.40 times apical diameter of antennomere; dorsal surface of V–VII slightly longitudinally carinate. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III (excluding apical spines): scape = 0.83; pedicel = 0.19; IV = 0.90; V = 0.95; VI = 0.92; VII = 0.90; VIII = 0.85; IX = 0.85; X = 0.78; XI = 0.95.

Thorax. Prothorax slightly longer than wide; anterior and posterior constrictions narrow, well marked; sides slightly divergent from anterior constriction to after middle, then slightly convergent toward posterior constriction. Pronotum somewhat rugose, abundantly, coarsely punctate; with moderately sparse pale-yellow pubescence on wide central area, except glabrous anterocentral quarter and narrow, longitudinal central area from about middle to posterior quarter, and abundant pubescence not obscuring integument on posterior fifth; sides with abundant light yellowish-brown pubescence, denser on posterior third; with a few long, erect whitish setae interspersed laterally. Sides of prothorax abundantly, coarsely punctate, with abundant light yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence sparser on light integumental area. Prosternum slightly transversely striate; moderately abundantly, finely punctate on posterior 2/3, sparsely punctate on anterior third, especially close to posterior third; posterior 2/3 with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, and long, erect whitish setae interspersed; anterior third with sparse yellowish-white pubescence, especially close to posterior 2/3, and long, erect whitish setae interspersed. Prosternal process with sparse whitish pubescence on center of anterior half, pubescence denser on sides of anterior half and center of posterior half, absent on sides of posterior fifth; narrowest area 0.14 times procoxal width. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence denser, more yellowish on mesanepisterna and mesepimeron, except glabrous area of mesanepisterna close to mesoventrite, and sparser close to metathoracic discrimen; with long erect whitish setae interspersed on metanepisterna and sides of metaventrite. Scutellum with dense yellow pubescence, pubescence more yellowish brown close to margins. Elytra. Abundantly, coarsely punctate on anterior third, punctures gradually, finer, sparser, shallower toward apex on remaining surface; with moderately abundant, thick yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, and long, erect setae of same color interspersed on sides of posterior half and posterior quarter of dorsal surface; apex bispinose, sutural spine longer than outer spine. Legs. Femora with sparse whitish pubescence except abundant pubescence not obscuring integument on apical third and ventral surface of peduncle; with long, erect setae of same color interspersed; apex of sides with rounded projection, projections gradually longer toward metafemora. Tibiae with sparse whitish pubescence, except denser pubescence on apical third of dorsal and inner surface of protibiae and abundant, most yellowish pubescence on almost entire ventral surface of all tibiae; with long, erect whitish setae interspersed; basal region of dorsal surface of protibia longitudinally carinate, carina slightly conspicuous depending on viewing angle. Tarsi with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, and long setae of same color directed backward; metatarsomere I slightly shorter than II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, with long, erect setae of same color interspersed, except glabrous apex of ventrites 1–4; apex of ventrite 5 slightly rounded.

Dimensions (mm). Total length, 19.80; prothoracic length, 2.80; anterior prothoracic width, 2.25; posterior prothoracic width, 2.35; maximum prothoracic width, 2.60; humeral width, 3.85; elytral length, 14.90.

Type material. Holotype female from MEXICO, Jalisco: Nevado de Colima , Sayulapa , 2410 m, 21.VII.2012, Cunningham & Nogueira leg. ( TAMU, formerly DHCO).

Etymology. Latin, “spinifera ” (thorny, prickly, spiny); alluding to the spines on the basal antennomeres and on the elytral apex.

Remarks. The key by Linsley (1963) to species from the United States of America leads Aneflomorpha spinifera sp. nov. to the alternative of couplet “3” with A. aculeata (LeConte, 1873) (see photographs on Bezark (2024) and Lingafelter (2022)). The new species differs from A. aculeata especially by the elytra distinctly longer, slightly longer than 3.5 times the length of the head and prothorax together. In A. aculeata , the elytra are distinctly shorter, about 2.5 times the length of the head and prothorax together.

The key by Lingafelter (2022) leads Aneflomorpha spinifera to the alternative of couplet “18” with A. yumae Giesbert & Hovore, 1976 (see photographs on Bezark (2024) and Lingafelter (2022)), when the base of the dorsal surface of the protibiae is considered carinate. However, the new species differs by the flagellomeres not distinctly carinate dorsally (carinae well marked in A. yumae ), and elytra slightly longer than 5.0 times the prothoracic length (distinctly shorter than 5.0 times in A. yumae ). If the base of the dorsal surface of the protibiae is considered not carinate, the key leads the new species to the alternative of couplet “15” with A. seminuda Casey, 1912 (see photographs on Bezark 2024; Lingafelter et al. 2014; and Lingafelter 2022), but they differ especially by the elytra proportionally distinctly shorter in the second.

The key by Chemsak & Noguera (2005) leads Aneflomorpha spinifera to the alternative of couplet “11” with A. longitudinis Chemsak & Noguera, 2005 (see photographs on Bezark (2024) and in the original description) and A. exilis Chemsak & Noguera, 2005 (see photographs on Bezark (2024) and in the original description). The new species differs from A. longitudinis by the body lighter, especially the antennae (darker in A. longitudinis ), prothorax distinctly shorter than the basal width of elytra and about as long as wide (slightly shorter than the basal width of elytra and longer than wide in A. longitudinis ). Aneflomorpha spinifera differs from A. exilis especially by the apical spine of the antennomere III almost twice as long as the pedicel (about as long in A. exilis ) and the apical spine of the antennomere IV about as wide as the apical width of the antennomere (much shorter in A. exilis ). Although A. longitudinis and A. exilis are previously known only by males, usually the differences between males and females in Aneflomorpha are few, only the length of the antennae being more conspicuous.

Aneflomorpha spinifera is also similar to A. crinita Chemsak & Linsley, 1975 (see photographs on Bezark 2024), but differs by the spine of the antennomere III distinctly longer, and antennomere IV–VI with distinct spine. According to Chemsak & Linsley (1975), in A. crinita the “third segment moderately spined, fourth with a short spine, segments five and six with minute spines.” Finally, it differs from A. rectilinea Casey, 1924 (see photographs on Bezark 2024; Lingafelter et al. 2014; and Lingafelter 2022) especially by the apical spine of the antennomeres V–VI moderately long (very short on V, usually absent on VI in A. rectilinea ).