Desmiphora ( Desmiphora ) lobata, Vlasak & Santos-Silva, 2025

Desmiphora ( Desmiphora) lobata sp. nov.

( Figs 85–88 View FIGURES 85–89 )

Description. Male holotype. Head capsule dark brown, except genae orangish brown laterally and gulamentum light brown anteriorly, gradually light yellowish brown toward posterior region; ventral mouthparts light brown, except palpi mostly orangish brown; clypeus and labrum dark reddish brown, postclypeus with irregular dark-brown areas; scape dark brown basally, gradually light brown toward apex; pedicel mostly dark orangish brown; antennomeres III–XI orange. Pronotum light brown on anterior 2/3, with irregular dark-brown areas centrally and laterally, dark brown on posterior third. Sides of prothorax mostly dark brown. Prosternum and prosternal process orangish brown, darker on margins. Mesoventrite reddish brown centrally, orangish brown laterally; mesoventral process orange centrally, dark reddish brown on margins. Mesanepisterna, mesepimera, metanepisterna, and sides of metaventrite dark reddish brown; remaining surface of metaventrite reddish brown. Coxae reddish brown with irregular orangish-brown areas; trochanters, femora, tibiae, and tarsi orange, except reddish-brown base of tibiae. Abdominal ventrites orangish, except narrow, transverse dark reddish-brown band near apex of ventrites 1–4, and lighter sides of apical third of ventrite 5.

Head. Frons moderately sparsely, coarsely punctate; with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, and long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed throughout; with long, erect whitish setae interspersed close to eyes. Vertex moderately abundantly, coarsely punctate; area between antennal tubercles with moderately abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, and long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed; area close to eyes with dense orangish-brown pubescence; remaining surface of vertex with sparse yellowish-white pubescence and long, erect brown setae interspersed. Area behind upper eye lobes, abundantly, coarsely punctate; with dense orangish-brown pubescence. Area behind lower eye lobes with dense pubescence close to eye, pubescence orangish brown superiorly, yellow inferiorly; remaining surface mostly glabrous; with long, erect whitish setae interspersed. Genae about one-third as long as lower eye lobe in frontal view; mostly glabrous close to eyes, glabrous on apex, and with moderately sparse yellowish-white pubescence between these two areas; with long, erect whitish setae interspersed on pubescent area. Antennal tubercles with sculpturing and pubescence as on frons; with long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed. Wide central area of postclypeus with moderately abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument; with long, erect whitish setae interspersed. Sides of postclypeus glabrous. Labrum abruptly, arcuately inclined from posterior third; with a few short, decumbent yellowish-white setae on posterior third, abundant yellowish-white and yellowish-brown pubescence laterally and centrally close to inclined region, glabrous on remaining central region, with fringe of yellowish-brown setae on anterior margin; with long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed laterally on anterior 2/3. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous, with a few long, erect yellowish-white setae on intermaxillary process. Upper eye lobes distinctly wider than basal diameter of scape; distance between upper eye lobes 0.16 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.51 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 1.6 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at apical third of antennomere IX. Scape with abundant yellowish pubescence on basal third, pubescence gradually yellowish white toward apex; with long, erect brown setae interspersed on basal 2/3 of dorsal and lateral surfaces, remaining surface with long, erect, both whitish and yellowish-brown setae interspersed. Pedicel and antennomeres III–XI with moderately abundant whitish pubescence; pedicel, antennomere III, and basal half of IV with long, erect whitish setae throughout, setae distinctly longer ventrally and slightly yellowish depending on light intensity; remaining ventral surface of IV and entire ventral surface of V–XI with long, erect whitish setae, setae slightly yellowish depending on light intensity; dorsal apex of IV–X with long, erect yellowish-brown setae; apex of XI with long yellowish-brown setae directed backward. Antennal formula based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.00; pedicel = 0.28; IV = 1.08; V = 0.72; VI = 0.61; VII = 0.58; VIII = 0.55; IX = 0.55; X = 0.53; XI = 0.58.

Thorax. Prothorax longer than wide; lateral tubercles conical, with blunt apex, located about middle. Pronotum moderately abundantly,coarsely punctate; with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument from anterior margin to just after middle; remaining surface with abundant, both whitish and grayish-white pubescence; with tuft of long, erect dark-brown setae anterocentrally and on each about middle; with long, erect dark-brown, yellowish-brown, and whitish setae interspersed throughout. Sides of prothorax with dense dull yellowish-brown pubescence, more yellowish white on posterior half close to pronotum; with long, erect yellowish-white setae interspersed. Prosternum with abundant yellowish-white pubescence laterally, pubescence sparser and yellowish brown centrally; with sparse yellowish-white setae interspersed. Prosternal process with sparse yellowish-brown pubescence and a few long, erect yellowish-white setae interspersed; narrowest area located anteriorly, 0.18 times procoxal width. Central area of mesoventrite with sparse yellowish-brown pubescence; sides with dense yellowish-white pubescence. Mesanepisterna and mesepimera with dense yellowish-white pubescence. Mesoventral process mostly glabrous, with long, erect yellowish-white setae, more abundant posteriorly; sides slightly convergent to near apex, then widened; narrowest area 0.38 times mesocoxal width; apex 0.55 times mesocoxal width. Metanepisterna and sides of metaventrite with dense yellowish-white pubescence; remaining surface of metaventrite with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, gradually sparser toward central region; metaventrite with long, erect whitish setae interspersed. Scutellum with sparse brownish pubescence anteriorly and moderately sparse dark yellowish-brown pubescence posteriorly; with transverse tuft of long, erect dark-brown setae anteriorly. Elytra. Moderately abundantly, coarsely punctate on anterior 2/3, punctures gradually finer, sparser toward apex of posterior third; humeral region with dense light yellowish-brown pubescence; anterior 2/3 of epipleura and outer side of dorsal surface with dense whitish pubescence, reaching middle of dorsal surface on anterior seventh; remaining anterior third of dorsal surface with sparse yellowish-brown pubescence, except narrow whitish pubescent band on suture, distinctly whiter and widened on apex of this region, and narrow, strongly arcuate white pubescent band bordering area with dense whitish pubescence, extending obliquely toward sutural whitish pubescent band; central third of dorsal surface with irregular, longitudinal band of pale-yellow pubescence laterally close to whitish pubescence, white pubescent band close to suture, large, wide, longitudinal yellow pubescent band between previous pubescent areas, and moderately abundant yellowish pubescence on remaining surface; posterior third of epipleura, outer side of dorsal surface, and entire posterior seventh of dorsal surface with abundant white pubescence; remaining posterior third of dorsal surface with moderately abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, V-shaped white pubescent band dorsally, located about beginning of posterior quarter, bristly and longer on its vertex, fused to longitudinal white pubescent band on suture, pubescence sparser laterally and following toward epipleural margin, and sinuous white pubescent band from suture to epipleural margin on posterior seventh; anterior 2/3 with long, erect, both dark-brown and yellowish-brown setae interspersed, except epipleural region mostly with white setae; posterior third with long, erect white setae interspersed; apex rounded. Legs. Coxae with moderately abundant white pubescence not obscuring integument, and long, erect white setae interspersed. Trochanters with abundant white pubescence and long, erect white setae ventrally. Femora with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, and long, erect white setae interspersed. Tibiae with moderately abundant white pubescence, distinctly not obscuring integument, except abundant, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence on apical 2/3 of ventral surface of protibiae, abundant, moderately long yellowish-white setae ventrally on meso- and metatibiae, and dense, long, erect pale-yellow setae on apical 2/3 of mesotibiae; all tibiae with long, erect white setae interspersed. Dorsal surface of tarsi with sparse whitish pubescence and long, erect whitish setae interspersed.

Abdomen. Ventrite 1 with dense whitish pubescence laterally and on entire apex; remaining surface with sparse yellowish pubescence; with a few long, erect whitish setae interspersed on whitish pubescence. Ventrites 2–3 with dense whitish pubescence laterally, pubescence yellowish on small basal area of ventrite 3, and moderately abundant whitish pubescence on apex, except centrally; remaining surface with moderately sparse yellowish pubescence; with long, erect whitish setae interspersed on whitish pubescence. Ventrite 4 with abundant yellowish pubescence about basal 2/3, and whitish pubescence on remaining surface, whitish pubescence distinctly denser laterally; with long, erect whitish setae interspersed on whitish pubescence. Ventrite 5 subglabrous basally with abundant white pubescence on remaining lateral surfaces, and abundant yellowish pubescence on remaining central surface; with long, erect white setae interspersed laterally and posterocentrally; apex rounded.

Dimensions (mm). Total length, 5.55; prothoracic length, 1.15; anterior prothoracic width, 1.15; posterior prothoracic width, 1.15; maximum prothoracic width, 1.40; humeral width, 1.85; elytral length, 3.70.

Type specimen. Male 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 “ lobata ” (Latin, meaning having lobes) refers to the lobe-like pubescence structures on the elytra.

Remarks. Desmiphora ( Desmiphora) lobata sp. nov. is similar to D. ( D.) durantoni Tavakilian & Néouze, 2004 (see photographs on Bezark 2025 and in Tavakilian & Néouze 2004) and D. ( D.) mulsa Giesbert, 1998 (see photographs on Bezark 2025 and in Giesbert, 1998), but differs as follows: upper eye lobes distinctly wider; pronotum without blackish pubescence centrally; and elytra with large, longitudinal yellow pubescent macula centrally on dorsal surface, not reaching posterior white pubescent band. In D. ( D.) durantoni and D. ( D.) mulsa , the upper eye lobes are distinctly narrower, the pronotum has dense blackish pubescence centrally, elytra with yellowish pubescent area on central region of dorsal surface irregular, reaching the posterior white pubescent band. Additionally, it differs from D. ( D.) durantoni and D. ( D.) mulsa by the apex of the abdominal ventrite 5 rounded and without a preapical tubercle. According to Tavakilian & Néouze (2004), males of D. ( D.) durantoni have the “Ultime ventrite du mâle doublement échancré sur le bord apical, avec un tubercule préapical saillant median, orné de soies rousses [male ultimate ventrite doubly emarginate on the apical margin, with a median, prominent preapical tubercle bearing reddish setae].” According to Giesbert (1998), on the abdominal ventrite 5 in D. ( D.) mulsa : “sternite 5 not strongly convex, about as long as sternites 3 and 4 together, with the apex moderately broadly rounded, bearing small keel-like, nearly naked tubercle on middle before apex.” The general dorsal appearance and the descriptions of the abdominal ventrite 5 suggest that D. ( D.) durantoni is a junior synonym of D. ( D.) mulsa . The new species differs from D. ( D.) chemsaki Giesbert, 1998 (see photographs on Bezark 2025 and drawing in Giesbert 1998), especially by the lack of an apical tubercle on the abdominal ventrite 5 (present in D. ( D.) chemsaki ), and distinct wider upper eye lobes (narrow in D. ( D.) chemsaki ). It differs from D. ( D.) lanuginosa Breuning, 1942 ( Fig. 89 View FIGURES 85–89 ), especially by the upper eye lobes distinctly wider (narrow in D. ( D.) lanuginosa ).

Note: Due to the presence of a tubercle on apex of the abdominal ventrite 5, we suspect that D. ( D.) durantoni , D. ( D.) mulsa , and D. ( D.) chemsaki belong to Obscenoides Nascimento & Santos-Silva, 2020 .