Hesycha tavakiliani Nearns and Swift 2011, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Nearns, Eugenio H.
name: Swift, Ian P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Hesycha
Hesycha tavakiliani

description: Hesycha tavakiliani Nearns and Swift, sp. nov.   
(Figures 1 a-d)  
 Description. Female. Length 10.2-11.8 mm (measured from vertex to elytral apices), width 4.3-5.3 mm (measured across humeri). Habitus as in Fig. 1a. General form elongate-oblong, moderate-sized. Integument ferrugineous, with portions of scutellum, apical 1/3 of elytra, and tibial apices with dark brown or black pubescence; portions of pronotum and elytra with ochraceous, dark brown, black, and white pubescence.   
Head with frons roughly subquadrate, about 5 times width of lower eye lobe (as in Fig. 1c). Eyes with lower lobes small, ovate-oblong; narrowest area connecting upper and lower eye lobes about 1-2 ommatidia wide. Genae elongate, a little taller than lower eye lobes.  
Antennae slightly longer than body; antennal tubercles prominent, moderately separated; tubercles armed at apex with short blunt tooth; scape robust, clavate, a little shorter than antennomere III, about as long as IV; antennomere III strongly sinuate; antennomeres IV-XI becoming progressively shorter; basal 1/2 of III-X with distinctly lighter pubescence.  
Pronotum slightly conical, slightly wider at base, transverse, about 1.3 times as wide as long, sides irregular, with a small, acute protuberance each side behind middle (Fig. 1d); disk with three moderately elevated tubercles, median tubercle oval, lateral tubercles reniform and more prominent; disk with 4 coarse punctures at basal transverse sulcus.  
Scutellum transverse, apex rounded.  
Elytra about 1.75 times as long as width at humeri (Fig. 1a), about 4 times as long as pronotal length, about 1.5 times broader basally than pronotum at widest (at base); lateral margins nearly straight, distinctly attenuate to apices, elytral apices obliquely truncate; base of each elytron with a feeble, broad gibbosity; basal 1/3 of elytra with moderate punctation, surface coarsely punctate; humeri prominent, anterior margin arcuate, angle with an obtuse tubercle.  
Venter with procoxae large, globose, not uncate; narrowest area of prosternal process between procoxae about 1/4 as wide as procoxal cavity; apex of prosternal process subtriangular. Mesosternal process about as wide as mesocoxal cavity; mesosternal process subtruncate-rounded. Fifth sternite about 1.5 times as long as IV, with a median triangular impression.  
Legs moderate in length; profemora robust; meso- and metafemora clavate apically; tibiae expanded apically; metafemora about 1/3 as long as elytra.  
 Male. Unknown.   
 Type Material. Holotype, female (Fig. 1 a-b, d), “Pedra Azul, 700 m, M. Gerais, Brasil, XI.972, Seabra & Oliveira; Coleção Fragoso” (MNRJ). One paratype, female, same data as holotype (MNRJ).   
 Etymology. We are pleased to name this species in honor of Gérard L. Tavakilian, for his collaboration and many contributions to the study of Neotropical Cerambycidae. The epithet is a noun in the genitive case.   
 Diagnosis and Remarks. This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following characters: pronotum with a small, acute protuberance each side behind middle; scutellum with dark brown pubescence and longitudinal, ochraceous line at center; and apical 1/3 of elytra with distinct dark brown and white pubescence. This species is described from two female specimens, males are unknown. Nothing is known about the habitat and behavior of this species; however, both known specimens were collected at 700 m elevation.
description: Published as part of Nearns, Eugenio H. & Swift, Ian P., 2011, New taxa and combinations in Onciderini Thomson, 1860 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae), pp. 1-27 in Insecta Mundi 2011 (192) on pages 3-5, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5161227