Caraphia squamosa
Creators: name: Wappes, James E.
name: Santos-Silva, Antonio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Caraphia
Caraphia squamosa

description: Caraphia squamosa (Chemsak and Linsley, 1984)
(Fig. 1–6, 22, 27–28)
Noctileptura squamosa Chemsak and Linsley, 1984: 282; Chemsak et al. 1992: 98 (checklist); McNamara 1993: 12 (cat.); Monné and Giesbert 1994: 167 (checklist); Monné 1995: 116 (cat.); Noguera and Chemsak 1996: 403 (cat.); Monné 2006: 131 (cat.); 2012: 122 (cat.).
Caraphia squamosa: Ohbayashi et al., 2016: 200, 213; Monné 2018: 5 (cat.).
Description of male. Integument mostly dark brown; palpi yellowish brown; narrow anterior area of clypeus and anterior half of labrum reddish brown; antennae gradually slightly lighter toward distal segments; tibiae gradually reddish-brown toward apex. Head. Frons moderately coarsely, densely punctate; with short, decumbent, moderately narrow yellowish-white scales not obscuring integument, slender and shorter close to superior area of eyes. Vertex with sculpturing as on frons, slightly coarser close to prothoracic margin; with moderately short, decumbent, abundant yellowish-white scales, larger and wider than on frons, and a few short, decumbent, narrow yellowish-white scales close to prothorax. Area behind upper eye lobes with sculpturing as on vertex; scales as on vertex toward dorsal surface of head, finer, sparser close to lower eye lobe. Area behind lower eye lobes with sculpturing as on vertex; scales shorter, slender, sparser than on vertex. Antennal tubercles with narrow, moderately abundant yellowish-white scales not obscuring integument. Median groove distinct from clypeus to level of posterior margin of eyes, deeper between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes. Genae with moderately abundant, decumbent, thick (nearly scale) yellowish-white setae not obscuring integument, except glabrous distal area, interspersed with a few short, sub-erect brownish setae. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous posteriorly, moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate, with thick, moderately sparse, narrow yellowishwhite scales in wide anterior area (with a few long, erect brownish setae in this area). Postclypeus with sculpturing as on frons; scales as on frons posteriorly, gradually becoming thick, sparser setae toward anterior margin; with moderately long, sparse, sub-erect yellowish-brown setae laterally and anteriorly (yellower anteriorly). Labrum coplanar with clypeus posteriorly, inclined anteriorly; finely, sparsely punctate posteriorly, smooth anteriorly; with long, erect, sparse yellowish setae laterally, small, sparse, decumbent yellowish setae centrally in posterior area, glabrous in anterior area. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.56 times length of scape; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.79 times length of scape. Antennae 1.85 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at midlength of antennomere IX; scape moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate, with thick, decumbent yellowish-white setae not obscuring integument; antennomeres III–V with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, interspersed with thick, decumbent setae of same color, sparser toward V; remaining antennomeres with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (whiter depending on light intensity); outer side of antennomeres carinate (III slightly distinct only in distal area, IV only in distal half). Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.84; pedicel = 0.15; IV = 0.94; V = 1.14; VI = 0.92; VII = 0.92; VIII = 0.83; IX = 0.83; X = 0.78; XI = 0.91.
Thorax. Prothorax slightly longer than wide (about 1.1 times); nearly parallel-sided in posterior quarter, swollen from this point to about midlength, distinctly convergent toward anterior quarter, and then slightly swollen in anterior quarter. Pronotum coarsely, abundantly punctate; with short, decumbent, moderately wide yellowish-white scales interspersed with short, narrow, decumbent scales of same color (wide scales slightly more abundant laterally). Sides of prothorax with sculpturing and scales as on sides of pronotum. Prosternum moderately coarsely and sparsely punctate (punctures sparser anteriorly); with moderately short and sparse yellowish-white scales in posterior half (whiter depending on light intensity), gradually smaller, sparser on sides of anterior half; with short, decumbent, thick yellowish-white (whiter depending on light intensity) setae in wide central area of anterior half, forming two transverse rows, one close to anterior margin, another on posterior margin of anterior sulcus; postcoxal processes glabrous. Prosternal process with short, decumbent, thick yellowish-white setae (whiter depending on light intensity), not obscuring integument. Mesoventrite with decumbent, narrow yellowish-white setae (whiter depending on light intensity), abundant laterally, sparser scale-shaped centrally. Mesanepisternum and mesepimeron with moderately abundant, narrow, decumbent yellowish-white scales (whiter depending on light intensity). Metanepisternum and sides of metaventrite with abundant, decumbent, narrow yellowish-white scales (whiter depending on light intensity) nearly obscuring integument; remaining surface of metaventrite with moderately short, decumbent, narrow yellowish-white scales (whiter depending on light intensity), distinctly not obscuring integument. Scutellum with very short, decumbent yellowish-white scales on centrobasal area, obscuring integument, glabrous on remaining surface. Elytra. Coarsely, deeply, moderately abundantly punctate in basal half, gradually finer, sparser toward apex (punctures nearly 8-shaped in anterior half); with moderately abundant, decumbent, wide yellowish-white scales in anterior third (Fig. 27), not organized in rows, gradually whiter, slender, sparser toward distal area (Fig. 28); with longitudinal row of narrow, short whitish scales along suture and epipleuron; with minute yellowish-white seta inside most punctures. Legs. Femora and tibiae with abundant, decumbent, thick yellowish-white setae not obscuring integument (some of setae on tibiae slightly scale-shaped); tibiae interspersed with fine yellowish setae ventrally in distal third of ventral surface and along apex.
Abdomen. Ventrites finely, moderately abundantly punctate; I–IV with narrow, decumbent, abundant yellowish-white scales (whiter depending on light intensity), wider in center of ventrite I, gradually more seta-shaped toward IV; V with short, decumbent, moderately abundant yellowish-white setae (whiter depending on light intensity) not obscuring integument; sides of ventrites with long, erect sparse yellowish-white setae; ventrite V (Fig. 6) as long as IV, with apex truncate, slightly emarginate centrally.
Variation. Scales on frons very short, yellowish, nearly absent centrally; scales and thick setae on postclypeus distinctly sparse; scales on pronotum yellower; scales in central area of pronotum very small and sparse; all elytral scales yellowish-white.
Dimensions (mm), male/female. Total length 10.30–11.85/12.90; prothoracic length 1.75–1.95/2.05; anterior prothoracic width 1.20–1.35/1.35; posterior prothoracic width 1.55–1.85/1.95; maximum prothoracic width 1.70–1.90/2.00; humeral width 2.60–3.25/3.60; elytral length 6.90–8.00/8.60.
Material examined. MEXICO, Chiapas: Sumidero Canyon (4000′), 2 males, 1 female, 25.VI.1987, E. Giesbert col. (1 male, 1 female FSCA, 1 male MZSP); 2 males, 14–26.VI.1987, J.E. Wappes col. (ACMT).
Remarks. Females differ by slightly shorter antennae, 1.7 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at apex of antennomere IX, and abdominal ventrite V slightly longer than IV.
The number of known specimens remains small (holotype female, 2 females, and 4 males). They were collected in Sumidero Canyon, except the holotype which was collected nearby. The paucity of specimens may indicate that the species has a very restricted habitat, or it may simply reflect collecting bias.
description: Published as part of Wappes, James E. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2018, A synopsis of American Caraphia Gahan, 1906 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lepturinae) with description of two new species, pp. 1-17 in Insecta Mundi 683 on pages 2-4, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3715112