Epectasis mexicana Breuning 1954
Creators: name: Santos-Silva, Antonio
name: Nascimento, Francisco Eriberto de Lima
name: Drumont, Alain
name: Kozlov, Anton Olegovich
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Epectasis
Epectasis mexicana

description: Epectasis mexicana Breuning, 1954
(Figs. 13-19)
Epectasis mexicana Breuning, 1954: 6; 1961a: 27; 1961b: 223; Chemsak et al., 1992: 118 (checklist); Cools, 1993: 49 (type); Monné & Giesbert, 1994: 208 (checklist); Monné, 1994: 64 (cat.); Noguera & Chemsak, 1996: 405 (checklist); Monné, 2005: 641 (cat.); Monné & Hovore, 2006: 295 (checklist); Monné, 2018: 871 (cat.).
Redescription of the holotype male (Figs. 17-19): Integument mostly dark brown, almost black on pronotum, more reddish on elytra and antennae; mouthparts dark reddish brown; antennomeres IV‑IX (nine segments present on right antenna and seven on left one as the holotype has broken antennae) with basal whitish‑brown ring due to the presence of small dense white pubescence in this part of segment.
Head: Frons, antennal tubercles and upper side of head moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate, covered with dense small reddish‑brown pubescence interrupted in some rounded areas from which emerge an erect setae. Area behind upper eye lobes with light‑brown pubescence obscuring integument; with a few long, erect yellowish setae close to eye. Area behind lower eye lobes finely punctate; with light‑brown pubescence nearly obscuring integument; with long, erect, sparse lightbrown setae close to eye. Scape finely punctate with its maximum length at middle of its length, and then slightly curved internally to form at external apex rounded tooth; sides nearly parallel‑sided toward apex and after first basal third. Antennomere III with dense light‑brown pubescence basally, sparser, light‑brown on remaining dorsal surface; with sparse light‑brown setae around surface except on internal side where setae become longer and more numerous. Remaining antennomeres slenderer, with less setae when progressing to apex of antenna; basal part covered with rather dense whitish pubescence forming ring extending on ⅕ of length of segment. Antennomere IV little bit longer than II+III combined and shorter than V+VI, length of segment V equal to VI.
Thorax: Prothorax little bit longer than wide (including lateral tubercles); sides with small, distinct conical tubercle at middle with top directed to posterior part of body. Pronotum finely, densely punctate; with no well‑defined elevation on dorsal surface occupying ⅔ of anterior central part of pronotum; this elevation is excavated in its basal central part Y‑shaped, but with very large base; covered with long light‑brown pubescence obscuring integument from which emerge some sparse erect yellowish setae; same pubescence present on area before this elevation, along median line of pronotum and along posterior margin of dorsal part of pronotum; remaining surface covered with sparse and short light‑brown pubescence not obscuring integument. Sides of prothorax very finely punctate; with two no well defined longitudinal lines of very light‑brown pubescence covering integument; between those lines, on ventral side and on prosternal process, covered with sparse, short light‑brown pubescence not obscuring integument; with some sparse erect yellowish setae. Elytra: Slightly, gradually narrowed from humerus at basal third, nearly parallel‑sided at central third, slightly curved at posterior third; apex obliquely truncate; with surface punctate on first half of elytra, with sparse and deep punctures somewhat organized in rows, which are separate from each other by space larger than diameter of punctures, covered with very fine puncture; this string puncture tends to become smaller and sparser after ⅔ of length of elytra; surface also with some no well defined longitudinal yellowish‑white pubescent bands on basal half, except along suture with yellowish, gradually whiter pubescence along suture; area between yellowish‑brown pubescent bands on basal half with brownish pubescence not obscuring integument; posterior half with irregular white pubescence not obscuring integument, with some erect, long, sparse white and brown setae; apex of elytra with dense fringe of curved light‑brown setae. Legs: Coxae with sparse yellowish‑brown pubescence not obscuring integument, with long, erect light‑brown setae. Femora with yellowish‑brown pubescence not obscuring integument, sparser on profemora, with short, decumbent white setae interspersed (more abundant on profemora); all femora with long, erect, moderately sparse uniformly golden‑yellowish setae. Protibia with yellowish‑brown pubescence basally, brownish on remaining surface; with both, short and long white setae interspersed (long setae dark basally). Meso‑ and metatibiae with yellowish‑brown pubescence basally and distally (bristly distally),sparser, brownish, with decumbent white setae interspersed on central area.
Abdomen: Ventrites finely punctate; with light‑golden pubescence nearly obscuring integument; with moderately long, yellowish white setae; some of these setae becoming slenderer, longer and oriented at 45° on ventrite V, emarginate centrally.
Dimensions (mm): Total length, 12.00; prothorax: length, 1.90; anterior width, 1.55; posterior width, 1.60; maximum width, 1.85; humeral width, 2.30; elytral length, 9.40.Total length of the holotype, 10.5 mm.
Material examined: MEXICO, holotype male (RBINS; former Lacordaire collection). COLOMBIA (New country record), Norte de Santander: Road 70 (2,250 m; near Alto El Pozo; 08°02’19”N, 73°02’13”W), 1 male, 21‑24.VII.2017, V. Sinyaev col. (MZSP, former AKPC).
Remarks: Epectasis mexicana differs from E. juncea (Newman, 1840), E. attenuata Bates, 1866, and E. grossepunctata Breuning, 1942, especially by the elytra 3.4 times longer than head + prothorax.In the holotype of E.juncea, the elytra are about 2.8 times as long as head + prothorax; about 2.7times in the holotype of E.attenuata Bates,1866; and about 2.65 times in the holotype of E.grossepunctata Breuning, 1942. Additionally, the lateral tubercles of the prothorax are well‑marked and conical in E. mexicana, while they are slightly marked and rounded in E.juncea.
Variations (Figs. 13-15) and additional features not studied in the holotype: Body somewhat wider in the holotype. Antennomeres IV‑X with basal yellowish‑brown ring, gradually reddish brown toward dark brown distal area (short on IV, reaching about midlength on remaining antennomeres). Punctures on frons moderately sparse; frons with dense yellowish‑brown pubescence interspersed with brownish pubescence, slightly sparser toward clypeus, yellower adjacent to eyes. Area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate; with brownish pubescence centrally, yellower laterally; remaining surface of vertex minutely, almost indistinct punctate; with yellowish‑brown pubescence obscuring integument, except glabrous, longitudinal, narrow central area. Area behind upper eye lobes moderately finely, sparsely punctate close to eye, smooth on remaining surface; with yellowish‑brown pubescence obscuring integument; area behind lower eye lobes coarsely, sparsely punctate. Genae very finely, transversely striate toward eye,smooth toward apex; with yellowish‑brown pubescence not obscuring integument,especially toward apex,interspersed with decumbent, sparse white setae. Postclypeus with yellowish‑brown pubescence not obscuring integument, with long, erect, sparse setae of same color. Labrum coplanar with anteclypeus on posterior ⅔, inclined on anterior third; with sparse yellowish‑brown pubescence, longer, denser, yellower laterally; anterior margin with dense fringe of golden setae. Gulamentum with short, erect, sparse yellowish‑white setae anteriorly. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.33 times length of scape; in frontal view,distance between lower eye lobes 0.73 times length of scape. Antennae 1.5 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at distal third of antennomere IX; scape with brownish pubescence nearly obscuring integument except yellowish pubescence near apex, with short, sparse white setae interspersed; with long, erect, sparse dark setae ventrally (some of them whitish toward apex); antennomere III with dense yellowish pubescence basally, sparser, yellowish‑brown on remaining dorsal surface, yellowish, not obscuring integument on outer surface, yellowish‑white on inner surface, yellowish‑brown, not obscuring integument ventrally; with short, sparse white setae interspersed; with long, erect, moderately sparse setae ventrally (setae dark basally, whitish toward apex). Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.88; pedicel = 0.26; IV = 1.76; V = 1.32; VI = 1.23;VII = 1.07;VIII = 1.00; IX = 0.91; X = 0.82; XI = 0.65. Prothorax about as long as wide (including lateral tubercles). Sides of prothorax coarsely punctate. Prosternum with yellowish‑brown pubescence not obscuring integument, with long, erect, white setae; prosternal process yellowish‑brown pubescence not obscuring integument, with long, erect, moderately abundant yellowish‑white setae. Mesoventrite with yellowish pubescence centrally, yellowish‑brown laterally; with short, sparse, decumbent white setae laterally, and long setae of same color on central area. Mesoventral process widely, longitudinally sulcate centrally; apex emarginate; with yellowish‑white pubescence not obscuring integument, with long, erect white setae interspersed.Mesanepisternum,mesepimeron, and metanepisternum with brownish pubescence not obscuring integument, with short, decumbent white setae interspersed. Metaventrite moderately coarsely, sparsely punctate laterally; with large, sub‑triangular yellow pubescent macula on each side of posterior third, nearly obscuring integument; laterally with pubescence and setae as on metanepisternum, slightly longer, yellowish‑white on remaining surface, with long, erect white setae interspersed. Scutellum with dense yellow pubescence except nearly glabrous central area. Elytra with ill‑delimited, longitudinal yellowish‑white pubescent bands on basal half.
description: Published as part of Santos-Silva, Antonio, Nascimento, Francisco Eriberto de Lima, Drumont, Alain & Kozlov, Anton Olegovich, 2019, Descriptions, notes and new records in south american Cerambycidae (Coleoptera), pp. 1-13 in Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 59 on pages 10-12, DOI: 10.11606/1807-0205/2019.59.15, http://zenodo.org/record/4613580