Paraeclipta ecuadorensis Bezark & Santos-Silva, 2017, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Bezark, Larry G.
name: Santos-Silva, Antonio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Paraeclipta
Paraeclipta ecuadorensis

description: Paraeclipta ecuadorensis sp. nov.
(Figs. 1–4)
Description. Female. Form small; integument shiny, dark brown, almost black; parts of sides of prothorax, including pronotum, dark reddish-brown (slightly contrasting with remaining surface); mouthparts yellowishbrown, except for last two segments of palpi dark-brown; most of pronotum and elytra with dark greenish reflections (elytra slightly redder toward apex); base of peduncle of metafemora reddish-brown.
Head. Basal area not elongated behind eyes (distance between posterior margin of eyes slightly smaller than width of upper eye lobes); rostrum (length between margin of lower eye lobe and apex of gena), in frontal view, 0.5 times length of lower eye lobe. Frons coarsely, abundantly punctate between lower eye lobes, punctures finer toward clypeus; with short, sparse, yellowish setae, distinctly more abundantly laterally. Area between antennal tubercles and posterior margin of upper eye lobes near frons finely punctate, coarsely punctate on remaining surface; with short, sparse, yellowish setae (slightly more abundant between antennal tubercles); area between upper eye lobes and prothorax, coarsely, abundantly punctate with short, sparse, yellowish setae interspersed with long, erect setae. Antennal tubercles finely, sparsely punctate, except base of frontal side coarsely punctate; with short, sparse, yellowish setae. Clypeus finely, sparsely punctate; with short, sparse, yellowish setae; with one erect, long seta laterally. Labrum minutely punctate; with long, erect, sparse, yellowish, except for dense fringe of short setae on apex. Outer edge of mandibles finely, abundantly striate-punctate on basal half, with short, sparse, yellowish setae. Area behind lower eye lobes tumid close to eye, finely, moderately sparsely punctate; with short, yellowish setae interspersed with long, erect setae. Ventral surface of head from base to near posterior margin of eyes shiny, smooth, glabrous, then striate interspersed with fine punctures anteriorly; with minute, sparse yellowish setae in middle, longer, more abundant laterally. Genae finely, sparsely punctate with short, sparse yellowish setae. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.80 times length of scape; distance between lower eye lobes in frontal view 0.55 times length of scape. Antennae 0.90 times elytral length, reaching base of second abdominal segment; scape, pedicel and antennomeres III–VI with long, erect, dark, thick setae, moderately abundant ventrally (setae shorter on scape and antennomere III, and only present near apex on VI); antennal formula (ratio) based on antennomere III: scape = 0.83; pedicel = 0.29; IV = 0.58; V = 0.81; VI = 0.71; VII = 0.64; VIII = 0.54; IX = 0.54; X = 0.41; XI = 0.58.
Thorax. Prothorax subcylindrical, distinctly widened laterally about middle, distinctly longer than wide. Pronotum coarsely punctate-reticulate; with yellowish pubescence at base (except nearly glabrous central area) and laterally (except nearly glabrous widened area), and remaining surface with short, sparse, yellowish setae interspersed with long, erect setae. Sides of prothorax with punctures finer than on pronotum, interspersed with coarse punctures, except smooth area close to head; with wide band of yellowish pubescence adjacent to prosternum (denser on base), with short, sparse, yellowish setae on remaining punctate surface, nearly glabrous on smooth region. Prosternum finely, sparsely punctate, except for striate-punctate central region on basal half; with short, moderately abundant, yellowish setae on striate-punctate region, middle with long, erect, sparse setae throughout. Prosternal process notably narrow from base to about middle of coxae, then notably enlarged toward truncate apex, finely, densely punctate with minute setae interspersed with long, erect setae. Ventral side of mesothorax with yellowish-white pubescence, denser laterally. Metepisterna with yellowish-white pubescence interspersed with long, erect setae. Sides of metasternum with yellowish-white pubescence interspersed with long, erect setae (this region narrowed from base to apex), remaining surface with short and long, erect, sparse setae; densely, minutely punctate on pubescent area, finely, sparsely punctate on remaining surface. Scutellum with very short, sparse, white setae. Elytra. Tip of elytra reaching apex of fourth abdominal segment; sides slightly convergent toward midlength, subparallel to near apex; surface coarsely, punctate-reticulate throughout; with long, erect, yellowish setae at base, gradually shorter, sparser toward apex; apex obliquely truncate with minute spine at sutural angle. Legs. Profemora sub-fusiform; meso- and metafemora clavate, more abruptly enlarged on apical half of mesofemora; with long, erect, sparse yellowish setae. Metatarsomere I, 1.2 times longer than II–III together.
Abdomen. Ventrites minutely, densely punctate laterally, finely, sparsely punctate at middle; with yellowishwhite pubescence laterally, interspersed with long, erect setae, and with short and long, sparse, yellowish-white setae at middle. Apex of ventrite V slightly rounded.
Variation. Base of peduncle of metafemora dark brown.
Dimensions in mm (female). Total length, 6.50–5.40; prothorax: length, 1.10–1.00; anterior width, 0.75–0.65; posterior width, 0.80–0.70; widest prothoracic width, 1.00–0.85; humeral width, 1.05–0.90; elytral length, 4.30– 3.80. The largest dimensions are those of the holotype.
Type material. Holotype female from ECUADOR, Manabi: Vicinity of Montecristi (01.01534°S / 080.68195°W; 355 m), 17–26.II.2006, F. T. Hovore & I. Swift col. (CASC). Paratype female from ECUADOR, Manabi: Vicinity of La Pila (01.11198°S / 080.58068°W / 200 m), 18-27.II.2006, F. T. Hovore & I. Swift col. (LGBC).
Etymology. The specific epithet ecuadorensis refers to the country where the types were collected.
Remarks. According to Clarke (2011): “separation of the genus Paraeclipta from the genus Eclipta Bates, 1873 is justified by comparing it with the type-species, Eclipta flavicollis Bates, 1873, as follows: … antennae usually clubbed, basal segments relatively weakly and sparsely setose (in E. flavicollis not clubbed, basal segments strongly and densely setose); prothorax cylindrical, pronotum with dense, alveolate punctures (in E. flavicollis prothorax subglobose, pronotum densely micro-punctate); elytra long, at least 3.4 longer than width of humeri, usually reaching urosternite IV or V (in E. flavicollis elytra short, three times longer than width of humeri, reaching middle of urosternite III), not dehiscent, and elytron widening close to apex (in E. flavicollis strongly dehiscent for apical half, and elytron subacuminate); … metatarsomere I equal to II+III (in E. flavicollis longer than II-IV together).” The new species has some features of both genera: the antennae, shape of prothorax and length of metatarsomere I are as on E. flavicollis. However, the elytra (shape and length) and the pronotal sculpture are as in the type species of Paraeclipta (P. croceicornis (Gounelle, 1911)).
Paraeclipta ecuadorensis is similar to P. bicoloripes (Zajciw, 1965) based on the metafemora being light only on the base, but differs as follows: antennomeres VII–XI not notably enlarged; prothorax distinctly widened laterally. In P. bicoloripes the antennomeres VII–XI are notably expanded and the prothorax is not distinctly expanded laterally. It differs from P. jejuna (Gounelle, 1911), P. rectipennis (Zajciw, 1965), and P. longipennis (Fisher, 1947) by the same features as with P. bicoloripes, but also by the pro- and metafemora being dark (distinctly light in P. jejuna). It can be separated from P. moscosoi Clarke, 2011 mainly by the pro- and mesofemora being dark (light in P. moscosoi), and by the antennomeres VII–XI not ringed with yellowish at base (ringed in P. moscosoi).
description: Published as part of Bezark, Larry G. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2017, Three new species of Ecuadorian Rhinotragini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), pp. 585-592 in Zootaxa 4247 (5) on pages 586-588, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4247.5.5, http://zenodo.org/record/439185