Scythropopsis variegata Vlasak & Santos-Silva 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Vlasak, Josef
name: Santos-Silva, Antonio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Scythropopsis
Scythropopsis variegata

description: Scythropopsis variegata sp. nov.
(Figs 12–19)
Description. Holotype male. Integument mostly black; anteclypeus partially dark reddish brown laterally; pedicel and basal half of antennomere III brown; basal half of antennomere IV dark orangish brown, posterior half black; antennomeres V–VII dark orangish brown about basal third, dark brown on remaining surface; antennomeres IX–XI dark orangish brown about basal quarter, dark brown on remaining surface. Tibiae mostly dark brown on basal half, black on apical half. Tarsi dark orangish brown, more reddish brown depending on light intensity.
Head. Frons abundantly, finely punctate; with dense yellowish-brown pubescence laterally, lighter, with short white setae interspersed close to superior region of eyes; with wide, longitudinal white pubescent band on each side of middle; with two inverted Y-shaped pubescent maculae centrally, one close to postclypeus, another, more distinct between eyes and antennal tubercles; with dense yellowish-brown pubescence close to inferior Y-shaped pubescent macula, and sparser yellowish-brown pubescence close to superior Y-shaped pubescent macula; and a few long, erect brown setae interspersed laterally. Antennal tubercles with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, and white setae interspersed, except apical region with yellowish pubescence. Vertex sparsely, coarsely punctate between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes, smooth on remaining surface; with tufts of dense pubescence, both yellowish brown and yellowish white, glabrous among tufts, except large, subcircular sparsely brownish pubescent macula on each side close to prothorax. Area behind upper eye lobes with dense yellowish-white pubescent band superiorly, narrow close to eye, wide close to prothorax, and dense yellowishbrown pubescence on remaining surface. Area between upper and lower eye lobes with dense yellowish-brown pubescence. Area behind lower eye lobes with dense yellowish-brown pubescence close to eye, except central area mostly with yellowish-white pubescence, glabrous close to prothorax. Genae somewhat coarsely rugose-punctate; with abundant yellowish-white pubescence, denser close to eye and glabrous apical region, except area close to eye partially with yellowish-brown pubescence. Wide central area of postclypeus glabrous centrally, with abundant, somewhat long, erect, both yellowish-brown and yellowish-white setae on remaining surface, and a few long, erect brown setae interspersed. Sides of postclypeus glabrous. Labrum with abundant grayish-white pubescence on posterior 2/3, with long, suberect brownish setae interspersed, glabrous on anterior third, except anterior margin with dense fringe of yellowish-brown setae. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous, except intermaxillary process minutely punctate, with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument. Eyes united by thin and low carina without ommatidia (Fig. 19). Distance between upper eye lobes 0.40 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.65 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae slightly longer than elytral length, slightly surpassing base of posterior third of elytra. Scape piriform; with abundant yellow pubescence on dorsal basal half, dark-brown pubescence with short yellow setae interspersed on dorsal posterior half, dark-brown pubescence with abundant yellowish-white setae interspersed on sides, pale-yellow setae more abundant on basal half, and dark-brown pubescence with yellowish white and white setae interspersed ventrally. Pedicel with mostly brown pubescence, and irregular, both yellowish-brown and yellowish-white pubescent maculae interspersed dorsally and laterally, and abundant yellowish-white pubescence centrally; with a few long, erect dark setae ventrally. Antennomere III with two pale yellow pubescent rings, one basally, another close to middle; area between pale-yellow pubescent rings with brownish pubescence; remaining surface with dense blackish pubescence; with sparse, long, erect dark setae ventrally, distinctly more abundant apically. Antennomere IV with abundant yellowish pubescence on light area, blackish on dark area; with a few moderately short dark setae on ventral apex; antennomeres V–VI with whitish pubescence on light area, blackish on remaining surface, and a few short, erect dark setae on ventral apex; antennomeres VII–XI with whitish pubescence on light area, brown, with short yellowish-white setae interspersed on remaining surface; antennomere VII with a few short, erect dark setae on ventral apex; antennomeres IX–XI with long, erect dark setae ventrally, especially centrally. Antennal formula based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.70; pedicel = 0.27; IV = 0.55; V = 0.27; VI = 0.23; VII = 0.20; VIII = 0.19; IX = 0.17; X = 0.15; XI = 0.19.
Thorax. Prothorax transverse; with large, conical tubercle located centrally. Pronotum sparsely, coarsely punctate, punctures coarser close to posterior margin, finer and sparser centrally; with large, elevated tubercle on each side of central region, with apex truncate anteriorly, then obliquely decreasing toward its posterior apex; with slightly elevated, subelliptical gibbosity on center of posterior half; lateral tubercle mostly with abundant blackish pubescence; central gibbosity with dense blackish pubescence; with short, longitudinal, irregular darkbrown pubescent band on each side of posterior third; remaining surface with dense, both yellowish-brown and white pubescence, white pubescence forming irregular band on each side of center, converging from posterior margin to anterior third, and glabrous and subglabrous areas interspersed. Sides of prothorax sparsely, coarsely punctate; with dense, both yellowish-brown and white pubescence, and glabrous and subglabrous areas interspersed. Prosternum with sparse, decumbent yellowish-white setae, setae slightly yellower laterally. Prosternal process (Fig. 16) wide, narrowest area about as wide as procoxa; posterior margin elevated on sides; with sparse, decumbent yellowish-white setae. Mesoventrite with somewhat sparse, short, decumbent yellowish-white setae centrally, and dense yellowish-brown pubescence laterally. Mesanepisternum with dense yellowish-brown pubescence close to elytra, somewhat dense and yellowish close to mesoventrite, and somewhat sparse, yellowish white centrally. Mesepimeron with yellowish-brown pubescence close to elytra, dense close to elytra, sparse on remaining surface close to mesanepisternum, and somewhat abundant close to metanepisternum. Mesoventral process strongly wide, apical width 1.2 times mesocoxal cavity; with distinct tubercle on each side of anterior half (Fig. 16); with dense pale-yellow pubescent band on sides of anterior half, and spare whitish pubescence on remaining surface. Metanepisternum with abundant yellow pubescence, more yellowish white anteriorly close to metaventrite. Metaventrite with abundant yellow pubescence laterally, with abundant glabrous areas interspersed, abundant, not obscuring integument, mostly whitish on remaining surface, except large posterocentral area with sparse yellowishwhite pubescence and glabrous areas. Scutellum with dense blackish pubescence, except a few short yellowishbrown setae apically. Elytra. Humerus rounded, projected forward; centrobasal crest elevated, with a few tubercles on dorsobasal area; with distinct carina from apex of centrobasal crest to posterior fifth, and another carina close to suture, from about middle to apex; somewhat sparsely, coarsely punctate, punctures slightly finer and sparser toward apex; basal punctures tuberculate on their anterior margin; apex slightly obliquely truncate, with outer angle rounded and slightly projected; with abundant, dense yellowish-brown pubescence, and abundant, irregular both dark-brown and white pubescent maculae interspersed. Legs. Femora with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument on ventral surface of peduncle, pubescence denser close to club, and abundant yellowishbrown pubescence on remaining surface, yellowish-brown pubescence partially forming small, isolated tufts on club. Tibiae with dense pale-yellow pubescent ring basally and wide yellowish-white pubescent ring on about middle; with brownish pubescence not obscuring integument between two rings; and with dense black pubescence on remaining surface, black bristly pubescence ventrally on all tibiae, bristly on dorsal surface of mesotibiae, except dorsal apex with yellowish-white pubescence, especially on metatibiae; metatibiae (Fig. 17) with a few short, erect black setae dorsally. Tarsi with somewhat abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, except apex of tarsomeres V with sparse pubescence, and a few yellow setae interspersed; protarsomeres I–III with abundant, long dark setae laterally, and apical half of protarsomere V with sparse, long dark setae.
Abdomen. Ventrite 1 with yellow pubescence laterally, and sparse white pubescence on remaining surface; ventrites 2–4 with dense yellow pubescence on lateroapical area, yellowish-white pubescence on remaining lateral surface and central area close to apex, yellowish-white pubescence denser laterally, white pubescence on anterocentral region, and glabrous on central apex. Ventrite 5 with very sparse, short, decumbent dark setae, and a few short, decumbent yellowish-white setae interspersed, yellowish-white setae longer and thicker than dark setae; posterocentral area finely, densely punctate; apex rounded.
Female (Fig. 22). Body stouter; scape less piriform; femoral club narrower, erect setae on ventral surface of distal antennomeres absent.
Dimensions in mm (holotype male/ paratype female). Total length, 12.50/13.00; prothoracic length, 2.50/2.65; anterior prothoracic width, 3.40/3.80; posterior prothoracic width, 3.35/3.80; maximum prothoracic width, 4.25/4.65; humeral width, 5.15/5.50; elytral length, 8.25/8.90.
Type material. Holotype male from ECUADOR, Napo: Cosanga, 1900 m, 14.VI.2021, J. Vlasak leg. (MZSP). Paratype female, same label (JVCO).
Etymology. The specific epithet “variegata” (Latin, having discrete markings of different colors) refers to the complex pubescence pattern.
Remarks. Scythropopsis variegata sp. nov. is similar to S. granitica Vlasak & Santos-Silva, 2020 (see photographs on Bezark 2022 and in the original description), but differs as follows (in both sexes unless stated otherwise): scape more distinctly piriform; pedicel longer, length about 2.5 times basal width of antennomere III; in males, antennomeres X–XI with sparse erect setae ventrally; sides of scutellum without dense yellowish-white pubescent band (Fig. 18); sides of the scutellum elevated from base to apex; metatibiae gradually widened on posterior half, in males metatibiae without dense, short erect setae dorsally (Fig. 17); tarsi dark orangish brown. In S. granitica, the scape is less expanded apically, being less distinctly piriform; pedicel is shorter, length equal to 1.5 times basal width of the antennomere III; in males, antennomeres X–XI with abundant erect setae ventrally; sides of the scutellum with dense yellowish-white pubescent band (Fig. 20), sides of the scutellum elevated only apically, metatibiae more abruptly widened on posterior half, and in males with abundant short erect setae dorsally (Fig. 21), and tarsi black. Furthermore, in S. granitica most of the dark pubescent elytral spots are surrounded by discrete rings of narrow yellowish-brown pubescence, while the yellowish-brown pubescence is more confluent in the new species.
description: Published as part of Vlasak, Josef & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2022, New species and new geographical records in Ecuadorian Lamiinae (Coleoptera Cerambycidae), pp. 247-259 in Zootaxa 5200 (3) on pages 254-257, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5200.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/7260396