Decarthria stephensii Hope 1834
Creators: name: Wappes, James E.
name: Santos-Silva, Antonio
name: Nascimento, Francisco Eriberto de L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Decarthria
Decarthria stephensii

description: Decarthria stephensii Hope, 1834
(Fig. 22–32)
Decarthria stephensii Hope 1834: 16.
Redescription. Female. Head mostly light brown; genae reddish-brown toward apex; apex of labrum yellowish-brown; palpi pale-yellow; scape and pedicel orangish-brown, slightly lighter toward apex; anterior area of antennomeres orangish-brown (this area gradually shorter toward antennomere X), dark brown on remaining surface. Prothorax mostly brown; narrow anterior area and most of posterior constriction of pronotum, posterocentral area of prosternum and prosternal process orangish-brown. Ventral surface of thorax mostly brown; central area of mesoventrite and posterior area of metaventrite yellowish-brown; metanepisternum mostly yellowish-brown. Elytra brown on base (this area widened toward epipleural margin), light yellowish-brown on remaining anterior third, brown, with irregular yellowish-brown maculae on central third, except yellowish-brown epipleural margin, light yellowish-brown, with irregular light-brown macula dorsally on posterior third. Femoral peduncle pale-yellow; femoral club reddish-brown, more pale-yellow close to apex. Tibiae reddish-brown, slightly lighter toward apex. Ventral surface of abdomen reddish-brown basally, gradually orangish-brown toward ventrite V.
Head. Frons finely, abundantly punctate; with white, somewhat bristly pubescence not obscuring integu- ment (slightly more yellowish white depending on light intensity), with one long, erect seta on each side close to eyes, brown basally, yellowish toward apex. Vertex and area behind upper eye lobes with sculpturing and pubescence as on frons, with one long erect brownish seta on each side of posterior area of vertex. Area between lobes smooth and glabrous. Area behind lower eye lobes finely rugose-punctate, with white pubescence not obscuring integument close to eye, smooth and glabrous on remaining surface. Genae 1.2 times length of lower eye lobe, rugose-punctate close to eye, gradually less so toward apex; with sparse white pubescence close to eye, distinctly sparser toward apex. Postclypeus with sculpturing and pubescence as on frons posteriorly, gradually less distinctly punctate, with sparser setae toward anterior margin; with long, erect yellowish-brown setae anteriorly. Labrum with long, erect yellowishbrown setae, shorter, more abundant on anterior half. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.48 times length of scape (0.36 times distance between outer margins of eyes); in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.95 times length of scape (0.72 times distance between outer margins of eyes). Antennae 1.95 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex near apex of antennomere VIII. Scape slightly, gradually widened toward apex; with white pubescence not obscuring integument, sparser ventrally. Pedicel and antennomeres III–IX with white pubescence not obscuring integument dorsally and laterally, glabrous ventrally; antennomere X with white pubescence not obscuring integument throughout; pedicel and antennomere III with a few short, erect dark setae ventrally; antennomeres III–IX with very long tuft of yellowish setae directed backward on apex of ventral surface; pedicel and antennomeres III–VII, slightly, gradually widened toward apex; antennomeres VIII–X cylindrical. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.83; pedicel = 0.61; IV = 1.22; V = 1.11; VI = 1.11; VII = 1.11; VIII = 1.11; IX = 1.00; X = 1.11.
Thorax. Pronotum finely, abundantly punctate on sides of anterior half, sparsely punctate on center of anterior half, finer and sparser on each side of central area of posterior half before posterior constric- tion, smooth centrally and on remaining surface of posterior half before posterior constriction; posterior constriction finely, abundantly punctate laterally, smooth centrally; with white pubescence not obscur- ing integument on anterior half, slightly longer, sparser and yellowish centrally, distinctly sparser on posterior half, absent on smooth areas; with a few long, erect dark setae. Sides of prothorax finely, abun- dantly punctate; with white pubescence on anterior half, distinctly sparser on posterior half. Prosternum somewhat rugose-punctate on posterior 2/3, finely, sparsely punctate on anterior third; with sparse white pubescence on posterior 2/3, nearly glabrous on anterior third. Narrowest area of prosternal process 0.35 times width of procoxal cavity. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with white pubescence not obscuring integument. Scutellum with dense white pubescence. Elytra. Convex, strongly elevated from anterior quarter; coarsely, abundantly punctate on anterior quarter, distinctly finer, abundant on remaining surface; with white pubescence on light areas (noticeably denser along posterior margin of anterior light area, slightly denser on anterior area of posterior light area), yellowish-brown on dark areas; with a few long, erect, thick dark setae. Legs. With white pubescence not obscuring integument, distinctly denser, bristly on posterior third of ventral surface of protibia.
Abdomen. Ventrites I–IV with sparse white pubescence laterally, distinctly sparser centrally; ventrite V nearly glabrous on anterior third, with sparse white pubescence on remaining surface; apex of ventrite V nearly truncate.
Dimensions in mm. Total length, 1.95; prothoracic length, 0.55; anterior prothoracic width, 0.45; posterior prothoracic width, 0.40; widest prothoracic width, 0.50; humeral width, 0.60; elytral length, 1.20.
Material examined. DOMINICA (New country record), Springfield Estate, Fifi Trail, 398 m, Tropi- cal deciduous forest, 1 female, 23.V–4.VI.2003, T. Decker & B. Wells col. (ACMT).
Remarks. Decarthria stephensii is distributed among the Lesser Antilles, from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to Guadeloupe. Although Hope (1834) provided only a single length (“lin. ¾” = 1.59 mm) and width (“lin. ¼” = 0.53 mm), there are three specimens (Fig. 26–28) at OUMNH with type label (not BMNH as reported by Monné (2019) and Tavakilian and Chevillotte (2019)). Even if the syntypes have slightly different dimensions, it is not possible to know if Hope (1834) assumed that they had the same dimensions. Accordingly, the proper assumption is that the species was originally described based on syntypes (ICZN 1999: Recommendation 73F).
description: Published as part of Wappes, James E., Santos-Silva, Antonio & Nascimento, Francisco Eriberto de L., 2020, Taxonomic notes on Western Hemisphere Cyrtinini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) including description of two new Cyrtinus LeConte species, pp. 1-15 in Insecta Mundi 751 on pages 7-8, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3702952