Championa chihuahuaensis Heffern & Santos-Silva & Nascimento 2021, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Heffern, Daniel
name: Santos-Silva, Antonio
name: Nascimento, Francisco E. L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Championa
Championa chihuahuaensis

description: Championa chihuahuaensis sp. nov.
(Figs. 30–35)
Description. Female holotype. Integument mostly dark metallic green with violaceous reflections on some areas; posterior area of gulamentum reddish brown with violaceous reflections; scape violaceous ventrally and laterally; pedicel and antennomeres III–VI violaceous; antennomeres VII–VIII brown with some areas violaceous; antennomeres IX–XI brown. Prosternum dark brown with violaceous reflections. Elytra with slightly oblique yellowish-brown band on middle, from near suture to near epipleural margin. Femoral peduncles dark reddish brown basally; remaining surface of femora violaceous. Tibiae violaceous. Tarsi violaceous, except reddish-brown apex of tarsomeres V.
Head. Frons rugose-punctate; with sparse grayish-white pubescence centrally, more abundant close to eyes. Vertex coarsely, abundantly, partially rugose-punctate; with sparse, bristly, both thin and thick white setae. Area behind upper eye lobes slightly rugose-punctate; with grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument. Area between eye lobes slightly rugose-punctate; with grayish-white pubescence except nearly glabrous region close to prothorax. Area behind lower eye lobes finely punctate close to eye, striate punctate close to prothorax; with grayish-white pubescence close to eye, glabrous close to prothorax. Genae with grayish-white pubescence, dense close to eye, sparser on remaining surface, except glabrous apex. Antennal tubercles rugose-punctate; with short, sparse grayish-white setae. Median groove distinct from clypeus to area between upper eye lobes. Postclypeus with abundant, long grayish-white setae on wide central area, glabrous laterally. Labrum coplanar with anteclypeus at posterior half, inclined at anterior half; with sparse grayish-white setae directed forward on wide central area of posterior half, and long tuft of yellowish-brown setae directed forward on each side of this area; anterior area with fringe of yellowish-brown setae directed forward. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous posteriorly, transversely striate-punctate, with white pubescence anteriorly. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.67 times length of scape (0.38 times distance between outer margins of eyes); in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 1.15 times length of scape (0.65 times distance between outer margins of eyes). Antennae 1.5 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at apex of antennomere X. Scape somewhat coarsely, abundantly punctate except smooth outer apex; with sparse decumbent grayish-white setae, with long, erect setae of same color interspersed. Pedicel and antennomeres with grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument dorsally and laterally, pubescence denser from basal third of antennomere VII; antennomeres VII–XI with grayish-white pubescence ventrally; antennomeres III–VII with long, erect grayishwhite setae ventrally; antennomeres III–VI (Figs. 31–32) with spine at inner apex (spines gradually shorter toward VI). Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.52; pedicel = 0.10; IV = 0.62; V = 0.86; VI = 0.80; VII = 0.72; VIII = 0.58; IX = 0.48; X = 0.38; XI = 0.40.
Thorax. Prothorax distinctly longer than wide, with two constrictions anteriorly, one narrow near anterior margin, another wider on anterior quarter; sides slightly rounded from second anterior constrictions to posterior fifth. Pronotum transversely striate, except smooth area close to anterior margins and subsmooth posterior fifth; anterior margin convex; posterior margin with wide concavity centrally; with sparse white pubescence, except glabrous narrow area close to anterior margin, and dense, transverse yellowish-white pubescent band centrally, close to posterior margin; with long, erect, sparse white setae on wide central area. Sides of prothorax transversely striate-punctate on anterior half, striate on posterior fifth, somewhat coarsely and sparsely punctate from middle to posterior fifth; with sparse white pubescence, slightly more abundant on wide, oblique area on anterior half, from prosternum to near anterior margin, and dense white pubescent band close to beginning of posterior fifth, almost reaching pronotum, fused with pubescence on prosternum; with long, erect, sparse white setae interspersed on anterior 4/5. Prosternum transversely striate, especially on anterior half; with dense white pubescence on posterior half, slightly sparser centrally close to procoxal cavities and prosternal process, absent laterally close to procoxal cavities; with moderately dense white pubescence on anterior half, from middle to anterior fifth, forming large V-shaped macula, and sparse white pubescence on remaining surface (absent on part of central area). Narrowest area of prosternal process 0.2 times width of procoxal cavity. Ventral surface of mesothorax with dense white pubescence, except glabrous central area of mesoventrite, and glabrous wide central area of mesanepisternum. Metanepisternum with dense yellowish-white pubescence. Metaventrite with abundant white pubescence, almost absent centrally, except for sparse setae near metathoracic discrimen. Scutellum with dense yellowish-white pubescence. Elytra. Coarsely, abundantly punctate on anterior 2/3, punctures finer and sparser on posterior third; parallel-sided in anterior 2/3, gradually narrowed in posterior third; apex strongly emarginated and bidentate; with wide, dense white pubescent band along suture, from scutellum to apex; with oblique white pubescent band on anterior third, upward from sutural pubescent band to anterior quarter (not reaching sides of dorsal surface); another oblique pubescent band on posterior third, downward from sutural pubescent band to posterior quarter (laterally almost reaching epipleural margin); remaining surface with distinctly sparse, both short, decumbent white setae, and long, erect yellowish-brown setae.
Legs. Femora with decumbent white pubescence, distinctly more abundant dorsally, with long, erect, moderately abundant white setae interspersed. Protibia almost glabrous dorsally, with abundant white pubescence laterally, with long, erect white setae interspersed, and dense, bristly yellowish-white pubescence ventrally, gradually yellowish-brown toward apex. Meso- and metatibiae with white pubescence, sparser dorsally, and long, erect, somewhat abundant white setae interspersed. Tarsi with white pubescence, with long, erect setae of same color interspersed (pubescence on metatarsomeres not distinctly denser than on pro- and mesotarsomeres).
Abdomen. Ventrites with dense white pubescence, distinctly sparse on posterior posterocentral 2/3 of ventrite I, nearly absent on central area of posterior half of II, and nearly absent on central area of posterior third of III; with long, erect, sparse white setae interspersed.
Dimensions in mm. Total length, 13.95; prothoracic length, 3.15; anterior prothoracic width, 1.90; posterior prothoracic width, 1.80; widest prothoracic width, 2.10; humeral width, 2.75; elytral length, 9.15.
Type material. Holotype female from MEXICO, Chihuahua: Cascadiade Basascahic [Cascada de Basaseachi], 22.VIII.1986, without collector indicated (TAMU, formerly DHCO).
Etymology. Named for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico where the type was collected.
Remarks. Championa chihuahuaensis sp. nov. is similar to C. aliciae Noguera & Chemsak, 1997, but the females of these species differ as follows: antennae surpassing elytral apex; antennomeres VII–VIII without dense white pubescence, contrasting with the pubescence of the previous antennomeres; prothorax shorter and wider; yellowish-brown integumental band of the elytra slightly oblique, and starting distant from anterior pubescent band. In C. aliciae, the antennae do not reach the apex, antennomeres VII–VIII with dense white pubescence, contrasting with the pubescence of the previous antennomeres, prothorax longer and narrower (see photograph of a female paratype on Bezark 2021), and the yellowish-brown integumental band of the elytra is strongly oblique, starting near anterior pubescent band. Championa chihuahuaensis sp. nov. differs from C. zarazagai sp. nov. by the antennomeres VII–VIII without dense white pubescence, contrasting with the pubescence of the previous antennomeres (present in C. zarazagai), antennomere IV proportionally shorter (longer in C. zarazagai), spine of the antennomere VI shorter (longer in C. zarazagai), and metatarsi with white pubescence distinctly less dense (denser in C. zarazagai). Currently, Championa species are only known from Mexico and Guatemala. The new C. chihuahuaensis is the most northerly occurring species in the genus.
description: Published as part of Heffern, Daniel, Santos-Silva, Antonio & Nascimento, Francisco E. L., 2021, American Cerambycidae (Coleoptera): Four new species, new records and taxonomic notes, pp. 361-378 in Zootaxa 4933 (3) on pages 372-373, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4933.3.4, http://zenodo.org/record/4554966