Cicatrisphaerion Lingafelter, Morris, Skillman, and Santos-Silva 2021, new genus
Creators: name: Lingafelter, Steven W.
name: Morris Ii, Roy F.
name: Skillman Jr, Frederick W.
name: Santos-Silva, Antonio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Cicatrisphaerion

description: Cicatrisphaerion Lingafelter, Morris, Skillman, and Santos-Silva, new genus   
 Etymology. The generic name is formed by joining the latinized cicatrix, meaning scar, with the suffix sphaerion, relating it to the former tribal name of many Elaphidiini. Masculine in gender.   
 Type species. Cicatrisphaerion wappesi Lingafelter, Morris, Skillman and Santos-Silva, new species, by present designation.   
 Diagnosis. This genus is recognized by the scape with a distinct cicatrix at its dorsal apex (Fig. 7, 16), which is absent in all other genera of Elaphidiini.   
 Description. Head. Median groove well-marked from clypeus to about area between upper eye lobes. Antennae 11-segmented, at most slightly surpassing elytral apex in both sexes; scape with distinct cicatrix at dorsal apex; inner spine of antennomere III at least as long as 2/3 of length of antennomere, slightly arched, bulbous apically; inner spine of antennomere IV variable, slightly shorter than that in III, but with same shape, or distinctly shorter and with acute apex; antennomeres V–VII with spine at inner apex, length successively decreasing distally; outer apex of all antennomeres without spine. Maxillary palpomere IV and labial palpomere III securiform, slightly more distinctly in male. Eyes coarsely granulated; lower eye lobes large, occupying most of anterolateral region of head; upper eye lobes narrow, with three or four rows of ommatidia, distance between them about five times width of one upper lobe. Genae shorter than 1/3 of width of lower eye lobe, with rounded apex.   
 Thorax. Prothorax varying from distinctly longer than wide to about as long as wide; sides varying from slightly to distinctly rounded between anterior and posterior constrictions, without tubercle. Pronotum with sculpturing variable, punctures shallow, somewhat alveolate, with distinctly smooth central area, or with a network of longitudinal, anastomosing carinulae, without central smooth area. Sexually dimorphic prosternal punctation present, with males having distinct punctures and females having punctures absent or indistinct. Lateral margin of procoxal cavity closed; posterior margin open. Prosternal process strongly narrowed centrally, triangularly expanded apically. Mesocoxal cavities closed laterally. Apex of mesoventral process notched centrally, tab-shaped laterally. Metanepisternum not partially concealed by elytron. Elytra. Parallel-sided in anterior 2/3, gradually narrowed in posterior third; apex bispinose, with outer spine approximately twice length of sutural spine, region between them evenly concave; humerus without tooth; distinctly, separately punctate at basal half, becoming evanescent toward apex; with minute seta on some punctures, and long, erect, sparse seta on others; without velvet pubescence. Legs. Profemora subfusiform; meso- and metafemora gradually widened from base to apex, slightly clavate, club not abruptly widened; apices rounded; all femora not carinate laterally. Tibiae carinate laterally, carina reaching apex on meso- and metatibiae. Metatibia with pronounced apicomesal spur over ½ length of first metatarsomere. Metatarsomere I at most as long as II–III together.   
 Abdomen. Ventrites decreasing in length from I to IV; apex of ventrite V rounded.   
 Remarks. Cicatrisphaerion is superficially similar to some species in the genus Micropsyrassa Linsley, 1961, Psyrassa Pascoe, 1866 and Minipsyrassa Martins, 1974, however the presence of the cicatrix at the apex of the scape (unique in Elaphidiini), the very long, blunt spine on antennomere 3 that is at least 2/3 the length of antennomere 4 (present in only a few species of Psyrassa and Microspyrassa), and the pronounced mesal metatibial spur that is over ½ the length of metatarsomere 1 easily distinguish Cicatrisphaerion from all other genera in Elaphidiini.   
 Sexual dimorphism is less pronounced in this genus compared to many other Elaphidiini. Antennal length and modification of antennomere XI cannot be easily used for determining gender in Cicatrisphaerion. The easiest way to distinguish males from females is that males have distinct, but separate punctures on the prosternum in the region in front of the procoxae that is distinct from a smooth, often more darkly colored anterior prosternal collar. In females, the region in front of the procoxae is rugulose, impunctate, and the anterior prosternal collar is not clearly demarcated by color or sculpturing.
description: Published as part of Lingafelter, Steven W., Morris Ii, Roy F., Skillman Jr, Frederick W. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2021, A new genus Cicatrisphaerion, new species, new records, and redescriptions of Neotropical Cerambycidae (Coleoptera), pp. 1-20 in Insecta Mundi 2021 (865) on pages 2-3, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5041953