Lepturges (Lepturges) auratus Monné & Santos-Silva 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Monné, Miguel A.
name: Santos-Silva, Antonio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Lepturges
Lepturges auratus

description: Lepturges (Lepturges) auratus sp. nov.
(Figs 1–8, 14–15)
Description. Holotype male (Figs 1–5, 14–15). Head capsule dark reddish brown, except ventral surface shiny brown anteriorly, gradually dark yellowish brown toward prothorax; ventral mouthparts mostly reddish brown; postclypeus dark reddish brown on wide central area; anteclypeus mostly dark reddish brown; labrum dark reddish brown basally, yellowish brown on remaining surface; scape, pedicel, and antennomeres III–IX dark brown, IX slightly lighter; antennomeres X–XI brownish. Prothorax dark brown, except brown basally, brownish laterally and apically, and pale yellowish brown on remaining surface. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax dark brown, except dark reddish brown central area of mesoventral process. Scutellum and elytra dark brown. Pro- and mesocoxae orangish brown; trochanters mostly reddish brown, darker on metatrochanters; femora dark reddish brown (browner depending on light intensity); tibiae dark brown basally, gradually dark reddish brown toward apex (darker on metatibiae); tarsomeres I–II dark brown; tarsomeres III–V mostly reddish brown. Ventrite 1–3 dark brown, except dark reddish brown apex; ventrite 4 dark brown on basal third, reddish brown on remaining surface, lighter on apex; ventrite 5 dark brown on sides of anterior third, reddish brown on center of anterior third, orangish on remaining surface.
Head. Frons densely, minutely punctate; with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument, except glabrous median groove and narrow area close to eyes; with a few long, erect pale yellowishbrown setae interspersed laterally. Antennal tubercles with sculpturing and pubescence as on frons. Area between antennal tubercles with sculpturing and pubescence as on frons, except smooth and glabrous central, this area widened toward base of upper eye lobes.Area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes with transverse, glabrous, arched sulcus, with small, deeply depression on its apices, forming a cross with median groove; sides minutely punctate; central region smooth, glabrous, this area narrowed toward posterior region, and forming diamond-shaped area with smooth and glabrous area between antennal tubercles; with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous area close to eye and on median groove. Remaining surface of vertex and area behind upper eye lobes abundantly, minutely punctate, punctures slightly coarser close to prothorax; with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument close to eyes, except glabrous median groove, and subglabrous central region on vertex, and glabrous on wide area close to prothorax; with a few long, erect yellowish setae close to eyes. Area behind lower eye lobes tumid, abundantly, minutely punctate close to eye, somewhat rugose-punctate on remaining superior surface, smooth on remaining inferior surface; with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence on tumid area, pubescence slightly yellower superiorly close to eye, mostly glabrous on remaining surface. Genae somewhat abundantly, minutely punctate, except subsmooth area close to clypeus, and smooth apex; with somewhat abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence toward ventral surface, almost glabrous close to clypeus; with a few long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed. Wide central area of postclypeus somewhat coarsely, confluently punctate; with sparse, bristly straw-colored pubescence, and long, erect, thick yellowish-brown setae interspersed. Labrum with somewhat abundant, both short and long, yellowish-brown setae, and dense fringe of short setae of same color on anterior margin. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous, except intermaxillary process finely rugose-punctate and with sparse yellowish pubescence. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.31 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.61 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 1.9 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex slightly after middle of antennomere VII. Scape, pedicel, and antennomeres III–XI with abundant yellowish pubescence partially obscuring integument; ventral surface of pedicel and antennomeres III–VI with a few short, thick black setae ventrally; apex of antennomeres III–X with few thick, dark setae directed backward; apex of antennomere XI with abundant pale-yellow setae directed backward. Antennal formula based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.00; pedicel = 0.17; IV = 0.91; V = 0.79; VI = 0.68; VII = 0.55; VIII = 0.47; IX = 0.43; X = 0.38; XI = 0.32.
Thorax. Prothorax wider than long; sides slightly rounded, gradually widened from anterolateral angles to lateral tubercles, convergent from lateral tubercles to posterolateral angles; lateral tubercles conical, with blunt apex directed backward and upward, located on posterior third. Pronotum mostly flattened on large central area, except slightly longitudinal sulcus centrally, not reaching anterior and posterior margins; with slightly gibbosity on each side near lateral tubercles of prothorax; somewhat abundantly, coarsely punctate on large, subelliptical central region, except smooth longitudinal sulcus, sparsely, coarsely punctate on sides of central region, with arched, coarsely punctate sulcus on each side near posterior margin, densely, minutely punctate on remaining region; with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument laterally, sparser and slightly longer on large central area, except glabrous longitudinal sulcus, and shorter and slightly sparser on anterior half, between dense lateral pubescence and pubescence on subelliptical punctate central area. Sides of prothorax mostly smooth; with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument. Prosternum abundantly, minutely punctate, with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, except subsmooth and glabrous anterior sulcus, and anterior margin with abundant yellowish-brown setae laterally, and abundant whitish pubescence centrally. Prosternal process with somewhat abundant yellowish-brown pubescence basally, yellowish pubescence on center, denser laterally, abundant whitish pubescence on center of posterior third, and sparser yellowish-brown pubescence on sides of posterior third; central area strongly narrowed, with narrowest area 0.13 times procoxal width. Mesoventrite with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence centrally, sparser laterally, especially close to abundantly pubescent area; mesanepisternum and mesepimeron with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument. Mesoventral process gradually narrowed toward posterior quarter, then distinctly widened toward apex; apical margin concave; with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous sides of apex; narrowest area 0.29 times mesocoxal width. Metanepisternum mostly with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument. Sides of metaventrite with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument; central area with abundant, long, slightly bristly yellowish-brown setae not obscuring integument, setae denser anteriorly, except glabrous metathoracic discrimen, and abundant, short yellowish-brown pubescence near metacoxal cavities. Scutellum with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument. Elytra. Entirely covering abdomen; abundantly, coarsely punctate on anterior half, punctures gradually finer to smooth posterior fifth; with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument, pubescence more brownish depending on light source, except abundant, both yellowishbrown and yellowish-white pubescence on anterior quarter close to sutural region, this area narrowed toward apex, and both yellowish-brown and yellowish-white pubescence close to suture on remaining surface; apex individually rounded. Legs. Pro- and mesocoxae with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, denser, partially yellowish-brown on mesocoxae; metacoxae with abundant yellowish pubescence on some areas, glabrous on other. Trochanters with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument. Femora with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence more whitish or yellower depending on light source and intensity. Tibiae with abundant yellowish-white pubescence partially obscuring integument, except dense yellowish-brown pubescence on ventral surface of protibiae, pubescence denser and bristly toward apex, dense, bristly yellowish brown pubescence on dorsal surface of posterior third of mesotibiae, and dense, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence on posterior quarter of ventral surface of meso- and metatibiae; posterior third of meso- and metatibiae with short, thick, erect yellowish-brown setae dorsally; ventral surface of meso- and metatibiae with sparse, short, erect, thick dark setae. Metatarsomere I longer than II–III together.
Abdomen. Apex of ventrites 1–4 glabrous; central area of ventrites 1–4 with yellowish-brown pubescence, sparser on ventrite 1, and a few long, brownish setae interspersed; sides with abundant yellowish-white pubescence, except yellowish-brown pubescence close to glabrous area; ventrite 5 with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, and a few long, erect, dark setae interspersed on posterior third, apex of setae yellowish; apex of ventrite 5 concave (Fig. 5).
Female (Figs 6–8). Similar to males; differs by antennae shorter, 1.75 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at base of antennomere VIII; yellowish-brown pubescence on center of metaventrite shorter; and apex of ventrite 5 (Fig. 6) more V-shaped.
Variation in the paratypes. Femora and tibiae orangish brown or dark orangish brown; ventrites 1–4 dark brown except reddish-brown apex; ventrite 5 dark orangish brown on posterior 2/3; elytra exposing part of last abdominal segment in the paratype male and a paratype female.
Dimensions (mm) (Holotype male/ paratype male/ paratypes female). Total length, 9.20/9.70/12.40–13.30; prothoracic length, 1.70/1.70/2.00–2.05; anterior prothoracic width, 1.70/1.70/2.25–2.30; posterior prothoracic width, 2.05/2.00/2.60–2.70; maximum prothoracic width, 2.80/2.65/3.45–3.60; humeral width, 3.10/2.95/4.10–4.25; elytral length, 7.20/6.70/9.20–9.25.
Type material. Holotype male from BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz: 4 km SSE Buena Vista, Hotel Flora & Fauna, 350– 400 m, 17º29′S 63º49′W, 22–25.XI.2013, Wappes & Skillman leg. (FSCA). Paratypes — BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz: 4–6 km SSE Buena Vista, Hotel Flora & Fauna, 1 female, 21–24.XI.2003, Wappes & Nearns leg. (FSCA); 3.7 km SSE Buena Vista, Hotel Flora & Fauna, 430 m, tropical transition forest, black light trap, 1 male, 5–15.XI.2001, M.C. Thomas & B.K. Dozier leg. (MZSP); Potrerillo del Guendá, Reserva Natural, aka Snake Farm, 400 m, 17º40′15″S 63º27′26″W, 1 female, 2–3.XII.2013, Wappes & Skillman leg. (MNRJ). All specimens formerly from ACMT.
Etymology. Latin, “auratus” (golden, gilded), alluding to the conspicuous yellowish-brown setae on the metaventrite, especially in males.
Remarks. Lepturges (Lepturges) auratus sp. nov. is similar to L. (L.) attaleae Monné & Monné, 2017 (Figs 9–13, 16), described and known only from the Brazilian state of Bahia, but differs as follows: body mostly darker; metaventrite in males with abundant and long yellowish-brown setae centrally; profemora in males (Fig. 15) with inferior margin straight; and meso- and metafemoral peduncles in males slightly shorter and wider (Fig. 14). In L. (L.) attaleae, the body is almost entirely orangish brown, metaventrite in males with sparser and yellowish-white pubescence centrally, profemora in males (Fig. 16) with inferior margin convex, and meso- and metafemoral peduncles in males slightly longer and narrower (Fig. 11).
description: Published as part of Monné, Miguel A. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2022, New species, synonymy, and new record in Neotropical Acanthocinini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae), pp. 235-251 in Zootaxa 5196 (2) on pages 236-240, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5196.2.5, http://zenodo.org/record/7224519