Melzerella inopinata Martins, Galileo & Santos-Silva, 2015, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Martins, Ubirajara R.
name: Galileo, Maria Helena M.
name: Santos-Silva, Antonio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Melzerella
Melzerella inopinata

description: Melzerella inopinata sp. nov.
(Figs. 39–42)
Holotype male. Integument black, except for distal third of elytra brownish. Frons fine, sparsely punctate; pubescence reddish–brown, sparse, denser at band that borders lower eye lobes, projected along frontal side of antennal tubercles, almost absent at central area along coronal suture and central band along anterior side of antennal tubercles; reddish pubescence on following areas: between antennal tubercles; between upper eye lobes; wide transverse band behind eyes, not reaching prothoracic margin, bordering eyes, narrowing and disappearing along genae (between reddish band and eyes, fine band of yellowish pubescence, distinctly wider between lobes and behind lower eye lobes); area between eyes and antennae. Genae with short, sparse, reddish-brown setae, interspersed with long setae. Gula glabrous. Submentum with short, reddish-brown setae close to mentum, laterally interspersed with long setae. Sides of mandibles with yellowish pubescence, slightly dense, interspersed with long setae. Distance between upper eye lobes equal to 0.1 times length of scape; distance between lower eye lobes, in frontal view, equal to 0.25 times length of scape. Antennae length equal to 1.8 times elytral length; reaching elytral apex at middle of antennomere VIII; pubescence short, reddish-brown, not obliterating integument, interspersed with long setae; antennal formula based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.05; pedicel = 0.13; IV = 0.98; V = 0.89; VI = 0.82; VII = 0.79; VIII = 0.73; IX = 0.66; X = 0.63; XI = 0.59.
Pronotum abundantly, moderately fine punctate; pubescence: narrow yellowish band at anterior margin, obliterating integument, reaching interconnection of upper and lower eye lobes; greyish on two large semielliptical areas of pronotum, not completely obliterating integument, surrounded by narrow band of pubescence of same color, very sparse, leaving color of integument visible (these bands merge approximately at center of anterior third of pronotum); reddish band obliterating integument, between anterior edge and semi-elliptical areas, triangularly narrowed towards apex of anterior cotyloid cavity; reddish area obliterating integument between the semi-elliptical areas (sides of elytra); wide, whitish band at basal fourth of pronotum, extended to apex of prosternal process (slightly yellowish at distal margin). Prosternum, hypomeron, prosternal process, mesosternum, mesepimeron, mesepisternum, and mesosternal process with greyish pubescence, not obliterating integument (slightly denser and longer on prosternal process). Metepisterna moderately finely punctate; pubescence greyish, except for apex with whitish pubescence. Metasternum, laterally punctate as metepisterna; greyish pubescence on triangular area at sides (tip of triangle reaches approximately distal fourth), whitish, dense pubescence on large triangular, lateral area, obliterating integument, from mesocoxal cavity to metacoxal cavity, whitish pubescence at central region, not obliterating integument, interspersed with long setae. Scutellum with greyish-white pubescence, almost obliterating integument. Elytral apex with spine at external and sutural angles; elytral pubescence: grayish, semicircular at basal sixth, not reaching humeri, not totally obliterating integument, surrounded by narrow band with very sparse pubescence; area with yellowish-white pubescence obliterating integument (Fig. 39), reaching suture, but not epipleura, surrounded by narrow band of very sparse pubescence; narrow band of yellowish pubescence, from base to apex, along epipleura; narrow band of reddish pubescence from humerus to apex of discal area with yellowish-white pubescence (extended along humerus); greyish pubescence at distal third, not obliterating integument, between areas with yellowish-white pubescence; small subelliptical, subglabrous area under humeri.
Urosternites with greyish pubescence, with long, yellowish-brown, sparse setae, except for glabrous transverse band at apex of segments II–IV.
Variability. Areas with white-yellowish pubescence on pronotum and elytra of the holotype, orangish in the paratype.
Dimensions in mm (male). Total length, 14.6–16.7; length of prothorax at center, 2.4–2.5; anterior width of prothorax, 2.2–2.6; posterior width of prothorax, 2.2–2.6; humeral width, 3.2–3.7; elytral length, 10.9–12.5.
Type material. Holotype male, BRAZIL, Bahia: Aracatu (Fazenda Lagoa do Tamburi; "área de Caatinga arbórea"; 14º30.961’S / 41º27.512’W), 14–15.XI.2012, A. S. Ferreira & A. M. M. França col. (MZUSP). Paratype male, BRAZIL, Bahia: Porto Seguro (Arraial d'Ajuda; 1627'S, 3903'W; 40m), 23.XI.2013, V. O. Becker col. (CVOB).
Etymology. Latin: inopinatus = not expected; allusive to the existence of a new species in this genus.
Remarks. Melzerella inopinata resembles M. huedepohli Monné, 1979, but differs as follows: disk of pronotum with two semi-elliptical spots of pubescence; base of elytra with semi-circular, dark area, not reaching humeri; most distal portion of yellowish-white spot of elytra sub-trapezoidal. In M. huedepohli, disk of pronotum with dark area, exposing integument on inverted Y-shape configuration, the dark area at base of elytra is not semicircular, reaching humeri, the most distal part of yellowish-white spot of elytra (sometimes isolated) is triangular.
It resembles M. lutzi Costa-Lima, 1931 but can be differentiated by the pronotum without large areas of whitish pubescence, by the base of elytra with area semi-circular surrounded by darker area, and not reaching humeri, and by the most distal portion of the yellowish-white patch of the elytra sub-trapezoidal. In M. lutzi, pronotum with large areas of whitish pubescence, the dark area at base of elytra is not semi-circular and reaches the humeri, and the most distal portion of yellowish-white patch of elytra is triangular.
Wappes & Lingafelter (2011) presented a key to species of Melzerella. We regarded the insertion of the new species in this key as problematic. Therefore, we present a new key:
1 Pronotum with two semi-elliptical areas of pubescence........................................................ 2
- Pronotum without semi-elliptical areas of pubescence......................................................... 3
2(1) Pronotum with black semi-elliptical areas of pubescence; elytral spot of light pubescence not divided by dark area. Venezuela, French Guiana .......................................................... .. M. costalimai Campos-Seabra, 1961
- Pronotum with greyish semi-elliptical areas of pubescence; elytral spot of light pubescence almost completely divided by large dark area. Brazil (Bahia)............................................................... M. inopinata sp. nov.
3(1) Elytral areas of light pubescence reddish, separated by dark area much wider than anterior reddish area; urosternites with reddish pubescence at sides. Bolivia .......................................... M. monnei Wappes & Lingafelter, 2011
- Elytral areas of light pubescence mostly yellowish, completely or almost completely separated by dark area much narrower than area of the anterior light pubescence................................................................... 4
4(3) Pronotum with large areas of white pubescence; glabrous area between the spots of elytral pubescence, very narrow on disk; urosternites with reddish pubescent area. Brazil (Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo)....... M. lutzi Costa-Lima, 1931
- Pronotum without areas of white pubescence; glabrous area between the spots of elytral pubescence, wide on disk; sides of urosternites with areas of yellowish pubescence. Bolivia ................................. M. huedepohli Monné, 1979
description: Published as part of Martins, Ubirajara R., Galileo, Maria Helena M. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2015, New taxa and new records in Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) from the state of Bahia (Brazil) and notes on Meridiotroctes (Acanthoderini), pp. 271-299 in Zootaxa 3973 (2) on pages 286-289, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3973.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/237561