Melanesiandra anatomensis Kakinuma 2019, new species
Creators: name: Kakinuma, Shunsuke
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Melanesiandra
Melanesiandra anatomensis

description: Melanesiandra anatomensis Kakinuma, new species
(Fig. 1–11)
Type material. Holotype male, deposited at NMNS, labeled: “ VANUATU: Tafea Prov., Aneityum Island, near Anelghowhat, 20.II.2018 ”. Allotype female, deposited at NMNS, same data as holotype. Paratypes (nine males, eight females), deposited at FSCA, MZSP, SKC, same data as holotype.
Description. Holotype male (Fig. 1–3). Length: 18.4 mm. Width: 5.1 mm. Color: Shining chestnut; lateral sides of head, edge of inner teeth of mandibles, margins of labrum and pronotum, and elytral suture darker; legs and palpi light brown. Head: Size large in relation to body, width of head plus eyes slightly narrower than width of anterior edge of prothorax and elytra. Dorsal surface with fine, moderate punctures on gibbosities; punctures sparser behind gibbosities; punctures denser, larger around eyes; area between gibbosities and ocular carina weakly depressed, smooth; longitudinal furrow shallow. Middle area of clypeus oblique, weakly convex, fused with labrum centrally. Central projection of labrum distinct, wide, with smaller projection on each side; labrum sparsely, shallowly punctate, with very short setae. Eyes barely emarginate, as in paratype (Fig. 9). Mandibles falciform, longer than head; inner margin with rectangular pre-median tooth, and triangular post-median tooth, not adjoined; inner surface sparsely, shallowly punctate, with long setae around base of teeth; outer surface moderately densely punctate; dorsal carina elevated. Submentum glabrous; clearly delimited by fine suture, depressed near mentum, coarsely, deeply, abundantly punctate; punctures finer and sparser near posterior edge. Anten- nae reaching lateral angles of prothorax; antennomeres III–XI carinate ventrally; carina elevated and clearly visible from sides, as in paratype (Fig. 10). Pronotum: Form convex. Surface with punctation fine, shallow and sparse on center of disc, becoming gradually coarser and denser laterally, especially toward anterolateral angles; anterior margin slightly sinuous, anterolateral angles weakly projected forward; lateral angles slightly indicated; posterolateral angle well-marked; lateral margins nearly parallel-sided from anterolateral angles to lateral angles, then convergent toward posterolateral angles. Elytra: Surface somewhat finely, moderately abundantly punctate. Elytral carinae absent. Metasternum: Surface with very fine, shallow, sparse punctures. Legs: Metatarsus (excluding claws) almost as long as metatibia (excluding apical spines); metatarsomere V longer than I–III together.
Male genitalia (Fig. 11 – paratype). Median lobe forming flattened tube, with two elongate struts at base; parameres forming ring, with pair of pointed processes, in dorsal view, separate near base.
Allotype female (Fig. 4–6). Length: 17.9 mm. Width: 5.0 mm. Differs from holotype male in the following characters: Head much narrower than in male; central projection of labrum small, narrow, without small projection on each side. Mandibles sub-falciform; much shorter than in male; pre-median and post-median teeth together adjoined, forming wide and undulated tooth. Pronotum with lateral margins weakly arcuate from anterolateral angles to lateral angles; anterolateral angles projected forward, stronger than in male.
Variation in paratypes. Males. Length: 15.5–20.8 mm. Width: 4.3–6.0 mm. Head: Major males (Fig. 7): mandibles longer; inner teeth more widely separated, pre-median teeth narrower. Central projection of labrum more distinct. Minor males (Fig. 8): mandibles shorter; sub-falciform; inner teeth of mandibles adjoined. Central projection of labrum less distinct. Females. Length: 16.0–20.0 mm. Width: 4.4–5.7 mm. Males and females. Elytra: Elytral carinae barely marked in some paratypes, regardless of sex or body size.
Diagnosis. Melanesiandra anatomensis is easily distinguished from other species of the genus except M. striatifrons (Fairmaire) in having antennomeres III–XI carinate. The new species differs from M. striatifrons as follows: in males, central projection of labrum distinct and wide, with small projection on each side; mandibles slightly thicker; pronotum with lateral margins nearly parallel-sided from anterolateral angles to lateral angles; in females, central projection of labrum slightly larger; anterolateral angles of pronotum more weakly projected. In males of M. striatifrons, central projection of labrum truncate and with concavity at apex, mandibles slightly thinner; pronotum with lateral margins convergent from anterolateral angles to posterolateral angles; in females of M. striatifrons, central projection of labrum slightly smaller; anterolateral angles of pronotum a little strongly projected.
Etymology. The name refers to the island of Anatom, also known as Aneityum, the type locality of the species.
description: Published as part of Kakinuma, Shunsuke, 2019, Description of a new species of Melanesiandra Santos-Silva et al. (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Parandrinae) found in Vanuatu, pp. 1-5 in Insecta Mundi 686 on pages 1-2, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3670431