Psyrassa vandenberghei Wappes, Botero and Santos-Silva 2018, new species
Creators: name: Wappes, James E.
name: Botero, Juan Pablo
name: Santos-Silva, Antonio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Psyrassa
Psyrassa vandenberghei

description: Psyrassa vandenberghei Wappes, Botero and Santos-Silva, new species
(Fig. 1–4)
Description. Female. Head reddish-brown dorsally, dark reddish-brown ventrally between lower eye lobes, gradually lighter toward prothorax; mandibles reddish-brown except margins and apex black; mouthparts mostly reddish-brown with apex of last palpomeres yellowish-brown; scape reddish-brown; pedicel and antennomeres black (slightly dark reddish toward distal antennomeres depending on angle of light source); prothorax mostly reddish-brown with basal and distal margins darker; ventral surface of meso- and metathorax reddish-brown (lighter than on prothorax), with margins of nearly all sternites narrowly darker; elytra reddish-brown in basal half (lighter than on prothorax), gradually darkened in distal half, becoming almost black distally; femora reddish-brown, slightly darkened in distal area and on peduncle of meso- and metafemora; tibiae nearly black; tarsi mostly dark brown; abdominal ventrites I–IV black; abdominal ventrite V primarily dark brown, with some small reddish areas.
Head. Frontal plate smooth; remaining surface of frons nearly smooth centrally, finely, densely punctate laterally; glabrous in smooth areas, with moderately short, decumbent, golden setae laterally (more whitish depending on angle of light source). Vertex with area between antennal tubercles distinctly more elevated than area toward prothorax; finely, abundantly punctate between antennal tubercles, coarsely, shallowly punctate toward prothorax; with short, decumbent, sparse golden setae between antennal tubercles, nearly smooth toward prothorax; with a long, erect golden seta close to upper eye lobes. Area behind eyes smooth close to eye, finely, moderately abundantly punctate close to prothorax; glabrous. Genae short (anterior margin of lower eye lobes almost touching distal margin at middle); finely punctate; with short, decumbent, sparse golden setae. Antennal tubercles finely punctate basally, smooth toward apex; with sparse, decumbent golden setae basally, glabrous toward apex. Last segment of maxillary and labial palpi securiform. Median groove distinct from clypeus to area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes. Postclypeus finely, densely punctate on wide central area, smooth later- ally; with short, moderately sparse, decumbent golden setae in punctate area, glabrous in smooth area; with a few long, erect setae on each side of punctate area. Labrum almost coplanar with anteclypeus in basal half, inclined in distal half; with minute, decumbent, sparse golden setae centrally and long, erect, thick golden setae laterally. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous between prothoracic margin and distal margin of lower eye lobes; striate-punctate, with sparse, decumbent pale-yellow setae and long, erect, pale-yellow setae interspersed in area between lower eye lobes. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.78 times length of scape; in frontal view distance between lower eye lobes slightly shorter than length of scape; upper eye lobes with three rows of ommatidia (two at apex). Antennae reaching elytral apex. Scape coarsely, abundantly punctate dorsally and laterally, except for smooth distal dorsolateral area; with long erect, sparse setae intermittent throughout; additionally, short, sparse golden setae in punctate area and smooth area glabrous. Antennomeres with short, decumbent yellowish setae, gradually denser toward XI; long, erect, sparse golden setae ventrally on III–X (sparser toward X); III with a few long, erect golden setae dorsally; IV–X with a few long, erect golden setae at apex; antennomeres III–VII dorsally carinate (gradually less distinct toward VII). Apical spine of antennomere III straight, obliquely truncate at apex, 0.63 times length of antennomere; apical spine of antennomere IV 0.42 times length of antennomere; apical spine of antennomere V 0.2 times length of antennomere; apical spine of antennomere VI 0.16 times length of antennomere; apical spine of antennomere VII 0.09 times length of antennomere; remaining antennomeres with unarmed apex. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III (excluding spine): scape = 1.12; pedicel = 0.27; IV = 0.94; V = 1.06; VI = 1.09; VII = 1.15; VIII = 1.03; IX = 1.03; X = 1.00; XI = 1.21.
Thorax. Prothorax 1.32 times longer than wide, nearly parallel-sided between basal and distal constrictions. Pronotum with slightly elevated central gibbosity from basal constriction to middle; coarsely densely punctate except on smooth gibbosity; with short, decumbent, golden setae basally, denser in small area at sides; with long, erect, sparse golden setae except on glabrous gibbosity. Sides of prothorax coarsely, confluently punctate except finely striate distal area (this area widened toward prosternum), with long, erect, sparse golden setae throughout. Prosternum coarsely, shallowly punctate in basal half, transversely striate in distal half, with yellowish-white pubescence in basal half and long, erect golden setae interspersed; with sparse, decumbent yellowish-white pubescence in center of distal half, and long, erect, sparse, golden setae; prosternal process parallel-sided between coxae, triangularly expanded distally. Procoxal cavities closed posteriorly. Mesoventrite with sparse yellowish-white pubescence (more grayish-white depending on angle of light source) centrally, denser laterally. Mesepisternum, mesepimeron and metepisternum with yellowish-white pubescence (more grayish-white depending on angle of light source) denser than on mesoventrite. Metaventrite coarsely, moderately sparsely punctate in wide central area; with yellowish-white pubescence (more grayish-white depending on angle of light source) laterally and close to metacoxae, with short and long, erect, sparse golden setae on remaining surface. Scutellum with abundant golden setae, partially obscuring integument in distal area.
Elytra. Parallel-sided at basal 2/3, gradually narrowed toward apex at distal third; apex truncate, with rounded outer angle and short triangular projection at sutural angle; coarsely, abundantly punctate in basal half, gradually finer, sparser, in distal half; with long, erect, sparse golden setae throughout (some punctures with minute seta).
Legs. Femora coarsely, abundantly punctate, gradually coarser, confluently punctate toward apex; with long, erect, sparse golden setae. Tibiae with both short and long, erect golden setae, gradually more abundant toward apex, especially ventrally.
Abdomen. Ventrites finely, sparsely punctate (denser on ventrite V); sides with yellowish-white pubes- cence (more grayish-white depending on angle of light source); remaining surface with short and long, sparse golden setae. Apex of ventrite V nearly truncate.
Dimensions in mm (holotype female). Total length 9.85; prothoracic length 1.85; basal prothoracic width 1.25; distal prothoracic width 1.30; widest prothoracic width 1.40; humeral width 1.85; elytral length 6.10.
Type material. Holotype female from NICARAGUA, Rivas: vicinity of Rancho Santana, 27.V.2003, E. van den Berghe col. (FSCA). No other specimens known.
Etymology. Named for Eric van den Berghe, collector of the holotype.
Remarks. Psyrassa vandenberghei sp. nov. differs from P. nigripes Linsley, 1935 by the spine of antennomere III straight and obliquely truncate at apex (curved and rounded in P. nigripes), prothorax nearly parallel-sided (rounded in P. nigripes), elytra gradually, distinctly darkened toward apex (unicolorous in P. nigripes), and femora mostly reddish (blackish in P. nigripes). The new species differs from P. nigricornis Bates, 1872 by the spine of antennomere III straight and obliquely truncate at apex (curved and rounded in P. nigricornis), elytra darkened toward apex (light in P. nigricornis), and elytral apex truncate, with rounded outer angle (emarginate with triangular projection at outer angle in P. nigricornis). Psyrassa vandenberghei differs from P. rufofemorata Linsley, 1935 by the head, prothorax and basal area of the elytra reddish-brown (from dark-brown to black in P. rufofemorata), and spine of antennomere III obliquely truncate at apex (acute in P. rufofemorata). Psyrassa vandenberghei can be separated from P. chemsaki Toledo, 2002 by the reddish femora (black in P. chemsaki), and spine of antennomere III obliquely truncate at apex (acute in P. chemsaki).
In the couplet “21” of Toledo (2005) P. vandenberghei can be included in both options, because the spine of antennomere III is straight and about twice the length of pedicel.
description: Published as part of Wappes, James E., Botero, Juan Pablo & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2018, New species of Elaphidiini from Central America (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae), pp. 1-12 in Insecta Mundi 657 on pages 2-4, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3709833