Plectrocerum woodruffi Lingafelter, 2024

Woodley, Steven W. Lingafelter Norman E., 2024, New species, new combinations, synonymies, and nomenclatural discussion for Hispaniolan longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Disteniidae, Cerambycidae), Insecta Mundi 2024 (69), pp. 1-41 : 25-26

Plectrocerum woodruffi Lingafelter , new species

( Fig. 18 )

Diagnosis. This species is easily distinguished from the only other species known from Hispaniola, P. spinicorne (Olivier) by the densely and nearly uniformly punctate elytra (mostly impunctate in P. spinicorne ). Plectrocerum woodruffi has scattered long, erect, black setae mostly near the base of the elytra which are distinct from the similarly placed, long, translucent setae of P. spinicorne .

Description. Holotype female. 12.3 mm long; 3.3 mm wide at humeri. Color: Red head, basal two-thirds of antennal scape, prothorax, basal half of elytra, femora, and venter. Slightly less than the apical half of elytra dark metallic-purple. Antennal flagellomeres and apical third of scape black. Tibiae and tarsi piceous to black.

Head. Genae elongated to slightly less than width of lower eye lobes, with weakly elevated antennal tubercles, rounded at apices. Mostly glabrous, shiny, and impunctate except for fine, short setae between antennal insertion and upper eye lobes. Eyes moderately sized, with fine ommatidia, occupying little more than half the head from lateral view; upper eye lobe connected to lower lobe by 6–7 ommatidia at narrowest point; continuing around antennal tubercle and extending just inside inner margin of tubercles; upper eye lobes separated on vertex by nearly 1.5 × width of base of antennal scape. Antennae extending to near the elytral apices. Antennomeres 3–7 prominently, with apicomesal spines and expanded at apices to over twice the basal width. Antennomeres 8–11 unspined and not expanded at apices; each shorter than other antennomeres; together only slightly longer than 6–7 together. Antennal scape cylindrical, slightly thickened subapically, slightly longer than antennomere 3 which is longer than remaining antennomeres.

Thorax. Pronotum slightly wider than long, narrower at anterior margin than posterior margin. Anterior collar of pronotum bounded posteriorly by narrow swelling; pronotum widest just behind middle with large, rounded tubercle on each side and dorsally on each side of middle; posterior margin of tubercles constricted before posterior margin. Pronotum glabrous except for a few erect, black setae, shiny, and nearly impunctate. Prosternal process broad, but narrower than mesosternal intercoxal process; gradually declivous behind procoxae; apex weakly expanded; procoxae open posteriorly by about one-half their width. Mesepisternum, metepisternum, and sides of metasternum all covered with short, dense pale, appressed setae; remainder of ventral and lateral thoracic sclerites mostly shiny, impunctate and glabrous. Elytra densely, deeply punctate except for extreme apices where the punctures are shallow and sparse; very sparsely pubescent with a few erect, black setae, mostly at base; shiny and glabrous around and between punctures. Elytra with small, acute projection apicolaterally and suturally. Scutellum broadly rounded at apex, glabrous. Femora clavate with club occupying more than half the length of each femur. Metafemora not attaining elytral apex. Profemoral apices rounded; mesofemoral and metafemoral apices with broad, acute spines mesally and apicolaterally.

Abdomen. Mostly shiny and glabrous except for a few scattered, translucent setae along apical margins of ventrites. Apex of last ventrite broadly, but slightly, rounded.

Type material. Holotype (female): DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Puerto Plata Province, near La Cumbre , 3000 ft., 1 May 2005, R.E. Woodruff, in car ( REWC).

Etymology. This species is named after the late Robert Woodruff who collected the only known specimen of this species.

Pseudothonalmus Guerrero in Lingafelter and Micheli, 2004

Remarks. Guerrero in Lingafelter and Micheli (2004) described Pseudothonalmus based on the newly described Puerto Rican species, P. woodleyi Lingafelter, Micheli, and Guerrero and transferred three other species to the genus: P. terminalis (White) from Jamaica, P. divisus (Chevrolat) from Cuba and P. major (Gahan) from Jamaica. Examination of the original description and illustration of Mallosoma bicolor Sallé (currently in Trichrous ), has indicated that this species, too, should be placed in Pseudothonalmus .

Figures

Figures 17–20. West Indian Dichophyiini. 17) Plectrocerum spinicorne (Olivier). 18) Plectrocerum woodruffi Lingafelter, new species, holotype.19)Plectrocerum baracoana (Zayas), holotype (photo by Eugenio Nearns).20) Pseudothonalmus bicolor (Sallé).