Sfina, Vlasak & Santos-Silva, 2025

Vlasak, Josef & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2025, The surprisingly little-known fauna of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) of Ecuador: description of one new genus and eight new species of Acanthocinini (Lamiinae) and new records in Cerambycinae and Lamiinae, Zootaxa 5653 (2), pp. 151-195 : 160-161

Sfina gen. nov.

( Figs 14–19 , 55–60 )

Type species: Sfina nubicola sp. nov., here designated.

Etymology. “ Sfina ” (Greek “σφήνα,” noun—wedge); alluding to the elytral shape. Feminine gender.

Description. Medium-sized; body slightly convex, moderately slender and elongated. Head not elongated behind eyes, not retractile. Frons distinctly transverse. Distance between upper eye lobes about four times maximum diameter of one upper lobe; lower eye lobes, in frontal view, shorter than genae. Antennae 11-segmented, distinctly longer than body in both sexes, slightly shorter in female than in male; scape reaching posterior margin of prothorax, without apical cicatrix or projection; flagellomeres filiform; III the longest; III–XI without tuft of setae. Prothorax transverse; anterior constriction narrow, well marked; sides slightly divergent from anterior constriction to lateral tubercles, then subparallel-sided toward posterolateral angles; lateral tubercles conical, not directed backward, somewhat small, located about beginning of posterior third. Pronotum not tuberculate, sometimes with slightly distinct gibbosity on center of posterior half and on sides of anterior third. Prosternal process distinctly narrow centrally, narrowest area about as wide as 1/7 of procoxal width; apex strongly widened. Mesoventral process without tubercles; narrowest area about as wide as 1/4 of mesocoxal width; apex truncate, not projected under mesocoxae. Scutellum subtriangular, with rounded apex. Elytra cuneiform; outer apex triangularly projected; sutural angle not projected; centrobasal crest elevated, often longer than metatarsomere I, without long and erect setae on dorsal surface; with longitudinal, slightly oblique distinct carina from centrobasal crest to before middle; dorsal surface with distinct longitudinal carina laterally, from about anterior fifth to about posterior fifth, forming a slightly elevated and elongated crest about middle; anterior half depressed dorsally, with posterior margin of this area arched; humeral carina well marked from humerus to apex of outer apical angle, not strongly keel-shaped; with very sparse, short erect setae. Femora pedunculate-clavate; metafemoral clubs wider in males than in females; apex of metafemora distinctly not reaching elytral apex in both sexes; without long, erect setae. Tibiae slightly, gradually widened from base to apex; without long, erect setae. Metatarsomere I slightly longer than II–III together, rarely shorter. Abdomen not surpassing elytral apex in both sexes; sides of apex of ventrite 5 not spiniform in both sexes.

Remarks. Sfina gen. nov. can be included in the alternative of couplet “13” from Monné et al. (2020a):

13(12) Centrobasal crest of elytra longer than metatarsomere I............................................ Sfina gen. nov.

- Centrobasal crest of elytra distinctly shorter than metatarsomere I..............................................13’

13’(13) Lateral tubercle of prothorax slightly prominent, located behind middle; centrobasal crest formed only of setae, without projection of the integument............................................... Trichalcidion Monné & Delfino, 1981

- Lateral tubercle of prothorax located medially; centrobasal crest as projection of integument, glabrous or only with a few setae............................................................................ Exalcidion Monné, 1977

It can also be included in the alternative of couplet “11” from Monné et al. (2020c):

11(10) Centrobasal crest of elytra longer than metatarsomere I............................................ Sfina gen. nov. - Centrobasal crest of elytra distinctly shorter than metatarsomere I..............................................11’ 11(10) Body somewhat slender.................................................... Lithargyrus Martins & Monné, 1974 - Body distinctly stout.......................................................... Leptocometes Bates, 1881 (part)

As the erect setae on elytra are very sparse and short, it is also possible to consider that the elytra have no erect setae. Therefore, Sfina can be included in the alternative of couplet “5” from Monné et al. (2020b):

5(4) Elytral apex oblique, outer angle strongly spiniform..........................................................5’

- Elytral apex rounded or truncate, unarmed................................................................. 6

5’(5) Pronotum tuberculate; centrobasal crest of elytra conical; prosternal process about as wide as 3/4 of a procoxa; mesoventral process as wide as mesocoxa....................................................... Tropidocoleus Monné, 2009

- Pronotum not tuberculate; centrobasal crest of elytra elongated; narrowest area of prosternal and mesoventral processes much narrower than pro- and mesocoxae............................................................. Sfina gen. nov.

Sfina is somewhat similar to Spiritusellus Monné & Santos-Silva, 2022 (see photographs on Bezark (2024) and in Monné & Santos-Silva (2022)) but differs by the distance between upper eye lobes about four times the maximum diameter of one upper lobe (about as wide as one upper lobe in Spiritusellus ), narrowest area of the prosternal process much narrower, about 1/7 the procoxal width (slightly narrower than half of the procoxal width in Spiritusellus ), and the narrowest area of the mesoventral process about 1/4 the mesocoxal width (narrowest area about 0.6 times mesocoxal width in Spiritusellus ). It also resembles Eleothinus longulus Bates, 1881 (see photographs on Bezark 2024), a species that apparently does not belong to Eleothinus Bates, 1881 , especially by the body shape, but distinctly differs by the elytra with humeral carina (absent in Eleothinus longulus ) and the prosternal and mesoventral processes proportionally narrow (noticeably wide in Eleothinus longulus ); from Sternacutus Gilmour, 1965 , a genus that brings together species that are very different from each other and, therefore, only allows comparison with the type species, Sternacutus cristatus Gilmour, 1961 (= Ozineus zikani Melzer, 1935 ) (see photographs on Bezark (2024) and in Monné et al. (2020b)), by the body slender (stouter in O. zikani ), elytra with small and erect setae (absent in O. zikani ), elytra cuneiform (not cuneiform in O. zikani ), and the centrobasal crest of elytra without erect setae on the dorsal surface (present in O. zikani ).

Figures

FIGURES 14–19. Sfina nubicola sp. nov. 14–17) Holotype male: 14) Dorsal habitus; 15) Ventral habitus; 16) Lateral habitus; 17) Head, frontal view. 18–19) Paratype female: 18) Dorsal habitus; 19) Ventral habitus.

FIGURES 53–60. Acanthocinini spp., dorsal habitus. 53–54) Anisopodus inopinatus sp. nov., paratypes: 53) Male; 54) Female. 55–60) Sfina nubicola sp. nov., paratypes from Ecuador: 55) Female from Napo (Papallacta); 56) Female from Zamora Chinchipe (Cerro Tapichalaca); 57) Female from Zamora Chinchipe (Cerro Tapichalaca); 58) Male from Zamora Chinchipe (Cerro Tapichalaca); 59) Female from Napo (Papallacta); 60) Male from Zamora Chinchipe (Cerro Tapichalaca).