Cacostola timtim Peraza, 2025

Peraza, Lizandro N. & Freitas, Juliana G., 2025, Cacostola timtim, a new species of longhorn beetle (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) from the seasonally dry tropical forest of Yucatán, Mexico, Zootaxa 5636 (1), pp. 183-187 : 184-187

Cacostola timtim Peraza , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2ACB9255-CA53-4102-B729-72CB0284167F

Figs. 1–2

Description.

Holotype male. ( Fig. 1 A–D ). Head. Frons transverse; abundantly, coarsely punctate; with thick yellowish-brown pubescence, pale yellow or white on some areas, dense on some areas, slightly sparser in others, sometimes obscuring integument. Vertex and area behind eyes with sculpturing and pubescence as on frons. Genae 0.9 times length of lower eye lobe in frontal view; sculpturing and pubescence as on frons, apex smooth, glabrous. Antennal tubercles with inner projection moderately elevated, slightly surpassing dorsal surface of base of scape, apex rounded, feebly concave on surface facing scape-ball; sculpturing and pubescence as on frons, except smooth distal area, sparser and shorter pubescence on outer surface, and finely punctate on projection. Postclypeus with sculpturing and pubescence mostly as on frons, smooth and glabrous laterally, with sparse black setae directed forward interspersed on anterior margin; anteclypeus with yellowish-brown pubescence obscuring integument. Labrum moderately finely punctate on transverse central area, nearly smooth on remaining surface; with yellowish-brown pubescence posteriorly obscuring integument; with fringe of golden setae on anterior margin; with sparse, long black setae directed forward on punctate area. Mandibles with yellowish-brown pubescence on basal half of outer surface, glabrous on remaining surface. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.42 times length of scape; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.96 times length of scape. Antennae 3.0 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex about the middle of antennomere VI. Scape and pedicel with fine yellowish-brown pubescence dorsally not obscuring integument, thicker yellowish-brown pubescence ventrally obscuring integument but with a mid glabrous linear area that gradually expands from base to apex; antennomere III with pale-yellow pubescence basally, slightly finer yellowish-brown pubescence on remaining surface; antennomeres IV– VI, VIII, and X with yellowish-white pubescence on most of basal half, slightly finer, yellowish brown on remaining surface; antennomeres VII and IX with fine yellowish-brown pubescence; antennomere XI with fine yellowish-brown pubescence on most of surface, yellowish white on apex; ventral surface of antennomeres III– VI some long, erect setae ventrally, more abundant on III. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.69; pedicel = 0.17; IV = 1.20; V = 1.23; VI = 1.17; VII = 1.14; VIII = 1.17; IX = 1.14; X = 1.20; XI = 1.71.

Thorax. Prothorax wider than long, sides with rounded, feebly tubercle centrally, obscured by pubescence. Pronotum with elongate, slightly elevated gibbosity on central area; abundantly, coarsely punctate, not transversely striate; with a central, longitudinal narrow yellowish-brown pubescent band obscuring integument, flanked by a wide area with sparser and shorter yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, divided on middle by an irregular band of denser and larger yellowish-brown pubescence, and sides with dense pubescence of same color obscuring integument; with a few long, erect black setae near posterolateral angles. Sides of prothorax with sculpturing and pubescence as on pronotum. Prosternum sparsely, finely punctate medially, impunctate laterally; with yellowish-brown pubescence, denser laterally. Narrowest area of prosternal process 0.25 times width of procoxal cavity. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, slightly denser on mesanepisternum and mesepimeron. Width of mesoventral process about half as wide as mesocoxal cavity. Scutellum rounded, slightly notched apically; slightly longitudinally depressed centrally; with dense yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument. Elytra. Humeri rounded, projected; abundantly, coarsely punctate on most of surface, punctures slightly sparser and finer near apex. Each elytron covered with yellowish-brown pubescence obscuring integument, interspersed with four narrow longitudinal bands of yellowish-white pubescence obscuring integument, and four irregular and discontinuous longitudinal narrow bands of short and sparse yellowish-brown pubescence. The first two bands of yellowish-white pubescence, from suture to external margin, start on base and are long, irregular, and discontinuous; the other two start around mid elytron and are shorter and entire; all four merge on apical third of elytron. The first and fourth bands of yellowish-brown pubescence start on base or near it and end on apex (partially merging); the second and third are shorter and do not reach base or apex of elytron; all four partially merge laterally below mid elytron. Legs. Densely, finely, shallowly punctate; with yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument. Metatibiae tumid.

Abdomen. Ventrites with dense yellowish-white pubescence laterally, sparser and shorter centrally on 1–4, less so on central area of 5; apex of ventrite 5 truncate, centrally emarginate.

Female. ( Fig. 1 E–H ). Distance between upper eye lobes 0.43 times length of scape; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 1.0 times length of scape. Body measurements:Antennae 1.72 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex about basal half of antennomere X; antennomeres IV–VI with yellowish-white pubescence on basal two-thirds, yellowish-brown on remaining surface; antennomeres VII–XI with yellowish-white pubescence on basal half, remaining surface with sparser and finer yellowish-brown pubescence; antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.70; pedicel = 0.15; IV = 1.09; V = 0.91; VI = 0.85; VII = 0.67; VIII = 0.58; IX = 0.55; X = 0.52; XI = 0.48; metatibiae not tumid, gradually widened toward apex; ventrite 5 somewhat depressed centrally.

Holotype male. Total length (TL), 9.40 mm; prothoracic length (PL), 1.60 mm; anterior prothoracic width (APW), 1.85 mm; posterior prothoracic width (PPW), 1.90 mm; maximum prothoracic width (MPW), 2.00 mm; humeral width (HW), 2.65 mm; elytral length (EL), 6.95 mm. Allotype. TL = 10.25; PL = 1.65; APW = 1.85; PPW = 1.95; MPW = 2.05; HW = 2.65; EL = 7.20. Paratypes. Size variation ( Fig. 2A–K ), minimum–maximum measurements of male (n = 14)/ female (n = 7): TL = 7.70–10.10/8.70–10.60; PL = 1.35–1.80/1.30–1.65; APW = 1.45–2.05/1.60–1.85; PPW = 1.55–2.10/1.60–1.95; MPW = 1.60–2.15/1.70–2.05; HW = 2.10–2.85/2.25–2.80; EL = 5.65–7.45/6.40–7.70; distance between upper eye lobes = 0.35–0.50/0.43–0.50; distance between lower eye lobes = 0.83–1.06/0.83–1.05; antenna length/elytral length ratio = 2.18–3.24/1.58–1.80; antennal formula (ratio): scape = 0.56–0.74/0.69–0.76; pedicel = 0.14–0.22/0.14–0.19; IV = 1.06–1.28/0.94–1.16; V = 0.82–1.33/0.84–1.00; VI = 0.88–1.22/0.77–0.90; VII = 0.87–1.19/0.65–0.81; VIII = 0.72–1.10/0.55–0.71; IX = 0.55–1.15/0.48–0.56; X = 0.53–1.20/0.42–0.55; XI = 0.78–1.78/0.39–0.55.

Type material. HOLOTYPE, ♂ ( CER-UADY): México, Yucatán, Mérida, / Parque Anikabil , / 20.988248, -89.686727, / 10 m, viii-28-2024, / L. Peraza col. // sobre una rama seca de Acacia gaumeri // Holotype / Cacostola / timtim Peraza / LPccer23. ALLOTYPE, ♀: same data as holotype except, viii-29-2024 // Allotype / Cacostola / timtim Peraza / LPccer26. PARATYPES (7 ♀, 14 ♂, each with a label: Paratype / Cacostola / timtim Peraza / “collection code”), same data as holotype except: viii-13-2023 // en una enredadera seca // LPccer12 (1 ♂); viii-21-2024 // en una enredadera seca // LPccer13 (1 ♀, CER-UADY); viii-22-2024 // LPccer14–LPccer16 (2 ♀; 1 ♂, CER-UADY); viii-23-2024 // LPccer17–LPccer19 (3 ♂); viii-24-2024 // LPccer20–LPccer22 (2 ♂; 1 ♂, CER-UADY); viii-28-2024 // sobre rama seca de Leucaena leucocephala // LPccer24 (1 ♂); viii-29-2024 // LPccer25 (1 ♀, CER-UADY); viii-31-2024 // LPccer27–LPccer30 (1 ♀, 3 ♂); ix-01-2024 // LPccer31–LPccer32 (1 ♀, 1 ♂); ix-10-2024 // LPccer33–LPccer34 (1 ♀, 1 ♂) .

Etymology. The species name “ timtim ” refers to a Brazilian Portuguese sobriquet that is being used herein as a noun in apposition to pay homage to Martín ( “timtim ”) Benício Freitas Peraza, our son, for everything he has lost as a consequence of his parents’ adventure in the undervalued career of taxonomy.

Remarks. Cacostola timtim sp. nov. is morphologically similar to C. rugicollis Bates, 1885 and C. plotkini Wappes & Santos-Silva, 2019 ; it can be separated from the first by the slender and longer antennae in males (2.20– 3.25 vs. less than 2.00 times elytral length in C. rugicollis ), the larger projection of the antennal tubercles in males (only slightly apparent in C. rugicollis , compare Fig. 1C to Fig. 9 from Wappes & Santos-Silva (2019)), and the larger distance between the lower eye lobes in males (3.5 vs. 3.0 times lower eye width in C. rugicollis ); it can be separated from the second one by the smaller body size in males (TL = 7.75–10.10 mm vs. 10.45–13.10 mm in C. plotkini ), smaller projection of the antennal tubercles in males (notably larger in C. plotkini , compare Fig. 1C to Fig. 4 from Wappes & Santos-Silva (2019)) and the proportionally shorter antennomere XI in males (0.48–0.76 times the length of IX–X together vs. slightly shorter than IX–X together in C. plotkini ).

Distribution and ecology. Cacostola timtim sp. nov. has only been registered from the seasonally dry tropical forest of northern Yucatán, Mexico. There, specimens were mainly collected on dead twigs of Acacia gaumeri S.F.Blake ( Fabaceae ), and occasionally on dead branches of Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) deWit ( Fabaceae ) and dead vines between August and September. We also found one teratological specimen (LPccer17) with a deformed right antenna after antennomere V ( Fig. 2B ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Types of Cacostola timtim sp. nov. A–D) Holotype male [LPccer23]: A) Dorsal habitus; B) Lateral habitus; C) Ventral habitus; D) Frontal habitus. E–H) Allotype female [LPccer26]: E) Dorsal habitus; F) Lateral habitus; G) Ventral habitus; H) Frontal habitus.

FIGURE 2. Cacostola timtim sp. nov. A–E) Male paratypes: A) LPccer12; B) LPccer17 (teratological specimen, aberrant rigth antenna); C) LPccer22; D) LPccer29; E) LPccer34. F–K) Field photographs (specimens not collected): F) Female resting on a dead twig of Acacia gaumeri, ix-17-2024; G) Male resting on a dead twig of A. gaumeri, ix-17-2024; H) Dorsal view of a male (left) and female (right) resting on a dead twig of A. gaumeri, ix-06-2024; I) Ventral view of same specimens; J) Dorsal view of a male (down) and female (up) on a dead twig of A. gaumeri, ix-05-2024; K) Male (left) and female (right) on a dead twig of A. gaumeri, ix-12-2024.