Laraesima betsabeae, Ávila-Jiménez & Botero & García & Santos-Silva, 2025

Ávila-Jiménez, Ángelo, Botero, Juan Pablo, García, Martha Jeaneth & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2025, Checklist of the Cerambycidae (Insecta, Coleoptera) from a cloud forest in the Chicaque Natural Park (Cundinamarca, Colombia): with the description of five new species and new geographic records, European Journal of Taxonomy 1007, pp. 211-238 : 226-228

Laraesima betsabeae sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9D93BDBA-9F16-416D-8FE4-A2F275A2E1E7

Figs 26–29

Diagnosis

Laraesima betsabeae sp. nov. is similar to L. pilosa Monné, 1980 by the elytra with long and erect setae, but differs as follows: body stouter; lateral tubercles of the prothorax located on middle; and the basal third of the elytra are parallel-sided. In L. pilosa , the body is slender, lateral tubercles of the prothorax are located after the middle, and the elytra are oval. It differs from L. densepunctata Breuning, 1950 especially by the elytra with long and erect setae (absent in L. densepunctata ), and the meso- and metatibiae gradually widened toward the apex (cylindrical in L. densepunctata ); from L. brunneoscutellaris (Tippmann, 1960) by the elytra with long and erect setae and shorter than three times the prothoracic length (without long and erect setae and about three times the prothoracic length in L. brunneoscutellaris ); from L. ecuadorensis Breuning, 1974 by the lower eye lobes shorter than twice the genal length (about twice the genal length in L. ecuadorensis ); and from L. scutellaris (Thomson, 1868) especially by the elytra with long and erect setae (with short erect setae in L. scutellaris ).

Etymology

Named in honour of Betsabé Jiménez, mother of the first author, a resilient and loving woman, whose unconditional support made the professional and human development of her sons possible.

Type material

Holotype COLOMBIA • ♂; Cundinamarca, Parque Natural Chicaque , “refugio”; 4°36′52.7″ N, 74°18′39.3″ W; 2193 m a.s.l.; 23 Jan. 2022; A. Ávila leg.; in Croton sp. , direct collect; MHN-UPN, MHNUPN _ ENT 2200701 .

Measurements (in mm)

Total length: 6.35; prothoracic length: 1.60; anterior prothoracic width: 1.85; posterior prothoracic width: 1.95; widest prothoracic width: 2.65; humeral width: 2.65; elytral length: 4.20.

Description

Holotype ( Figs 26–29 )

COLORATION. Surface entirely dark brown.

HEAD. With sparse, large, deep punctures on entire surface; frons and vertex with abundant dark yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, except three longitudinal bands of sparse pubescence on vertex and dense pubescence close to upper eye lobes; with long, erect setae interspersed, setae brownish about basal half, yellowish white on apical half. Distance between upper eye lobes approximately 2.20 maximum width of scape. In frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes four times length of scape. Genae with sparse yellowish-brown pubescence, denser close to eye, interspersed with long, erect setae, setae brownish basally, yellowish white on remaining surface. Postclypeus with pubescence as on frons. Labrum finely punctate, with sparse whitish pubescence on posterior half, with a few long erect golden setae interspersed centrally, and moderately abundant yellowish-brown setae laterally, glabrous on remaining surface, except fringe of golden setae on anterior margin. Scape, pedicel, and antennomeres III–VII with abundant dark yellowish-brown pubescence, except apex with dense yellow pubescence; with thick, decumbent white setae interspersed; antennomeres VIII–XI with minute brownish pubescence, except yellowish pubescence on apex of V–VIII; pedicel and antennomeres III–X with long, erect yellowish setae ventrally, setae more abundant on III and gradually sparser toward X. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.88; pedicel = 0.25; IV = 1.10; V = 0.83; VI = 0.76; VII = 0.66; VIII = 0.62; IX = 0.55; X = 0.53; XI= 0.50.

THORAX. Prothorax wider than long; lateral tubercles large, conical, located on middle. Pronotum sparsely, coarsely punctate; tumid centrally, with two slightly conspicuous central gibbosities; surface corrugated, with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence denser laterally; with a few thick white setae interspersed. Ventral surface thorax with abundant yellowish-white pubescence laterally, almost glabrous on central area of mesoventrite; central area of metaventrite not examined because it is covered by the fixing card and glue, which were not removed to avoid damaging the pubescence. Scutellum glabrous centrally and with abundant yellow pubescence close to margins.

ELYTRA. Humeri not projected, surface irregular, moderately sparsely, coarsely punctate. With abundant dark yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, with non-aligned tufts of yellow setae, and long, erect setae interspersed, setae dark brown on basal half, yellowish white on remaining surface. Apex truncate.

LEGS. Femora with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument dorsally and laterally and abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument ventrally; with short, thick, decumbent whitish setae interspersed dorsally and laterally. Tibiae with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument dorsally and laterally, pubescence yellower on apical third of dorsal surface of meso- and metatibiae, sparse whitish pubescence ventrally, except dense, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence on apical third; with both, short and long, thick, erect white setae interspersed dorsally and laterally.

ABDOMEN. Ventrites with moderately abundant whitish pubescence and long, thick white setae interspersed; ventrite 5 with abundant yellowish-brown setae laterally and apically. Ventrite 1, not including abdominal process, almost as long as ventrite 2–3 together.

Figures

Figs 26–29. Laraesima betsabeae sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (MHNUPN_ENT 2200701). 26. Dorsal view. 27. Ventral view. 28. Lateral view. 29. Detail of head, frontal view. Scale bars = 1 mm.