Pseudocometes harrisoni Le Tirant and Santos-Silva 2014, new species

Pseudocometes harrisoni Le Tirant and Santos-Silva, new species (Figures 1-3) Description. Holotype male. Head (except area of antennal tubercles that are dark-brown), prothorax (except central area of anterior constriction of ventral side that is brown), elytra, ventral side of mesothorax, mesepisterna, metasternum (except distal portion close to middle of metacoxae and around metasternal suture that is brownish), ventrite I (except narrow distal area that is brown) black. Mandibles brown, blackish on distal third. Palpi brown; maxillary palpomere IV dark-brown, with appendix blackish. Antennae dark-brown, with areas of scape slightly lighter. Coxae dark-brown; legs orangish, with brown areas. Ventrites dark-brown, with light-brown areas. Setae yellowish. Head: Dorsally moderately finely, abundantly punctate between antennal tubercles and prothorax, with impunctate central region; area around upper ocular lobes with very short setae, mixed by sparse short setae; coronal suture distinct up to about middle of area between posterior ocular edge and prothorax. Central area behind lower ocular lobes impunctate, glabrous. Antennal tubercles glabrous, punctate only at base close to the apex of upper ocular lobe. Gula shiny, distally and laterally very finely, sparsely punctate, with long, sparse setae, centrally moderately coarsely, sparsely punctate, with long, sparse setae, mixed by very short, sparse setae. Depressed area of submentum moderately coarsely, abundantly, confluently punctate, with very short, moderately sparse setae; anterior area shining, glabrous, impunctate. Clypeus coarsely rugose-punctate, except on narrow area at margins; with short, moderately abundant setae, mixed by long setae. Labrum centrally impunctate and glabrous; laterally and distally with moderately coarse punctures, short and long setae directed forward. Eyes large; distance between their lateral sides wider than base of prothorax; distance between upper ocular lobes equal to 0.15 times length of scape; distance between lower ocular lobes equal to 0.50 times length of scape. Outer side of mandibles sparsely punctate, almost glabrous on base, centrally moderately abundant punctate, with short, abundant setae, and tuff of long setae directed forward at apex of this area; distal third glabrous, impunctate. Labial palpi shorter than maxillary palpomere II; palpomere I short, about as long as 1/4 of palpomere II; palpomere II about as long as III; palpomere III distinctly securiform. Maxillary palpi very long; palpomere I and III short; palpomere II about as long as IV, slender, cylindrical, enlarged at apex; palpomere IV slightly flattened dorsoventrally, distinctly enlarged at distal fifth; appendix of palpomere IV 0.85 times as long as palpomere. Antennae as long as 2.0 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex near apex of antennomere VIII; antennal formula based on antennomere III: scape = 1.18; pedicel = 0.15; IV = 1.00; V = 0.98; VI = 0.95; VII = 0.94; VIII = 0.92; IX = 0.92; X = 0.86; XI = 1.06. Prothorax: Distinctly constricted anteriorly and posteriorly (mainly anteriorly); lateral tubercles large, acute at apex. Pronotum with five tubercles: two lateroanteriorly, rounded, shiny, impunctate and glabrous; two lateroposteriorly, rounded, coarsely, slightly sparsely punctate, with short setae; one centrally, longitudinal, partially coarsely punctate, discally glabrous; surface among tubercles, coarsely, abundantly, confluently punctate, with moderately long, abundant setae. Prosternum centrally and on transversal sulcus shiny, glabrous, impunctate; area around procoxal cavities coarsely, abundantly punctate, with short setae; brownish area finely, transversely sulcate, centrally with a transversal line of moderately long setae. Prosternal process distinctly slender, acute at apex. Mesosternum punctate, with moderately long, sparse setae, except on longitudinal middle area and laterally. Mesepisterna coarsely, confluently punctate, with short, abundant setae. Mesepimera moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate, with short setae, except on a large are around distal margins that are impunctate and glabrous. Metasternum laterally and anteriorly moderately coarsely, sparsely punctate (except close to metepisterna that are finely, densely punctate), gradually finer and sparser towards metasternal suture and metacoxae, becoming impunctate and glabrous (area closer to inner apex of metacoxae with coarse, sparse punctures). Metepisterna moderately finely, densely punctate, with short setae. Scutellum discally shiny, impunctate, glabrous, laterally with narrow area with very short setae, distally with some long setae. Elytra very coarsely, deeply, abundantly punctate on basal two-thirds, distinctly finer, sparser and shallower on distal third; surface with moderately abundant short setae, mixed by long setae; apex truncate, slightly projected at sutural angle. Abdomen: Ventrites I-II with long, sparse setae, laterally finely, sparsely punctate, centrally moderately coarsely, sparsely punctate; ventrites III-IV as I-II, but centrally less distinctly punctate and sparser setae. Centro-basal region of ventrite V finely, sparsely punctate, with short sparse setae; coarsely, abundantly punctate laterally and distally, with abundant, short and long setae; apex truncate, centrally slightly emarginate. Legs: Metatarsomere I about as long as 0.9 times II-III together; metatarsomere V (without claws) about 0.8 times as long as I. Female. Labial palpi 0.45 times as long as maxillary palpi. Labial palpomere III distinctly securiform. Maxillary palpi not notably long; palpomere I as long as 0.45 times length of II; palpomere II 0.65 times as long as IV, cylindrical, moderately enlarged near apex; palpomere IV fusiform. Antennae as long as 1.6 times elytral length; reaching about base of distal third of elytra. Variability. Male paratypes: mandibles almost totally black; antennae from 1.9 to 2.1 times elytral length; mesosternum laterally brownish; ventrite I brown with darkish areas. Dimensions (mm). Male/female. Total length (including mandibles) = 11.5-14.8/16.1; prothoracic length = 1.6-2.4/2.6; prothoracic width between apices of anterior angles = 1.3-2.0/2.3; prothoracic width between apices of posterior angles = 1.4-2.2/2.3; humeral width = 2.3-3.3/3.5; elytral length = 7.7-10.0/11.1. The largest dimensions of the males are those of the holotype. Type material. Holotype male from PERU, Pasco: Pozuzo, VIII.2013, local collector (MZSP). Paratypes: 3 males and 1 female, same data as holotype (2 males, 1 female, IMCQ; 1 male, MZSP). Diagnosis. Pseudocometes harrisoni differs from the other species of the genus by the apex of maxillary palpomere IV less expanded, by the slender antennae, and by the paler legs. Etymology. We dedicate this species to Mr. Paul Harrison, entomological technician at the Montreal Insectarium for his long time dedication to the living collection presented to the public.

Fetched live from OpenAlex and de-inverted. Abstracts are not stored in this database: the inverted indexes are 8.6 GB of the frame’s 9.3 GB of text, and the host has 13 GB free.