Stizocera wappesi Nascimento 2018, sp. nov.

Stizocera wappesi sp. nov. (Figs 9–17, 20, 22)

Type material. HOLOTYPE:, BOLIVIA: SANTA CRUZ: Cord. Prv., Rd to Itai, 19º20 ′ S, 63º28 ′ W, 83 Km N. Camiri, 890 m, 17.–18.xii.2011, Wappes, Lingafelter & Woodley leg. (FSCA). PARATYPES: ♀, same data as holotype (ACMT);, N of Camiri, 19º20.547 ′ S, 63º28.879 ′ W, 890 m, 17.xii.2011, Steven W. Lingafelter leg. (SWLC).

Description. Male (holotype). Integument generally yellowish brown; meso- and metaventrite, distal half of legs (club), and abdominal ventrites dark reddish brown; mouthparts except mandibles, proximal half (peduncles) of femora, tarsi, elytra, and tibiae yellowish brown. Setae and pubescence mostly whitish. Head. Frons finely, sparsely punctate; setae evenly distributed, more abundant and close together near fron- toclypeal suture, gradually glabrous towards median gro- ove and antennal tubercles; median groove distinct from clypeus to level of antennal tubercles; mandibular condyle well-marked; anterior margin of eye lobes with short, dense yellowish setae; area between antennal tubercles finely, sparsely punctate; with short, sparse, decumbent setae between upper eye lobes. Antennal tubercles slightly elevated, smooth and glabrous at apex; area behind upper eye lobes finely, sparsely punctate. Gulamentum transversely striate between lower eye lobes; with subdecumbent setae and long, erect setae interspersed. Genae slightly angular at apex; surface with short, decumbent setae. Mandibles slightly longitudinally striate; outer side with punctures and short decumbent setae evenly distributed. Upper eye lobes with five rows of ommatidia; distance between upper eye lobes about three times width of upper eye lobe. Antennal length about 1.5 times body length, reaching elytral apex at midlength of antennomere VII. Scape gradually widened distally; with longitudinal dorsal depression at base; surface coarsely punctate, punctures close to each other at base, gradually more separated distally, deeper in the proximal quarter; with long, erect setae (length similar to diameter of scape) interspersed among sparsely distributed short setae. Antennomeres III with long, erect setae (length about twice diameter of antennomere) evenly distributed throughout; remaining antennomeres with long setae primarily distributed on inner surface; antennomeres V–XI with short, moderately abundant, decumbent setae; antennomeres III–VI with interior spine at apex; length of spine compared with distal diameter of the respective antennomere: III – 1.4; IV – 1.3; V – 1.0; VI – 0.25. Antennal formula (ratio) based on antennomere III: scape = 1.30; pedicel = 0.20; IV = 0.90; V = 1.10; VI = 1.05; VII = 1.00; VIII = 0.95; IX = 0.90; X = 0.80; XI = 1.00.

Thorax. Prothorax 1.25 times longer than wide; anterior fifth, slightly transversely elevated; generally parallel-sided, with anterior margin distinctly constricted, and slightly narrowed towards posterior margin; sides with sexual dimorphic punctation. Pronotum longitudinally depressed laterally; anterior third smooth, with sparse setae; posterior two-thirds shallowly, sparsely punctate, with sparse decumbent setae evenly distributed; posterior third with shallow transverse carinae; posterior margin transversely striate. Prosternum with anterior fifth smooth; remaining surface with well-marked sexual punctation; margin of procoxal cavities and prosternal process with abundant decumbent setae (not obscuring integument); prosternal process 0.2 times procoxal cavity width, widened at apex; procoxal cavities open behind. Mesoventrite pubescent laterally, smooth centrally; mesoventral process with elevated tubercle facing forward; mesoventral process about three-quarters mesocoxal cavity width, widened and notched at apex; mesanepisternum and mesepimeron pubescent (not obscuring integument). Metaventrite with short, abundant, decumbent setae, with sparse long, erect setae interspersed; central area near metathoracic discrimen with sparse setae; metathoracic discrimen not reaching metaventral process; metanepisternum and metepimeron with short, decumbent, abundant setae. Scutellum length 0.6 times its width; with short, decumbent, abundant setae (not obscuring integument). Elytra. Coarsely, abundantly punctate on anterior two-thirds, punctures gradually sparser distally; surface with short, decumbent setae, with long setae interspersed; apex transversely truncate, with spine at outer angle and spicule at sutural angle. Legs. Femora pedunculate-clavate; diameter of club about twice diameter of peduncle; profemoral apex with small, triangular projection at inner side; mesofemoral apex with flap on outer side and short spine on inner side; metafemoral apex with two elongate, subequal spines. Femora and tibiae with long, erect setae, more abundant on tibiae. Metatarsomere I as long as II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites with short, decumbent setae, more abundant laterally; ventrite I about 1.5 times length of II, II–IV slightly decreasing, V about as long as IV, apex truncate.

Female. Differs from male in shorter antennae, reaching elytral apex in middle of antennomere X, and in the absence of sexual punctation on prothorax.

Dimensions (in mm), (holotype) / ♀ (paratype): Total length, 10.3/10.5; prothorax length, 2.3/2.3; greatest width of prothorax, 1.8/1.9; anterior width of prothorax, 1.4/1.4; posterior width of prothorax, 1.7/1.6; humeral width, 2.3/2.4; elytral length 6.8/7.3.

Remarks. Stizocera wappesi sp. nov. is similar to S. armigera (White, 1853) (Figs 18–19, 21) in the integument color pattern, metafemoral apex with inner and outer spines subequal in length, mesofemora with inner flap longer than outer flap, and in tuberculate mesoventral process. The new species differs from S. armigera in femoral apices not blackened, mesofemora visibly more clavate, mesofemoral inner flap triangular (Fig. 20), prothorax elongated, parallel-sided, outer spine of elytral apices much shorter (Fig. 22), less than half length of the spine of antennomere III and concolorous with elytra. In S. armigera, the femoral apices are black, mesofemoral inner spine is distinctly longer (Fig. 19), prothorax is shorter with the sides slightly rounded, elytra with outer apical spine black, and as long as the spine of antennomere III.

The new species also resembles S. armata Audinet- Serville, 1834 and S. consobrina Gounelle, 1909 in the integumental color, and in the shape of inner flap of the metafemora. Stizocera wappesi sp. nov. differs from both species in elongate spines at the metafemoral apex, and in tubercle on the mesoventral process (Fig. 13). In S. consobrina and S. armigera, the spines of metafemora are shorter, and the mesoventral process lacks a tubercle.

Etymology. Named for James E. Wappes who collected the holotype and paratype and provided the specimens for study.

Distribution. Bolivia: Santa Cruz.