Cephisus diminutus Walker

Cephisus diminutus (Walker), reinstated

(Figs 8 A–C)

Aphrophora diminuta Walker, 1851: 699.

Aphrophora occidentis Walker, 1851: 699. Syn. nov.

Sphodroscarta diminuta: Stål 1869:18 (as synonym of A. siccifolius [sic] Walker). Cephisus diminuta: Dallas 1870:495 (as synonym of A. siccifolius [sic] Walker).

Type locality. "West coast of America " is probably incorrect.

Diagnosis. Similar to C. variolosus, but from South America, and with lateral thecal processes recurved and blunt-tipped. Head 0.8x as wide as pronotum (lateral margins of pronotum thus longer than 3/4 length of eye); rather robust; crown weakly sloping, not coplanar with front part of pronotum. Chocolate brown, slightly darker on midline of crown; clypellus and lower fifth of frons blackish brown; paler areas (when present) forming indefinite lineations on pronotum, 3 crescent-shaped oblique bands across middle of each corium, and pale clavus with darker band across middle. Style with small but prominent apical process and straight, narrow, truncate dorsal process on inner edge (Fig. 8 C); theca shaft slender, recurved, armed with a pair of short, strongly curved, apically blunt lateral processes wrapped around shaft tip (these unfold after some time in glycerin), and a pair of ventral processes 1.5x as long as lateral pair, extending beyond midlength of shaft (Figs 6 A–B). Length of male: 11.4–13.4 mm. Width of male across head: 2.9–3.0 mm; across pronotum: 3.5–3.6 mm.

Types. Holotype male of diminutus and female of occidentis; in BMNH.

Additional material. BRAZIL: 1 male, Santa Catharina —Rio Natal, Dec. 1945 (F. Johnson); BRITISH GUIANA [GUYANA]: 1 male, Essequibo R. [at] Moraballi Creek, 14 Oct. 1929, (Oxf. Univ. Exp.) dark forest; VENEZUELA: 1 male, Las Adjuntas, 959 m, 13 July 1926 (H.E. Box); in AMNH and BMNH.

One unassociated female, same size as holotype of occidentis (15.4 mm) from VENEZUELA: Caripito, 27 July 1942; in AMNH.

Distribution. Rare; records are from coastal regions of South America, from southern Brazil to Venezuela. The superficially similar species, C. variolosus appears confined to Central America and adjacent U.S.A.

Remarks. Most specimens of this species are almost unmarked chocolate-brown and thus resemble C. jacobii Lallemand. In shape, however, they have the less robust body and less sloping crown of C. variolosus.