Pseudophygopoda Tavakilian & Penaherrera-Leiva 2007

Pseudophygopoda Tavakilian & Peñaherrera-Leiva, 2007

Pseudophygopoda Tavakilian & Peñaherrera-Leiva, 2007: 103; Monné, 2012: 49; Bezark & Monné, 2013: 165 (check);

Monné, 2015: 786 (cat.).

Type-species: Odontocera subvestita White, 1855 (original designation). Panamapoda Clarke, 2014: 343. Syn. nov.

Type-species: Phygopoda panamensis Giesbert, 1996: 332, fig. 6 (original designation). Paraphygopoda Clarke, 2014: 343. Syn. nov.

Type-species: Stenopterus albitarsis Klug, 1825: 475, pl. 44, fig. 12 (original designation).

Head (Figs. 97−100) with short rostrum, densely covered with coarse punctures provided with long semierect setae, except for smooth and glabrous area in gular region; genae longer than 1/3 length of lower ocular lobes; with large eyes, subcontiguous, slightly emarginated, frontally separated by about 1/7 to 1/5 width of a lower ocular lobe in males and by about 1/2 to 3/ 2 in females; internal margin of eye lobes and margins of clypeus covered with pubescence. Antennae (Fig. 105) exceeding elytral apex at antennomere 10, reaching first or second ventrite; antennomere 3 1/3 longer than scape or antennomere 4; 5−7 subequal in length; 8−11 gradually decreasing in length; 7−11 gradually expanded on external margin, subserrate; scape and pedicel with long, semierect setae; 3−5 (sometimes 6) with row of long, semierect setae on internal margin (sometimes extending to 8).

Prothorax (Figs. 111−114) cylindrical, as wide as long; anterior and posterior margin with row of decumbent yellowish-golden setae. Pronotum with three smooth elevations at disc, one longitudinal and central, extending from anterior margin toward the posterior margin, and other two median, one on each side of central elevation, semicircular; prosternum with anterior half provided with transverse streaks and posterior half with punctures provided with long semierect setae; prosternal process laminiform; anterior coxal cavities rounded, angulate at sides, open posteriorly. Mesosternal process from about one-half to 2/3 diameter of mesocoxa; mesepisternum, mesepimeron, metepisternum and metasternum pubescent. Scutellum densely covered with pubescence; apex rounded. Elytra (Fig. 119) short, subulate, narrowing at apical 2/3, exceeding apex of first ventrite; with sparse, coarse punctures provided with semierect setae; apex truncated; humeri slightly projected.

Pro- and mesocoxae with acute tubercle in males; femora (Figs. 121, 125, 131) pedunculate-clavate, with short, sparse, semierect setae; pro- and mesofemora (Figs. 121, 125) with row of semierect setae on inner margin; mesofemora (Fig. 125) pedunculate to 1/3 of its length; metafemora (Fig. 131) without row of setae on inner margin, ratio between the length of metafemoral clave and peduncle 0.6 to 1.5; pro- and mesotibiae (Figs. 122, 126) with apical 3/4 densely covered with short, fine, golden pubescence; metatibiae (Fig. 132) with dense brush of long black setae on apical half; pro- and mesotibiae with two short apical spurs, equal in length; metatibiae with two long apical spurs, inner spur longer than outer; length of metatarsomere I vary from equal to distinctly longer than length of II and III together.

Abdomen (Fig. 133) covered with long sparse setae; ventrite with or without lateral spots of pubescence. Last visible urotergite with rounded apex; last visible urosternite with apical margin excavated and covered with short decumbent setae.

Comments. Clarke (2014) described the genera Panamapoda to P. panamensis (Giesbert, 1996) and Paraphygopoda to four species.

According to Clarke (2014), Panamapoda is similar to Pseudophygopoda and differs by the color of the pronotal pubescence and the shape of the abdomen and elytra. Pseudophygopoda presents the pronotal pubescence brassy, the abdomen fusiform and the elytra widely fissate and sides strongly curved outwards, to leave the apical lobes widely separated. Panamapoda presents pronotal pubescence golden, abdomen cylindrical or almost cylindrical and elytra narrowly fissate and hardly curved outwards, to leave the apical lobes almost parallel and closer to each other. None of these characteristics help us to separate these genera, because in fact both present pronotal pubescence golden (Figs. 95, 96), the male holotype of Pseudophygopoda subvestita (type-species) (Fig. 95) presents abdomen cylindrical and the shape of elytra presents considerable variation in Pseudophygopoda subvestita (Figs. 95, 119).

According to Clarke (2014), Pseudophygopoda differs from Paraphygopoda by the following characteristics: male inferior lobes of eyes, the surface of the pronotum, the ratio between the length of metafemoral clave and peduncle and the length of the metatarsomere I. Pseudophygopoda presents male inferior lobes of eyes contiguous, the surface of the pronotum only shinning on the elevations, the ratio between the length of metafemoral clave and peduncle about 1.3 and the length of the metatarsomere I distinctly longer than length of II and III together. Paraphygopoda presents male inferior lobes of eyes nearly contiguous to further apart, the surface of the pronotum totally shinning, the ratio between the length of metafemoral clave and peduncle from 0.6 to 0.9 and the length of the metatarsomere I equal to, or only slightly longer than length of II and III together. Of these characteristics only the surface of the pronotum is confirmed here (Figs. 74−81, 95, 96). The male inferior lobes of eyes are subcontiguous in both genera (Figs. 75−77, 79, 80, 97, 98), the ratio between the length of metafemoral clave and peduncle vary from 0.7 to 1.5 in P. subvestita and from 0.6 to 1.15 in P. albitaris and the length of the metatarsomere I vary from equal to the length of II and III together to distinctly longer (1.2 times) than length of II and III together (as mentioned to Pseudophygopoda).

Besides the surface of the pronotum, Paraphygopoda only differs from Pseudophygopoda by the color of pubescence and integument, but on the other hand, share several characteristics as follow: procoxal cavities rounded and angular at sides, open posteriorly; prosternal process laminiform; pro- and mesocoxae with acute tubercle in males; and subulate elytra.

Based on the examination of the type species, hundreds of specimens and original descriptions we consider that the characteristics, marked by Clarke (2014), are not sufficient to sustain the genera Panamapoda and Paraphygopoda and the differences between them are considered variations at specific level so we propose the new synonymies.

Tavakilian & Peñaherrera-Leiva (2007) distinguished Pseudophygopoda from Phygopoda and Neophygopoda by the transverse prothorax, procoxal cavities open posteriorly, prosternal process laminiform, and metafemora with somewhat elongated peduncle. Of these characteristics, only the transverse prothorax was not confirmed in this study; we consider it to be as long as wide. Those characteristics also help to differentiate Pseudophygopoda from Phygopoides.

In addition, the elytra (Fig. 119) in Pseudophygopoda are subulate, the pro- and mesocoxae have an acute tubercle in males, and the procoxal cavities (Fig. 113) are angular at the sides. In Phygopoda, Neophygopoda and Phygopoides the elytra are not subulate, the pro- and mesocoxae are unarmed, and the procoxal cavities are not angular.

Pseudophygopoda differs also from Neophygopoda and Phygopoides in the tuft of setae on the metatibiae (Fig. 132). Neophygopoda and Phygopoides show the setae of metatibiae evenly distributed. Pseudophygopoda also differs from Phygopoides by the procoxal cavities open posteriorly, which are closed in the latter.

Pseudophygopoda is now composed by three species: P. subvestita, P. panamensis comb. nov. and P. albitarsis comb. nov.