New species of Cymatodera Gray (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Tillinae) from México and Central America, with notes on others

Abstract

Nineteen new species of Cymatodera Gray are described: C. mexicana, C. cicatricula, C. matehualacaligoides, C. brailovskyi, C. durangoensis, C. monticola, C. paucipunctata, C. anulata, C. christina, C. copei, C. oxchuc, C. merickeli, C. romeroi, C. cellulosa, and C. acutipennis from México; C. doda from México, Nicaragua and Costa Rica; C. carinipennis from México and Guatemala; C. rileyi from México, Honduras, and Belize, and C. wilsoni from Costa Rica. These species are figured, along with the type of C. kolbei Schenkling, and a lectotype is designated for the latter. I include a brief discussion on the prevalence and evolution of brachyptery in Cymatodera.

Four new species of Cymatodera Gray from central and southern Mexico (Coleoptera, Cleridae, Tillinae)

“…As previously discussed (Rifkind 2014, 2015), the diversity of the clerid genus Cymatodera in Mexico is extensive, but our knowledge of the group remains rudimentary. Many dozens of species await description and many more are likely to be discovered, particularly in areas distant from paved roads.…”

“…Many dozens of species await description and many more are likely to be discovered, particularly in areas distant from paved roads. Recent descriptions of species belonging to this genus include many endemics (Burke 2013; Burke and Zolnerowich 2014; Rifkind et al 2010; Rifkind 2014, 2015), and here again, it is quite likely that the tally will increase as collecting efforts reach further into habitats such as relictual cloud forest and isolated mountain ranges that are known centers of endemism. Much attention has been focused on the rapid destruction or degradation of natural habitat in Mexico and other parts of Latin America, and the insufficiency of current resources dedicated to cataloguing disappearing biodiversity (Blackman et al 2014; Armesto et al 2007; Santibañez and Santibañez 2007; Trejo and Dirzo 2000).…”

A taxonomic revision of the subfamily Tillinae Leach sensu lato (Coleoptera, Cleridae) in the New World

“…Interspecific variation in integument color and fasciae arrangement is a very common condition among numerous clerid species, and various descriptive works (Wolcott 1909, 1921, Rifkind 1993b, Leavengood 2008, Rifkind et al 2010Burke 2013, Burke and Zolnerowich 2014, 2015 have shown that abdominal and aedeagal differences are the most reliable morphological characters used for delineating interspecific boundaries within Cleridae. Barr (1978) described Bogcia disjuncta and B. oaxacae from the Pacific coast of Mexico, designating B. disjuncta as the type species.…”

“…In the New World, a relatively small number of taxonomic studies of the Tillinae have been conducted, with authors such as Barr (1947Barr ( , 1950aBarr ( , 1950bBarr ( , 1952aBarr ( , 1952bBarr ( , 1962Barr ( , 1972Barr ( , 1975Barr ( , 1978, Chapin (1927Chapin ( , 1949, Knull (1934Knull ( , 1940Knull ( , 1946Knull ( , 1951, Rifkind (1993aRifkind ( , 1993bRifkind ( , 1995Rifkind ( , 1996Rifkind ( , 2015, Schaeffer (1904Schaeffer ( , 1905Schaeffer ( , 1908Schaeffer ( , 1917, and Wolcott (1909Wolcott ( , 1910Wolcott ( , 1911Wolcott ( , 1921Wolcott ( , 1923Wolcott ( , 1927Wolcott ( , 1947) the principal contributors to the current knowledge of the subfamily in the Americas.…”

A taxonomic revision of the subfamily Tillinae Leach sensu lato (Coleoptera, Cleridae) in the New World

“…In the New World, a relatively small number of taxonomic studies of the Tillinae have been conducted, with authors such as Barr (1947, 1950a, 1950b, 1952a, 1952b, 1962, 1972, 1975, 1978), Chapin (1927, 1945, 1949), Knull (1934, 1940, 1946, 1951), Rifkind (1993a, 1993b, 1995, 1996, 2015), Schaeffer (1904, 1905, 1908, 1917), and Wolcott (1909, 1910, 1911, 1921, 1923, 1927, 1947) the principal contributors to the current knowledge of the subfamily in the Americas.…”