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| Excastra albopilosa Tweed, Ashman & Ślipiński, 2024 |
A new genus and species of Cerambycidae from the subfamily Lamiinae is described from subtropical rainforest in southeastern Queensland, Australia. Excastra albopilosa gen. et sp. nov. is easily distinguished from all other Australian Lamiinae by its dense covering of short adpressed white setae and the long erect white setae forming twisted spires. A modification to the key to Australian Lamiinae genera is provided to accommodate Excastra gen. nov.
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| Holotype of Excastra albopilosa Tweed, Ashman & Ślipiński, gen et. sp. nov. |
Family Cerambycidae Latreille, 1802
Subfamily Lamiinae Latreille, 1825
Tribe Ancitini Aurivillius, 1917
Excastra Tweed, Ashman & Ślipiński, gen. nov.
Diagnosis. Distinguished from all known Australian Lamiinae genera by the combination of the following characters: completely separated eye lobes; absence of apical carina on scape; combined length of antennal segments 3 and 4 much shorter than 5-11 combined; broad lateral tubercule on the pronotum; clavate femora; paired protibial spurs; comb-like antennal cleaner on the mesotibia; twisted spires of elongated setae concentrated around the head, pronotum, and anterior third of the elytra.
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| Holotype of Excastra albopilosa Tweed, Ashman & Ślipiński, gen et. sp. nov. B: head, oblique view. C: head, frontal view. D: lateral view. Images not to scale. |
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| Holotype of Excastra albopilosa Tweed, Ashman & Ślipiński, gen et. sp. nov. as it was found; resting on a Lomandra leaf in Binna Burra Lodge campground. A: dorsal. B: lateral. |
Etymology. The genus name is derived from the Latin words ex meaning “from”, and castra meaning “camp”, and is a reference to the discovery of this species within the Binna Burra Lodge campground. Gender feminine.
Remarks. Excastra gen. nov. is placed within the tribe Ancitini based on its strong resemblance to other members of the tribe. It falls within the broad morphological limits given by Ashman et al. (2022): small, oval-bodied, clavate femora, and a relatively long scape. Should further specimens be collected, molecular analyses should be conducted to confirm the tribal placement.
Excastra albopilosa Tweed, Ashman & Ślipiński, sp. nov.
Diagnosis. Small sized lamiine. Easily recognised by the reddish-orange and black integument, and the dense covering of short adpressed white setae covering the head, thorax, and anterior third of the elytra, with scattered patches in the posterior two-thirds of the elytra. The prominent long erect setae scattered across the body, denser on head, pronotum and anterior third of elytra, forming paired twisted spires in these areas, are also highly distinct.
Etymology. The species epithet is derived from the Latin albus meaning “white”, and pilosa which is the feminine form of pilosus meaning “hairy”, in reference to the white hairs that cover much of this species’ body.
James M.H. Tweed, Lauren G. Ashman and Adam Ślipiński. 2024. Excastra albopilosa, A remarkable New Genus and Species of Lamiinae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from southeastern Queensland, Australia. Australian Journal of Taxonomy. 54: 1–8. DOI: doi.org/10.54102/ajt.iv1x5
https://stories.uq.edu.au/news/2024/chance-sighting-reveals-new-species-of-fluffy-beetle/index.html