Longhorned woodboring beetles (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) from Cusuco National Park, Honduras: new species, new records, and revalidation

Antonio Santos-Silva,Merlijn Jocqué,Martijn Van Roie

doi:10.5852/ejt.2021.764.1469

Antonio Santos-Silva, Merlijn Jocqué + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2021.764.1469

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Abstract

An ongoing study of the longhorned beetle fauna in the cloud forests of Cusuco National Park revealed multiple additions to the Honduran fauna. Four new species are described: Heterachthes caceresae sp. nov. (Cerambycinae, Neoibidionini), Oreodera kawasae sp. nov. (Lamiinae, Acrocinini), Phrynidius guifarroi sp. nov. (Lamiinae, Apomecynini), and Strangalia lunai sp. nov. (Lepturinae, Lepturini). Additionally, Lagocheirus parvulus Casey, 1913 (Lamiinae, Acanthocinini) is revalidated as Lagocheirus araneiformis parvulus Casey, 1913 (Lagochirus [sic]). We recorded Arixiuna varians (Bates, 1881) (Lamiinae, Hemilophini) for the first time for Honduras. These findings confirm how poorly the invertebrate biodiversity of cloud forests is documented and hints at the large number of species we are losing with the ongoing deforestation.

Highlights

Mesoamerica is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots (Myers et al 2000) and rich in montane forests frequently covered in clouds or mist
The acronyms used in the text are as follows: ACMT = Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (CBG) = Cusuco National Park (CNP) = FSCA = MZSP = RBINS =
Comparing the original description of L. stroheckeri Dillon, 1956, as well as photographs of the holotype and allotype of this species with the specimens usually identified as L. a. ypsilon, the only reliable difference we have found is the more angulate humerus in L. stroheckeri

Summary

Introduction

Mesoamerica is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots (Myers et al 2000) and rich in montane forests frequently covered in clouds or mist. These cloud forests are centers of endemism for a wide range of organisms (Jones et al 2008) including invertebrates (Anderson & Ashe 2000). A series of protected areas were installed across Honduras following the Government’s Cloud Forest Act (Act 87-1987) to protect the watersheds that provide drinking water for the large cities. Worrisome is the hostile environment for activists protecting forests and rivers (e.g., Global Witness 2017)

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