Anthaxia (Anthaxia) skorpiki sp. nov.

(Figs. 1, 5, 9, 13, 17)

Type material examined. Holotype, male: ‘ IRAN prov . Golestan, / 37°25´03,32´´N; 55°45´00,60´´E / 5,2 km E of Tangrah / Leg. M. Škorpík: 28.5.2015 // HOLOTYPUS / Anthaxia (s.str.) / skorpiki sp. nov. / M. Obořil & P. Baňař det. 2017’ [printed red label]’ (MMBC) ; allotype, female: the same data as holotype, labelled: ‘ ALLOTYPUS / Anthaxia (s.str.) / skorpiki sp. nov. / M. Obořil & P. Baňař det. 2017’ [printed red label] (MOOC) ; paratypes: 6 ♂, the same data as holotype, (1 ♂ MOOC, 1 ♂ NMPC, 4 ♂ MŠLC); 4 ♂, 2 ♀ ‘ IRAN Golestan prov. / 3,5 km N of Tangrah / 8.-9.v.2017, 1234 a.s.l. / 37°25´4,68´´N; 55°45´14,64´´E / M. Obořil lgt. (MOOC) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀ ‘ IRAN Golestan prov. / 3,5 km N of Tangrah / 8.-9.v.2017, 1234 a.s.l. / 37°25´4,68´´N; 55°45´14,64´´E / M. Škorpík lgt. (MŠLC); labelled ‘ PARATYPUS / Anthaxia (s.str.) / skorpiki sp. nov. / M. Obořil & P. Baňař det. 2017’ [printed red label].

Diagnosis. Medium-sized (total body length 5.9 mm), green, head and pronotum lighter than elytra, posterior two thirds of pronotum golden green. Shiny species, body flattened, parallel-sided.

Description (based on holotype specimen). Measurements of the holotype (in mm): Total body length—5.85; maximum width across eyes—1.56; width of the vertex—0.91; pronotum median length—1.16; pronotum maximum width—2.07; length of elytra—4.12; maximum width across elytra—2.20.

Structure. Head wide, anterior margin of frontoclypeus conspicuously concave, vertex with whitish pubescence, setae growing from the middle of central grains. Vertex with inconspicuous longitudinal impression in the middle. Sculpture of head consists of dense, small, round and polygonal cells, with sharp, clearly visible central grains. Eyes small, dorsal ocular index 2.8. Antennae 1.2 times length of pronotum, the scape pear-shaped, pedicel long and slender, twice as long as wide, antennomeres V to X trapezoidal, about the same length as width. Antennomere XI shortly elliptical. Antennae golden green, antennomeres IV to XI with blackish lustrous tinge.

Pronotum wide,without pubescence. Ratio of pronotum width to its length in mid-line 1.78, its lateral margins regularly rounded, anterior margin bisinuate. Posterior pronotal corners obtuse-angled, about 130°. Posterior half of pronotum with paired deep lateroposterior impressions, anterior fifth with two small, transverse impressions. Central part of disc with stellular sculpture creating irregular transverse wrinkles, without cell-like sculpture and central grains. Scutellum almost pentagonal, dark green, with fine microsculpture, distinctly convex.

Elytra wide, sub-parallel, dark green, with short whitish setae and fine microsculpture on the entire surface. Ratio of elytral length to their width 1.87. Lateral margin straight, elytra narrowing apically from two thirds of their length, apically rounded. Lateral margins of elytra approximately in apical two-thirds with very fine teeth.

Legs short, green, metatibiae straight, without serrations on ventral face, meso- and metatrochanters with small, but distinct apical spine.

Ventral side of body lustrous, eye-shaped sculpture well developed only on prosternum and almost indistinct on abdominal ventrites; anal ventrite widely, roundly subtruncate apically, with conspicuous lateral serrations.

Aedeagus (Fig. 17) spindle-shaped, relatively long, parameres robust, in proximal two thirds of their length very wide, apically strongly narrowed, their apices broad with coarse lateral serrations. Lateral margins of median lobe with coarse serrations on apical third (Fig. 17).

Sexual dimorphism not present, female uniformly green, without golden green tinge on pronotum.

Etymology. Patronym, named after our friend Martin Škorpík, collector of the type specimens.

Host plant unknown.

Distribution. Golestan Province of The Islamic Republic Iran.

Differential diagnosis. (Also see Table 1). Anthaxia skorpiki sp. nov. differs from the species mentioned below by its smaller eyes, ocular index 2.80 (ocular index 2.53 in A. nitidula; 2.71 in A. pseudonitidula and 2.57 in A. signaticollis), presence of coarse serrations on lateral margins of median lobe of the aedeagus (serrations weakly developed in other compared species) and uniformly green female (females of other mentioned species at least conspicuously bicolorous). Furthermore, A. skorpiki differs from A. nitidula by regularly rounded lateral margins of pronotum in dorsal view (Fig. 9), pronotum widest in the middle of its length (pronotum widest in anterior third in A. nitidula (Fig. 10)); sharper anterior pronotal angle in lateral view (Fig. 13) (anterior pronotal angle weakly developed, regularly rounded in A. nitidula (Fig. 14)) and by shape and internal structure of median lobe of aedeagus (Figs. 17, 18); from A. pseudonitidula A. skorpiki differs by blunter anterior pronotal angle (Fig. 13) (anterior pronotal angle sharper in A. pseudonitidula (Fig. 15)) and by broader parameres and by shape and internal structure of median lobe of aedeagus (Fig. 17, 19); from A. signaticollis A. skorpiki differs by its blunter anterior pronotal angle (Fig. 13) (anterior pronotal angle conspicuously sharper in A. signaticollis (Fig. 16)) and by broader parameres and by shape and internal structure of median lobe of aedeagus (Fig. 17, 20).

[Although we fully agree with Svoboda’s (Kubáň & Svoboda 2007) opinion that A. nitidula and A. pseudonitidula are hardly distinguishable species, we found some more reliable characters - different ocular index (see above); shape of pronotum from lateral view (Figs. 14, 15); shape of the parameres (Figs. 18, 19); different internal structure of the median lobe of the aedeagus and ratios of pronotum width to median length: 2.22 in A. nitidula; 2.07 in A. pseudonitidula].

Other material studied. Anthaxia (A.) nitidula Linné, 1758: 2 ♂ 2 ♀, ‘ Czech Republic Moravia mer., / Brno - Hády; Velká Klajdovka / 365m. n.m. 4.–8.vii.2015 / P. Pacholátko lgt.’ (MOOC) ; 3 ♀, ‘ Czech Republic Moravia mer., / Pouzdřany vill. env. / 215 m. n.m. 2.–3.vii.2015 / P. Pacholátko lgt.’ (MOOC) ; 12 ♂, ‘ Czech Republic / Brno, Kamenný vrch 24.v.2003 / M. Obořil lgt.’ (MOOC) ; ♂, ‘ Czech Republic Moravia / Znojmo, hranice 22.vii.2000 / R. Stejskal lgt.’ (MOOC) ; ♂, ‘ Czech Republic Moravia / Dobročkovice env. 12.v.2006 / M. Obořil lgt.’ (MOOC) ; 2 ♂, ‘ Greece 38°33´N; 22°34´E / Parnassos, Kalvvia env. / 14.v.2009 Martin Obořil lgt.’ (MOOC) ; ♂, ‘ Hungary Vác / 18.vi. 1985 / Černý lgt.’ (MOOC); ♂, ‘ Slovakia Stúrovo, / reštauracia modrá ryba env. / 2.vii.2005 Martin Obořil lgt.’ (MOOC); ♀, ‘ Italy Gemona / Amaro 16.vi.2004 / Martin Obořil lgt.’ (MOOC) ; ♂, ‘ Montenegro Lovčen N.P. / Ivanova Korita env. 850–1100 m.n.m. / 23.vi.2008 Petr Baňař’ (MOOC) ; ♂, ♀, ‘ Montenegro Budva distr. / 3 km E of Sv. Stefan 250–400 m.n.m. / 17.–25.vi.2008 Petr Baňař’ (MOOC) ; ♂, ‘ Yugoslavia Dalmacia / Makarska 17.–20.vi.1989 / Martin Obořil lgt.’ (MOOC) ; ♀, ‘ Yugoslavia / Hrvatska, Slano 6.vi.1988 / F. Kantner lgt.’ (MOOC) .

Anthaxia (A.) signaticollis Krinicki, 1832: 18 ♂ 14 ♀, ‘ Bulgaria / 41°44´59´´N; 23°09´47´´E / Kresna env. 3.– 11.v.2010 / M. Obořil lgt.’ (MOOC) ; 6 ♂ 6 ♀, ‘ Slovakia / Nový Salaš 11.v.2002 / Ivan Smatana lgt.’ (MOOC) ; ♀, ‘ Slovakia / Remetské Hamre 23.vi.1985 / F. Kantner lgt.’ (MOOC) ; ♂ 4 ♀, ‘ Slovakia / Zádiel 19.vi.1979 / A. Kudrna lgt.’ (MOOC) ; 3 ♂ ♀, ‘ Turkey / 38°10,060'N; 34°11,553'E / Helvadere 1580 m.n.m. / 5.vi.2008 M. Obořil lgt.’ (MOOC) ; 7 ♂ 7 ♀, ‘ Turkey Bursa prov. / Ulu Daği, Mts. Barakli env. / 27.vii.–3.viii.2000 / M. Obořil lgt.’ (MOOC) .

Anthaxia (A.) pseudonitidula Svoboda, 2007: ♂ ‘ Turkey m. 1.VI. 1996 / Hasanbeyli—Nurdagi Gec / Martin Johanides leg. // Anthaxia / (s.str.) / nitidula / signaticollis Krin / Sv. Bílý det. 1998 [printed, partly handwritten] // PARATYPUS / Anthaxia (Anthaxia) / pseudonitidula sp.n. / P. SVOBODA det. 2003 [printed red label]’ (MKNC) ; ♂ ♀ ‘ Turkey Mersin prov. / Camliyayla, 1000–1200 m.n.m / 8.–9.vi. 1996 P. Zahradník lgt.’ (MOOC) ; ♀ ‘ Syria Kahta Burgush / Jabal ash Shayk / 7.–9.vi. 1997 P. Kabátek lgt.’ (MOOC) .