Lampygnatha ikuoi, Pineda & Koike & Barros, 2019

Pineda, Cristian R., Koike, Ricardo M. & Barros, Rafael C., 2019, A new genus and species of Stigmoderini Lacordaire, 1857 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Buprestinae) from Southeast Brazil with notes on its hypothesized mimicry complex, Zootaxa 4686 (4), pp. 542-550 : 544

Lampygnatha ikuoi sp. nov.

( Figs. 5–11 )

Type Material (3♂♂). Holotype ♂, “ Brazil, São Paulo, Campos do Jordão, Fazenda Lavrinhas , 1900 m a.s.l. 22°43’16.53”S 45°25’27.58”W. Collected with entomological net, 11:00 am~13:00pm, 18.x.1996, R.M. Koike leg. ” // “ Holotype / Lampygnatha ikuoi gen. & sp. nov. / Pineda, Koike & Barros 2019” [red label printed] ( MZUEL) . Paratypes : 2 ♂, same data as holotype, except 22.x.1997 // “ Paratype / Lampygnatha ikuoi gen. & sp. nov. / Pineda, Koike & Barros 2019” [yellow label printed] ( CPCP) .

Description. Holotype male: Total length, 20.57mm; prothorax length, 3.1mm; prothorax width at its widest point, 8.04mm; elytral length, 14.9mm; humeral width, 7.34mm. Body dorsally has a longitudinal concavity at the middle, delimited by two distinct carinae / costae from head to near the elytral tip ( Fig. 5 ).

Coloration. General coloration black and orange matte; head black with rhomboidal macula white; prothorax orange, excluding base and median depression of pronotal disc; elytra black, except costae and epipleurae orange from base to apical ⅓; venter black with abdominal ventrites with longitudinal orange line on each side, ventrites 1–5 with a common white macula decreasing in size from 1 to 5, ventrite 5 with only a small spot. Setae black or orange. Tip of tarsal claws reddish.

Head. Strongly excavated medially from vertex to frons; frons moderately pilose with long, black setae; antennae serrate from 4th antennomere; clypeus coarse punctate and glabrous, with anterior emargination exposing the membrane between clypeus and labrum ( Fig. 9 ); labrum small, transverse, with anterior margin bearing a row of rigid setae.

Pronotum. 1.9 times wider than long; finely punctate, base rugose; broader than elytra; lateral margins diverging strongly from base in a more or less straight line to a globiform projection about ⅓ from base; anterior and lateral margins with thick, convex border; anterior margin sinuose, in the middle convex and slightly concave at sides of median convexity. Disc mainly concave, with a large square median depression, delimited at sides by two distinct carinae; a shorter but more excavated anterior depression, and two lateral depressions, separated at middle by a distinct carina.

Scutellum . Pentagonal, 1.4 times wider than long; excavate on disc; impunctate.

Elytra. 1.86 times longer than wide; superficially punctate-rugose, excepting near the scutellum , where roughness is deeper; without striae, each elytron with a single longitudinal costa bearing a row of coarse punctures, extending from near apex to base (reaching basal margin of elytra); apices with two small spines separated by a concave notch.

Venter. Prosternal process flat, without anterior prominence; moderately pilose with long, orange setae. Legs with tibiae with a pair of short spurs at the apex. Abdominal ventrites moderately punctate, with fine setae, shorter than those of the prosternal process.

Aedeagus. Strongly sclerotised, widened medially; relatively wide, about 2.9 times longer than widest part at middle. Parameres strongly narrowed laterally in apical ⅓, finger-like in apical ⅓ (ventrally), apex slightly notched with sparse punctures and long setae. Median lobe acuminate at apex, ventrally with three longitudinal grooves.

Female. Unknown.

Intraspecific variation. Total length, 19.81–20.78mm. Except in size, no significant morphological variation has been found.

Etymology. The specific name is dedicated to Ikuo Koike, father of the second author, who passed away in 2018.

Biology. Adults were observed on leaves or feeding on flowers of Croton alchorneicarpus Croizat (Euphorbiaceae) ( Figs. 1, 3, 4 ). C. alchorneicarpus plants did not exceed 4 meters in height in the study site. Activity was only observed between 11:00am to 13:00pm, probably because the insects are more likely to fly during the heat of the day. Specimens were collected using an entomological net during October, 1996 and October, 1997 in Fazenda Lavrinhas, located in the city of Campos do Jordão, Brazil (see material examined).

Figures

FIGURES 5–11. Lampygnatha ikuoi gen. and sp. nov. Holotype male: 5, Dorsal view; 6, Ventral view; 7, Aedeagus, Ventral view; 8, Labels; 9, Frontal view; 10, Perspective view; 11, Lateral view.

FIGURES 1–4. Habitat of Lampygnatha ikuoi gen. and sp. nov.: 1, specimen flying over the canopy of Croton alchorneicarpus (left corner); 2, specimen caught in flight; 3–4, flowers and leaves of C. alchorneicarpus.