Agrilus pratensis massanensis Schaefer, 1955

Jendek, Eduard & Nakládal, Oto, 2021, Taxonomic, distributional and biological study of the genus Agrilus (Coleoptera Buprestidae). Part III, Zootaxa 4963 (1), pp. 58-90 : 78

Agrilus pratensis massanensis Schaefer, 1955 status nov. ( Fig 2C )

Taxonomic consideration. This taxon was described by Schaefer as a species from southern France near to border with Spain “Pyrénées-Orientales, au bord de la Massane, à Argèles-sur-Mer”. Specimens were beaten from Salix incana Schrank (current name Salix elaeagnos Scop. ). For unclear reasons Schaefer compared and keyed the species with A. viridis (Linné, 1758) and A. aurichalceus Redtenbacher, 1847 instead of A. pratensis or A. delphinenis Abeille de Perrin, 1897 . Likely he was confused by its unicolorous habitus. Arnáiz Ruiz & Bercedo Páramo (2003) found A. massanensis and A. pratensis meridionalis Cobos, 1986 conspecific thus the name A. meridionalis became junior synonym of A. massanensis . They argued that A. pratensis meridionalis lacks characters of subgenus Robertius Théry 1947 particularly row of denticles on inner margin of femora. Despite the very uncertain status of subgenus Robertius , which is unsustainable within global variability of Agrilus , denticles on inner margin of femora are missing also in A. pratensis (unlike e.g. of the male of A. suvorovi Obenberger, 1935 ). Arnáiz Ruiz & Bercedo Páramo (2003) also considered A. pratensis and A. massanensis very closely related despite being in different subgenera Robertius and Anambus respectively. The opinion of Arnáiz Ruiz & Bercedo Páramo (2003) that A. massanensis and A. pratensis meridionalis Cobos, 1986 are conspecific is plausible and based on type examination and fact that both species have aedeagi without appreciable differences. The problem is their evaluation of A. massanensis (including also concept of A. pratensis meridionalis ). Cobos, the author who proposed meridionalis as a subspecies of pratensis was an expert in European buprestids (not only) therefore his opinion that the taxon is A. pratensis or, more precisely his subspecies is too substantial to disregard. Based on facts cited below we consider the taxon originally proposed as A. massanensis to be a subspecies of A. pratensis .

Morphology. Both taxa belong to the betuleti species-group as defined by Jendek & Grebennikov (2011). The most important shared characters of both taxa are small eyes (smaller than half of vertex); weak or missing anterior pronotal lobe; deep lateral impressions on pronotum; short carinal prehumerus; glabrous elytra; widely separately arcuate or subtruncate elytral apices; impressed medial part of basal ventrite in male; arcuate pygidium; arcuate sternal groove on apex of basal ventrite and homomorphic aedeagus.

Variability in color. A. pratensis pratensis is known as brightly bicolored species from most of the Europe. However, at borders of its vast range, namely in Mongolia and Russian Far East, the species becomes unicolorous dark brown. The trend of changing color is a common phenomenon for Agrilus with a larger range (e. g. A. viridis , A. cuprescens , A. cyaneoniger Saunders, 1873 ).

Range. The range of A. pratensis is Eurosiberian, extending from Spain to Russian Far East and China (for details see Distribution). The subspecies A. pratensis massanensis occurs in the westernmost borderline.

Biology. Populus and Salix are recorded as adult host plants for both A. pratensis pratensis as well as A. pratensis massanensis . Larval records are known so far from Populus only. Records for other plant families are unlikely ( Jendek & Poláková, 2014).

Examined specimens. SPAIN. Andalucía: Sevilla, rio Guadaira ; 37°20’30”N, 006°00’54”E ; 6-1999.

Adult host: Populus ; 4 (EJCB) See also Jendek & Nakládal (2019b).

Host plant cited. Adult: Populus .

Distribution ( Fig 2C ). EUROPE: FRANCE: Languedoc-Roussillon; SPAIN: Andalucía, Aragón, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Cataluna, Madrid, Navarra, Valencia. Note. The bicolorous habitus of this taxon is vague in some of those regions.

Figures

FIGURES 2A–2C. Distribution of Agrilus. Hatching indicates range compiled from published records. 2A, A. betuleti (Ratzeburg, 1837); 2B, A. olivicolor Kiesenwetter, 1857 (red hatching) and A. kaluganus Obenberger, 1940 (blue hatching); 2C, A. pratensis (Ratzeburg, 1837),