Brachys wellsoi Hespenheide, 2022

Hespenheide, Henry A., 2022, A New Species of Brachys Dejean, 1833 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) from Texas and Oklahoma, The Coleopterists Bulletin 76 (3), pp. 398-400 : 398-400

Brachys wellsoi Hespenheide , new species

zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7104D46C-2731-45FB-8665-9B5C50005AD2

Figs. 1, 2

Holotype Male. Body ovate, more roundedangulate and truncate in front; moderately shining, scutellum and glabrous areas on elytra black, otherwise head, pronotum, and ventral surface black with weak coppery reflections, setose areas on elytra with strong coppery reflections; head with rather long coppery setae, dense above epistoma between eyes, sparser on vertex, with small, transverse oval glabrous areas just medial to dorsal margins of eyes; pronotum uniformly covered with long coppery setae except for small round glabrous areas on both sides of midline at middle; scutellum glabrous; elytra mostly covered with coppery setae, with broad, irregular transverse fasciae at base, before middle, at apical 3/4, and at apices, with glabrous areas anterior and posterior to medial fascia, medial fascia with admixed silvery setae and apical and preapical fasciae bordered with silvery setae on anterior margins; ventral surface with uniform, moderately dense, short, silvery setae, except lateral portions of abdominal ventrite 2 and abdominal ventrites 3–5 with longer coppery setae, and all abdominal ventrites with small patch of silvery setae at posterior angles of lateral margins; 4.40 mm long, 2.25 mm wide ( Fig. 1 ).

Head 1.35 mm wide, shallowly depressed along midline, more deeply so between eyes; epistomal width 1/3 of distance between antennal depressions with two narrowly oval pores above epistoma between antennal insertions.

Pronotum moderately strongly convex in cross section at apical margin, in lateral view weakly convex for anterior 1/2, broadly, shallowly, transversely depressed along base; widest at base; sides narrowly rounded at basal angles, then nearly straight to apical angles; strong undulate prehumeral carinae medial to lateral margin present for about 2/5 length of pronotum at middle; surface sparsely ocellate-punctate beneath setae, polished in glabrous areas. Scutellar shield triangular, anterior margin rounded, about 1.5× wider than long.

Elytra narrowly triangular, subequal to pronotum at base and widest at humeri; humeri moderately prominent, each elytron with depression at base medial to humerus and somewhat undulate carina along lateral margin almost to apex, apex narrowly rounded; surface moderately densely, irregularly punctate, granular-punctate beneath setae, impunctate and polished in glabrous areas; weak ridge medial to lateral carina present on basal 1/2.

Beneath shagreened and ocellate-punctate.Apex of terminal abdominal ventrite broadly, shallowly rounded-truncate, apical margin entire. Genitalia 1.15 mm long, slender, elongate ( Fig. 2 ).

Allotype Female. As male, 4.40 mm long, 2.30 mm wide, except front with two pairs of obliquely oval glabrous areas at upper margins and medial to middle of eyes and sparse coppery setae elsewhere; last abdominal ventrite identical to male, broadly rounded-subtruncate with unmodified marginal groove, except apical margin with about 24 minute, deflexed teeth.

Specimens Examined. Holotype. Texas: Ft. Bend Co., Brazos Bend St. Pk. , 10.04.1999, E. G. Riley- 770, sweep coastal prairie ( TAMU-ENTO X0544867 ) . Allotype. Same data as holotype, but 18.04.1999, E.G. Riley, coastal prairie ( TAMU-ENTO X0540909 ) . Paratypes (18): Texas: “Tex.”/“genitalia tube” ( M, AMNH), “Texas/ Belfrage” ( F, USNM); Bexar Co., Mt. View Acres , Ebony Hill Res Station , 1.06.1972, R. O. Kendall & C. A. Kendall ( F, TAMU-ENTO X0581373 ) ; Brown Co., Lake Brownwood St. Pk ., 29.04.1995, E. G. Riley- 79 ( F, TAMU) ; Comal Co., Guadalupe R. S. P. , 24.09.1988, G. Zolnerowich ( F, TAMU) ; Gillespie Co., Fredericksburg, 15.04.1985, S. G. Wellso ( M, TAMU), 8 mi E Fredericksburg, 28.04.1971, V. V. Board ( F, FSCA) ; Goliad Co., 11.2 mi SE Goliad , 3.05.1989, E. G. Riley ( F, TAMU-ENTO X0547622 ) ; Hays Co., 6 mi NW Dripping Springs , 340′, 30°13.589′N, 98°11.096′W, 28.04– 2.06.2006, E. G. Riley, et al.-379, FIT-grd, 1, Juniperus managed plot ( M, TAMU) ; Karnes Co., Ecleto , Metz Ranch , 29°03′N, 97°45′W, 27.04.1997, J. E. Wappes, Beating foliage of Bumelia ( M, NEWC) , Sutton Co., 8 mi SW Roosevelt, 18.04.1976, F. Hovore, on dead Quercus ( F, CHAH) , 7 mi NW Sonora, 18.04.1976, F. Hovore, beating oak ( F, CHAH) ; Uvalde Co., Nueces R. , 12 mi S Uvalde , 30.04.1977, T. Eichlin, M. Wasbauer, Malaise trap 12M-4P ( F, CSCA) ; Victoria Co., 9 mi NE Victoria , 17.05.1979, E. G. Riley ( M, FSCA) ; Walker Co., Ellis Prison , 23.07.1977, W. L. Sterling, Mod. Malaise Trap ( F, FSCA) ; Williamson Co., 6.06.1959, H. R. Burke ( F, TAMU) . Oklahoma: Latimer Co. , 05.1986, K. Stephan ( M, FSCA), 05.1988, K. Stephan ( F, FSCA) .

Other Specimen. A specimen from Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve, 6 mi SSE Johnson City, Blanco County, TX, collected 23.03.2017, by beating, in the Selah Collection (bugguide.net/node/ view/1350661/bgimage) is probably this species but has not been examined.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Stanley G. Wellso whose publications on the Buprestidae (e.g., Wellso et al. 1976), collection of this species, and collections of and comments on other Texas Brachys have been of great help to my own research.

Host. Adults of this species have been collected on oaks ( Quercus spp. ; Fagaceae ) and Bumelia sp. ( Sapotaceae ).

Discussion. Brachys wellsoi is superficially very similar to B. ovatus , Brachys floricola Kerremans, and some specimens of Brachys barberi Fisher in size and in having transverse variegated fasciae of setae on the elytra. Brachys wellsoi differs from these in having the elytra more triangular and more narrowly rounded apically and largely covered with setae with only small polished glabrous areas, with abdominal ventrites 3–5 covered with moderately dense coppery setae, all abdominal ventrites with a small patch of silvery setae at the posterior angles of lateral margins, and, most characteristically, the form of abdominal ventrite 5 in females. The female abdominal ventrite 5 is denticulate at the apex but lacks the arcuate or angulate depression bordered by a conspicuous fringe of longer ( B. ovatus, B. floricola) or shorter ( B. barberi ) setae at the anterior margin of the depression; additionally, the male genitalia are more slender than in B. ovatus . Males vary from 4.25 to 4.70 mm in length (N = 7, mean = 4.45 mm), females vary from 4.15 to 5.40 mm in length (N = 13, mean = 4.73 mm).

Figures

Figs. 1–2. Brachys wellsoi, new species. 1) Habitus, allotype female, 4.40 mm long; 2) Holotype, male genitalia, 1.15 mm long.