Gyascutus (s. str.) fulgidus (Barr) Nelson, G. H., 2000

Nelson, G. H., 2000, A revision of the subtribe Hippomelanina, part II: Gyascutus (Gyascutus) LeConte (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Journal of Natural History 34 (12), pp. 2251-2292 : 2271-2273

4. Gyascutus (s. str.) fulgidus (Barr) , comb. nov.

(®gures 6, 30, 34, 48)

Hippomelas (Gyascutus) fulgida Barr, 1969: 321 ; Linsley and Ross, 1977: 275.

Hippomelas (Gyascutus) obliterata Linsley and Ross, 1977: 275 (part).

Diagnosis. Colour shiny dark green or with brassy tint; males average 17.2 mm long, females 17.8 mm; antennae reaching to or beyond posterior angles of pronotum when laid alongside in male, not attaining posterior angles in female; smooth areas of pronotum extensive, not sharply raised; elytra without costae; male genitalia elongate slender, swollen at base, narrowed apically (®gure 34).

Redescription, holotype male. Head width between eyes 1.3 Ö width of eye when viewed from above; front slightly concave, surface ®nely densely punctate on vertex, along eyes and in depressed area between antennal ridges, front with many smooth raised callosities, punctate areas densely clothed by short, semi-erect, white, hairlike setae; antennal ridges connected by transverse ridge that blends with clypeus that has margin shallowly arcuately emarginate; antennae reaching elytral humeri when laid alongside, antennae serrate from antennomere 4±10, each elongate triangular, 11 with distinct notch at outer angle.

Pronotal width 1.5 Ö length, widest at posterior margin; lateral margin carinate in posterior half, converging from hind angle, then expanded to middle and then arcuately converging to narrowest at anterior margin; anterior margin with broad weak median lobe; posterior margin with median lobe that is arcuately emarginate; disc moderately convex, slightly ¯attened posteriorly, with slight transverse impression behind anterior margin on either side of midline and stronger impression on either side along posterior margin midway to lateral margin; surface with large smooth callosities predominating except toward lateral margins where they are smaller, irregular and interspersed with punctate areas; with few inconspicuous, short, white setae at anterolateral angles. Scutellum transverse, rounded laterally, transverse posteriorly, disc smooth, glabrous with few scattered small punctures.

Elytra broader than pronotum at base; after rounded humeri, lateral margins weakly converging to middle, then more strongly so to distinctly bidentate, arcuately emarginate apices, with few small teeth along lateral margins posteriorly; disc with faintly indicated striae, surface with a combination of punctures and small, smooth, raised areas; pubescence of short, curved, white, hair-like setae mainly concentrated along base, scattered and inconspicuous on rest of surface.

Ventrally, densely punctate with dense, ®ne setae laterally, punctures and setae sparser medially and along posterior margins of abdominal sterna; prosternum with anterior margin truncate at middle with slight lobes laterally, disc transversely impressed just behind anterior margin; prosternal process smooth with irregular midline punctures and setose sulcus along lateral margin; metasternum with median sulcus; protrochanter with sharp tooth; protibia slender, arcuate, with row of teeth along inner margin becoming larger apically; meso- and metatibia slender, straight; metatarsomere 1 equal in length to 2 1 3, longer than 5; last visible abdominal sternum elongate triangular with subapical crest, apex roundly truncate with posterolateral angles slightly produced (®gure 30a). Length, 21.3; width, 8.2 mm.

Male genitalia (®gure 34).

Redescription, allotype female. DiOEers from male as follows: more robust; antennae not attaining hind margin of pronotum when laid alongside; protibia with teeth barely noticeable; metatarsomere 1 slightly shorter than 2 1 3; last visible abdominal sternum with lateral margin interrupted at posterior third, and apex more elongate triangular (®gure 30b). Length, 26.5 mm; width, 10.8 mm.

Type locality: Idaho, Owyhee Co., 2 miles SW of Bruneau.

Type material. The holotype lof Hippomelas fulgida Barr (CASC) is labelled as follows: Bruneau, Ida Owyhee Co. (p) V-6, 2 mi SW (h) 19 (p) 56 (h)/R. A. Mackie Collector (p)/(red label) HOLOTYPE (p) Hippomelas fulgida (h) W. F. Barr (p)/ California Academy of Sciences Type No (p) 10217 (h).

Variation. The 460 males and 291 females examined revealed that the usual bluegreen colour varies to the pronotum being more brassy or the whole body so. In body shape the usually cuneate form is more parallel in some and the degree to which the posterior angles of the pronotum are expanded is variable. Males vary from 12.3 to 21.5 mm long (mean5 17.2 mm, n 5 50) and 4.2 ±8.1 mm wide (mean 5 6.3 mm, n 5 50); females from 12.5 to 23.0 mm long (mean 5 17.8 mm, n 5 50) and 4.4±8.9 mm wide (mean5 6.7 mm, n 5 50).

Distribution (®gure 48). This species has been found in the high desert regions of the following counties of the USA. California ÐInyo Co., Antelope Springs; Big Pine; Lone Pine; Taboose Creek. Mono Co., Chalfant. Tulare Co., Tulare. Idaho Ð Elmore Co., Mt. Home Air Base. Owyhee Co., Bruneau; Grandview; Hot Springs; Murphy. Nevada ÐEsmeralda Co., nr. Dyer; Fish Lake Valley. Humboldt Co., Soldier’s Meadow. Lyon Co., Fernly. Mineral Co., Teel’s Marsh. Nye Co., Fish Lake; Nyala. Washoe Co., Reno. Oregon ÐMalheur Co., 28.5 km SW Owyhee.

Biology. Some information on the biology of this species is recorded by Linsley and Ross (1977). Larvae have been cut from roots of Atriplex confertifolia (Torr. & Frem.) Wats. ( Barr, 1969) . Adults were reported from Salix sp. by Nelson and Westcott (1976) and have been collected in greatest numbers on foliage of Salix lasiandra Benth. They have also been taken on the following plants: Artemesia tridentata Nutt. , Chrysothamnus nauseosus (Pall.) Britton , Dalea sp. , Melilotus albus Desc. ( Barr, 1969) , Salix exigua Nutt. , Salsola iberica [kali] Sennen & Pau ( Barr, 1969), and Sarcobatus vermiculatus (Hook.) Torr. Barr (1969, 1971 ) reports many adults taken from Japanese beetle traps. Adults have been collected from early May to early September.

Comparisons. This species is most similar to some non-costate forms of G. planicosta cribriceps , but it can usually be distinguished by its more shiny appearance, the large ¯attened smooth areas on pronotum, the shorter male genitalia, and the much reduced pulverulence.