Pachyschelus schwarzi Kerremans, 1892

Hespenheide, Henry A., 2003, A Reconsideration of Pachyschelus schwarzi Kerremans and a Review of American Pachyschelus North of MÉxico (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 57 (4), pp. 459-468 : 465-466

Pachyschelus schwarzi Kerremans, 1892

( Figs. 7–9 )

P. caeruleus Schwarz 1878:364 .

P. schwartzi Kerremans 1892:298 (new name for caeruleus Schwarz ).

P. coeruleus Kerremans 1892:298 .

P. schwarzi Kerremans, Nicolay and Weiss 1920:140 .

Diagnosis. Male: Ovate, inconspicuously setose and moderately shining; head, pronotum, and scutellum black with or without pale blue reflections, elytra dark blue with violaceous reflections; beneath black ( Fig. 7 ). Head angulate-trapezoidal with conspicuous medial depression from above, eyes visible from above, interior margins of eyes raised, making eyes appear slightly concave; from front, medial depression linear and very strong from top to epistomal area; surface sparsely punctate and shining above, at top of eyes grading to finely shagreened on front with distinct point punctures; large pores at inner margin of eyes above antennal insertions. Pronotum moderately convex, 4 times as wide as long at middle, apex 1/2 as wide as base; sides nearly straight on basal 1/2 then slightly rounded to apical angles; anterior margin very shallowly emarginate; base broadly, shallowly emarginate anterior to scutellum, more narrowly and strongly so anterior to elytral lobes; disk glabrous, moderately shining, moderately densely ocellate punctate, lateral margins broadly, finely shagreened. Scutellum 1/3 wider than long, anterior margin weakly rounded, surface polished. Elytra at base subequal to pronotum, widest just behind base; sides subparallel for basal 2/5 then weakly arcuately rounded to tips which are conjointly rounded; surface irregularly punctate, some medial punctures coalescing into vague transverse rugae. Abdomen with last abdominal sternum with small medial triangular process and sparse long setae on apical 1/2. Genitalia as in Figure 8 .

Female. As male but apex of terminal abdominal sternum with two sets of four teeth separated by V-shaped notch; of four teeth, inner two are larger and broader, second from notch longer than first, outer two smaller and more acute ( Fig. 9 ).

Specimens Examined (only those listed with specific locality given). Florida: Brevard Co. (?), Indian River, Hubbard and Schwarz (USNM); Duval Co., Jacksonville, A.T. Slosson (AMNH), Pebbly Beach, Jacksonville, 09.05.1908 (AMNH); Highlands Co., L. Placid, 13.06.1963, D.G. Kissinger (GHNC), Central Blvd., 06.05.1993, R. Morris (RFMC), Sebring, Central Ave., 03.06.1991, R. Morris and J. Heuther (RFMC); Hillsborough Co., Tampa, 25.04, Hubbard and Schwarz (Lectotype of P. caeruleus Schwarz, USNM ), 30.03, Hubbard and Schwarz (Paralectotype of P. caeruleus, USNM ), 09.04 (USNM); Lake Co., 10 mi S Leesburg, 29.03.1957, Forster and Gertsch (AMNH); Levy Co., Shell mound at end of Hwy. 326, N of Cedar Key, 04.06.1969, R.L. Westcott (RLWE); Marion Co., Ocala Nat. Forest, Mason Bay, 10.04.1948, F.N. Young 509 (GHNC), Juniper’s Sprs., 03.04.1948, F.N. Young #490 (GHNC), 7 mi N Ft. McCoy, 23.07.1972, R.L. Westcott (RLWE), Moss Bluff, Lake Pendarvis, 31.05.1992, J.S. Kutis (CLBC); Orange Co., 3 mi E Winter Park, 29.03.1976, C.W. O’Brien and Marshall (RLWE); Osceola Co., Kissimmee, Beutenmuller (NMPC); Pinellas Co., Clearwater, 29.04.1908, Van Duzee (AMNH), Dunedin, 02.04.1916, 28.03.1917, 11.04.1920, W.S. Blatchley (NMPC, FMNH, GHNC), 11.04 (AMNH), Tarpon Springs, 18.04.1943, B. Malkin (FMNH); Polk Co., Polk City, 07.06, 11.07.1929, L.J. Bottimer (NMPC), Lakeland, 31.07.1929, L.J. Bottimer (NMPC), 04.05.1912 (AMNH), Lake Marion Crk. rd., 13.05.1993, R. Morris (RFMC), Lk Marion Creek Estates, E Haines City, 06.05.1994, R. Morris (RFMC); Putnam Co., Crescent City, [no date,] Hubbard and Schwarz (USNM), 04.1908, VanDuzee (USNM); Sarasota Co., Englewood, 4– 16.04.1981 –4, N.M. Downie (FMNH, FSCA); Seminole, Co., Sanford, 03, 07.05.1908, VanDuzee (AMNH); Sumpter Co., 05, Hubbard and Schwarz (Paralectotype of P. caeruleus, USNM ); Volusia Co., Enterprise, 24.04 (FMNH), 08.05 (NMPC), 16.04 (WFBC) [no date], Schffr. (USNM), 24.04.1904, Kaeber (USNM), 16.04–06.05, D.M. Castle (USNM), Ormond, A.T. Slosson (AMNH), Ormond Beach, 10.04.1983, E.G. Riley (GHNC), Enterprise Jct., 25.08.1923, F.W. Walker (GHNC), N. Smyrna, 04.06 (CHAH). [Co.?] Capron, 08, 22.04, Hubbard and Schwarz (Paralectotypes of P. caeruleus, USNM ), 03– 22.04 (USNM); L. Poinsett, 01.05, Hubbard and Schwarz (USNM); Plymouth, 11.08.1920 (USNM); Cleveland, 26.04, J.N. Knull (FMNH). Georgia: Billy’s Id., Okefenokee Swamp, 06.1912 (AMNH).

Discussion. Nicolay and Weiss (1920) were the first authors to correctly emend Kerremans’ (1892) misspelling of Schwarz’s name (ICZN 1985). P. schwarzi is apparently most common in central Florida with a few records in northern Florida and southern Georgia; earlier records from other states are P. nicolayi , above. Males vary in size from 2.1 to 2.9 mm in length (mean ¼ 2.54 mm for 96 specimens); females vary from 2.2 to 3.0 mm in length (mean ¼ 2.64 mm for 65 specimens). There is a single old female specimen in the U.S. National Museum collection labelled ‘‘St. L. Mo.’’ that may be mislabeled. The male genitalia ( Fig. 8 ) are proportionately shorter and broader than in any other North American Pachyschelus . The Lectotype of P. caeruleus was designated by Bellamy and Nelson (1990). Although the Lectotype specimen bears a male symbol, it is actually a female, because of the earlier belief that the modified terminal ventral abdominal segment ( Fig. 9 ) was a male secondary sexual characteristic of males. Both Nicolay and Weiss (1920) and Obenberger (1925) also considered P. oculatus Schaeffer (¼ P.secedens Waterhouse ; see above) a variety of P. schwarzi . Surprisingly, none of the specimens examined give the adult host,but other species in this group are associated with herbaceous vines in the Fabaceae , most frequently species of Desmodium and/or Lespedeza .

Excluded species:

Figures

Figs. 1–9. Species in the Pachyschelus schwarzi group. Scale bars indicate 1 mm for habitus drawings, 0.5 mm for genitalia and apices of abdominal sternites. 1–3) P. vogti n. sp. 1) Habitus; 2) male aedeagus; 3) apex of terminal abdominal sternum of female. 4–6) P. nicolayi. 4) Habitus; 5) male aedeagus; 6) apex of terminal abdominal sternum of female. 7–9) P. schwarzi. 7) Habitus; 8) male aedeagus; 9) apex of terminal abdominal sternum of female.