Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) occidentalis, Bílý, 2020

Bílý, Svatopluk, 2020, A revision of the Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) dispar Kerremans species-group (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Anthaxiini), Zootaxa 4851 (3), pp. 522-534 : 532-533

Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) occidentalis sp. nov.

( Figs. 13, 14 , 21 , 27 )

Type locality: Sierra Leone .

Type specimens studied. Holotype (male, NMPC): “ Sierra Leone ”; allotype (female, NMPC): “Cote d´Ivoire”; paratypes: “ Burkina Faso, Bobo-Dioulasso, x.1954 ” (1 male, NMPC); “[ Senegal], Dakar, IFAN-viii.1949” (1 female, NMPC); “ Benin, Goutansoukpa, forest area, vii.2006, G. Goergen leg.” (1 male, NMPC); “ West Africa, Dahomey [ Benin], Jul. Moser leg.” (1 female, NMPC); “ Togo, Kloto forest area, iv.2005, G. Goergen leg.” (1 male, NMPC).

Diagnosis. Medium-sized (5.7–7.8 mm), wedge-shaped, convex, lustrous; dorsal surface bronze to red-bronze, ventral surface bronze to dark bronze; frons with short, white, semi-erect pubescence, elytra with rather long, recumbent, rusty pubescence; ventral surface with short, sparse, recumbent, white pubescence.

Descrption of the male holotype. Head rather small, partly retracted into prothorax, as wide as anterior pronotal margin; frons flat, anterior margin of frontoclypeus very shallowly emarginate, almost straight; vertex 0.5 times as wide as width of eye; eyes large, narrowly reniform, not projecting beyond outline of head; sculpture consisting of fine, sparse, simple punctures; antennae relatively short, reaching midlength of lateral, pronotal margins when laid alongside; scape claviform, 3.5 times as long as wide, pedicel suboval, about 1.5 times as long as wide; third antennomere weakly triangular, about 1.6 times as long as wide, antennomeres 4–10 trapezoidal, weakly wider than long, terminal antennomere rhomboidal, twice as long as wide.

Pronotum moderately convex, 1.8 times as wide as long with wide, deep lateroposterior depressions, space beteen them weakly convex; anterior margin weakly bisinuose, posteror margin almost straight; lateral margins widely, regularly rounded, posterior angles obtuse-angled; maximum width at midlength; sculpture consisting of fine, simple, somewhat transverse punctures on disc and fine, dense, polygonal cells with tiny central grains in lateroposterior depressions. Scutellum wide, triangular, deeply depressed, about 1.5 times as wide as long.

Elytra strongly wedge-shaped, 1.9 times as long as wide, very weakly uneven, each elytron with wide, shallow, oblique depression on basal third; posterior third of lateral margins, finely, sharply serrate, basal, transverse depressions wide, deep, reaching scutellum; humeral callosities small, not projecting beyond elytral outline, subhumeral lobe large, lateral emargination deep, very wide; sculpture almost homogeneous, consisting of fine, irregular punctures, basal third almost rugose.

Ventral surface lustrous with fine ocellate punctation and short, recumbent, white pubescence; prosternal process wide, flat, simply punctured, as wide as long; anal ventrite widely rounded with sharp lateral serrations. Legs relatively long, pro- and mesotibiae weakly curved, metatibiae ( Fig. 27 ) flattened, deeply emarginate at distal third with fine, inner serrations; tarsi long, only slightly shorter than corresponding tibiae, tarsal claws weakly hookshaped, not enlarged at base.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 21 ) widely spindle-shaped, flattened, parameres deeply constricted at distal third, with small, obtuse, dorsolateral projection.

Measurements. Length: 5.7–7.8 mm (holotype 7.8 mm); width: 1.9–3.4 mm (holotype 3.4 mm).

Sexual dimorphism. The female differs from the male only by the somewhat robuster body, simple metatibiae and by the apically weakly notched anal ventrite.

Etymology. The specific epithet “ occidentalis ” indicates the westernmost distribution of the entire Anthaxia (H.) dispar species-group.

Differential diagnosis. Anthaxia (H.) occidentalis sp. nov. differs, except for the distribution, from the most similar and most probably also related species A. (H.) dispar by the very weakly uneven and somewhat longer elytra, wider pronotum, fine, inner serration of the male metatibiae ( Fig. 27 ) and by the somewhat different shape of the male genitalia ( Figs. 18 vs. 21).

Anthaxia (H.) dispar and A. (H.) occidentalis sp. nov. seem to be vicariant species, the former widely distributed in southern Africa and along the eastern coast as far as Kenya (westerly to DRC), and the latter distributed along the westAfrican coast between Benin and Senegal.

Figures

FIGS. 10–15. Habitus.10—A. (H.) dispar, female (RSA, Mpumalanga), 7.7 mm; 11—A. (H.) dispar (RSA, Limpopo), male, lateral view, 7.6 mm; 12—A. (H.) keniae Théry, 1941 (Kenya, Kiserian), male, 5.9 mm; 13—A. (H.) occidentalis sp. nov., holotype, male, 7.8 mm; 14—the same, allotype, female, 7.6 mm; 15—A. (H.) pilifrons Kerremans, 1898, (Zambia, Kafue), female, 7.3 mm.

FIGS. 16–22. Aedeagi (not in scale). 16—Anthaxia (Haplathaxia) aethiopica sp. nov., holotype; 17—A. (H.) caerulea sp. nov., holotype; 18—A. (H.) dispar Kerremans, 1898 (RSA, Limpopo); 19—A. (H.) keniae Théry, 1941 (Kenya, Kiserian); 20—A. (H.) komareki Obenberger, 1931, holotype; 21—A. (H.) occidentalis sp. nov., holotype; 22—A. (H.) pilifrons Kerremans, 1898, holotype.

FIGS. 23–28. Male metatibiae (not in scale). 23—Anthaxia (Haplathaxia) aethiopica sp. nov., holotype; 24—A. (H.) caerulea sp. nov., holotype; 25—A. (H.) dispar Kerremans, 1898 (RSA, Limpopo); 26—A. (H.) keniae Théry, 1941 (Kenya, Kiserian); 27—A. (H.) occidentalis sp. nov., holotype; 28—A. (H.) pilifrons Kerremans, 1898, holotype.