Strandietta austroafricana, Bellamy, 2008

Bellamy, C. L., 2008, New taxa, distribution and biological records of Afrotropical Coraebini Bedel, 1921 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilinae), Zootaxa 1848, pp. 1-15 : 8

Strandietta austroafricana , sp. nov.

( Figs. 10, 11)

Description (holotype, sex unknown, genitalia missing). Length 4.7 mm x maximum width 1.5 mm; widest across humeri; surface black, median portion of elytral disc with faint blue or purple reflections; dorsal surface rugose-punctate on head and pronotum, elytra uneven, transversely rugose, finely imbricate; ventral surface shagreened; head and pronotum with sparsely positioned short, white recumbent setae, elytra without visible setation; ventral surface with sparse, widely-separated short, adpressed white setae. Head feebly, truncately produced between widely-separated, golden eyes; eyes moderately large, globose, inner margins slightly diverging dorsad; circumocular groove extend from before dorsal apex around internal margin to after ventral apex; vertex with feeble longitudinal groove; frons disc with slight median depression dorsad to preantennal transverse groove; antennal cavities large, separated by depressed middle disc slightly wider than cavity width; epistome feebly sinuate, transverse; gena with longitudinal groove to accept basal antennomeres in repose; antennae with antennomere 2 somewhat swollen, subequal in length to 3, 4 subserrate, 5–10 triangularly serrate, much wider than individual length; 11 oblong. Pronotum about 1.6 as wide as long, widest at middle; anterior margin strongly arcuate medially, sinuate on either side; posterior margin sinuate on either side of truncate median lobe; lateral margins arcuate in anterior half, sides straight, subparallel in posterior half; laterobasal angles feebly obtuse; disc uneven with elevated and depressed areas: two median depressions between pair of sinuate longitudinal costae; depressed on either side to beyond lateral thirds, then strongly declivous to explanate premarginal area; scutellum nearly an equilateral triangle, lateral margins feebly emarginate. Elytra widest across humeri; lateral margins straight, subparallel to about midpoint, then widening to near posterior third before gradually narrowing to separately obliquely rounded apices; margins finely serrate in posterior third; disc uneven, with single moderately large, longitudinal elevation preapically. Underside: prosternum with broadly arcuate, short, entire mentonniere; process broad, attenuate apically; metepimeron nearly entirely obscured by anteriolateral abdominal projection; abdominal sterna 1 shorter than 2, with deep lateral groove extending from midpoint of sternum 1 to around apical margin of 5; suture between 1 and 2 anteriorly arcuate, remaining sutures evenly transverse; 5 rounded to truncate apex; legs with femora fusiform, tarsi flattened, explanate to hide tarsomeres in repose; tarsomeres 1–4 each slightly shorter than preceeding, with ventral pulvilli, 5 slender, nearly as long as 1–4 together, claws angularly appendiculate.

Specimens examined. Holotype (sex?) ( SANC): SOUTH AFRICA, Tvl [Transvaal]. Entabeni For. Res. 33.00S 30.16E, 7–11.i.1987, V.M. Uys [S 23.02 E 30.16 not as labelled]; 1 paratype: ♀ ( BMNH): [Zimbabwe] Chirinda, Gaza Ld. Dec. 1901, G. A. K. Marshall.

Etymology. The specific epithet combines the roots for ‘southern’ (austro) and ‘Africa’ to note this as the first congener from southern part of the continent.

Comments. This is the first species of Strandietta from southern Africa, as reflected in the epithet, and one of two from the S. nodosa species-group. The new species and S. nodosa can be separated as indicated in couplet 4 of the following key.