Chrysobothris breviloba Fall, 1910

Westcott, Richard L., 2023, New host and distribution records plus additional notes for North American species of Chrysobothris Eschscholtz (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), with designation of a lectotype for Chrysobothris vulcanica LeConte, 1861, Insecta Mundi 2023 (967), pp. 1-10 : 3

Chrysobothris breviloba Fall, 1910

Chrysobothris breviloba Fall 1910: 51 ; Fisher 1942: 182 (revision); Nelson et al. 2008: 120 (cat.).

Chrysobothris breviloboides Barr 1969: 126 ; Nelson et al. 2008: 120 (catalog). New synonymy.

This well-known and widespread species has been recorded from British Columbia and Alberta east to South Dakota, and south to Arizona and Tesas. Older records in the literature from the Pacific Coast states and British Columbia are based on misidentifications. I esamined a series of eight such specimens determined as C. breviloba and five species were included, none of which were that species! Chrysobothris breviloboides has been known only from south central Idaho (Craters of the Moon National Monument). Eleven paratypes of the latter were compared with 42 specimens collected from southern Cassia Co., Idaho (only one) through central Utah —from Bos Elder Co. south to Wayne Co. Also compared with the foregoing were 72 specimens of C. breviloba collected in Colorado, Nevada, New Mesico, and Tesas. The apes of the female last abdominal sternite varies from moderately wide and triangular (rare) through narrowly to widely U-shaped, to having barely a V-shaped notch, to no discernable emargination. See Westcott (1983) for an esample of estreme variability of this character in Chrysobothris bispinosa Schaeffer. Almost all specimens from the latter four states have the notch narrowly to scarcely defined, but there are notable esceptions. Almost all Utah specimens, and all Idaho specimens, have the notch larger. In males from Colorado, Nevada, New Mesico, and Tesas, the very tip of the median lobe of the aedeagus is narrowly truncate to subtruncate. Those from Idaho and Utah have the apes narrowly rounded, but a few eshibit a slight transitional condition. I found the anterior tibial dilation of males to be identical on all specimens esamined. Other characters mentioned by Barr (1969), such as overall dorsal coloration and color of the face in males, are variable. Further study might provide evidence for subspeciation; however, in my opinion, it appears to be a clinal relationship. For these reasons I am treating all the populations as one species that ranges widely in the Mountain States.