Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) gongeti, Obořil, 2006

Obořil, Martin, 2006, Studies on the ‘ agriliform’ Anthaxia from Africa, with the descriptions of four new species (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 46, pp. 77-88 : 80-82

Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) gongeti sp. nov.

( Figs. 9, 14 , 25 )

Type locality. Uganda, Kampala, Muyenga.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ Uganda, Kampala / Muyenga / Feb. 1973 / H. Gønget leg. [w, p]’ ( NMPC).

Description. Body length of holotype 4.2 mm.

Male. Slender, wedge-shaped, both dorsal and ventral sides bronze-black, completely asetose. Head small, retracted into prothorax. Eyes not projecting beyond outline of head, inner margin of eyes S-shaped. Clypeus incurved anteriorly. Vertex as wide as width of eye. Frons dark metallic green, moderately impressed. Sculpture of head consisting of regular cells with central grains, less distinct on vertex. Antennae black with greenish-blue tinge, short and relatively robust, reaching hind pronotal angles.

Pronotum bronze-black, anterior part with reddish tinge, sublateral basal impressions with greenish tinge, 1.5 times as wide as long, widest at anterior third, narrowed posteriad, distinctly incurved before posterior angles. Sculpture coarse, with regular cells with central grains. Scutellum bronze-black, triangular, covered with very fine reticulate sculpture, lustrous.

Elytra bronze-black, slender, with well developed humeral calli, 2.55 times as long as wide. Lateral margin widely S-shaped, exposing laterotergites 1 and 2. Anterior elytral ridge well developed. Apical third strongly arched, elytral apex with fine serration. Epipleura distinct, narrow, nearly reaching elytral apex. Sculpture of elytra consisting of angulate transverse wrinkles forming prolonged tile-shaped sculpture. Surface of elytra with sparse and fine, pale setae.

Underside bronze-black, lustrous with very fine ocellate sculpture, ventrites 1 and 2 with dense longer setae in middle, rest of ventral surface sparsely covered with fine setae similar to those on elytra. Anal sternite truncated and slightly concave, lateral margin with serration in posterior half.

Fore tibiae bronze ventrally, greenish blue dorsally. Fore coxae and femora ventrally bronzeblack with greenish tinge, fore femora bronze dorsally. Middle coxae, tibiae and femora metallic green ventrally, tibiae and femora bronze-black dorsally. Hind legs completely bronzeblack. Outer side of hind tibiae ( Fig. 25 ) straight, inner side dilated and slightly incurved before apex, with 9-10 fine dents.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 1 ) slender, 1.1 mm long, arrow-shaped, well sclerotized. Parameres compressed at midlength, with membranous enlargement at apex.

Female unknown.

Etymology. Dedicated to its collector, H. Gønget.

Differential diagnosis. Anthaxia gongeti sp. nov. is similar to A. gianfrancoi . Both species can be distinguished by the following characters – A. gongeti sp. nov.: body completely bronze- black and more narrow, frons impressed, head retracted into prothorax, sculpture of pronotum coarser, lateral margins distinctly incurved before posterior angles, and elytral apex distinctly prolonged posteriad ( Fig. 9 ); A. gianfrancoi : body completely black and more robust, frons flat, head only partially retracted into prothorax, sculpture of pronotum finer, lateral margins of pronotum regularly rounded, and elytral apex less prolonged posteriad ( Fig. 7 ).

Distribution. Uganda.

Figures

Figs. 1-13. Body outline. 1 – Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) obliquepilosa Obenberger, 1924; 2 – A. (H.) eupoeta Obenberger, 1928; 3 – A. (H.) bezdeki sp. nov.; 4 – A. (H.) rothkirchi Obenberger, 1922; 5 – A. (H.) gabonica Bílý, 2000; 6 – A. (H.) atomaria Obenberger, 1922; 7 – A. (H.) gianfrancoi Bílý, 2000; 8 – A. (H.) libenae sp. nov.; 9 – A. (H.) gongeti sp. nov.; 10 – A. (H.) aurohumeralis Bílý, 2000; 11 – A. (H.) melanosoma Bílý, 2000; 12 – A. (H.) elegantula Obenberger, 1924; 13 – A. (H.) eloumdenica sp. nov. Scale: 1 mm.

Figs. 14-27. 14-20 – Aedeagus. 14 – Anthaxia (Haplantaxia) gongeti sp. nov.; 15 – A. (H.) eupoeta Obenberger, 1928; 16 – A. (H.) libenae sp. nov.; 17 – A. (H.) bezdeki sp. nov.; 18 – A. (H.) atomaria Obenberger, 1922; 19 – A. (H.) gabonica Bílý, 2000; 20 – A. (H.) rothkirchi Obenberger, 1922. 21-27 – Male hind tibia. 21 – A. (H.) eupoeta Obenberger, 1928; 22 – A. (H.) bezdeki sp. nov.; 23 – A. (H.) rothkirchi Obenberger, 1922; 24 – A. (H.) atomaria Obenberger, 1922; 25 – A. (H.) gongeti sp. nov.; 26 – A. (H.) libenae sp. nov.; 27 – A. (H.) gabonica Bílý, 2000. Scales: 0.5 m