Charlesina, Bílý, 2013

Bily, Svatopluk, 2013, A study on the Neotropical Anthaxiini (Coleoptera, Buprestidae, Buprestinae), ZooKeys 304, pp. 17-47 : 26-27

Charlesina gen. n. Figs 2 , 31

Type species.

Agrilaxia mrazi mrazi Obenberger, 1932 by present designation.

Description.

Medium-sized (5.5 mm), black, elongate, matt, entirely asetose; lateral margins of elytra with green tinge.

Head as wide as anterior pronotal margin; clypeus narrow, trapezoidal, anterior margin deeply emarginate; frons widely grooved; vertex flat, twice as wide as width of eye; eyes broad elliptical, not projecting beyond outline of head; antennae short and robust, scarcely reaching midlength of lateral pronotal margins when laid alongside; scape broad pyriform, twice as long as wide; pedicel subcylindrical, 1.4 times as long as wide; third antennomere short, 1.2 times as long as wide; antennomeres 4-10 short, trapezoidal, nearly twice as wide as long; terminal antennomere rhomboid, 1.5 times as wide as long; sculpture of head consisting of fine, simple, sparse punctures on frons and weakly defined, dense cells on vertex.

Pronotum twice as wide as long, with wide, deep lateroposterior depressions, without distinct sculpture; lateral margins weakly S-shaped, posterior angles right angled; “agriloid” carina well defined, rather sharp, as long as lateral pronotal carina; basal tubercles weakly defined, prescutellar pit small, deep, well defined. Scutellum small, cordiform ( Fig. 31 ), flat, twice as long as wide, resembling the scutellum of the click-beetles of the subfamily Cardiophorinae .

Elytra elongate, 2.3 times as long as wide, widely sphenoidal with shallow, longitudinal depression at posterior fourth; humeral swellings small but well defined, basal, transverse depression deep, reaching scutellum; elytral epipleura strongly reduced, very narrow, not reaching apex of elytra; subhumeral carina well defined, reaching apical portion of elytra; elytral sculpture consisting of fine microsculpture and very small, lustrous grains. Anal ventrite with fine but sharp, lateral serrations; all tarsi distinctly widened; tarsal claws simple, strongly hook-shaped.

Aedeagus (Figs 130, 131 in Cobos 1972) long, slender, spindle-shaped, setiferous part of parameres very short, median lobe pointed apically.

Etymology.

The new genus Charlesina gen. n. (feminine) is dedicated to my friend and colleague, Charles Bellamy (Sacramento, California), one of the best world specialists in the taxonomy of Buprestidae , with my warm thanks for his life long cooperation.

Differential diagnosis.

The monotypic genus Charlesina gen. n. strongly differs from other Neotropical Anthaxiina except for the genus Sanchezia gen. n. Both genera share some general characters like black, flattened body without distinct sculpture of dorsal surface, widened, robust antennae and tarsi, well defined lateroposterior pronotal depressions and “agriloid” carina. The genus Charlesina gen. n. strongly differs from the genus Sanchezia gen. n. by the deeply grooved frons, well defined humeral swellings and basal, transverse, elytral depression, by the narrow, reduced elytral epipleura, long, well defined subhumeral carina and by the entirely asetose body.

Species included.

Charlesina mrazi (Obenberger, 1932).

Distribution.

Argentina, Brasil.

Note.

Also this genus can be included among the Lycid immitating Buprestids (see Sanchezia gen. n. below).

Figures

Figures 1 - 6. 1 Anthaxita peruviana, sp. n., female holotype, 5.4 mm 2 Charlesina mrazi mrazi (Obenberger, 1932), male lectotype, 6.2 mm 3 Cobosina willineri (Cobos, 1972), male, 4.4 mm (Brasil, Catamarca) 4 Marikia descarpentriesi (Cobos, 1956), male, 4.9 mm (Ecuador, Pichincha) 5 Sanchezia bucki (Cobos, 1956), 7.0 mm (male holotype of Cylindrophora kafkai Bily, 1996) 6 Agrilaxia (Agrilaxia) flavimana (Gory, 1841), male, 3.8 mm (USA, Arizona).

Figures 31 - 34. 31 Charlesina mrazi (Obenberger, 1932), scutellum 32 the same, Anthaxita peruviana, sp. n. 33 Agrilaxia (Agrilaxia) claudei (Cobos, 1972), right protibia 34 Agrilaxia spp., anterior margin of prosternum (lateral view): (a) flat to weakly convex, (b) weakly grooved, (c) deeply grooved, (d) with sternal, longitudinal carina, (e) rolled up anterior margin, (f) peg-like spine.