Anthaxia (Thailandia) svatoplukbilyi Qi & Song, 2023

Qi, Zhihao, Ai, Hongmu, He, Xueyou, Su, Rongxiang, Cai, Shouping & Song, Haitian, 2023, A study of Anthaxia subgen. Thailandia Bily, 1990 from China (Coleoptera, Buprestidae, Buprestinae), ZooKeys 1154, pp. 149-157 : 149

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1154.97316
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:010011B1-4D38-452D-BD76-DF50D680175D
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/FE47A429-B906-4BB6-8691-9BDA9D1A3516
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:FE47A429-B906-4BB6-8691-9BDA9D1A3516
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Anthaxia (Thailandia) svatoplukbilyi Qi & Song
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Anthaxia (Thailandia) svatoplukbilyi Qi & Song sp. nov.

Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2

Type locality.

China, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Baise City, Leye County, Yachang Township, Ergou Mountain.

Type specimen.

Holotype ♂ (FAF): China, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Baise City [百色市], Leye County [乐业县], Yachang Township [雅长乡], Ergou Mountain [二沟], alt. 1200 m, 18.VII.2020, Ming-Biao Li leg.

Description of holotype.

Well preserved ♂ specimen. Length 5.41 mm, width 1.60 mm, length/width ratio: 3.4; aedeagus length: 1.55 mm, width: 0.31 mm, length/width ratio: 5.1.

Body (Fig. 1A, B View Figure 1 ) small, elongate, spindle-shaped, whole body densely punctate; dorsal surface bicolour: light part metallic yellow to golden green and dark part metallic dark violet to black; most of ventral surface golden green, end of abdomen nearly black.

Head (Fig. 2A-D View Figure 2 ) large, transverse, wider than anterior pronotal margin; most part golden green, posterior part nearly black. Frons (Fig. 2C View Figure 2 ) slightly convex, vertex 1.6 × as wide as width of eye, with distinct white pubescence. Eyes large, ocular distance wide, lateral margins distinct convex, inner margins strongly concave at base. Sculpture of head homogeneous, consisting of small, dense, oval to polygonal cells. Antennae (Fig. 2B View Figure 2 ) compact and setose with 11 antennomeres, the length of antenna shorter than the total length of head and pronotum; 1st antennomere longest, pear-shaped, 3.0 × as long as wide, 2nd antennomere subcylindrical, 1.7 × as long as wide, 3rd antennomere weakly triangular, 1.8 × as long as wide, antennomeres 4-10 rhomboid, 1.1-1.5 × as long as wide (not in the order of the antennomeres), terminal antennomere slightly ovoid, 1.9 × as long as wide; antennomeres 1-6 in dorsal view golden green, antennomeres 7-11 in dorsal view black. Mentum (Fig. 2D View Figure 2 ) small, nearly trapezoidal, golden green. Maxillae yellowish brown, maxillar palpi golden green.

Pronotum (Fig. 2A View Figure 2 ) short, 1.5 × as wide as long, sculpture consisting of elongate, transverse, irregular cells in middle and rounded cells on both sides, cells without central grains; anterior margin curved, gently convex in the middle; posterior margin widely arcuate with a row of small, dense teeth; lateral margins slightly curved, weakly convergent near base; laterobasal pronotal depressions absent; pronotum golden green with two longitudinal, broad, distinct, black stripes nearly reaching both anterior and posterior pronotal margins, with an indistinct boundary between the two stripes (midline).

Scutellum (Fig. 2A View Figure 2 ) small, subpentagonal, with several wrinkles and more finely microsculptured; the whole dark and slightly golden green.

Elytra (Fig. 1A View Figure 1 ) elongate, spindle-shaped, 2.4 × as long as wide, elytral sculpture almost homogeneous, consisting of fine, dense, simple punctures; lateral margins gradually narrowed from apical third and finely serrate, apex rounded. Anterior half of elytron mainly light (metallic yellow to golden green), with two large, basal, black spots; apical half of elytron mainly dark (dark violet to black), with wide, golden-green stripes along the lateral margins.

Legs lustrous, with dense, short setae. Protibiae slightly curved inward; metatibiae (Fig. 2F View Figure 2 ) not modified, without teeth along inner margin.

Ventral side (Fig. 1B View Figure 1 ) lustrous with dense, white setae; sternal part with ocellate sculpture; cells without central grains, each one with a white pubescence; prosternal process (Fig. 2E View Figure 2 ) widely expanded behind procoxae and sharply pointed apically (apical denticle), with two lateral dents at base of apex dent; lateral dents more obtuse than apical one. Abdominal ventrites with ocellate sculpture gradually smaller and darker apically; anal ventrite (Fig. 2G View Figure 2 ) lateral margins serrate, not notched at tip.

Aedeagus (Fig. 2H View Figure 2 ) subparallel, apexes of parameres sharp and translucent, apical portion of each paramere lateral expand with one sharp outer tooth, base of the extension part translucent and completely surrounded by black chitinous parts (red arrows in Fig. 2H View Figure 2 ); medial lobe roughly serrate laterally, moderately acuminate apically.

Etymology.

This species is named in memory of the eminent Czech coleopterist, the late Dr Svatopluk Bílý, an excellent taxonomist in buprestid beetles. He helped us greatly and encouraged us in our work.

Distribution.

China (Guangxi).

Diagnosis.

In addition to the new species, the subgenus Anthaxia Thailandia contains six other species: A. (T.) capitata Kerremans, 1892, A. (T.) paradoxa ( Bílý, 1990), A. (T.) phyllanthi Obenberger, 1956, A. (T.) rondoni Baudon, 1962, A. (T.) siamensis Bílý, 2005 and A. (T.) svobodai Bílý, 2005. Of these, A. (T.) rondoni is the one most similar to A. (T.) svatoplukbilyi Qi & Song, sp. nov. The following set of characters will help to recognize this new species more precisely from A. (T.) rondoni : 1) elytra 2.4 × as long as wide, rather than 2.1-2.3 ×; 2) pronotum with two weakly limited black stripes nearly reaching both anterior and posterior pronotal margins (Fig. 2A View Figure 2 ), rather than with two small, black, slightly elongate, well-limited spots not reaching both anterior and posterior pronotal margins (Fig. 3A View Figure 3 ); 3) scutellum almost dark rather than metallic green or metallic blue; 4) base of apical extension part of each paramere with a small longitudinal translucent stripe completely surrounded by the black chitinous part (red arrow in Fig. 2H View Figure 2 ), rather than partly surrounded by the black chitinous part with an obvious gap near lateral tooth (see Bílý 2019: fig. 75). It is easier to separate the new species from the other related species: 1) bicoloured, rather than unicoloured as in A. (T.) paradoxa ; 2) elytra with two large, nearly oval, basal, black spots, rather than without two large, basal, black spots as in A. (T.) capitata , A. (T.) paradoxa , A. (T.) phyllanthi , A. (T.) siamensis and A. (T.) svobodai ; 3) metatibiae without teeth on inner margin, rather than with some teeth on inner margin as in A. (T.) capitata , A. (T.) phyllanthi and A. (T.) svobodai . Moreover, the combination of characters of the male genitalia of the new species differs from all other known species.