Agrilus cyphothoracoides Hespenheide

Westcott, Richard L., Hespenheide, Henry A., N, Jesús Romero, Solorio, Armando Burgos & M, Armando Equihua, 2008, The Buprestidae (Coleoptera) of Morelos, Mexico, with description of six new species, and a partially annotated checklist, Zootaxa 1830, pp. 1-20 : 5-6

Agrilus cyphothoracoides Hespenheide , new species

( Figs. 3–5 )

Holotype male: Length 8.60 mm long, width 2.50 mm; rather robust, in cross section flattened above and rounded below; black throughout with dark reddish-coppery reflections, except elytra with golden reflections; setae silvery and more or less recumbent, short and relatively inconspicuous beneath except on abdominal ventrites 2–5, longer and denser on lower 2/3 of front, on lateral margins of pronotum, on elytra, and in irregular swirls on ventrites 3–4; ventrite 5, upper 1/3 of front, and broad medial band on pronotum glabrous Fig. 3 .

Head with front irregular: excavate on upper 1/3, broadly depressed along midline, vague prominences interior to eyes at middle, narrowly transversely depressed above epistoma, surface coarsely rugose, more so above middle; epistoma between antennal insertions 1/4 width of distance between inner margins of eyes, slightly emarginate below, eyes convex, oval, slightly emarginate on inner margins; antennae serrate from antenommere 5, antennomeres 5–11 rounded-triangular. Pronotum slightly narrower than elytra at posterior margin, posterior angles quadrate, pointed, with sides shallowly expanded outward then arcuately rounded to apex; marginal and submarginal carinae slightly undulate, separated for entire length and widest at middle when viewed from side; from above anterior margin slightly produced and angulate; basal margin nearly transverse except for broad, truncate lobe before scutellum; disk with shallow transverse depression at base, narrowing to anterior angles, and broad, blunt conical prominence at middle on apical 1/2 ( Fig. 4 ); prehumeral carinae absent; surface finely transversely rugose at base, rugae becoming concentric around the conical prominence. Scutellum trapezoidal, narrower at apex, with very narrow, acuminate projection to posterior. Elytra broader behind humeri and widest beyond middle, lateral margins shallowly emarginate between, apices separately rounded, minutely toothed; disk relatively flat, each elytron with oval depression at base and indistinct costa along suture to apex; surface transversely coarsely imbricate-punctate, more rugose at base. Prosternum with sides of prosternal process slightly narrowing between coxae, triangular and deflexed behind coxae, prosternal lobe narrow, nearly transverse. Legs with metatarsomere 1 as long as the next two combined, tarsal claws similar on all feet, cleft with narrow inner tooth slightly shorter than outer. Posterior margin of metacoxae irregularly emarginate, upper angles somewhat produced and obtusely rounded. Abdomen with suture obsolete between ventrites 1 and 2, ventrites 1 and 2 broadly convex and unmodified, posterior dorsal portion of ventrite 1 conspicuously wider than anterior portion of ventrite 2. Genitalia as in Fig. 5 .

Allotype female: As male except 9.80 mm long, 3.00 mm wide.

Type specimens: Holotype ( UNAM), México, Guerrero, 2.5 km S Taxco, 5900’, 19-IX-89, E. Giesbert; allotype, Guerrero, 4 mi W Chilpancingo, 15-VII-84, Carroll, Schaffner, Friedlander ( TAMU); paratypes, Guerrero, same data as allotype (1, TAMU), ± 4000 ft., 15-VII-84, J.B. Wooley (1, TAMU); 10.3 km NE Iguala, 1280 m, 5-VII-87, R. Anderson 87-3, acacia woodland (1, RLWE); 6 km W Taxco, 21/ 24-VII-84, J. Chemsak, A&M Michelbacher (2, EMEC); Morelos, 2-4 km N Coaxitlán, ± 940m, vic. 18°28’ N, 99°11’ W, 18-VIII-2002, R. L. Westcott, beaten from shrubby species of SALVIA (?) sp. (4, CHAH, RLWE); Oaxaca, 5.2 km S Huapanapan, 1750 m, 18.07 N, 97.41 W, 17-VII-96, C. L. Bellamy, CLB:591 (1, CLBC); 11 mi SE Nochixtlán, 7300’, 1-VI-74, C. W. & L. O’Brien & Marshall, at night (2, CLBC); Puebla, Tehuacán, 23-VI- 1951, P. D. Hurd, on fls. of Eysenhardtia polystachya (Ort.) (1, EMEC); 3.9 mi SE Tepexco, 15-VII-87, B. K. Dozier (1, FSCA).

Discussion: This striking species appears to be related to A. pilosus Waterhouse and the common A. vermiculatus (Waterhouse) . The three species share the complex structure of the front and a somewhat prominent anterior portion of the pronotum, but A. pilosus is smaller, inconspicuously setose beneath, and has a vague pattern in the setae on the elytra whereas the setae on A. cyphothoracoides are uniform. Agrilus vermiculatus is smaller, uniformly reddish in coloration, possesses well-defined prehumeral carinae, different antennae and male genitalia, etc. There is an undescribed species from Oaxaca that is even more similar, but lacks the conical pronotum and its associated coloration and possesses well-defined prehumeral carinae, among other differences. Agrilus cyphothoracoides is unusual in having no obvious sexual dimorphism, and males and females cannot easily be distinguished externally. Specimens measure 7.40–9.80 mm long (mean = 8.70 mm for 17 specimens). Because only a few specimens were dissected, measurements for both sexes are combined, although known males are smaller (7.40–8.60 mm) than known females (9.10–9.80 mm).

Etymology: The name reflects the unusual and conspicuous gibbose structure of the pronotum that resembles species in the agriline genus Cyphothorax Waterhouse , which was revised by Bellamy (1997). Agrilus cyphothoracoides is easily distinguished from Cyphothorax by the lack of a deep median frontal groove.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 10. 1, Acmaeodera noguerai Westcott, sp. nov., dorsal habitus. 2, Acmaeodera tenuivittata Westcott, sp. nov., dorsal habitus. 3 – 5, Agrilus cyphothoracoides Hespenheide, sp. nov.: 3, dorsal habitus; 4, lateral view; 5, dorsal view aedeagus. 6 – 7. Agrilus pseudosallei, Hespenheide sp. nov.: 6, dorsal habitus; 7 dorsal view aedeagus. 8, Brachys exquisitus Hespenheide, sp. nov., dorsal habitus. 9 – 10. Chrysobothris tessellata Westcott, sp. nov.: 9, dorsal habitus; 10, dorsal view aedeagus.