Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) libenae, 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 : 82-84

Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) libenae sp. nov.

( Figs. 8, 16 , 26 )

Type locality. Ivory Coast, Elesso.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ Cote d’Ivoire / Elesso 3.-4.V.1953 / P. Lepesme [w, h]’ ( NMPC); ALLOTYPE: ♀, ‘ Togo, Atakpame / 19.X.1990 / leg. F. & K. Adlbauer [w, h]’ ( NMPC). PARATYPES: 1 J, ‘НРР ГВИНЕА [p], окр. г. Киндиа / лес Табуна / 27.iv. [h] 198 [p] 2 [h] С. В. МУРЗИН [w, p] [= Guinea, Kindia city env., Tabuna forest, 27.iv.1982, S. V. Murzin leg.] // Kalashian [w, h] // Anthaxia / ( Haplanthaxia ) [p] / sp. n. 29 [h] / Sv. Bílý det. [p] 2002 [w, h]’ ( ESUE); 1 J, ‘cum typo / comparavit / Sv. Bílý [p] / 1993 [w, h] // Anthaxia / ( Haplanthaxia ) [p] / vagelini Théry / nomen nudum [h] / Sv. Bílý det. 19 [p] 93 [w, h]’ ( MOBC); 1 ♀, ‘ Cameroun / Yaoundé [p] / III-59 [w, h]’ ( MOBC).

Description. Body length of males 4.0-5.0 mm (holotype 5.0 mm), of females 5.4-6.3 mm.

Male. Arrow-shaped species, metallic bronzy, glabrous. Head small, heart-shaped, glabrous, eyes not projecting beyond outline of head. Frons metallic green. Clypeus incised anteriorly. Vertex bronze, 1.2 times as wide as transverse diameter of eye. Sculpture of head consisting of regular ocellation with very fine indistinct central grains, generally smooth and disappearing towards vertex. Antennae black with greenish tinge, short, robust, as long as pronotum.

Pronotum completely metallic bronze, oval, transverse, 1.6 times as wide as long, not emarginate before posterior angles, glabrous, with feeble laterobasal depressions. Pronotal sculpture consisting of oval cells, in middle of pronotum without central grains, towards margins with feebly indicated central grains. Scutellum bronze, small, cordiform, lustrous, with web-like microsculpture.

Elytra 2.5 times as long as wide, metallic bronze, at base with greenish tinge, covered with fine setae, with feeble saddle-shaped depression at basal third. Epipleura narrow, in posterior third gradually changed into fine regular and sharp serration. Lateral margins of elytra slightly S-shaped, exposing laterotergites 1 and 2 from above.

Underside metallic green, prothorax with black anterior margin. Prothorax finely sculptured, with cells without central grains, setose. Mesothorax metallic green, with polygonal and oval sculpture, asetose. Sternites metallic green (except anal sternite), with large oval cells with central fine pale seta. Anal sternite black, with slightly incised posterior margin, posterior half of lateral margin very finely serrated. All legs black dorsally, fore femora black with greenish tinge ventrally, middle and hind femora green ventrally. Hind tibia ( Fig. 26 ) with straight outer side and slightly concave inner side with fine regular serration.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 16 ) narrow, basal half of parameres robust, apical half narrow, apex of parameres slightly widened.

Female. Completely metallic bronze-black, frons and antennae black, basal elytral ridge green, tarsi and fore femora with greenish tinge. Generally more robust than male. Hind tibia slightly bent, without serration.

Etymology. Dedicated to my dear friend Liběna Kantnerová (Lipí, Czech Republic) in honour of her contribution to entomology.

Differential diagnosis. Anthaxia libenae sp. nov. belongs to the A. gianfrancoi species group and is most similar to A. gongeti sp. nov. Both species can be distinguished by the shape of the head, which is smaller with a fine depression in A. gongeti sp. nov. (larger and heart-shaped in A. libenae sp. nov.) and by the laterobasal depressions of the pronotum extending vertically to the middle of the pronotum in A. gongeti sp. nov. (placed along lateral margins in A. libenae sp. nov.). Generally, A. gongeti sp. nov. is coarsely sculptured with a darker lustre and A. libenae sp. nov. is finely sculptured with an intensive lustre.

Distribution. Guinea, Ivory Coast, Togo and Cameroon.

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