Neobubastes obscura, Powell, 2017

Powell, Michael, 2017, A new species of the genus Neobubastes Blackburn, 1892 from Western Australia (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Buprestinae: Pterobothrini), Zootaxa 4329 (1) : -

Neobubastes obscura sp. nov. ( Figs. 4–7 )

Type locality: Western Australia, 40 km N of Merredin, Lake Campion.

Type specimens. Holotype male (WAMP) “WA [Western Australia], Lake Campion, Melaleuca billet, M. Powell & M. Golding, em. 15/x.–1/i. [20]01 [p]”; allotype female (WAMP) the same data but “em. xii/2000 [p]”; paratypes (36 ex., sex not examined): 5 (MPCP) the same data as holotype; 12 (MHCP) “Lake Baladjie, N. R., WA, T. M. S. Hanlon, ex Melaleuca lateriflora [p] // Coll: 11 Nov. 2009, Emerged 24 November 2011 [p]”; 1 (MHCP) “ 2 km N of Bullabulling, WA, M. Hanlon & M. Powell, 21 Oct. 2006, cut from Melaleuca lateriflora [p]”; 2 (MHCP) “Monger´s Lake, 43 km E of Perenjori, WA, M. Hanlon, 9 Nov. 2008, Dead in strand line [p]”; 2 (MHCP) “ 3 km E of Warrachuppin, WA, T. M. S. Hanlon, ex Melaleuca lateriflora [p] // Coll. July 2011, Emerged 22 November 2011 [p]”; 3 (MPCP) “Lake Campion, WA, Melaleuca billet, M. Powell & M. Golding, em. 15/x.-1/i. 2001 [p]”; 6 (MPCP) “Baladje Lake, WA, M. Powell, ex living branch of Melaleuca lateriflora [p] // Collected: February 2006, Emerged: 18.–22. Nov. 2008 [p]”; 2 (NMPC) “W Australia, Lake Campion, Sv. Bílý leg. [p] // reared from Melaleuca sp., ii.2010 [h]”; 3 (NMPC) “W Australia, xi.2001, 40 km N of Merredin, Lake Campion, M. Powell leg. [h] // reared from Melaleuca sp. [h]”.

Diagnosis. Medium-sized (length 9.0–14.0 mm), convex, subcylindrical, rather lustrous; elytra finely striate, entire body black with weak blue-violet lustre, ventral surface with rather intense red-bronze lustre; bottoms of punctures on frons red-purple; dorsal surface with very sparse, white, semierect pubescence, ventral surface with long, white, almost lanuginose, recumbent pubescence ( Fig. 5 ).

Description of the male holotype. Head relatively small, distinctly narrower than anterior pronotal margin; frontoclypeus deeply emarginate anteriorly, not separated from frons by groove or depression; frons weakly convex, vertex about 3 times as wide as width of eye (dorsal view); eyes small, elliptical, not projecting beyond outline of head; sculpture of head consisting of rough, rounded, rather deep punctures and several small, irregular, smooth fields on frons ( Fig. 6 ); antennae thin, long, almost reaching posterior pronotal angles when laid alongside; scape claviform, about 3 times as long as wide, pedicel ovoid, 1.5 times as long as wide; third antennomere triangular, 2.3 times as long as wide, antennomeres 4–10 obtusely triangular to trapezoidal, about 1.2–1.5 times as long as wide; terminal antennomere almost triangular, slightly longer than wide, with deep, apical sensory pit.

Pronotum regularly, strongly convex, 1.4 times as wide as long; both anterior and posterior margins weakly bisinuose, lateral margins almost regularly rounded, maximum width at midlength; lateral pronotal carina almost reaching anterior angles; posterior angles weakly obtuse-angled; sculpture nearly homogeneous consisting of small, deep, rounded (somewhat transversely widened at anterior, central part of pronotum) punctures; prescutellar area with fine, longitudinal, lustrous line. Scutellum small, widely cordiform, convex, 1.5 times as wide as long.

Elytra regularly convex, subparallel in anterior two thirds, twice as long as wide; apical third regularly attenuate posteriorly, with very fine, sparse, lateral serrations; apex of elytra obtusely rounded to weakly truncate, without spines; humeral callosities small, not projecting beyond outline of elytra; basal, transverse depression short, shallow, almost indistinct; each elytron with 8 fine, shallow striae composed of small, irregular punctures; inner 4 interstices more or less smooth, elevated and lustrous, outer interstices irregularly rugate; elytral epipleura short, narrow, reaching elytral midlength ( Fig. 5 ).

Ventral surface lustrous, prosternum rather coarsely punctate, abdominal ventrites with fine, sparse punctures; prosternal process convex, subparallel, apically obtusely pointed, roughly, sparsely punctate; anal ventrite narrowly truncate, with two very small, lateral spines, without lateral serration. Legs short, relatively robust, tibiae almost straight, somewhat widened apically, hind tibiae very weakly bent outwards; tarsi much shorter than corresponding tibiae, tarsomeres becoming only slightly wider from 1st to 4th tarsomere. Tarsal claws thin, regularly hook-shaped, not enlarged at base.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 7 ) short, stout, relatively weakly sclerotised, parameres slightly widened apically, sharply pointed apical of setiferous, oval fields; median lobe wide, sharply pointed apically, without lateral serrations.

Measurements: length: 8.5–14.2 mm (holotype 9.5 mm); width: 3.0– 4.8 mm (holotype 3.2 mm).

Sexual dimorphism. No sexual dimorphism was observed except for the larger and somewhat stouter body of the female.

Variability. The following variability was observed (except for the length—see above): the metallic lustre of the pronotum and elytra was somewhat more expressed in some specimens; the proportions of pronotum and elytra are slightly variable: pronotum 1.4–1.5 times as wide as long and elytra 2.0–2.1 times as long as wide; the dorsal pubescence in some specimens is almost invisible (old, abraded specimens?).

Bionomy. The new species has predominantly been reared or cut from trunks of Melaleuca lateriflora Benth. (Lake Baladji, Warrachuppin & Bullabulling) and M. uncinata R. Br. (Myrtaceae) (Lake Campion specimens). It has also been found dead in a strand line at Mongers Lake. The adult has not yet been collected alive in the field.

Differential diagnosis. Except for the different male genitalia ( Fig. 7 ), Neobubastes obscura sp. nov. differs from other species of the genus fundamentally by the dark, unicolorous body (see the key), rough elytral striae and by the distinct, white pubescence which is easily visible on lateral sides of the body and on the ventral surface (see the description of the holotype above).

Distribution. Southern part of Western Australia predominantly around the salt lakes of the north eastern Wheatbelt and adjacent Goldfields.

Etymology. The epithet “ obscura ” is derived from the Latin noun “ obscurus ” (dark, dim) to stress the dark colouration of the species.

Other material studied. Bubastes nickerli ( Obenberger, 1928) : HT male (NMPC) “W. Australia [h] // Typus [p] // Eububastes nickerli n. g., n. sp. [h] Det. D r. Obenberger [p] // Mus. Nat. Pragae, Inv. 26735 [p]”;1 female (NMPC) “W Australia, 23.i.2003, Bullabulling, Sv. Bílý leg.”.

Neobubastes flavovittata Carter, 1922: 1 female ( NMPC) “W Australia, 3.ii.2003, Sv. Bílý leg.” ; 1 female ( NMPC) “ 11 km N of Holt Rock, W Austr., 13. Nov. 2001, Lake Hurlestone , dead salt lake edge M. R. Golding ”.

Neobubastes aureocincta Blackburn, 1892 : LT male (MNPC) “ Queensland, Collection Obenberger [p] // Typus // Castelnaudia australasiae m. type, Det. Obenberger [h] // Mus. Nat. Pragae Inv.21999 [p] // Lectotype Castelnaudia australasiae Obenberger, 1923 , Bellamy & Peterson [p]”; PLT female (NMPC) the same data but “Mus. Nat Pragae Inv. 21997 [p] ”; PLT female (NMPC) the same data but “Mus. Nat. Pragae Inv. 21998 [p]”; 1 male, 1 female, (NMPC) “W Australia, Coolgardie, 18.x.2001, Sv. Bílý leg.”.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Neobubastes spp. 1, Neobubastes aureocincta Blackburn, 1892, female PLT, Coolgardie, 14.0 mm; 2, N. flavovittata Carter, 1922, female, Holt Rock, 11.0 mm; 3, N. nickerli (Obenberger, 1928), female, Bullabulling, 11.6 mm; 4, N. obscura sp. nov., male PT, Lake Campion, 12.2 mm; 5, the same, lateral view; 6, the same, head, frontal view; 7, the same, aedeagus.