Paradorella natalensis, Bellamy, 2008

Bellamy, C. L., 2008, New taxa, distribution and biological records of Afrotropical Coraebini Bedel, 1921 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilinae), Zootaxa 1848, pp. 1-15 : 5

Paradorella natalensis , sp. nov.

( Figs. 5, 6)

Description (male holotype). Length 6.2 mm x maximum width 1.9 mm; elongate, flattened above; entire integument nitid black with various subtle reflected colors, depending upon angle of reflection; setal pattern with several small areas of concentration on pronotum and elytra and elytra with three transverse “zig-zag” fasciae, one pair at about midpoint, third just beyond apical fourth. Head. Frontovertex slightly produced between widely separated eyes, appearing truncate from above, slightly longitudinally depressed; relatively large, ovoid eyes with inner margins diverging dorsad; circumocular groove entire along inner and outer margins, invisible beneath portion hidden by pronotum, groove confluent at ventral midpoint of eye, then slight narrow groove extends ventrad on gena; supra-antennal groove biarcuate, confluent medially between large antennal cavities; distal margin of epistome narrowly arcuate; gena depressed for basal antennomeres, and with slight rounded distal projection ventral to eye. Antenna with antennomere 2 globose, 3 narrower, shorter than 2, 3 subequal to 4, 5–10 serrate, progressively shorter and wider, 11 oblong, oblique. Pronotum. Wider than long, nearly 1.4x as wide as long, widest just posterior to midpoint; anterior margin arcuate medially; basal margin strongly biarcuate with median lobe subtruncate; lateral margins widening past obtuse lateroposterior angles to midpoint and the narrowing arcuately in anterior half; disc with three small depressions: one round, median in anterior half and one pair more elongate, transverse in posterior half; disc with one irregular slight carina on either side before margin. Scutellum triangular, nearly equilateral. Elytra. Width at base equal to pronotal maximum width, widest across humeri, then narrowing to just before midpoint, before slightly widening, sides subparallel to posterior third before gradually narrowing to separately rounded apices; epipleuron short, separated from disc by carina. Underside. Prosternum somewhat convex, mentonniere short, feebly bilobed, process subparallel between procoxae, apex acuminate; abdominal sterna with 1 and 2 completely fused, no visible suture, these two together slightly longer than length of 3–5; 5 broadly rounded to subtruncate apex, entire submarginal groove. Legs. Femora feebly fusiform, subparallel, tibiae somewhat flattened, slightly swollen near base; metatibiae with setal comb on distal half of outer face; tarsi with ventral pulvilli on tarsomeres 1–4, each slightly shorter and each slightly wider; 5 elongate, narrow and with appendiculate claws. Genitalia as in Fig. 6.

Specimens examined. Holotype ♂ ( TMSA): South Africa: Natal , Karkloof Forest, 1300 m, 29.18S, 30.13E, 5.xii.1989, E-Y:2742, Endrödy & Klimaszewski.

Etymology. The new specific epithet is chosen for the old South African provincial name “Natal” (now Kwazulu-Natal).

Comments. This species is named for the province of origin, collected in Natal before the adoption of the current provincial name (Kwazulu-Natal) and is the only species known from outside of the eastern Cape. Paradorella natalensis differs from its congeners most substantially by the black coloration and is the only species with antennae serrate from antennomere 5. The species of Paradorella can be distinguished in the following key: