Agra aurifera Liebke

Erwin, Terry L., 2002, The Beetle Family Carabidae of Costa Rica: Twenty­nine new species of Agra Fabricius 1801 (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Lebiini, Agrina), Zootaxa 119, pp. 1-68 : 34-35

Agra aurifera Liebke

( Figs. 12a, 12 b)

Types (two females) not in WAR; they were likely lost in the allied bombing of Berlin in World War II. Because of the absence of type material and the lack of specimens matching Liebke's description, I am reproducing the latter which was kindly translated from the original ( Liebke 1940: page 236) description in "Old German " to English, by Joachim Adis, Max Planck Institute, Germany. With the intensive collecting at Turrialba over the past several decades, it is curious that no new specimens matching this description have been discovered.

From Liebke (1940:236).

“Black, pronotum with light greenish brasslike luster, elytra purple, with light green brasslike luster. Antennae, legs and ventral side black as well. Head quite short, back of head with almost rectangular edges. Vertex pit as small depressed line. Pronotum moderately long, broad, narrowing gradually towards tip. Disk with several rows of medium­coarse dots, on both sides of the very finely depressed middle (center) line, near lateral margin as well; the punctuation occupies almost the total width, leaving on each side of the disk only a very small smooth and arch like elevated longitudinal stripe. Elytra elongate, behind middle part enlarged, at tip obliquely truncate. Suture and external angle spine like acute extended; middle (center) angle only weakly pronounced but clearly visible. Dot stripes very fine, slightly depressed, formed by very densely arranged fine dots (punctures). Intervals flat, third and fifth each with 3­5 very fine setal points. Trochanter of hind legs normally long, rounded at tip. ­ Male unknown.

Female: third antennal segment as long as fourth segment, eighth segment not distinctly (1/6) shortened. Posterior margin of anal ring deeply notched, notch at base rounded. Length 13­14 mm. Two females from Turrialba , Costa Rica, in the Museum of Berlin and in my collection.”

Figures

FIGURE 12. A. aurifera Liebke, female, dorsal aspect a) elytral apex; b) Sternum VI, ventral aspect, scanned from Liebke’s (1940) original drawings. Measures not given by Liebke.