Agrilaxia (Agrilaxia) michaeli, Bílý, Svatopluk, 2015

Bílý, Svatopluk, 2015, A study on the genus Agrilaxia Kerremans, 1903 from Venezuela (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Buprestinae: Anthaxiini), Zootaxa 4039 (1), pp. 173-182 : 177-179

Agrilaxia (Agrilaxia) michaeli sp. nov.

( Fig. 7 )

Type locality. Venezuela, Falcón Province, W of Guamacho, 11°20′48′′N 69°06′04′′W, 95 m.

Type specimen. Holotype (female, NMPC): “ Venezuela, Edo. Falcón, Guamacho/W, 11°20′48′′N 69°06′04′′W, 95 m, 27.x.2005 ”.

Diagnosis. Medium-sized (4.4 mm), stout, parallel-sided, subcylindrical, lustrous ( Fig. 7 ); dorsal surface dark green with metallic lustre, frons purple, pronotum with two black-violet, longitudinal, wide stripes, subhumeral carina and frontoclypeus golden green; ventral surface black with strong purple lustre, lateral margin of first abdominal ventrite blue-green; entire body asetose.

Description of the female holotype. Head large, as wide as anterior pronotal margin; frons and vertex regularly convex, vertex twice as wide as width of eye; frontoclypeus not prognathous, anterior margin straight; eyes large, reniform, not projecting beyond outline of head; antennae relatively short, compact, slightly extending beyond midlength of lateral pronotal margins when laid alongside; scape claviform, somewhat curved, about 3 times as long as wide, pedicel ovoid, 1.8 times as long as wide; third antennomere obtusely triangular, as long as wide, antennomeres 4–10 triangular to trapezoidal, 1.1–2.0 times as wide as long, terminal antennomere rhomboid, 1.5 times as long as wide; sculpture consisting of small, irregular, polygonal and oval cells with large, flat central grains.

Pronotum almost regularly convex, 1.1 times as long as wide, lateroposterior depressions small, shallow, maximum width at midlength; lateral margins regularly rounded at anterior two thirds, weakly emarginate at posterior third, posterior angles almost rectangular; anterior margin deeply biarcuate, medial lobe strongly projecting anteriorly, posterior margin shallowly biarcuate, prescutellar lobe widely rounded; “agriloid” carina very distinct, reaching posterior third of lateral margins; prescutellar pit small but well-defined, basal callosities small, poorly developed. Scutellum very small, subcordiform, 1.5 times as wide as long.

Elytra slightly convex, weakly flattened at basal third, 2.8 times as long as wide; each elytron with 3 poorly defined carina missing at humeral portion and at posterior fifth; lateral margins almost straight in apical third, without lateral serration only elytral tips with several, very small teeth; humeral callosities small, basal, transverse depression wide, deep, reaching scutellum; subhumeral carina very distinct, prominent, reaching midlength of lateral margins; elytral epipleura very narrow, not reaching elytral apex; sculpture very fine, consisting of basal microsculpture and very weakly developed, shallow punctures and transverse rugae.

Ventral surface lustrous, prosternum and metasternum with fine, scarcely visible ocelliform sculpture, abdominal ventrites almost smooth; both anal tergite and ventrite regularly rounded, with very fine, lateral serrations; prosternum flat, anterior margin almost straight. Legs short, slender, meso- and metatibiae very slightly curved, slightly flattened. Tarsal claws fine, weakly hook-shaped, only very slightly enlarged at base.

Male unknown.

Measurement. Length: 4.4 mm; width: 1.2 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Agrilaxia (A.) michaeli sp. nov. does not resemble any other Agrilaxia and it is very distinct not only by its colouration ( Fig. 7 ) but first of all by the combination of the strongly convex frons and the unusual shape of the pronotum which is slightly longer than wide, with conspicuously projecting medial lobes (both anterior and posterior). As far as I know it is the only species in the genus Agrilaxia with the pronotum longer than wide.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to my friend and colleague, Michael Hornburg (Berlin, Germany), the collector of the holotype.

Distribution. Ven ez uel a.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. 1 — Agrilaxia (Agrilaxia) balloui Fisher, 1942, female (Colombia, Valledupar), 5.0 mm; 2 — A. (A.) costaricensis Obenberger, 1922, female (Venezuela, El Limon), 7.5 mm; 3 — A. (A.) glabra Bílý & Brûlé, 2013, female (Venezuela, Nubia), 5.4 mm; 4 — A. (A.) simillima (Cobos, 1972), male (Venezuela, Aragua), 6.0 mm; 5 — A. (A.) biformis sp. nov., holotype, 4.5 mm; 6 — A. (A.) biformis sp. nov., allotype, 4.9 mm; 7 — A. (A.) michaeli sp. nov., holotype, 4.4 mm; 8 — A. (A.) stephani sp. nov., holotype, 4.5 mm; 9 — A. (A.) venezuelana sp. nov., holotype, 7.3 mm.