Anthaxia (Anthaxia) cupressi, Bílý, Svatopluk, 2005

Bílý, Svatopluk, 2005, Two new species in the Anthaxia (Anthaxia) manca (Linnaeus, 1767) species­group from China (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Zootaxa 965, pp. 1-7 : 5-6

Anthaxia (Anthaxia) cupressi , new species

( Figs 2–4 , 6, 8 )

Type material. Holotype (male): “ China, Sichuan, Jintang, Tcho­nin, 10.6.– 15.6.2004, leg. E. Kučera”; allotype (female): the same data; paratypes (4 males, 6 females): the same data; all type specimens were reared from branches of an unidentified species of Cupressaceae . Holotype and 5 paratypes deposited in the National Museum, Prague, allotype and 5 paratypes in the coll. of E. Kučera (Sob slav, Czech Republic).

Type locality: China, Prov. Sichuan, Jintang, Tcho­nin.

Diagnosis. Medium­sized, slender and somewhat convex species ( Figs 2­4 ); whole body golden green with weak bronze tinge on central part of pronotum and base of elytra (holotype) or green­bronze with golden­green frons or whole body completely lightbronze; antennae and tarsi black with green lustre, whole body matte with intensive silky lustre; frons with dense, white, semierect pubescence, dorsal side without setae, ventral side with short, sparse, white, recumbent pubescence.

Description of holotype. Head moderately large, frons flat, vertex narrow, as wide as width of eye; eyes large, reniform, not projecting beyond outline of head; sculpture of head consisting of small, rounded or slightly oval cells with large and sharp central grains; antennae slightly overlapping midlength of lateral pronotal margins, first antennomere 4 times as long as wide, pear­shaped and slightly curved; second antennomere 1.5 times as long as wide, slightly enlarged apically; third antennomere almost twice as long as wide, nearly triangular; antennomeres 4–10 obtusely triangular to trapezoid, only slightly longer than wide, terminal antennomere rhomboid, twice as long as wide.

Pronotum rather convex with indistinct laterobasal depressions, 2.2 times as wide as long; anterior pronotal margin deeply bisinuous, posterior margin only very feebly bisinuous, nearly straight; lateral pronotal margins almost S­shaped, widely rounded in anterior half, somewhat incurved medially and nearly straight before obtuse posterior angles; maximum width of pronotum at anterior one­third; pronotal sculpture uniform, consisting of small and dense polygonal cells with well­developed central grains. Scutellum large, flat, subtriangular, as wide as long, microsculptured.

Elytra rather convex, slightly wedge­shaped, twice as long as wide; apices separately rounded and indistinctly serrate; humeral swellings small but well­developed, basal transverse depression complete, shallower towards scutellum; elytral epipleura wide, welldeveloped, nearly reaching elytral apices, separated from elytral disc by sharp carina; elytral margins with complete groove reaching from humerus to apex; elytral sculpture uniform, consisting of dense, rough and slightly transverse grains.

Ventral side lustrous with dense ocellate sculpture which is sparser and somewhat horse­shoe­shaped on ventrites; anal ventrite with very fine lateroapical serration, obtusely rounded apically. Legs long and slender, meso­ and metatarsi as long as respective tibiae; mesotibiae straight, slightly enlarged apically with inner margin densely serrate on distal half; metatibiae ( Fig. 8 ) straight, flattened, finely and regularly serrate on inner margin. Claws simple, slightly enlarged at base.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 6 ) with parameres distinctly narrowed postmedially and with obtusely pointed medial lobe.

Sexual dimorphism. Female differs from male by more bronze colouration, stouter body, simple meso­ and metatibiae, somewhat truncate anal ventrite and wider pronotum (about 2.4 times as wide as long in female).

Measurements. Length: 5.9–7.1 mm (holotype 6.1 mm); width: 2.0– 2.9 mm (holotype 2.1 mm).

Variability. One male paratype and one female paratype are completely light­bronze without any sexual dichromatism ( Fig. 4 ); also bronze tinge of medial part of pronotum is nearly lacking in some male paratypes; lateral pronotal margins of one male and two female paratypes are slightly incurved before posterior corners so that posterior pronotal angles of these specimens are rectangular.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the name of plant family Cupressaceae because the type series was reared from an unidentified species of this family.

Differential diagnosis. Although A. cupressi belongs to the A. manca species­group, it is rather distinct from other species in the group. It resembles some species in the A. (Haplanthaxia) proteus Saunders, 1873 species­group by its colouration, silky lustre and pronotal shape; however, the armament of the male meso­ and metatibiae, shape of the anal ventrite and form of the epipleura and male genitalia are typical for the A. manca speciesgroup. It resembles slender and more convex specimens of A. hackeri Frivaldszki, 1884 , from which it differs (except for its distribution) by its more convex and anteriorly widened pronotum with uniform sculpture, straight male meso­ and metatibiae and form of male genitalia, the general shape of which resembles somewhat those of species in the A. fulgurans (Schrank, 1789) species­group. The isolated position of A. cupressi sp. nov. in the A. manca species­group is further emphasized by the divergent host plant, since almost all species in the A. manca species­group develop in Ulmus spp.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. 1 — Anthaxia (Anthaxia) ulmi n. sp., holotype, male, 9.9 mm; 2 — A. (A.) cupressi n. sp., holotype, male, 6.1 mm; 3 — A. (A.) cupressi n. sp., allotype, female, 7.1 mm; 4 — A. (A.) cupressi n. sp., paratype, male, 6.5 mm.

FIGURES 5 – 9. 5 — aedeagus of Anthaxia (Anthaxia) ulmi n. sp., holotype; 6 — the same, A. (A.) cupressi n. sp., holotype; 7 — male metatibia of A. (A.) ulmi n. sp., holotype; 8 — the same, A. (A.) cupressi n. sp., holotype; 9 — anal sternite of female of A. (A.) ulmi n. sp.