Brachelytrium (Brachelytrium) niehuisi, Bílý, Svatopluk & Bellamy, Charles L., 2010

Bílý, Svatopluk & Bellamy, Charles L., 2010, Supplement to the revision of the genus Brachelytrium Obenberger, 1923 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Buprestinae: Anthaxiini), Zootaxa 2721, pp. 15-27 : 20

Brachelytrium (Brachelytrium) niehuisi sp. nov.

( Figs. 4 , 12 )

Specimens examined. Holotype, male (NMPC): Namibia, 200m, Khomas Hochland, 22° 24.82S / 16° 36.42E, Holzeintrag 5.4.1997 / e. l. 14.6.1998, leg. M. & O. Niehuis; Allotype, female (MNAC): Namibia, ca. 2000 m NN, Khomas Hochland, 22° 42.26S 16° 32.24E, Holzeintrag 4.4.1997, leg. M. & O. Niehuis, e. l. 18.6.1998.

Diagnosis. Relatively large (5.0– 5.3 mm), robust, convex, posteriorly somewhat enlarged; dorsal surface dark bronze, antennae and frons with purple reflections, scutellum green in male; ventral surface bronze, ventral surface of legs with green reflections; frons with very short white pubescence (setae shorter than diameter of cells), the reminder of dorsal surface asetose; ventral surface with very short, sparse, white pubescence.

Description of the male holotype. Length: 5.0 mm; width: 2.0 mm. Head small, as wide as anterior pronotal margin; frons flat, vertex 0.8 times as wide as width of eye; anterior margin of frontoclypeus widely emarginate; eyes relatively large, reniform, not projecting beyond outline of head; antennae short, hardly reaching mid-length of lateral pronotal margins when laid alongside; scape pyriform, slightly curved, nearly 4 times as long as wide; pedicel ovoid, 1.2 times as long as wide; antennomere 3 triangular, as long as wide; antennomeres 4–10 trapezoidal, 1.2–1.3 times as wide as long; terminal antennomere nearly globular, as long as wide; sculpture of head consisting of very small, dense, rounded, microsculptured cells without central grains.

Pronotum convex without lateroposterior depressions; anterior margin shallowly emarginate, posterior slightly biarcuate; lateral margins regularly rounded, maximum width just anteriad mid-length; sculpture homogenous, consisting of small, dense, polygonal cells with large central grains. Scutellum flat, microsculptured, triangular, somewhat longer than wide.

Elytra rather convex, 1.6 times as long as wide with poorly developed transverse depressions, widely, obtusely rounded at apical 1/5; humeral swellings small; transverse basal depression deep, wide, nearly reaching scutellum; epipleuron narrow, extending to apex; sculpture dense, nearly homogenous, punctatorugose.

Ventral surface lustrous, finely ocellate; abdomen somewhat enlarged posteriorly; anal ventrite obtusely rounded without lateral serration with shallow depression along entire margin. Legs relatively long, slender; meso- and metatibiae straight without inner serration. Tarsal claws thin, slender, slightly hook-shaped, somewhat enlarged at basal 1/3.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 12 ) nearly subparallel, cylindrical, parameres slightly narrowed at posterior half; median lobe sharply pointed apically.

Measurements. Length: 5.0 mm (holotype), 5.3 mm (allotype); width: 2.0 mm (holotype), 2.3 mm (allotype).

Sexual dimorphism. Female differs from male only by bronze scutellum and somewhat posteriorly enlarged metatibiae.

Etymology. Named after the collector, Manfred Niehuis.

Distribution. Namibia.

Differential diagnosis. Brachelytrium (B.) niehuisi sp. nov. stands close to B. (B.) transvalense Obenberger, 1923 differing from it by the less robust body, much shorter frontal pubescence, emarginate frontoclypeus (straight in B. (B.) transvalense ), finer elytral sculpture and by the shape of the male genitalia ( Fig. 12 vs. Fig. 13 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. 1 – 6, dorsal habitus of six new species of Brachelytrium (Brachelytrium): Fig. 1, B. nigrum sp. nov., holotype, 5.6 mm (maximum length); Fig. 2, B. mauritanicum sp. nov., holotype, 4.3 mm; Fig. 3, B. beninense sp. nov., holotype, 4.7 mm; Fig. 4, B. niehuisi sp. nov., holotype, 5.0 mm; Fig. 5, B. purpureiventre; sp. nov., holotype, 5.2 mm; Fig. 6, B. aeneum sp. nov., holotype, 5.8 mm; and Figures 6, 7, dorsal habitus of two new species of Brachelytrium (Elytrobrachium): Fig. 7, B. caeruleum sp. nov., holotype, 3.8 mm; Fig. 8, B. metallicum sp. nov., holotype, 4.6 mm.

FIGURES 9 – 23. 9 – 20, dorsal aspect of male genitalia of Brachelytrium (Brachelytrium): Fig. 9, B. nigrum, sp. nov.; Fig. 10, B. africanum (Pochon, 1972); Fig. 11, B. beninense, sp. nov.; Fig. 12, B. niehuisi, sp. nov.; Fig. 13, B. transvalense Obenberger, 1923; Fig. 14, B. lesnei Bílý & Bellamy, 2000; Fig. 15, B. straussae Bílý & Bellamy, 2000; Fig. 16, B. holmi Bílý & Bellamy, 2000; Fig. 17, B. fissifrons Bílý & Bellamy, 2000; Fig. 18, B. namibiense Bílý & Bellamy, 2000; Fig. 19, B. tanzaniense Bílý & Bellamy, 2000; Fig. 20, B. gibbicolle Bílý & Bellamy, 2000; and Figures 21 – 23 of Brachelytrium (Elytrobrachium): Fig. 21, B. blairi (Obenberger, 1931); Fig. 22, B. metallicum, sp. nov.; Fig. 23, B. ventrale (Kerremans, 1911). Figures 10, 13 – 21, 23 are those used in Bílý & Bellamy (2000) where no scale bars were used. The scale bars for Figs. 9, 11, 12 and 22 = 1.0 mm and are approximately to scale for the remaining figures, all drawn by the senior author from the same magnification originally, with slight scale adjustments in the creation of this plate. Figures 9 – 20 are to the scale of 9, 11 and 12, while Figures 21 and 23 are to the scale of 22.