Brachelytrium (Brachelytrium) beninense, 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 : 19

Brachelytrium (Brachelytrium) beninense sp. nov.

( Figs. 3 , 11 )

Specimens examined. Holotype, male (NMPC): Benin, Papatia, mi 0 8.2009, sur Acacia sieberiana, J. F. Vayssieres / RVA 2234, J. F. Vayssieres coll.; Allotype, female (NMPC): Benin, Papatia, m 0 2.2009, ex Acacia sieberiana, J. F. Vayssieres / RVA 2233, coll. J. F. Vayssieres; one paratype, female (JVCB): same data as allotype.

Diagnosis. Medium-sized (4.7–5.8 mm), moderately convex, subparallel, rather lustrous; dorsal surface dark bronze, anterior portion of frons and genae with purple reflections in both sexes; ventral surface black bronze with purple reflections on lateroventrites; frons with very short, white pubescence (length of setae shorter than diameter of cells), remainder of dorsal surface asetose; ventral surface with indistinct, very short, sparse, white pubescence.

Description of the male holotype. Length: 4.7 mm; width: 1.8 mm. Head relatively small, narrower than anterior pronotal margin; frons flat, anterior margin of frontoclypeus straight; vertex 0.8 times as wide as width of eye; eyes small, reniform, not projecting beyond outline of head; antennae short, reaching mid-length of lateral pronotal margins when laid alongside; scape slightly pyriform, somewhat curved, four times longer than wide; pedicel ovoid, 1.4 times as long as wide; antennomere 3 distally slightly enlarged, 1.2 times as long as wide; antennomeres 4–10 trapezoidal, somewhat wider than long; terminal antennomere rhomboid, slightly longer than wide; sculpture of head consisting of oval cells with large, flat central grains.

Pronotum convex, distinctly wider than elytra, 1.9 times as wide as long; lateroposterior depressions shallow, poorly developed; anterior margin deeply, widely emarginate, posterior margin slightly biarcuate; lateral margins widely rounded, maximum width at anterior 1/3; sculpture homogenous, consisting of small, dense, polygonal cells with small, sharp central grains. Scutellum triangular, microsculptured, slightly longer than wide.

Elytra subparallel, 1.7 times as long as wide, shortly, obtusely rounded at apical 1/4; humeral swellings small, basal, transverse depression wide, nearly reaching scutellum; epipleuron narrow, extending to apex; transverse depressions well-developed; sculpture fine, punctato-rugose, somewhat denser, granulate at postscutellar portion of disc.

Ventral surface matt, finely ocellate; anal ventrite shortly truncate to finely emarginate with shallow depression along entire margin, lateral serration very fine, poorly developed. Legs moderately long, slender; meso- and metatibiae nearly straight without inner serration; tarsal claws very thin, hook-shaped, not enlarged at base.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 11 ) flattened, parameres narrowed at posterior half; median lobe sharply pointed apically.

Measurements. Length: 4.7–5.8 mm; width: 1.8–2.0 mm.

Sexual dimorphism. Female differs fom male by somewhat narrower pronotum, distally slightly enlarged metatibiae and by more expressed purple reflections on lateroventrites.

Bionomy. The type specimens were reared from Acacia sieberiana (Fabaceae) .

Etymology. Named after the country of the origin, Benin.

Distribution. Benin.

Differential diagnosis. Brachelytrium (B.) beninense sp. nov. is very similar and probably related with B. (B.) mauritanicum sp. nov. differing from it by the frontal and elytral sculpture, less lustrous body, and by the shape of scutellum and tarsal claws (see above).

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.