Brachelytrium (Brachelytrium) nigrum, 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 : 16

Brachelytrium (Brachelytrium) nigrum sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 , 9 )

Specimen examined. Holotype, male (NMPC): Kenya, Voi (Tsavo) env., 22.xi.–2.xii.1996, Mi. Halada leg..

Diagnosis. Realatively large (5.6 mm), robust, convex; dorsal surface black, frons purple, antennae black with intensive, purple lustre; ventral surface black, abdominal ventrites and legs with blue-green lustre; entire body asetose only abdominal ventrites with very short, sparse, nearly indistinct gray pubescence; metepimeron and lateroposterior angles of first visible abdominal ventrite with patches of white tomentum.

Description of the male holotype. Length: 5.6 mm; width: 2.3 mm. Head large, as wide as anterior pronotal margin; frons flat; anterior margin of frontoclypeus straight; eyes large, subelliptical, not projecting beyond outline of head; vertex as wide as width of eye; sculpture of frons consisting of dense, rounded cells with small, flat central grains; antennae reaching mid-length of lateral pronotal margins when laid alongside; scape slightly pyriform, feebly curved, about four times as long as wide; pedicel ovoid, 1.5 times as long as wide; antennomere 3 1.5 times as long as wide, slightly triangular; antennomeres 4–10 triangular to trapezoidal, slightly wider than long; terminal antennomere rhomboid, somewhat longer than wide.

Pronotum convex, twice as wide as long with well-developed lateroposterior depressions; anterior margin nearly straight, posterior margin feebly biarcuate; lateral margins regularly rounded; maximum width at anterior 1/3; sculpture homogenous, consisting of small, polygonal cells with very small, nearly indistinct central grains. Scutellum convex, subtriangular, microsculptured, 1.2 times as long as wide.

Elytra convex, 1.6 times as long as wide, not covering pygidium, with poorly developed discal depressions; humeral swellings well-developed; basal transverse depression wide, deep, nearly reaching scutellum; subparallel along anterior 3/4, shortly, obtusely rounded on posterior 1/4; epipleuron welldeveloped extending to apex; apicolateral 1/4 of margin very finely serrate; sculpture of disc homogenous, finely tile-shaped to rugose.

Ventral surface lustrous, finely, widely ocellate; apex of anal ventrite slightly emarginate, lateral margins very finely serrate with shallow depression along entire margin. Legs relatively short, meso- and metatibiae flattened, enlarged posteriorly, without inner serration; tarsal claws slightly hook-shaped, somewhat enlarged at base.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 9 ) nearly subparallel, membraneous portions of parameres long, reaching nearly midlength of parameres; median lobe obtusely pointed apically.

Female unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet “ nigrum ” (black) describes the coloration of the dorsal surface.

Distribution. Kenya.

Differential diagnosis. Brachelytrium (B.) nigrum sp. nov. resembles B. (B.) africanum ( Pochon, 1972) (distributed in South Africa) from which it differs by the completely black dorsal surface (bronze in B. (B.) africanum ), indistinct central grains on pronotum, longer scutellum (as wide as long in B. (B.) africanum ) and by the very different shape of the male genitalia ( Fig. 9 vs. Fig. 10 ).

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.