Anthaxia (Melanthaxia) zarazagai, Arnáiz-Ruiz, Lucía & Bercedo-Páramo, Pablo, 2003

Arnáiz-Ruiz, Lucía & Bercedo-Páramo, Pablo, 2003, Two new species of Anthaxia Eschscholtz, 1829 from Spain (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Zootaxa 267, pp. 1-7 : 2-4

Anthaxia (Melanthaxia) zarazagai sp. n.

Description of the holotype

Length 5,8 mm.; whole body with shining black coloration. Head: frons, in dorsal view, convex with long, white pubescence; clypeus wide, incurved anteriorly; eyes large, reniform, their inner margins converging dorsally; vertex 1,3 times as wide as width of eye in dorsal view; sculpture of head consisting of small, irregular, concave polygonal cells; antenna expanded from antennomere 4. Pronotum: slightly convex, 2,0 times as wide as long, maximum width in the middle, with two central and well­marked depressions; anterior margin regularly incurved, posterior margin slightly bisinuate; posterior half with median, shallow depression; lateral carina present in posterior half; lateral margins widely, evenly rounded; sculpture of disc irregular, consisting of small, irregular, polygonal cells with well developed central grains; entire pronotum with very short, white pubescence, barely visible, longer in near lateral margins. Scutellum: subtriangular, somewhat wider than long, densely microsculptured. Elytra: slightly convex, 1,4 times as long as wide at humeri, narrower than maximum width of pronotum; humeral swellings and basal depressions well indicated; elytral disc with homogeneous grainy sculpture and very short, white, regularly distributed recumbent pubescence; elytral apices feebly serrate, separately rounded; epipleuron incomplete, reaching ventrite 5 but not the sutural apex. Ventral surface with short, whitish, regularly distributed recumbent pubescence; sculpture of prosternal process distinctly more irregular and rugose than that of abdomen; apical portion of ventrite 5 with incurved margins, medially emarginate. Metatibiae with obtuse, wellmarked teeth before apex. Aedeagus as in Figure 2 .

Sexual dimorphism / Variation

Female differs from male by larger and stouter body (6,7 mm.); pronotum with four transversal, marked depressions, anterior pronotal margin feebly bisinuated, arcuately projecting; simple metatibiae (unarmed).

Type specimens

Type locality: Spain, León province, Vegas del Condado, altitude 1050 m., N 42º40’ W 5º22’, UTM 10x10 Km. 30TUN02.

The male holotype of A. zarazagai ( MNCN, catalogue number 9195) bears the following labels and data: [white label]: Aedeagus and internal sternites mounted / [white label]: Vegas del Condado (LE), 31­VIII­1998, L. Arnáiz leg. / [white label]: Anthaxia (Melanthaxia) cum carmen S. Bílý det. 0 3 / [printed red label]: HOLOTYPUS Anthaxia (Melanthaxia) zarazagai L. Arnáiz & P. Bercedo des. 2003.

The female paratype of A. zarazagai (deposited in authors’ collection) bears the following label and data: [white label]: Vegas del Condado (LE), 31­VIII­1998, L. Arnáiz leg. / [printed red label]: PARATYPUS Anthaxia (Melanthaxia) zarazagai L. Arnáiz & P. Bercedo des. 2003.

Etymology

This species is named after our good friend and weevil specialist Dr. Miguel Ángel Alonso-Zarazaga.

Differential diagnosis

Anthaxia (Melanthaxia) zarazagai sp. n. ( Fig. 1 [Habitus], fig. 2 [Aedeagus]) is morphologically similar to A. carmen Obenberger (1912) , both species can be distinguished by characters given in the following table.

Character A. (M.) carmen Obenberger A. (M.) zarazagai sp. n.

Remarks

The two known specimens of this new species were collected by sweeping yellow flowers ( Asteraceae ) in the borders of a forest containing Pinus halepensis Miller and Pinus sylvestris L. The larvae probably develop in Pinus sp. as do most of the other Spanish Melanthaxia species. Both specimens are a little deteriorated. The male holotype has only 6 and 7 antennomeres in right and left antenna respectively; the right protarsomeres and the right antenna has been lost in the female paratype. Unfortunately, it has been impossible to find more specimens after a careful survey of the area for the past five years.

Figures

FIGURES 1 - 2. Anthaxia (Melanthaxia) zarazagai sp. n. 1. Habitus; scale bar = 1, 0 mm. 2. Aedeagus; scale bar = 1, 0 mm.