Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) crotonivora, Bílý, 2005

Bílý, Svatopluk, 2005, Two new species of Anthaxia from Yemen (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 45, pp. 65-70 : 66-68

Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) crotonivora sp. nov.

( Figs. 1, 5 )

Type locality. Yemen, Soqotra, Qaariah, 12°38´05˝ N 54°12´39˝ E, 11 m a.s.l..

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♀, ‘ Yemen, Is. Soqotra, Qaariah vill. env., 12°38´05˝N 54°12´39˝E, 11 m [GPS], leg. P. Kabátek, ex larve // Croton socotranus // Yemen – Soqotra 2003 Expedition, Jan Farkač, Petr Kabátek & David Král’ . PARATYPES: 3♀♀, the same data. All specimens were reared from the host plant during March to May 2005. Holotype and one paratype are deposited in NMPC, two paratypes in the collection of P. Kabátek .

Diagnosis. Small, slender and subcylindrical species ( Fig. 1 ); whole body dark bronze, ventral surface with red lustre; frons and ventral surface with short, sparse, white, recumbent pubescence; proepisternum, metepisternum and lateral portion of abdominal ventrites with indistinct patches of sparse, white tomentum.

Description. Holotype. Head relatively large, partly retracted into pronotum; frons flat with slight medial groove anteriorly, clypeus deeply, regularly incurved; fronto-clypeal suture quite indistinct, vertex very wide, flat, 2.8 times as wide as width of eye; eyes large but not projecting beyond outline of head, their inner margins slightly converging dorsally; sculpture of head consisting of rather large, oval or rounded cells with large, flat central grains; space between cells on upper part of frons wide, lustrous; cells on vertex distinctly smaller, denser and more rounded than those on frons; antennae short, just reaching anterior third of lateral pronotal margins, antennomeres 4-11 triangular, slightly wider than long.

Pronotum convex, distinctly enlarged anteriorly, 1.5 times as wide as long ( Fig. 1 ); laterobasal pronotal depressions very shallow, nearly indistinct, lateral pronotal margins S-shaped, distinctly incurved before posterior angles; anterior margin of pronotum slightly but widely lobed, posterior margin nearly straight; maximum pronotal width at anterior fourth; pronotal sculpture consisting of nearly homogeneous ocellation on disc with polygonal, slightly prolonged cells along lateral margins; cells with very large, flat central grains which usually occupy nearly entire space of cells; space between cells usually wide, lustrous, each central grain bearing distinct micropore near middle ( Fig. 5 ). Scutellum relatively very large, pentagonal, slightly concave, with extremely fine microsculpture.

Elytra subcylindrical, slightly uneven, 2.2 times as long as wide at base; humeral swellings large and well-developed, reaching nearly anterior third of elytral length; basal elytral depression small, well-separated from scutellum; apical part of elytra flat and somewhat elevated dorsally, lateral margins of elytral apex invisible in dorsal view ( Fig. 1 ); elytral apices round- ed separately, only indistinctly serrate laterally; disc of elytra with several very shallow, poorly visible, flat depressions; elytral sculpture finely, irregularly punctato-granulate, disc of elytra with much sparser sculpture than basal and lateral parts of elytra; elytral epipleura not reaching elytral apex.

Ventral surface densely, nearly regularly ocellate, central grains small but distinct; prosternal cells prolonged, abdominal cells less distinct, somewhat tile-shaped. Anal ventrite regularly, narrowly rounded with indistinct lateral serration. Legs slender and relatively long, all tibiae straight, unmodified; claws long, slender, slightly enlarged at base.

Male unknown.

Length: 4.6-4.8 mm (holotype 4.7 mm); width: 1.5-1.6 mm (holotype 1.6 mm).

Variability: No variability was observed within the type series.

Differential diagnosis. By its body-shape, A. crotonivora sp. nov. resembles some African species of the subgenus Haplanthaxia (e.g. A. magnifrons Abeille, 1907 , A. oneli Obenberger, 1931 , A. sculptipennis Obenberger, 1924 ). However, it cannot be affiliated to any known species-group due to the very special pronotal sculpture (rather unique in Anthaxia ), the extremely short antennae and the specifically modified elytral apex. Unfortunately the male is unknown and thus the structure of the aedeagus cannot be evaluated. The discovery of this species supports the theory of high endemism of the Soqotra’s insect fauna since all Anthaxia species described so far from this island are endemic ( A. angulinota Bílý, 1984 and A. socotrensis Bílý, 1984 ).

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin name of the host plant ( Croton ) and Latin verb ‘voro’ (to devour).

Bionomy. All type specimens were reared from the twigs of Croton socotranus Balf. F., 1884 (Euphorbiaceae) .

Figures

Figs. 1-6. 1 – Anthaxia crotonivora sp. nov., holotype, female, 4.7 mm. 2 – A. kabateki sp. nov., holotype, male, 5.8 mm. 3– A. kabateki sp. nov., holotype, aedeagus. 4 – A. kabateki sp. nov., holotype, male metatibia. 5 – A. crotonivora sp. nov., pronotal sculpture. 6 – A. kabateki sp. nov., pronotal sculpture.