Anthaxita, Bílý, 2013

Bily, Svatopluk, 2013, A study on the Neotropical Anthaxiini (Coleoptera, Buprestidae, Buprestinae), ZooKeys 304, pp. 17-47 : 23-24

Anthaxita gen. n. Figs 1 , 32

Type-species.

Anthaxita peruviana gen. n., sp. n. by present designation.

Description.

Medium-sized (5.4 mm), dark, with silky lustre, Anthaxia -like, subparallel ( Fig. 1 ); dorsal surface asetose, ventral surface with sparse, white, recumbent pubescence.

Head large, as wide as anterior pronotal margin; frons flat, vertex almost 3 times as wide as width of eye; antennae very short reaching anterior third of pronotal margins when laid alongside; clypeus short, transverse, anterior margin weakly emarginate.

Pronotum regularly convex, lateroposterior depressions and “agriloid” carina missing; lateral pronotal carina short, reaching posterior third of pronotal margin; posterior pronotal margin (covered by elytral base) serrate; posterior pronotal angles obtuse-angled; prescutellar pit and basal tubercles missing; pronotal sculpture very fine, homogeneous, consisting of very fine polygonal cells. Scutellum cordiform, 1.5 times as long as wide ( Fig. 32 ), resembling the scutellum of the click-beetles of the subfamily Cardiophorinae .

Elytra about twice as long as wide, subparallel at anterior two thirds, regularly tapering at posterior third; elytral apices narrowly rounded, very finely serrate; elytral epipleura very narrow, narrowing posteriorly, reaching posterior fourth of elytral margin; subhumeral carina well defined; humeral swellings small; basal, elytral, transverse depression of elytra deep, narrow, reaching scutellum but interrupted by small tubercle near humeri; elytral sculpture very fine, homogeneous.

Ventral surface lustrous, metepisterna with patch of cream-white pubescence; prosternum weakly convex, anterior margin straight; prosternal process flat, slightly tapering posteriorly, not widened behind procoxae. Suture between abdominal ventrites 1-2 missing; anal tergite concave, posterior margin obtusely rounded, not serrate; anal ventrite slightly convex with obtusely rounded and finely serrate posterior margin. Legs short, stout, tarsi much shorter then tibiae. Tarsal claws strongly curved, robust, slightly enlarged at base.

Etymology.

The genus name Anthaxita gen. n. (feminine) indicates the strong similarity to the genus Anthaxia .

Differential diagnosis.

Except for the characters mentioned in the key, the genus Anthaxita gen. n. differs from other Neotropical genera of Anthaxiina by the combination of the following characters: pubescence of ventral surface, very wide vertex, very fine sculpture of pronotum and elytra, serrate posterior margin of pronotum, shortened elytral epipleura, missing suture between abdominal ventrites 1-2, short lateral pronotal carina, posteriorly acuminate prosternal process, concave anal tergite (pygidium), narrowly attenuate elytral apex and by the absence of the “agriloid” carina, lateroposterior pronotal depressions, and prescutellar pit. The male is unknown.

Distribution.

Peru.

Note.

Among all Neotropical Anthaxiini ,the genus Anthaxita gen. n. is most similar to the Holoarctic species of Anthaxia , particularly to the subgenus Melanthaxia Rikhter, 1949.

Figures

Figures 1 - 6. 1 Anthaxita peruviana, sp. n., female holotype, 5.4 mm 2 Charlesina mrazi mrazi (Obenberger, 1932), male lectotype, 6.2 mm 3 Cobosina willineri (Cobos, 1972), male, 4.4 mm (Brasil, Catamarca) 4 Marikia descarpentriesi (Cobos, 1956), male, 4.9 mm (Ecuador, Pichincha) 5 Sanchezia bucki (Cobos, 1956), 7.0 mm (male holotype of Cylindrophora kafkai Bily, 1996) 6 Agrilaxia (Agrilaxia) flavimana (Gory, 1841), male, 3.8 mm (USA, Arizona).

Figures 31 - 34. 31 Charlesina mrazi (Obenberger, 1932), scutellum 32 the same, Anthaxita peruviana, sp. n. 33 Agrilaxia (Agrilaxia) claudei (Cobos, 1972), right protibia 34 Agrilaxia spp., anterior margin of prosternum (lateral view): (a) flat to weakly convex, (b) weakly grooved, (c) deeply grooved, (d) with sternal, longitudinal carina, (e) rolled up anterior margin, (f) peg-like spine.