Richtersveldia insperata Bellamy

Bellamy, C. L., 2005, A new genus and species of Nothomorphina Cobos, 1955 from northwestern South Africa (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Polycestinae), Zootaxa 900, pp. 1-8 : 5-6

Richtersveldia insperata Bellamy , sp. nov.

( Figs.1–6 )

Description of holotype ( Fig. 1 ). Navicular, acuminate posteriorly, subcylindrical; length: 4.7 mm (frontovertex to elytral apex), width: 2.8 mm (widest opposite humeri); surface coarsely punctate, with sparse vestiture; dorsal coloration mostly straw­colored, otherwise nearly black in a vague mottled pattern; ventral coloration mostly faint­brownish black with small straw­colored areas on prosternal process, disc of metacoxal plate and perimeter of last visible abdominal ventrite; legs: coxa, trochanter, extreme apex of femur, distal 2/3 of tibia and tarsus are straw­colored, with remaining areas faint­brownish black. Head ( Fig. 4 ): surface areolate­reticulate, with each cell having one deeper medial puncture bearing single long, stout, off­white, adpressed seta; frontovertex distally arcuate, projecting between eyes; frontovertex black with two pair straw­colored spots; eyes large, inner margins feebly converging dorsally; antennal depressions large, widely separated; frontoclypeal margin, feebly arcuately emarginate medially, margin slightly explanate; antenna ( Fig. 5 ) short, brunneous, serrate antennomeres (4–10) each short, strongly transverse. Pronotum: surface foveolate, each moderately deep puncture with single long, stout, offwhite, adpressed seta; color pattern as in Fig. 1 ; 1.6 x wider than long, widest between lateroposterior angles; anterior margin evenly convex; posterior margin, on either side of midpoint anterior to scutellum, nearly straight, obliquely directed from lateroposterior angles slightly posteriad; lateral margin evenly arcuate, narrowing slightly anteriad, lateral carina extends from posterior margin to before midpoint; scutellum small, nearly round, surface rugose. Elytra: separate, acuminate in posterior 1/3; color mostly straw­colored, infused with brownish markings mostly from sides, few irregular spots on disc; surface punctate, punctures in striae, each with single, short, off­white, recumbant seta; in posterior half, two most lateral stria deeper, most lateral stria separated from lateral margin by single longitudinal carina; sutural stria deepens in posterior 1/3, separated from sutural carina by elevated discal carina; humeral umbones longitudinal, moderately elevated, brownish; disc otherwise even, regular; lateral margins subparallel in anterior 1/2, narrowing gradually in posterior ½ to separately rounded apices; margin serrate posteriad from just beyond midpoint, to dentate apical margin; sutural margin finely serrate in posterior 1/ 3; epipleuron ( Fig. 2 ) broad, not separated from disc by carina, margin extends straight to opposite anterior margin of metacoxa, then narrows to elytral lateral margin opposite lateroposterior angle of metacoxa; pygidium visible beyond elytral apices. Ventral surface ( Fig. 3 ). Prosternum: short; surface foveolate, each puncture with single, off­white semirecumbent seta; anterior margin evenly arcuately concave; process broad, subparallel between procoxae, broadly rounded apically; metacoxal plate without emargination on posterior margin; abdominal ventrites: 1 subequal to 2 + 3, 3 shorter than 2, 4 shorter than 3, 5 shorter than 3 + 4, gradually narrowing to rounded apex. Legs: femora subparallel, flattened, profemur with distal excavation along inner face to receive protibia in repose; tibiae gradually expanded from proximal to distal with two short spines on inner distal apex, an expanded angulate projection on outer face; tarsi short, tarsomere 1 longer than 2, 2 ­ 4 subequal in length, 5 longer than 1 ­ 4; 1 ­ 3 each with very narrow setal pulvillus, 4 with expanded, distally­projecting pulvillus; 5 elongate, narrow proximally, slightly expanding distally, claws strongly appendiculate, outer claws slender, narrow, diverging, inner appendix large, distally angulate. Genitalia ( Fig. 6 ): elongate, slender; parameres expanded preapically before steeply narrowing to separately acuminate apices; medium lobe acuminate apically, mostly hidden from view dorsally.

Etymology. The specific epithet signifies the ‘unexpected’ nature of this new taxon.

Specimens examined. Holotype?: R[epublic of] S[outh] Africa: Northern Cape Prov., Groot Derm 10 (Richtersveld) Yellow Dunes, 12 km SW Brandkaros Camp Site, Succulent­Karoo/ BIOTA 21.025.2001.7.0 5.702, 28 °36'51.4"S, 16°39'4.4"E, 10 pitfall traps, 12­ 13.x.2001, leg. K. Vohland. The holotype will be deposited in the Transvaal Museum, Northern Flagship Institution, Pretoria, South Africa (TMSA) as a gift from ZMHB.

Comments. Having only the single specimen, I dissected the genitalia but decided not to remove a hind wing and thus may be overlooking some informative data from that suite of characters.

Figures

FIGURE 1 – 6, Richtersveldia insperata, gen. & sp. nov., 1, dorsal aspect; 2, lateral aspect; 3, ventral aspect; 4, head, frontal aspect; 5, antennae, dorsal aspect; 6, aedeagus, dorsal aspect; Fig. 7, Nothomorpha verrucosa Gory & Laporte, 1839, dorsal aspect. Scale bars = 1.0 mm, except for Fig. 5 = 0.5 mm.