Chrysobothris chuckbellamyi Westcott, 2014

Westcott, Richard L., 2014, Two Striking New Species Of Chrysobothris Eschscholtz (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) From Southern Mexico, With Mexican State And Host Records For Five Other Species In The Genus, The Coleopterists Bulletin 68 (1), pp. 31-36 : 31-33

Chrysobothris chuckbellamyi Westcott , new species ( Figs. 1–3 , 5–7 )

Description. Holotype Male. Length 8.36 mm, width 3.75 mm; head with front bright copper, bronze with copper reflections above, vertex bronze, antennae with strong copper reflections; pronotum bronze; elytra bluish with variably colored patterns as in Fig. 1 ; ventral surface essentially as in Fig. 3 , shining black with light coppery and green reflections on pro- and mesosternum, densely floccose-setose laterally on abdomen; legs black, tarsi with basal tarsomere metallic light green, remaining tarsomeres metallic greenish blue. Head: Front moderately clothed with forward-projecting subrecumbent white setae, coarsely confluently punctured, becoming densely, more finely and reticulately punctured above irregularly callose area; vertex with a boldly impressed median groove, evenly and rather coarsely punctured, asetose; clypeal margin broadly triangularly emarginate at middle, with a tiny median notch, truncate externally; antennomeres 5–10 subquadrate, antennomere 11 subcylindrical. Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ): Surface evidently asetose, lateral margins subtruncate, constricted anteriorly and not quite reaching front margin, slightly sinuate before base, anterior and basal angles subquadrate. Elytra ( Fig. 1 ): Evidently asetose except for a few inconspicuous setae along lateral margins, evenly convex, with deeply depressed basal median foveae and moderately depressed area on each side just before middle within the purplish-coppery, C-shaped markings, the fine punctures becoming coarser and the surface confluently rugose-punctate external to the latter depressed areas. Pygidium: Purplish, blue laterally, densely punctate, apex broadly evenly rounded. Underside ( Fig. 3 ): Prosternal front margin with a distinct median lobe; abdominal ventrite 5 with lateral margins entire, slightly constricted apically, terminating in a short spine, the apical margin truncate and retracted. Legs: Profemur with a very well-developed, broad, bluntly triangular tooth that is denticulate, much more finely so internally; foretibia shallowly yet distinctly arcuate, unmodified apically; meso- and metatibiae straight, mesotibia notched just before apex. Genitalia: As in Figs. 5–7 .

Allotype Female. Length 9.39 mm, width 4.01 mm, dorsal color pattern on elytra as in Fig. 2 , also differing from holotype as follows: head with front gray-green except black above callose area, antennae black with brassy reflections becoming faintly greenish on antennomeres 5–11; ventral surface black without distinct metallic reflections; mesotibia unmodified apically; abdominal ventrite 5 with lateral margins ending in more prominent spines, apical margin with distinct evenly rounded median lobe.

Specimens Examined. Holotype male ( UNAM) labeled “ Mexico, Guerrero, CYN. DEL ZOPILOTE, Sept. 21, 1989, E. Giesbert coll./ HOLOTYPE ♂, Chrysobothris chuckbellamyi R. L. Westcott 2014 ” [red on white card]; allotype ( CSCA) labeled “MEX: Aguacero, Edo. Chiapas, VI-6-1987, W. B. Warner /Ex Coll. CL Bellamy ( CLBC) [ CSCA]/ ALLOTYPE ♀, Chrysobothris chuckbellamyi R. L. Westcott 2014 ”.

Discussion and Comparison. Of all species in the genus known to me, C. chuckbellamyi is clearly most closely related to Chrysobothris fabulosa Nelson , based largely on general structure and elytral color pattern, perhaps most notably the densely floccose-setose ventrolateral portion of the abdomen ( Fig. 3 ). Because of the latter character, Nelson (1988) related C. fabulosa to Chrysobothris astuta Waterhouse and Chrysobothris sallei Waterhouse. However , C. fabulosa is much more akin to C. chuckbellamyi . The beautiful elytral color and pattern of these two species differs in that C. fabulosa is brighter and the purplishcoppery patterns are more extensively developed, particularly apically. Obviously, it is not possible now to determine if the differing elytral color pattern between the male and female C. chuckbellamyi is sexual; however, Nelson (1988) examined 179 specimens of C. fabulosa and found this character to have “remarkable uniformity.” The aedeagus is very different between these two species, it being strongly constricted before the parameres in C. fabulosa . In males, the foretibia of the latter species has a feeble blunt swelling before the apex, and the mesotibia is swollen apically, while in C. chuckbellamyi the foretibia is unmodified, and the mesotibia is notched just before the apex.

Etymology. I take great pleasure in naming this attractive species to honor my recently departed long time good friend, colleague, and collecting companion, Charles (“Chuck”) L. Bellamy, who provided to me for study the only two known specimens of this strikingly beautiful species, and who has done so very much to advance our knowledge of Buprestidae and to help others who will follow.

Figures

Figs. 1–3. Chrysobothris chuckbellamyi. 1) Holotype, male, dorsal habitus; 2) Allotype, dorsal habitus; 3) Allotype, ventral habitus.

Figs. 5–10. Aedeagi of Chrysobothris species. 5–7) C. chuckbellamyi, holotype: 5) Dorsal view; 6) Ventral view; 7) Lateral view; 8–10) C. romeroi, allotype: 8) Dorsal view; 9) Ventral view; 10) Lateral view.