Agrilus vandenberghei Westcott and Hespenheide

Westcott, Richard L. & Hespenheide, Henry A., 2006, The description of a new species of Agrilus Curtis, with distributional records, and taxonomic and biological notes for Agrilinae and Trachyinae (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) of Mexico and Central America, Zootaxa 1367, pp. 1-35 : 3-6

Agrilus vandenberghei Westcott and Hespenheide , new species

( Figs. 1–5 )

Holotype male: 6.62 mm long, 1.59 mm wide across elytral humeri, 1.72 mm wide across abdominal sternite 2 as viewed from above, head with front and antennal segments 1–6 light metallic green, black on occiput with narrow coppery margin in front, outer antennal segments mostly black; pronotum with disk dull metallic blue-green, sides black with purplish coppery reflection; elytra brighter metallic blue-green, each with a broad bright metallic red lateral stripe extending 5/8 distance from base, then abruptly narrowing and dulling to near apex; beneath black with golden reflections medially and on legs. Vestiture white.

Head with eyes shallowly, yet notably emarginate internally; frons vase-shaped, more or less flattened, surface finely granulate, vertex finely strigate with a vague fine carina extending onto frons; vestiture moderately dense, short, recumbent; clypeus broadly shallowly emarginate, finely and sharply carinate at juncture with frons. Antennae with 4th segment weakly serrate, strongly serrate from 5th segment. Pronotum finely transversely rugose on disk, punctures fine and more evident basally, becoming confusedly rugosepunctate laterally; vestiture very short, sparse, recumbent; prehumeral carinae bold, strongly arcuate, covering basal 2/5; surface with disk shallowly convex, rather flattened laterally and with a broad oblique depression on either side mesad of prehumeral carina; front margin broadly bisinuate, distinctly lobed at middle; lateral margins gradually divergent to about basal 1/3 then subparallel to near apex where they converge to meet front margin in a narrowly triangular anterior angle; basal margin strongly sinuate on either side of broadly truncate median lobe, hind angles quadrate; submarginal carinae straight, sharp, extending to apical 1/5, converging with lateral margin well short of base. Scutellum microreticulate, finely indistinctly carinate, narrowly and triangularly projecting behind. Elytra coarsely, rather evenly imbricate-punctate, broadly depressed basally on either side, vestiture short, sparse, longer and more dense in depressions, subrecumbent; base strongly sinuately lobed on either side of scutellum; apices separately narrowly rounded, finely densely serrate; hind angles oblique. Pygidium black with strong golden reflection, moderately punctate, with a fine median carina that does not project. Underside: prosternum with mentonniere very shallowly arcuate at middle, widely deflexed; surface finely densely asperate-punctate, densely clothed with long setae; median process slightly expanding beyond coxal cavities, then converging to narrowly rounded apex. Abdomen with surface finely punctate, densely so on sternites 1 and 2, which are flattened but not grooved, more sparsely so on sternites 3–5; setae short, dense, recumbent at sides and on vertical portions, dense long and subrecumbent on middle of sternites 1–2 (especially) and 5, and more sparsely so on hind margins of sternites 3–4, somewhat sparse on middle of sternites 3–4; suture between sternites 1and 2 distinctly indicated throughout, more boldly so at sides; sternite 5 broadly rounded, deeply grooved following behind “double margin”; when viewed from above, sides of sternites 1–2 distinctly visible, that of sternite 3 less so. Hind coxae arcuately expanded internally, subtruncate externally to subquadrate outer margin. Legs with pro- and mesotibiae mucronate, metatibiae about 1.2 X long as metatarsi, the latter with basal tarsomere equal in length to next three combined; femora with dense long white setae along outer margin ventrally; tarsal claws with inner teeth stout, widely separated, those of protarsus longer, almost attaining length of outer claws. Aedeagus as in Figs. 3–4 .

Allotype female: 6.43 mm long, 1.46 mm wide across elytral humeri, 1.72 mm wide across abdominal sternite 2 as viewed from above; differing from male as follows: front of head dark, with vague coppery reflection which is pronounced coppery-red below, more brassy on clypeus; antennae black; prosternum sparsely pubescent; abdominal sternites 1 and 2 with sides slightly more visible from above, more swollen and not flattened on middle, where setae are short and recumbent; legs with lower marginal setae of femora not so pronounced, especially on forefemur, tibiae without mucros, basal tarsomere about equal in length to next two combined.

Material examined: Holotype male ( USNM) labeled “ NICARAGUA, Rivas, vic. Rancho Santana, 6-7-XII-2003, Eric van den Berghe/on freshly fallen niño muerto, CAESALPINIA EXOSTEMMA (= C. conzattii )”; allotype female ( USNM) from NICARAGUA, Granada, Domitila, on wood Caesalpinia conzattii , 14-15-III-2004, E. van den Berghe; 176 male, 116 female, and 8 unsexed paratypes, NICARAGUA, same data as holotype and allotype, plus Granada, Domitila, 26-30-XII-2003, 9 & 20-IV, 7-9 VI-2004; Volcán Mombacho, 18-V-2003; and Rivas, Chacocente-Astillero, 7-10-XII-2002; Playa La Flor, 2-V, 8-XI-97, 1- 8-IV, 1-VIII-2000, 2-II-2004; Playa La Flor, reared ex wood Caesalpinia conzattii , III/ IV-2004; Reserva La Flor, 29-30-XII-98, 16-18-II-2001, 16-18- VIII, 31-XII-2003; San Juan del Sur, 1-II-98; vic. Rancho Santana, 15-I, 6-IV-2004, all collected by E. van den Berghe; COSTA RICA, Guan., 3 km NO Nacaome, P.N. Barro Honda, 100 m, I-93, M. Reyes; GUATEMALA, El Progresso, 3.5 km E El Rancho, 15-16- VIII-79, E. L. Sleeper. Paratypes deposited in collections of P. Brandl, Kolbermoor; S. Gottwald, Berlin; E. Jendek, Bratislava; J. Marek, Prague; H. Mühle, Munich; G. Novak, Vienna; ACLC, BMNH, CASC, CEAM, CHAH, CLBC, CNC, DSVC, FSCA, GCWC, INBC, LACM, NMPC, RLWE, SEAN, SGWC, TCMC, WFBC, WFBM, UCDC, UNAM, USNM. Additionally, the following specimens have been examined but not made paratypes: MEXICO, Yucatán, 16 km N Felipe Carrillo Puerto, 2-VI-92, F. T. Hovore; Xcan, V-67, E. C. Welling, CHAH; 120 km E Merida, nr. Chichen Itza, VI-VIII-68, E. C. Welling, FSCA.

Variation: Males vary in length from 5.09–7.71 mm, females from 5.22–7.71 mm. The green reflection on the pronotal disc varies in extent and distinctiveness; usually it is strongly evident, rarely it is evanescent. The lateral red elytral stripe always is distinct, yet it is variably developed in length. On some specimens there may be no evidence of it on the apical 1/4 to 1/3 of the elytra. In males, the frons sometimes exhibits coppery reflections and may be golden green below, and commonly there is no coppery margin between it and the dark occiput. In females, the middle of the frons often shows green or blue-green reflection, sometimes golden green above, yet is always darker than on males.

Distribution: This species has been collected in Central America from Costa Rica to Guatemala, and on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico.

Biology: According to Eric van den Berghe (in litt.), most specimens he collected in Nicaragua were on the trunk and branches of freshly fallen Caesalpinia exostemma (= C.

conzattii ), down less that a week and with leaves still green and moist. Mating was observed mostly on the trunk. One of us (RLW) has observed a similar habit with Agrilus detractus Waterhouse in Michoacán, Mexico, on downed leguminous trees.

Comparison: Agrilus vandenberghei does not appear close to any described species of the genus known to us. In color pattern it superficially resembles A. duncani Knull because of the participation of both species in the large mimicry complex whose models are clytrine chrysomelids (Hespenheide, 1996). Several other similarly mimetic, undescribed species of Agrilus are known from Mexico, one of which has been collected mostly in the western states and appears closely related to A. vandenberghei .

Etymology: We name this species to honor Eric van den Berghe, who has collected many and varied Buprestidae , notably in Nicaragua, and whose generosity with specimens and biological observations has stimulated us to describe it.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. 1 – 4. aedeagi of Agrilus spp.: 1, A. eyai Westcott and Noguera, dorsal; 2, same, ventral; 3, A. vandenberghei sp. nov., dorsal; 4, same, ventral. 5, dorsal habitus, A. vandenbergehi sp. nov.