Agrilus barri Hespenheide and Westcott

Hespenheide, Henry A., Westcott, Richard L. & Bellamy, Charles L., 2011, Agrilus Curtis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) of the Baja California peninsula, México, Zootaxa 2805, pp. 36-56 : 37-39

Agrilus barri Hespenheide and Westcott , New Species

(Figs. 1–4)

Description. Holotype male: slender, in cross-section flattened above, convex below, 3.95 mm long, 1.00 mm wide; reddish-coppery throughout except metallic green on anterior femora and tibiae, middle femora, and dorsal 1/2 of front of head; setae pale, recumbent, and relatively inconspicuous throughout, denser and conspicuous on anterior 1/2 of lateral margins of pronotum, on elytra in spots on basal depressions and sutural stripes from basal 1/ 4 to middle, upper 1/2 of posterior coxae, epimeron, upper posterior angles of metasternum and metepimeron, pronotal epipleurae, posterior 2/3 of prosternum, on anterior portions of midline of metasternum and abdominal ventrite 1, dorsal portions of abdominal ventrites, and ventral margins of anterior femora.

Head with front convex, but with faint depression along midline on upper 1/2, surface indistinctly rugose, shagreened, epistoma shallowly concave between antennal insertions, width 1/5 of distance between inner margins of eyes, ventral margin rectangularly emarginate below; eyes oval; antennae serrate from antennomere 5, antennomere 5 triangular, as wide as long, segments 6–11 more elongate.

Pronotum subequal to elytra in width at posterior margin, with sides shallowly expanded outward to beyond middle, then narrowing; marginal and submarginal carinae slightly undulate, narrowly separated for anterior 4/5 when viewed from side; from above anterior margin produced as narrowly rounded-angulate lobe; basal margin shallowly angulately emarginate at middle of each elytron, slightly emarginate before scutellum; disk convex in cross section, with distinct depression along midline and oblique depressions interior to and anterior to prehumeral carinae extending to lateral margins; prehumeral carinae strong, arising from posterior angles then slightly converging toward lateral margins, 2/5 length of pronotum; disc finely transversely rugose. Scutellum pentagonal with strong raised transverse carina.

Elytra subequal in width at humeri and at apical 3/5, lateral margins slightly emarginate between, then narrowing to apices, apices narrowly acute and slightly produced, barely separately rounded, minutely toothed; disk nearly flat, costate for apical 3/4, more strongly so at middle, each elytron with shallow oval depression at base, separated by vague raised area from sutural depressions interior to costae from basal 1/4 to apex; surface imbricate, more strongly so on basal 1/3; dorsal portions of ventrites 1–2 visible from above.

Prosternum with sides of prosternal process slightly narrowing between coxae, truncate and slightly emarginate at apex; prosternal lobe broadly, shallowly rounded. Metacoxae with posterior margins nearly straight, upper exterior angles quadrate. Abdomen with suture weakly indicated between ventrites 1 and 2 by narrow, slightly raised ridge at midline, dorsal portions of ventrites 1–5 narrow, slightly broader at posterior portion of ventrite 1. Metatarsomere 1 equal in length to next two combined, tarsal claws cleft with inner tooth shorter and blunter on meso- and metatarsi, slender and subequal on protarsi. Genitalia as in Figure 3.

Allotype female: as male except pronotum dark blue (Figure 4), 4.10 mm long, 1.05 mm wide; setae on prosternum, metasternum and ventrite 1 sparse and inconspicuous.

Type material. Holotype: México: Baja California Sur, 1 mi N, 8 mi W San Jose del Cabo, 430m, 19/ 20- VII-1977, Dozier & Westcott ( FSCA). Allotype: same data as holotype ( FSCA). Paratypes: México: Baja California Sur, Rcho. San Blas, 23˚42’, 22-VII-77, Dozier & Westcott (M, F, FSCA), 3 mi S San Pedro, 23.VII.1977, B.K. Dozier, collected on Cercidium microphyllum (F, FSCA), 3 mi S San Pedro, 23-VII-1977, R.L. Westcott, Beating mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana (M, F, RLWE), 2 km SW La Burrera, 21-VII-1977, Dozier & Westcott (F, FSCA), 12.4 km SW La Burrera, 21-VII-1977, Dozier & Westcott, collected on Cercidium (M, 2F, RLWE), 2 mi S El Pescadero, 10- 11.7.67, E.M. Fisher (F, CLBC), 6.5 mi S, 1 mi E El Pescadero, 20/ 21-VII-1977, Dozier & Westcott, Beating mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana (5 M, FSCA, RLWE), San Jose del Cabo, 15.7.67, E.M. Fisher (2F, CLBC), 1 mi N, 4 mi NW San Jose del Cabo, 14-VIII-1980, Barr & Bellamy (M, F, CLBC), 1 mi N & 8 mi W San Jose del Cabo, 20.VII.1977, B.K.Dozier (F, FSCA), same data as holotype (10 M, 9 F, FSCA, RLWE), 14 mi NW San Jose del Cabo, 15.8.55, J.P. Figg-Hoblyn (F, CAS), 4 km NE Cabo San Lucas, 14-VIII-80, Westcott & Bellamy, (M, RLWE), 31-32 km W La Paz, 23/ 24-VII-1977, Dozier & Westcott, Beating Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana (2F, RLWE), 25 mi N Todos Santos, 28.VI.1973, W.F. Chamberlain (F, TAMU), Ramal Naranjos Rd., 2.9 mi W Hwy 1, 650', 1-IX-90, F. Andrews, T. Eichlin & A. Gilbert (F, CSCA), Ramal Naranjos Rd., 7.3 mi W Highway 1, 1500’, 1-IX-1990, F. Andrews, T. Eichlin & A. Gilbert (F, CSCA), 2 mi E La Candelaria, 1000', 4-IX-90, F. Andrews, T. Eichlin & A. Gilbert (M, CSCA), 10 km SE Mulegé, 10-VII-88, R. L. Westcott (F, RLWE). Paratypes also to be deposited in BMNH, CHAH, SGWC, USNM, and WFBM.

Other specimens examined. México: Baja California, 35 km S Rosarito, 114˚ W, 25-VII-1977, R.L. Westcott, Beating Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana (19M, 12F, RLWE), 35 km S Rosarito, 25-VII-1977, B.K. Dozier (4 M, 11 F, FSCA), 21.4 mi S Rosarito, 7-VIII-1980, C.L. Bellamy, Beating mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana (2F, CLBC). Baja California Sur, 10 mi SE Mulege, 10-VII-1988, C.L. Bellamy (M, F, CLBC). Sinaloa, 10–12 mi N Los Mochis, 27.7.84, B.K. Dozier (M, F, FSCA), La Cruz, 13.VI.62, D.H. Janzen (M, EMEC), 3 km E Malpicia, 30- 31.7.80, J. Cope (M, F, CLBC), Rio Fuerte & Hwy 15, 20 m, 8/ 9.vii.79, E.L. Sleeper, 252610858 (3M, CLBC), Mazatlan, 14.viii.65, H. Burke & J. Meyer (F, SGWC), 19.vii.59, H.E. Evans (F, CUIC), 5 mi N Mazatlan, 24.vii.64, J.A. Chemsak & J. Powell, Black & White lights (F, EMEC), 26.vii.73, J.A. Chemsak E.G. Linsley & A.E. Michelbacher (F, EMEC), 17 mi SE Walamo, 4.7.87, C.L. Bellamy 52272.4 (F, CLBC), 5.3 mi SW Soquitlan, 30-VI-1982, F.G. Andrews (2F, CSCA). Sonora, 13 km E Navajoa, Microondas Cerro Prieto, Alt. 410 m, 27˚04’98” N 109˚17’32” W, 27-VII-1995, F.A. Noguera (1F, EBCC), A. Rodríguez (1F, EBCC), 10 mi SE Alamos, 29.VI.63, F.D. Parker, L.A. Stange (M, 2F, UCDC), San Carlos Bay, 6.VII.73, D.S. Verity (M, DSVC), km post 56, E of Los Hornos, 27-VIII-1978, B.K. Dozier (M, F, FSCA), 6.5 mi S Benjamin Hill, 6.vii.63, E.L. Sleeper (M, CLBC), 6.5 mi S Santa Ana, 6.VII.73, D.S. Verity (M, DSVC), 20–31 km N Alamos, 380–420m, 8.VIII.82, J. Rifkind (F, CLBC).

Host. One adult female was collected on “ Cercidium microphyllum ” [(Torrey) Rose & I.M. Johnston], now Parkinsonia microphylla Torrey (Fabaceae) ,, and three other specimens “on Cercidium . ” Several paratypes were collected on Prosopis glandulosa Torr. var. torreyana (L.D. Benson) M.C. Johnst. (Fabaceae) , as well as a long series of 32 specimens not included in the type material.

Etymology. Named in honor of William F. Barr, who has done so much to further knowledge of North American Buprestidae , including those of the Baja California peninsula ( Barr 1972a, 1972b), and who has been a longtime friend and mentor to one of us (RLW).

Discussion. There is a moderate amount of variation in color in this species, even from a single locality on the peninsula. Although the front of the holotype is reddish-coppery, in other males in the same series have a bright green front typical of many Agrilus . The specimens from BCN are not included in the type series because females are not dichromatic, but look essentially identical to males. Male genitalia and all other characters are the same as the populations from BCS. Interestingly females from the locality, 10 mi SE Mulege, in BCS are both dichromatic and monochromatic. Specimens from Sonora and Sinaloa also do not differ in any significant way from those of Baja California Sur. Of the specimens in the type series from Baja California Sur, males in measure 3.20–4.45 mm long (mean = 3.84 mm, n = 26 specimens), and females measure 3.55–4.50 mm long (mean = 3.99 mm, n = 32 specimens). Of the other specimens examined, males from Baja California Norte measure 3.60–4.50 mm long (mean = 4.03 mm, n = 24 specimens), and females measure 3.25–4.80 mm long (mean = 4.10 mm, n = 26 specimens); of specimens from mainland Mexico, males measure 3.65–4.40 mm long (mean = 4.09 mm, n = 24 specimens) and females measure 3.40–5.40 mm long (mean = 4.24 mm, n = 29 specimens), with those from Sonora averaging somewhat smaller in size than those from Sinaloa.

This species is related to Agrilus biformis Hespenheide (Hespenheide 1989) and to other undescribed species in what might be termed the “ biformis group.” Agrilus barri differs from A. biformis in that males have shorter, essentially straight genitalia in comparison with the elongate, arcuately curved genitalia of A. biformis and two other undescribed Mexican species in this group. Species in the group tend to be strongly sexually dichromatic with males typically being monochromatic bronzy above and females being conspicuously bicolored, with a bluish-green pronotum and bronzy elytra, although one undescribed species has both males and females bicolored. I have previously speculated ( Hespenheide 1986) that the female color pattern, which also occurs in a number of unrelated species, including A. argythamniae , described below, may be mimetic, as there seems to be no other hypothesis for the convergence, although there is no putative model; however see discussion under A. argythamniae .

PLATE 1. Dorsal and lateral views, and genitalia of males of new species of Agrilus from Baja California; scale bars = 1 mm: Figures 1–3, 4 (female), A. barri n. sp.; 5–7, A. argythamniae n. sp.; 8–10, A. interstitialis n. sp.; 11–13, A. vescivittatus n. sp.