Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) convexiptera, Bílý & Sakalian, 2014

Bílý, Svatopluk & Sakalian, Vladimir P., 2014, A revision of the Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) mashuna species-group (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Buprestinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54 (2), pp. 605-621 : 608-612

Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) convexiptera sp. nov.

( Figs 1 , 11 , 19, 22 )

Type locality. Tanzania, Baobab valley, road Morogora – Iringa, 7°29ƍS 36°33ƍE, 506 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ދ Tanzania, Baobab valley , 4.i.1992, G. Curletti leg.ތ ( NMPC) . ALLOTYPE: ♀, ދ Zimbabwe NW, Chimanimani, 28.xi.[19]92, leg. K. & F.Adlbauer ތ ( NMPC) . PARATYPES: 1J 1♀, ދ Tanzania (Iringa), Mtandika , 1000 m, leg. A. Dutto // ex larva Acacia sp. , xii.1992 ތ ( NMPC) ; 1 J, ދ Tanzania (Mbeya), Ujewa , 10.i.1994, leg. G. Curletti ތ ( DGCI) ; 1 J, ދ Abyss[inia] [= Ethiopia], Raffrayތ ( DGCI) .

Diagnosis. Medium-sized to large (6.8–8.9 mm), wedge-shaped, rather convex ( Fig. 1 ); dorsal surface dark bronze, frontoclypeus dark golden green (male), antennae black; elytra with slight mirror effect along suture; ventral surface and legs black with bronze lustre; dorsal surface asetose, frons with short, white, rather dense semi-erect pubescence; ventral surface with short, sparse, recumbent, white pubescence.

Description. Male (holotype). Head large, slightly wider than anterior pronotal margin; frontoclypeus wide, flat, with widely, shallowly emarginate anterior margin; frons very slightly convex, vertex flat, 0.8 times as wide as width of eye; eyes large, reniform, very slightly projecting beyond outline of head; sculpture of frons consisting of very dense, small, polygonal cells with nearly indistinct central grains; antennae short, reaching anterior third of pronotal length when laid alongside; scape pyriform, slightly curved, 4 times as long as wide, pedicel suboval, 1.3 times as long as wide; third antennomere obtusely triangular, 1.6 times as long as wide, fourth antennomere sharply triangular, slightly wider than long; antennomeres 5–10 trapezoidal, 1.8 times as wide as long; terminal antennomere axe-shaped, 1.5 times as wide as long.

Pronotum flattened in middle, 1.7 times as wide as long; anterior margin slightly biarcuate, posterior margin nearly straight; lateral margins subparallel at midlength, weakly rounded both anteriorly and posteriorly; posterior angles obtuse, lateroposterior depressions shallow but large; pronotal sculpture consisting of regular, long, transverse rugae on disc, and small, dense, polygonal cells with small central grains along lateral margins. Scutellum obtusely pentagonal, slightly wider than long, with small, central, oval depression.

Elytra convex, wedge-shaped, twice as long as wide; lateral margins sharply serrate in posterior third, each elytron narrowly, separately rounded; humeral swellings large but not projecting beyond elytral outline, basal, transverse depressions large, deep, reaching scutellum; elytral epipleura very narrow, parallel-sided, nearly reaching elytral apex; elytral sculpture almost homogeneous, consisting of ¿ne, transversely widened punctures and ¿ne rugae which are sparser along suture and denser along lateral margins and at elytral base.

Ventral surface rather lustrous, sparsely punctate; prosternal process flat; anal ventrite widely truncate apically, preapical part of lateral margins roughly serrate. Legs slender, relatively long; anterior tibiae curved, widened apically; mesotibiae slightly curved with somewhat widened apex; metatibiae ( Fig. 22 ) straight, somewhat flattened, with large, inner spine in posterior third; tarsal claws simply hook-shaped, only weakly enlarged at base.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 11 ) rather long, robust, parameres widened in posterior third, ventral surface with two pairs of blister-like tubercles; median lobe obtusely pointed apically, without lateral serration.

Sexual dimorphism. The female differs from the male in stouter body, completely bronze frons, simple metatibiae and in the deeply, widely notched anal ventrite ( Fig. 19 ); the female also possesses more distinct lateral, elytral depression.

Measurements. Length 6.8–8.9 mm (holotype 7.8 mm); width: 2.3–3.2 mm (holotype 2.7 mm).

Variability. No variability was observed except for the size.

Differential diagnosis. Anthaxia (H.) convexiptera sp. nov. is very similar to A. (H.) ennediana from which it differs, except for the characters given in the key, in the slightly darker colouration, longer elytra (only 1.8 times as long as wide in A. (H.) ennediana ), slightly in the shape of the male metatibiae ( Figs 22 vs. 25) and in the different male genitalia ( Figs 11 vs.14). Etymology. The speci¿c epithet is a Latinized adjective, composed of the Latin adjective ދ convexus ތ (= convex) and the Greek noun ދ ptéron ތ (= wing), to stress the shape of the elytra. Distribution. Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe.

Figures

Figs 1–6. Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) mashuna Obenberger, 1931 species-group, dorsal aspects. 1 – A. (H.) convexiptera sp. nov., holotype, male, 7.8 mm; 2 – A. (H.) ennediana Descarpentries & Mateu, 1965, male (Kenya: Nguni), 8.2 mm; 3 – A. (H.) jendeki sp. nov., holotype, male, 9.2 mm; 4 – A. (H.) mashuna Obenberger, 1931, male (Zambia: Abercorn), 9.4 mm; 5 – A. (H.) nigroaenea sp. nov., holotype, male, 11.2 mm; 6 – A. (H.) puchneri sp. nov., holotype, male, 8.0 mm.

Figs 7–12. 7–8 – Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) mashuna Obenberger, 1931 species-group, dorsal aspects. 7 – A. (H.) patrizii Théry, 1938, male (Egypt: Wadi Jimal), 9.1 mm; 8 – the same, pronotum. 9–12 – male genitalia (a – dorsal, b – lateral). 9 – A. (Haplanthaxia) jendeki sp. nov., holotype; 10 – A. (H.) nigroaenea sp. nov., holotype; 11 – A. (H.) convexiptera sp. nov., holotype; 12 – A. (H.) puchneri sp. nov., holotype. Figs 7–8 – photo by D. Baiocchi.

Figs 13– 26. 13–15 – male genitalia (a – dorsal, b – lateral, c – ventral). 13 – Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) mashuna Obenberger, 1931, lectotype; 14 – A. (H.) ennediana Descarpentries & Mateu, 1965 (Kenya: Nguni); 15 – A. (H.) patrizii Théry, 1938 (Egypt:Wadi Jimal).16–19 – anal ventrites (not to scale). 16 – A. (H.) jendeki sp. nov., holotype, male; 17 – A. (H.) jendeki sp. nov., allotype, female; 18 – A. (H.) nigroaenea sp. nov., allotype, female; 19 – A. (H.) convexiptera sp. nov., allotype, female.20–26 – male metatibiae. 20 – A. (H.) jendeki sp. nov., holotype; 21 – A. (H.) nigroaenea sp. nov., holotype; 22 – A. (H.) convexiptera sp. nov., holotype; 23 – A. (H.) puchneri sp. nov., holotype; 24 – A. (H.) mashuna Obenberger, 1931, lectotype; 25 – A. (H.) ennediana Descarpentries & Mateu, 1965 (Kenya: Nguni); 26 – A. (H.) patrizii Théry, 1938 (Egypt: Wadi Jimal).