Acmaeodera recticollis Fall, 1899

Davidson, J. M., 2003, Mexican Acmaeodera Eschscholtz, 1829: A new species and checklist, with miscellaneous taxonomic and biological notes on other North American Buprestidae (Coleoptera), Zootaxa 201, pp. 1-18 : 13

Acmaeodera recticollis Fall, 1899

Several consecutive seasons of collecting and observations southeast of El Paso, Texas revealed that Acmaeodera recticollis and Acmaeodera quadrivittatoides Nelson and Westcott were attracted to the flowers of Acacia constricta Benth. (Fabaceae) . Acmaeodera recticollis was never observed on any other species of plant. W. F. Barr (in. litt.) said that he found this buprestid on Ephedra sp. ( Ephedraceae ) stems about 20 miles northwest of where I collected them on Acacia . However, at this locality, Westcott & Barr (1998) record this species from flowers of mesquite, Prosopis sp. ( Fabaceae ). A small number of Ephedra plants were interspersed between Acacia constricta , Prosopis juliflora (Swartz) DC., Yucca sp. ( Agavaceae ) and other desert shrubs, but no specimens of A. recticollis were seen on either Ephedra or Prosopis . Most specimens of A. recticollis collected were found on Acala Road, 1 mile NE of Interstate 10, about 50 miles SE of El Paso, Hudspeth County, Texas, V­3 to V­17­2000 ­2002. One specimen was also taken on the flower of A. constricta at 17.4 miles S of Fort Stockton, Pecos County, TX, V­5­02. While this is not a new state record, it does represent the eastern­most locality of this species' distribution.