Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) nasheri, Ỹ, Svatopluk Bíl, 2008

Ỹ, Svatopluk Bíl, 2008, A revision of the Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) kheiliana Obenberger, 1931 species-group (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Zootaxa 1816, pp. 44-56 : 50-51

Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) nasheri , sp. nov.

(Figs. 11, 16)

Type specimens. Holotype (ɗ, NMPC): “S Yemen, Wadi Daw´an, NW Al Mukalla, 15°09'N 48°26'E, 946 m, 20.x.2005, M. Rejzek leg.”; allotype (Ψ, NMPC): the same data; paratypes (3 ɗɗ, 6 ΨΨ, NMPC, MNAC): the same data.

Diagnosis. Medium-sized, convex, slightly wedge-shaped, bronze, ventral surface bright bronze (ɗ) or bronze (Ψ), frons and posterior pronotal angles with red tinge; dorsal surface asetose, frons with dense, white pubescence, ventral surface with nearly indistinct, short, white pubescence, metepimers with white tomentum.

Description of the holotype. Head large, as wide as anterior pronotal margin, eyes large, reniform, very slightly projecting beyond outline of head; frontoclypeus feebly emarginate anteriorly, frons convex, vertex 0.8 times as wide as width of eye; antennae short, hardly reaching midlength of lateral pronotal margins, scape claviform, 3 times as long as wide, pedicel suboval, 1.5 times as long as wide; antennomere 3 roundly triangular, 1.5 times as long as wide, antennomeres 4–10 trapezoidal, 1.3–1.5 times as wide as long, terminal antennomere rhomboid; sculpture of head consisting of fine rounded cells with distinct central grains.

Pronotum moderately convex, distinctly wider than elytra, slightly transversely depressed at posterior 1/3, 1.9 times as wide as long with wide, shallow lateroposterior depressions; lateral margins regularly rounded, anterior margin slightly bisinuate, posterior margin nearly straight; pronotal sculpture very fine, consisting of small, polygonal cells with central grains; anterior portion of pronotum without central grains, disc of pronotum with somewhat transversely enlarged cells; scutellum relatively small, subcordiform, slightly wider than long.

Elytra convex, wedge-shaped, slightly uneven, 1.7 times as long as wide; humeral swellings small, transverse, basal depression wide, nearly reaching scutellum, interrupted by small elevation near humeri; each elytron with several very small, irregular depressions, posterior 1/3 of elytral margin finely serrate.

Ventral surface mat, densely punctate, proepisterns finely ocellate; anal ventrite narrowly truncate apically, finely serrate laterally. Legs robust, inner margins of metatibiae slightly emarginate, finely serrate at posterior 1/3 (Fig. 11).

Aedeagus relatively slender, parameres with poorly developed dorsal fields of bristles ( Fig. 16 ).

Sexual dimorphism. The female differs from the male by the darker ventral surface, a somewhat wider pronotum (twice as wide as long), by the unmodified metatibiae and finely emarginate apical margin of the anal abdominal ventrite.

Measurements. Length: 6.9–7.8 mm (holotype 7.0 mm); width: 2.7–3.1 mm (holotype 2.7 mm).

Variability. No variability was observed except for the size.

Bionomy. All type specimens were reared from Acacia sp. ( Mimosaceae ).

Etymology. Anthaxia nasheri is dedicated to Prof. Karim Nasher (University of Saná, Yemen) for his great help during the trips of Czech zoologists to Yemen.

Differential diagnosis. Anthaxia nasheri somewhat resembles smaller specimens of A. kheiliana from which it differs (except for its distribution) by less uneven and wedge-shaped elytra, more bronze colouration, more dense frontal pubescence, form of male metatibiae (Figs. 6 vs. 11) and strongly by male genitalia (Figs. 4 vs. 16).

Distribution: Yemen.

FIGURES 1–12. 1. Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) kheiliana Obenberger, 1931 , syntype, 7.8 mm; 2. the same, anal ventrite of ɗ, syntype; 3. the same, anal ventrite of Ψ ( Ethiopia, Sidano); 4. the same, aedeagus, syntype; 5. A. (H.) bambisina Obenberge, 1928 , outline of head, syntype; 6–12. Male metatibiae. 6. A. (H.) kheiliana , syntype; 7. A. (H.) dauensis Obenberger, 1924 , syntype; 8. A. (H.) occulta sp. nov., holotype; 9. A. (H.) impressipennis sp. nov., holotype; 10. A. (H.) zambiana sp. nov., holotype; 11. A. (H.) nasheri sp. nov., holotype; 12. A. (H.) teloukatiae Descarpentries & Bruneau de Miré, 1963, holotype; a—dorsal view, b— lateral view.

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 18. Male genitalia. 13. Anthaxia (H.) dauensis Obenberger, 1924, syntype; 14. A. (H.) occulta sp. nov., holotype; 15. A. (H.) impressipennis sp. nov., holotype; 16. A. (H.) nasheri sp. nov., holotype; 17. A. (H.) teloukatiae Descarpentries & Bruneau de Miré, 1963, holotype; 18. A. (H.) zambiana sp. nov., holotype; a—dorsal view, b—lateral view.