Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) zambiana, 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 : 55

Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) zambiana , sp. nov.

(Figs. 10, 18)

Type specimens. Holotype (ɗ, NMPC): “ Zambia, Kafue, 1.vii.1990, leg. F. Ferrero”; allotype (Ψ, DGCI): same data as holotype.

Diagnosis. Medium-sized to large, subparallel, robust, bronze, basal portion of pronotum with red lustre, ventral surface red-bronze; dorsal surface asetose, frons with long, dense, white pubescence, ventral surface with short, sparse, white pubecsence, metepimers with traces of white tomentum.

Description of the holotype. Head large, slightly wider than anterior pronotal margin, eyes large, reniform, slightly projecting beyond outline of head; frontoclypeus finely emarginate anteriorly, frons rather strongly convex, vertex 0.8 times as wide as width of eye; antennae short, reaching anterior 1/3 of lateral pronotal margins, scape slightly claviform, 4 times as long as wide, pedicel obconical, 1.3 times as long as wide; antennomere 3 subtriangular, 1.5 times as long as wide, antennomeres 4–5 triangular, as wide as long, antennomeres 6–10 trapezoidal, 1.2–1.6 times as wide as long, terminal antennomere rhomboid; sculpture of head consisting of small, polygonal cells with flat central grains.

Pronotum slightly convex, distinctly wider than elytra, twice as wide as long with small, shallow lateroposterior depressions, indistinctly, transversely depressed at posterior 1/3; lateral margins widely, regularly rounded, anterior margin bisinuate, posterior margin almost straight with small, prescutellar emargination; sculpture very fine, consisting of small, polygonal cells with tiny central grains, medial portion with somewhat transversely enlarged cells; scutellum large, nearly pentagonal, slightly wider than long.

Elytra lustrous, 1.7 times as long as wide, slightly uneven, subparallel at anterior 3/4 with somewhat caudiform apex; humeral swellings small, basal, transverse depression shallow, not reaching scutellum, interrupted by small elevation near humeri; each elytron with 2–3 shallow, nearly transverse depressions, posterior 1/4 of lateral margins finely, sharply serrate; sculpture very fine, consisting of small, simple punctures, postscutellar portion with somewhat denser punctation.

Ventral surface mat, finely, densely punctured, proepisterns finely ocellate; anal ventrite narrowly truncate apically, finely serrate laterally. Legs slender, inner margin of metatibiae only feebly emarginate at posterior 1/ 3, without inner serration (Fig. 10).

Aedeagus short, spindle-shaped, parameres with well-developed dorsal fields of bristles ( Fig. 18 ).

Sexual dimorphism. Female differs from male by somewhat wider pronotum (2.1 times as wide as long), simple metatibiae and apically finely emarginate anal ventrite.

Measurements. Length: 6.8 mm (holotype) and 7.1 mm (allotype); width: 2.7 mm (holotype) and 3.0 mm (allotype).

Variability. No variability between the holotype and allotype was observed except for sexual dimorphism.

Bionomy. Unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the country of the origin ( Zambia).

Differential diagnosis. Anthaxia zambiana resembles dark and stout specimens of A. occulta from which it differs by parallel, slightly caudiform elytra, the wider pronotum, the form of the male metatibiae (Figs. 8 vs. 10) and genitalia which are simply spindle-shaped ( Figs. 14 vs. 18).

Distribution: Zambia.

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.