Anthaxia (Merocratus) lucifera Plachetka, 2019

Bílý, Svatopluk & Plachetka, Mikuláš, 2019, A study on the genus Anthaxia (Merocratus) Bílý 1989 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Anthaxiini), Zootaxa 4701 (1), pp. 82-90 : 82-90

Anthaxia (Merocratus) lucifera Plachetka , sp. nov.

( Figs. 8, 9 , 15 )

Type locality: The Philippines, Eastern Luzon, Quirino, Sierra Madre , Tapsoy , Nagtipunan .

Type specimens. Holotype (male, NMPC): “ PH [The Philippines], Eastern Luzon, Quirino, Sierra Madre , Tapsoy , Nagtipunan , iii.2018, local collector ˮ; allotype (female, MPCP): the same data; paratypes (6 males, 2 females; KACN, MKCN, MOCO, MPCP): the same data but iv.2018 (4 males); “ PH [ The Philippines], Luzon , Sierra Madre , Disimongal , Madela , iii.2016, local collector ˮ (1 male); the same data but iv.2017 (1 female); “ PH [ The Philippines], Luzon , Conner , Apayo , iii.1916, local collector ˮ (1 male, 1 female).

Diagnosis. Large (6.3–7.3 mm), convex, subtriangular, matt ( Figs. 8, 9 ); frons golden green, vertex black, dorsal surface dark violet (male) or black (female), posterior pronotal angles and triangular, scutellar strip orange or green-orange, short, prescutellar line on pronotum green (male) or anterior portion of pronotum with green tinge (female) poorly defined, semicircular line along lateral margin of elytra dark golden green; ventral surface dark golden green, abdominal ventrites red-violet, meso- and metepimera and lateral portions of abdominal ventrites purple; entire body asetose only frontoclypeus and ventral surface with extremely fine, sparse, white setae.

Description of the male holotype. Head relatively large, partly retracted into prothorax, narrower than anterior pronotal margin; frons deeply, strongly depressed, vertex flat, 0.3 times as wide as width of eye; eyes large, reniform, weakly projecting beyond outline of head, inner margins strongly converging towards vertex; sculpture of frons consisting of large, polygonal cells with central grains, vertex with small, dense, simple ocellation; antennae long, almost reaching posterior pronotal angles when laid alongside; scape long, claviform, 5 times as long as wide, pedicel suboval almost twice as long as wide; third antennomere triangular, slightly longer than wide, antennomeres 4–10 trapezoidal, about as wide as long, terminal antennomere rhomboid, about twice as long as wide.

Pronotum rather strongly convex, 1.7 times as wide as long, with wide and rather deep lateroposterior depressions; anterior margin shallowly bisinuose, posterior margin rather deeply bisinuose, posterior corners obtuse-angled; lateral margins angulately rounded, maximum width at midlength; sculpture rather complex: anterior portion of pronotum with simple, very fine ocellate sculpture, prescutellar portion with fine, semicircular rugae, lateral portion and lateroposterior depressions with coarse punctures without central grains. Scutellum large, flat, pentagonal, microsculptured, about as wide as long with sharply pointed posterior angle.

Elytra regularly convex, tapering regularly from humeri to apex, 1.9 times as long as wide; humeral callosities small, not projecting beyond elytral outline, transverse, basal depressions very shallow and wide, almost invisible; elytral epipleura wide, parallel-sided, not reaching elytral apex; subhumeral lobe large, widely rounded, lateral elytral emargination deep; elytral apices narrowly rounded, with very fine lateral serrations; sculpture almost homogeneous consisting of dense, very fine punctures or fine, short, transverse rugae at basal third.

Ventral surface lustrous with fine ocellation (coarser on prosternum than on ventrites); anal ventrite with truncate posterior margin and with very fine lateral serrations. Legs relatively long and slender, protibiae weakly bent inwards, meso- and metatibiae straight, their inner margins with fine, shallow, preapical emarginations and very fine serrations; tarsomeres 2–4 with well-developed adhesive pads; tarsal claws thin, hook-shaped, not enlarged at base.

Sexual dimorphism ( Figs. 8, 9 ). The female differs from the male (except for the weakly different coloura-tion—see above) by the somewhat stouter body, less depressed frons, shorter antennae, wider pronotum (1.8 times as wide as long), shorter elytra (1.8 times as long as wide), simple meso- and metatibiae and by the finely notched posterior margin of the anal ventrite.

Measurements. Length: 6.3–7.3 mm (holotype 7.0 mm); width: 2.4–2.6 mm (holotype 2.5 mm).

Variability. Except for the sexual dimorphism no substantial variability was found.

Etymology. The specific epithet “ lucifera ˮ refers to the bright and contrasting colouration and it is derived from the Latin substantive “ lux ˮ (light) and verb “ ferere ˮ (to carry).

Diferential diagnosis. Anthaxia (Merocratus) lucifera Plachetka , sp. nov. belongs to the A. (M.) insulaecola species-group being most similar (and probably related) to A. (M.) jakli ( Fig. 1 ) from which it differs (except for the distribution) slightly by the colouration (pronotum in A. (M.) jakli is bright blue-green with two large, black spots and underside bright blue-green with violet abdominal ventrites in male), by the different pronotal sculpture (almost entire surface with transverse rugae in A. (M.) jakli and slightly by the form of aedeagus ( Figs. 15 vs. 10).

Distribution. The Philippines (Luzon).

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Subgen. Merocratus (dorsal view). 1—Anthaxia (M.) jakli Bílý, 1996, holotype, 6.2 mm; 2—A. (M.) miranda Deyrolle, 1864, male (Kalimantan), 5.1 mm; 3—A. (M.) miranda, female (Johor), 7.0 mm; 4—A. (M.) angustata Bílý, sp. nov., holotype, 5.4 mm; 5—A. (M.) priska Bílý, sp. nov., holotype, 4.0 mm; 6—A. (M.) priska Bílý, sp. nov., allotype, 4.6 mm; 7—A. (M.) violaceidorsis Bílý, sp. nov., holotype, 5.0 mm; 8—A. (M.) lucifera Plachetka, sp. nov., holotype, 7.0 mm; 9—A. (M.) lucifera Plachetka, sp. nov., allotype, 7.3 mm.

FIGURES 10–15. Subgen. Merocratus (aedeagi, schematically, not in scale). 10—Anthaxia (M.) jakli Bílý, 1996, holotype; 11—A. (M.) miranda Deyrolle, 1864 (Kalimantan); 12—A. (M.) angustata sp. nov., Bílý, holotype; 13—A. (M.) priska Bílý, sp. nov., holotype; 14—A. (M.) violaceidorsis Bílý, sp. nov., holotype; 15—A. (M.) lucifera Plachetka, sp. nov., holotype.