Agrilaxia (Agrilaxia) convexifrons, Bílý & Brûlé, 2013

Bílý, Svatopluk & Brûlé, Stéphane, 2013, A study on the genus Agrilaxia of French Guiana (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Anthaxiini), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 53 (2), pp. 657-686 : 670-672

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5740762
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9F7EF462-1756-4F5D-A7C2-9C6A8FCD81B1C
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/804287ED-1268-FFDF-FE98-FD56FE02686C
treatment provided by	Marcus
scientific name	Agrilaxia (Agrilaxia) convexifrons
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Agrilaxia (Agrilaxia) convexifrons sp. nov.

( Figs 10 View Figs 9–16 , 26 View Figs 17–29. 17–19 , 34 View Figs 30–39 )

Type locality. French Guiana, Saül.

Type specimens. HOLOTYPE ( NMPC, ♀): “ Guyane Fr., Saül (environs), 26.viii.2006, Eclos // Ex Coll. P.-H. Dalens, Coll. S. Brûlé, No GF 0230.” PARATYPES: “ Guyane Fr., Mtgne des Chevaux , 4.viii.2006, Eclos // Ex Coll. P.-H. Dalens, Coll. S. Brûlé, No GF 0142” (1 ♀, NMPC) ; “ Guyane Fr., 10.ix.2006, Saül, 3°37′N 53°12′W, ex larva, P.-H. Dalens leg.” (2 ♀♀, NMPC) GoogleMaps .

Specimens not included in type series. “Guayane Fr., 13.vii.2012, Res. Nat. Trinité, zone Aya 4, 4°36′2.8′′N 53°24′42.9′′W, Comm. de Mana, ex larva, Braet, Dalens & Fernandez” (1 J 1 ♀, NMPC). These specimens were so damaged that they were unfitting for including among the paratypes.

Diagnosis. Medium-sized (4.9–5.5 mm), slightly prognathous, elongate, subcylindrical, dorsally flattened, matt with silky lustre ( Fig. 10 View Figs 9–16 ); dorsal surface rather dark, elytra bronze-violet with poorly defined, golden green postscutellar triangle; pronotum black, with blue-green lateral margins; frons blue or blue-green with darkened medial part, scutellum blue-green; clypeus and antennae green-bronze, legs bronze, profemora and protibiae with strong green tinge; ventral surface lustrous, bronze; entire body asetose.

Description of female holotype ( Fig. 10 View Figs 9–16 ). Head relatively small, as wide as anterior pronotal margin, frons rather strongly convex, clypeus trapezoidal, finely emarginate anteriorly; vertex flat to finely grooved, 1.3 times as wide as width of eye; eyes large, reniform, not projecting beyond outline of head, inner margins slightly S-shaped; maximum width of frons at posterior third; antennae rather short, scarcely reaching midlength of lateral pronotal margins when laid alongside; scape 3 times as long as wide, slightly pyriform, pedicel ovoid, twice as long as wide; third antennomere small, subcylindrical, 1.5 times as long as wide; antennomeres 4–10 triangular to trapezoidal, distinctly wider than long, terminal antennomere axe-shaped, twice as wide as long; sculpture of head consisting of simple, rounded or oval punctures (more dense on vertex), clypeus with very fine, transverse rugae.

Pronotum slightly bell-shaped, convex, 1.2 times as wide as long, with wide, deep lateroposterior depressions and deep prescutellar pit; anterior margin strongly biarcuate with wide, projecting medial lobe, posterior margin rather deeply biarcuate; lateral margins moderately rounded at anterior half, rather deeply emarginate in front of sharp posterior angles; “agriloid” carina short but well defined, basal, tubercles on both sides of prescutellar pit small; sculpture consisting of fine, polygonal cells without central grains, medial, anterior part of pronotum almost rugose. Scutellum small, subcordiform to pentagonal, slightly longer than wide.

Elytra 3.4 times as long as wide, flattened, only indistinctly caudiform; lateral margins widely emarginate at midlength, than regularly tapering to separately rounded, very finely serrate apices; humeral swellings small, transverse, basal depression deep, wide, reaching scutellum; posthumeral carina well-developed, reaching elytral midlength; elytral epipleura very narrow, parallel-sided, almost reaching elytral apex; sculpture of elytra homogeneous, very fine, consisting of fine basal microsculpture and sparse, fine punctures and transverse rugae.

Ventral side lustrous, pro- and metasternum and first abdominal ventrite with fine, rather indistinct ocellation, distal ventrites glabrous; prosternum with deep, transverse groove posterior to anterior margin ( Fig. 26 View Figs 17–29. 17–19 ) so that anterior margin forms high, transverse lamina almost perpendicular to prosternal plate; anal ventrite narrowly rounded, finely granulate, with very fine lateral serrations; anal tergite obtusely truncate, with fine apical serrations. Legs relatively short, protibiae slightly bent with inner, preapical row of pale, dense, stiff bristles; meso- and metatibiae straight, flattened with a few short bristles on inner margin, metatibiae also with row of short, dark bristles at distal half of outer margin. All tarsi shorter than tibiae, tarsomeres 2–5 with adhesive pads. Tarsal claws relatively long, moderately bent, enlarged at base.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 34 View Figs 30–39 ) short, wide, both parameres and median lobe sharply pointed apically.

Sexual dimorphism. The male differs from the female only by the brighter frontal, green colouration.

Measurements. Length: 4.9–5.5 mm (holotype 5.5 mm); width: 1.1–1.2 mm (holotype 1.2 mm).

Variability. Postscutellar golden green triangle widened in one paratype (Mtgne des Chevaux) as far as the humeri; the same paratype possesses deeply emarginate lateral, pronotal margins. Differential diagnosis. Agrilaxia convexifrons sp. nov. belongs to the Agrilaxia opima species-group. It can be separated from the other two species of the group by characters given in Table 2.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin adjective convexus (convex) and the noun frons to describe the unusually convex frons of the species; noun in apposition.

Distribution. French Guiana.