Acmaeodera (Acmaeotethya) socotraensis, Volkovitsh, 2012

Volkovitsh, Mark G., 2012, Polycestinae (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) of Socotra Island, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52, pp. 195-208 : 204-205

Acmaeodera (Acmaeotethya) socotraensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 17 , 28, 29 )

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island: Kesa env., 12°39′37″N 53°26′42″E, 220– 300 m.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♀ ( NMPC), YEMEN, Socotra island E, Kesa env., 220–300 m, yellow traps, N 12°39′37′′, E 53°26′42′′, 28–29.i.2010, L. Purchart lgt . PARATYPES: (1 J NMPC; 1 J microslide # 1880, ZIN): same data .

Description. Total length 5.6 (4.3–6.4) mm, width 1.8 (1.3–2.1) mm. Body ( Fig. 17 ) small, relatively short, 3.15 (3.05–3.31; n = 3) times as long as pronotum at base, convex, with slight dorsal curvature; black, occasionally with feeble bronzy or bluish sheen; pronotum strongly widened at posterior third, with small sub-basal yellow or orange macula; elytra black or black and brown with yellow ochre or orange markings consisted of irregular isolated and confluent maculae sometimes forming interrupted transverse fascia, occasionally with sub-basal and pre-apical maculae; entire body covered with short, recumbent white and brownish setae.

Head broad, flattened when seen from above; frons flattened, without medial line or depression, with weakly curved, strongly diverging sides. Vertex 1.91 (1.87–1.95) times as wide as transverse diameter of eye and 1.23 (1.19–1.27) times as wide as frons above antennal sockets. Clypeus rather wide, with relatively deep, arcuate medial emargination anteriorly. Frons with coarse, nearly alveolate sculpture of deep, irregular umbilicate alveolae with poorly defined inner granules and micropunctures; intervals less than half of diameter of alveola; covered with short, recumbent white setae. Antennae expanded from antennomere 4 in both sexes; in male long, 1.95 (1.85–2.04) times, in female 1.58 times as long as vertical diameter of eye; antennomere 2 shortly oval, slightly swollen; antennomere 3 elongate, slen- der, feebly expanded toward apex; antennomere 4 triangular, nearly as long as wide; distal antennomeres 5–10 abruptly triangular, slightly wider than long; antennomere 11 irregularly oval, longer than wide, apically truncate or slightly emarginated; antennae of female similar but antennomeres less expanded, antennomere 4 distinctly narrower than antennomere 5, antennomere 11 rhomboidal.

Pronotum ( Fig. 17 ) slightly convex, transverse, 1.42 (1.35–1.46) times as wide at base as long, widest at posterior third, sides distinctly projecting laterally, anterior of widest point margins longer, converging to anterior angles, posterior of widest point margins shorter and almost rectilinearly converging to posterior angles. Аnterior margin feebly bisinuate, slightly produced at middle, basal margin straight. Lateral carina fine, not reaching anterior corners, interrupted or lacking. Pronotal surface convex, occasionally with a shallow medial depression; basal fossae rather deep, depressed. Pronotum laterally with coarse alveolate sculpture of deep alveolae with inconspicuous inner structure, not forming concentric rugosities towards the disc; disc with pseudoalveolate sculpture of large deep simple punctures. Entire pronotum with short, recumbent, white setae; sides with small orange sub-basal maculae. Anterior prosternal margin nearly straight, bordered with a distinct groove; prosternum convex, covered with pseudoalveolate sculpture; meso- and metaventrites with the same sculpture. Pronotal hypomeron bearing reticulate sculpture of large, round, umbilicate punctures, occasionally forming concentric series.

Elytra ( Fig. 17 ) relatively short, 2.22 (2.06–2.32) times as long as wide at base, moderately convex; sides widened at humeri, slightly diverging toward posterior 1/3, then shortly arcuately converging to the narrowly rounded apices. Subhumeral excision shallow but distinct; epipleural serrations well marked at posterior third, apical teeth claw-like, easily seen from above. Strial punctures very large, deep, round, separated; discal striae wider than intervals, not visible at basal fourth becoming coalescent with the very coarse sculpture of the intervals. Intervals very narrow, subequal, except for the wider lateral ones, on the disc about half of diameter of the strial punctures; 9 th interval distinctly swollen at posterior third; covered with fine, uniseriate punctures; with transverse rugose sculpture, much coarser at base. Elytra black or black and brown with yellow ochre or orange markings consisting of irregular isolated and confluent maculae sometimes forming interrupted transverse fascia, occasionally with sub-basal and pre-apical maculae; covered with short, recumbent, uniseriate, white setae.

Legs blackish-brown, unicolourous; metacoxal plates with posterior margin nearly straight or slightly emarginate, without lateral tooth. Tibiae feebly widened toward apices; metatibiae bearing comb of white setae externally. Tarsomeres subequal, short; tarsomere 5 slightly swollen; tarsal pads developed on tarsomeres 1–4, each larger toward apex. Tarsal claws curved, with small internal tooth at midlength in both sexes.

Abdomen black without or with a feeble copper sheen; covered with uniform pseudoalveolate sculpture of large, dense, simple punctures and short, recumbent white setae. Anal ventrite in male short, regularly rounded, bordered with a groove apically; that of female widely rounded and indistinctly bordered with a groove apically.

Male: Aedeagus as in Figs. 28, 29 . Penis elongate, expanded toward apex; lamina short, triangular, expanded toward base; apical apodeme wide.

Female: Ovipositor not examined.

Differential diagnosis. Acmaeodera (Acmaeotethya) socotraensis sp. nov. differs from A. (A.) kabateki sp. nov. and A. (A.) hadiboe sp. nov. by its black body, dorsal curvature, more strongly diverging frontal sides, coarse alveolate sculpture of head and lateral part of pronotum, shorter antennae in male, strongly projecting pronotal margins, elytral striae not reaching the base, entirely recumbent pilosity, distinct elytral serration, and, particularly, male genitalia structure ( Figs. 24–29 ). Additionally, it differs from A. (A.) kabateki sp. nov. by shorter body and reduced pronotal and elytral markings; from A. (A.) hadiboe – by unicoloured tibiae and tarsi and much darker elytra.

Etymology. The specific epithet derives from the name of Socotra Island.

Host plant. Unknown.

Distribution. Yemen: Socotra Island.

Figures

Figs. 14–17. Acmaeodera (Acmaeotethya), dorsal view. 14 – A. holmi Levey & Volkovitsh, 1996 (8.8 mm); 15 – A. kabateki sp. nov., holotype (5.4 mm); 16 – A. hadiboe sp. nov., holotype (3.4 mm); 17 – A. socotraensis sp. nov., paratype (6.2 mm).

Figs. 18–30. Polycestinae, aedeagi and ovipositor, dorsal view. 18, 19 – Pseudocastalia socotra (Zabransky, 2004), paratype (18 – tegmen, 1.8 mm; 19 – penis, 1.4 mm); 20, 21 – Strigoptera bimaculata (Linnaeus, 1758) (20 – tegmen, 3.2 mm; 21 – penis, 2.7 mm); 22, 23 – Acmaeodera (Acmaeotethya) holmi Levey & Volkovitsh, 1996 (microslide # 1731) (22 – tegmen, 2.0 mm; 23 – penis, 1.5 mm); 24, 25 – A.(A.) kabateki sp. nov., paratype (microslide # 1876) (24 – tegmen, 1.45 mm; 25 – penis, 1.2 mm); 26, 27 – A. (A.) hadiboe sp. nov., paratype (microslide # 1879) (26 – tegmen, 1.4 mm; 27 – penis, 0.8 mm); 28, 29 – A. (A.) socotraensis sp. nov., paratype (microslide # 1880) (28 – tegmen, 1.7 mm; 29 – penis, 1.3 mm); 30 – A. (A.) kabateki sp. nov., paratype (microslide # 1877), ovipositor (1.9 mm).