Acmaeodera (Acmaeotethya) kabateki, Volkovitsh, 2012

Volkovitsh, Mark G., 2012, Polycestinae (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) of Socotra Island, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52, pp. 195-208 : 199-201

Acmaeodera (Acmaeotethya) kabateki sp. nov.

( Figs. 15 , 24, 25, 30 )

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, Wadi Deneghen, 12°36′55″ N, 54°03′49″ E, 85 m.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( NMPC), YEMEN, Soqotra Is., Wadi Deneghen , 27.xi.2003, 12°36′55″ N, 54°03′49″ E, 85 m [GPS], leg. P. Kabátek, ex larve // Croton socotranus // YEMEN, SOQOTRA, 2003, Expedition: Jan Farkač, Petr Kabátek & David Král, 2003 . PARATYPES (6 JJ, 1 ♀): same data (1 J NMPC; 1 J microslide # 1876 ZIN) ; YEMEN, Soqotra Is., Suq, E env. – sand dunes, 22.xi.2003, 12°40′02″ N, 54°03′45″ E, 20–170 m [GPS], leg. P. Kabátek, ex larve // Acacia pennivenia // YEMEN, SOQOTRA, 2003, Expedition: Jan Farkač, Petr Kabátek & David Král, 2003 (1 J NMPC) ; YEMEN, Soqotra Is. , Hadiboh env., 21.xi.–12.xii.2003, N 12°65′02″, E 54°02′04″, 10–100 m ( GPS), leg. P. Kabátek, ex larve // Zizyphus spina-christi // YEMEN, SOQOTRA, 2003, Expedition: Jan Farkač, Petr Kabátek & David Král, 2003 (1 J MGCR; 1 J microslide # 1830 ZIN) ; YEMEN, Socotra island , Firmihin, 400–500 m, N 12°28′27″, E 54°0′54″, 6–7.ii.2010, yellow traps, L. Purchart & J. Vybíral, lgt. (1 J NMPC) ; YEMEN, Socotra island , Firmihin, 400–500 m, N 12°28′46″, E 54°00′89″, 18–19.vi.2010 ” V. Hula & J. Niedobová leg. (1 ♀ microslide # 1877 ZIN) .

Description. Total length 5.6 (5.1–6.2) mm, width 1.6 (1.5–1.8) mm. Body ( Fig. 15 ) small, elongate, 3.43 (3.29–3.60; n = 8) times as long as pronotum at base, slightly convex, without dorsal curvature; blackish-bronze with feeble copper or violet sheen, occasionally pronotal disc with bluish sheen; pronotal sides with large basal and smaller anterior yellow or orange maculae, the latter occasionally prolonged along anterior margin, disc usually with “V”-shaped prescutellar macula frequently broken into three small isolated spots; elytra black and brown with yellow ochre or orange markings, without metallic sheen; elytral markings extremely variable, formed by irregular longitudinal and oblique stripes and confluent maculae; body dorsally covered with short, recumbent and semierect, white and brownish setae, ventrally with longer semierect white setae.

Head broad, flattened, vertex slightly depressed medially when seen from above; frons flattened, without medial line or depression, with weakly curved, markedly diverging sides. Vertex 1.92 (1.82–2.00) times as wide as transverse diameter of eye and 1.13 (1.10–1.17) times as wide as frons above antennal sockets. Clypeus rather narrow, with broad, shallow, arcuate medial emargination anteriorly. Frons with reticulate, occasionally changing to ocellate sculpture of small, round, umbilicate punctures with distinct semilunar inner granules and relatively large eccentric micropunctures; intervals about half the diameter of puncture, smooth; covered with short, semierect and recumbent white and brownish setae. Antennae expanded from antennomere 4 in both sexes; in male very long, 2.37 (1.97–2.69), in female 1.61 times as long as vertical diameter of eye; antennomere 2 elongate-oval, slightly swollen; antennomere 3 elongate, slender, feebly expanded towards apex; antennomere 4 abruptly expanded, triangular, slightly longer than wide; antennomeres 5–10 bluntly triangular, slightly longer than wide; antennomere 11 strongly elongate, oval; antennae of female similar but antennomeres less expanded.

Pronotum moderately convex, relatively long, 1.29 (1.19–1.33) times as wide at base as long, widest at midlength, occasionally just behind midlength or at posterior third; sides regularly arcuate. Аnterior margin feebly bisinuate, slightly produced at centre, basal margin straight. Lateral carina fine, usually not reaching anterior corners, interrupted. Pronotal surface regularly convex, without medial depression or line; prescutellar fossa poorly marked, lateral fossae punctiform, sometimes inconspicuous. Pronotal sides with regular reticulate changing to pseudoalveolate (consisting of large, dense, deep punctures) sculpture of round umbilicate punctures with inconspicuous inner structure (central grains and micropunctures), not forming concentric rugosities toward disc; disc with pseudoalveolate sculpture of large deep simple punctures. Pronotum laterally with short, recumbent, white setae; disc with semierect white and brownish setae; laterally with large basal and smaller anterior yellow to orange maculae, anterior macula occasionally prolonged along anterior margin; disc with “V”-shaped prescutellar macula ( Fig. 15 ) occasionally broken into three small spots or completely reduced. Anterior prosternal margin weakly emarginated, bordered with poorly marked groove; prosternum weakly convex, covered with punctate to pseudoalveolate sculpture of small, deep punctures; meso- and metaventrites with same sculpture. Pronotal hypomeron bearing ocellate sculpture of larger umbilicate punctures with distinct inner structure.

Elytra ( Fig. 15 ) elongate, 2.49 (2.44–2.53) times as long as wide at base, slightly convex; sides weakly expanded at humeri, subparallel toward posterior 1/3, then arcuately converging to narrowly rounded apices. Subhumeral excision shallow but distinct; epipleural serrations poorly marked at posterior fourth, apical teeth saw-like. Strial punctures very big, deep, round, separate; discal striae visible up to base, wider than intervals forming punctate sculpture. Intervals very narrow, subequal except for wider lateral ones, at disc about half the diameter of strial punctures; 9 th interval often elevated; intervals with fine, uniseriate or confused biseriate punctures; background with delicate transverse rugosities. Elytra black and brown with yellow ocher or orange markings of Acmaeodera (Acmaeotethya) cisti Wollaston, 1862 or A. (Palaeotethya) rubromaculata Lucas, 1844 type, extremely variable, formed by irregular longitudinal and oblique stripes and confluent maculae; sometimes light elements dominating; covered with short (less than wide of interval), semierect, uni- and confused biseriate, white, occasionally mixed with brownish setae.

Legs black or blackish brown, occasionally with bronzy sheen; metacoxal plates with posterior margin nearly straight or slightly emarginate, without lateral tooth. Tibiae slender, feebly widened toward apices; metatibiae bearing comb of brownish setae externally. Tarsomeres subequal, short; tarsomere 5 slender; tarsal pads poorly developed on tarsomeres 1–3, each larger toward distal end. Tarsal claws long, curved, with internal tooth reaching apical third in male; in female, shorter, reaching about midlength.

Abdomen blackish-bronze with coppery sheen; covered with uniform pseudoalveolate sculpture of big, dense, simple punctures and semierect white setae. Anal ventrite in male short, regularly rounded apically, that in female longer and bordered with a groove.

Male: Aedeagus as in Figs. 24, 25 . Penis elongate, nearly parallel-sided; lamina (see VOL- KOVITSH 1979, Figs. 33, 48) long, narrow, stripe-like; apical apodeme narrow.

Female: Ovipositor ( Fig. 30 ) of typical tubular type, long, approximately 3.5 times as long as expanded apical part, with emarginated apex.

Differential diagnosis. Acmaeodera (Acmaeotethya) kabateki sp. nov., A. (A.) hadiboe sp. nov. and A. (A.) socotraensis sp. nov. described below belong to the Afrotropical A. (A.) signata species-group ( VOLKOVITSH 1979) and comes close to A. (A.) puberula Solier, 1833 and A. (A.) alcmeone Thomson, 1878 from South Africa and Namibia, particularly in the big strial punctures which are wider than in African species. Based on the elytral markings, some specimens are externally similar to A. (A.) vanharteni Volkovitsh, 2011 (A. (A.) cisti species-group) from the Arabian Peninsula, but can be distinguished easily by the wide striae, extensive pronotal markings and male genitalia structure. A. (A.) kabateki sp. nov. differs from A. (A.) hadiboe sp. nov. and A. (A.) socotraensis sp. nov. by the elongate body (3.43 times as long as pronotum at base), wider striae, pronotal markings, and, particularly, male genitalia structure ( Figs. 24–29 ). Additionally, it differs from A. (A.) hadiboe sp. nov. by darker and more contrasting elytral markings, reticulate sculpture of head, pronotal sides and pronotal hypomeron, composed of umbilicate punctures, unicolorous tibiae and tarsi; from A. (A.) socotraensis sp. nov. – by lighter coloration with metallic sheen, lack of dorsal curvature, frontal sides less strongly diverging to vertex, longer antennae of male, regularly rounded pronotal margins, extensive pronotal markings, indistinct elytral serration, and predominantly semierect pilosity.

Etymology. The species name is dedicated to Petr Kabátek (Praha, Czech Republic), the first collector of this species.

Host plants. All specimens collected by P. Kabátek have been reared from the host plants: Croton socotranus Balf. f. (Euphorbiales: Euphorbiaceae ), Acacia pennivenia Schweinf. ( Fabales : Fabaceae ), Zizyphus spina-christi (L.) Dest. ( Rhamnales : Rhamnaceae ).

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).