Agrilus hectori Curletti

Hespenheide, Henry A., 2012, New Mexican and Central American species of Agrilus Curtis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) mimetic of flies, Zootaxa 3181, pp. 1-27 : 13

Agrilus hectori Curletti

(Figs. 26–28)

Agrilus hectori Curletti, 2005:557

Diagnosis. Male. Slender, 3–4 mm long; front dark bluish green, vertex red, red on pronotum covers less than 1/2 of anterior portion, elytra entirely black with greenish reflections, black beneath, abdominal ventrites with golden reflections. Pattern of silvery setae on elytra interrupted for 1/6 of length slightly behind middle with band of inconspicuous setae; prosternum nearly glabrous, short silvery setae on metasternum, metepisternum and metacoxal plate. Pronotum with prehumeral carinae, no transverse depression; elytral apices with coarse teeth. Femora with small teeth on ventral margin. Male genitalia as in Fig. 28.

Specimens examined. Panamá: Canal Zone [ Panamá Prov.], Barro Colorado Is., 0 9o 10’ N 79o 50’ W, 20.vi, 1.vii.1977, H.A. Hespenheide (CHAH), Barro Colorado Isl., 23-vi, 6-vii-1978 (CHAH), Barro Colorado, 16.VIII.1978, H. Wolda, Lights (USNM), Barro Colorado I., I-28-59, H. Dybas (FMNH), Cerro Galera, 5.01.1985, H.P. Stockwell (STRI), Fort Kobbe, 6.04.1975, H.P. Stockwell (STRI), Summit, VIII.1946, N.L.H. Krauss (USNM), 3.5 km WNW Paraiso, 0 9o 02’ N 79o 40’ W, 1, vii.71, W. Bivin, Heliconia (CHAH); Darien Prov., Santa Fe, IV-V.67, D.M. DeLong & C.A. Triplehorn, Malaise Trap (USNM); Panamá Prov., Fort Kobbe, 3.VI.1993, F. Andrews & A. Gilbert, blacklight (CSCA), Howard AFB, 21.May.1991, R. Turnbow (RLTC), Pr. Nat. Metropolitano, 12 Februar 1995, F. Oedegaard, on Stizophyllum riparium (FOC), 27.11.1995, F. Oedegaard (FOC), Pacora, 5.II.45, H.H. Stage, Area E on sheet 6 hrs after treatment 45-4519 (USNM). Colombia: “Columb” (MHNP).

Discussion. The specimen from Colombia may have been collected in what is now Panamá, as Panamá was a province of Colombia at the time it was collected, and the French were the first to attempt a transoceanic canal there. All other known specimens are from Panamá. This, with Agrilus muscicoloratus Hespenheide , is one of the smallest of the species with fly mimic coloration; males measure 3.50–4.20 mm long (mean = 3.85 mm, n = 11), females measure 3.70–4.40 mm long (mean = 4.11 mm, n = 9).