Chalcophora hondurasica Casey 1909:79

Westcott, Richard L. & Bellamy, Charles L., 2013, Mexican Buprestidae: two new species of Acmaeodera Eschscholtz and a review of the genus Chalcophora Dejean, Zootaxa 3640 (4), pp. 572-580 : 576-577

Chalcophora hondurasica Casey 1909:79 .

(Figures 9, 10)

This species was described from a single female from Honduras, with no other data. One of us (RLW) studied five specimens of C. hondurasica from Guacamaya, San Geronimo, 1800’, Guatemala; and Bonaca Island, Bay of Honduras, Honduras in the Biologia Centrali-Americana Collection (BMNH) that had been determined by C. O. Waterhouse as C. virginiensis and the data published by him (1882, 1889). A new determination label was placed on each specimen. Waterhouse (1882) also mentioned that there are four specimens from Mexico (no specific locality) in BMNH, but we have not seen them. One could be the specimen of C. mexicana Waterhouse from Juquila (q.v.). Our concept of C. hondurasica is largely based on a female compared with the holotype by G. H. Nelson, labeled from Guatemala, Alta Verapaz, Mpio. San Cristobal Verapaz, Baleu, + 1350 m, 16-VII-66, G. C. Walters (FSCA). Two other Guatemalan specimens are from Baja Verapaz, Los Limas, 1125 m, VII-77 (CLBC). We examined 15 additional specimens from the following localities in Honduras: Siguatepeque & 10 mi N Siguatepeque, 10-20-VIII-78, 17-VIII-79, 4-VI-87 (FSCA, WFBM); Zamorano, F[rancisco] M[orazán], 22-V-76 (FSCA); Siguatepeque, 29-V-75, “under loose bark – dead pine 14 caught together”, and 11-VI-74 (RLWE). This species has heretofore been recorded only from Guatemala and Honduras (see above), Nicaragua (Maes, et al., 1993), and Belize (Westcott, 2008; as C. virginiensis ). We have examined several other specimens of this species from Belize, some of which were labeled as taken on pine or pine slash. The following specimens represent the first authenticated records for MEXICO: Chiapas, [Cerro?] La Sepultura, Arriaga, 850 m, 27-VI-75, “Sierra Madre: Matorral orillas Selva Baja Decidua” (RLWE); San Quintín, 27-VII-77 (UNAM). The only place we could find by the latter name in Chiapas is at 16.406°, -91.347°, 220 m, and it seems an unlikely locality for pines. However, according to the collector, Peter Hubbell (pers. com.), this is the correct locality. One can check a map and see there are nearby areas of significantly higher elevation where pines should occur. A total of about 30 specimens of C. hondurasica were examined, ranging in size from 25–30 mm.

Obviously C. hondurasica very closely resembles C. virginiensis (Fig. 11), as it has been confused with that species. The former differs by having the front of the head more widely, somewhat more deeply depressed and the surface more punctate; the median smooth line of the pronotum is narrower, and the pronotal punctation on either side is less dense. See Fig. 10 for the male genitalia of C. hondurasica ; the male parameres of C. virginiensis differ by being slightly swollen apically (Fig. 12). See discussion of the latter species in the following treatment.

PLATE 3. Live specimens in situ: Figure 13, Acmaeodera inusitata n. sp. on Acacia sp. at type locality, paratype, CLBC. Figure 14, Chalcophora mexicana Waterhouse on trunk of fallen pine, Michoacán, 19°04.401’, -101°46.689’, CLBC.