Philanthaxia pseudoaenea, Bily, Svatopluk & Nakladal, Oto, 2011

Bily, Svatopluk & Nakladal, Oto, 2011, Four new species of the genus Philanthaxia Deyrolle, 1864 from Southeast Asia and comments on P. iris Obenberger, 1938 (Coleoptera, Buprestidae, Thomassetiini), ZooKeys 116, pp. 25-36 : 26-28

Philanthaxia pseudoaenea sp. n. Figs 16

Diagnosis.

Medium-sized (6.2-9.8 mm), subelliptical, moderately convex; dorsal surface black-bronze (male Fig. 1) or black-bronze with violet tinge more distinct along lateral margins, at basal portion of elytra and along anterior half of elytral suture (female); frons, antennae and legs black-violet; ventral surface black-violet, abdominal ventrites bronze; dorsal surface entirely asetose, ventral surface with very fine, sparse, recumbent, white pubescence which is somewhat denser at posterior angles of abdominal ventrites; lateral margin of metacoxae with small patch of white tomentum.

Description of the holotype.

Head large, distinctly wider than anterior pronotal margin; frontoclypeus widely, shallowly emarginate separated from frons by rather deep, transverse impression; frons flat with shallow, triangular depression and wide, rounded tubercle above frontoclypeal line; vertex very slightly convex, 3.5 times as wide as width of eye; eyes relatively small, nearly elliptical, slightly projecting beyond outline of head; antennae long, slender, reaching posterior third of lateral pronotal margins when laid alongside; scape 4.5 times as long as wide, slightly claviform, nearly straight; pedicel ovoid, 1.5 times as long as wide; third antennomere very small, nearly cylindrical, 1.5 times as long as wide; antennomeres 4-10 obtusely triangular, 1.2-1.5 times as long as wide; terminal antennomere rhomboid, slightly longer than wide; sculpture of frons consisting of small, very dense oval cells without central grains, that of vertex much finer.

Pronotum distinctly bell-shaped, 1.7 times as wide as long, regularly convex; lateroposterior depressions indistinct; anterior margin shallowly biarcuate, posterior margin nearly straight; lateral margins S-shaped, posterior angles sharp; maximum pro notal width at base; lateral pronotal keel S-shaped, not visible from above, its middle portion straight; sculpture consisting of small, very dense, polygonal cells which are transversely widened at prescutellar portion and fused in lateroposterior depressions. Scutellum small, flat, obtusely pentagonal, twice as wide as long.

Elytra regularly convex, subparallel at anterior three fourths, 1.9 times as long as wide; apical fourth sinuously tapering posteriorly, slightly caudiform, very finely serrate; humeral swellings small; basal, transverse depression deep at humeral swellings, shallow towards scutellum; elytral epipleura well-developed, tapering posteriorly, reaching posterior fifth of elytra; each elytron with eight fine striae; interstices with fine, dense, transverse rugae.

Ventral surface finely, densely punctato-ocellate, abdominal ventrites rather lustrous, very finely ocellate; prosternal process weakly convex, subparallel, obtusely pointed apically; anal ventrite narrowly rounded apically, very finely serrate laterally with weak medial, longitudinal elevation at apical half. Legs long, slender, meso- and metatibiae not modified. Tarsal claws robust, strongly hook-shaped with large, basal tooth.

Aedeagus (Fig. 6) flat, subparallel, parameres somewhat enlarged and swollen on apical fourth, strongly narrowed apically.

Sexual dimorphism. Female differs from male only by the somewhat more robust body and more distinct violet tinge along the anterior and lateral margins of elytra.

Variability. Except for the size and sexual dimorphism only a slight variability was observed in colouration: some specimens are nearly black only with very weak bronze tinge.

Measurements. Length: 6.2-9.8 mm (holotype 8.1 mm); width: 2.3-3.4 mm (holotype 2.8 mm).

Type specimens.

Holotype (male, NSMT): "NE Thailand, Pak Chong, Korate, Kasetsart Farm, 13.v.2008, S. Ohmomo leg."; paratypes (30 males, 17 females, NMPC, NSMT, SOCT): the same data (24 males, 12 females); "NE Thailand, Saraburi, Phra Buddaha Chai, 14.v.2008, S. Ohmomo leg." (6 males, 4 females).

Type locality.

Northeastern Thailand, Pak Chong, Korate, Kasetsart Farm.

Etymology.

The specific epithet “pseudoaenea” expresses the similarity with the sympatric species, Philanthaxia aenea (Saunders, 1867).

Distribution.

Central and northeastern Thailand, Pak Chong province.

Differential diagnosis.

Philanthaxia pseudoaenea sp. n. belongs to the group of species with flat or impressed frons; wide scutellum and strongly toothed tarsal claws. From the very similar Philanthaxia aenea it differs by the characters given in Table 1.