Agrilus lacordairei Gory & Laporte

Hespenheide, Henry A., 2012, New Mexican and Central American species of Agrilus Curtis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) mimetic of flies, Zootaxa 3181, pp. 1-27 : 14-15

Agrilus lacordairei Gory & Laporte

(Figs. 32–34)

Agrilus lacordairei Gory & Laporte 1837:63 .

Description. Male: Robust, in cross-section flattened above, convex below, elytra weakly convex from side, 4.90 mm long, 1.35 mm wide; front and epistoma yellowish green, antennomeres with coppery reflections, vertex of head and anterior margin of pronotum red, pronotum greenish-blue, scutellum black; rest of elytra black with more greenish-blue reflections, beneath black with reddish reflections except lateral portions of abdominal ventrites 1–2 with bluish reflections, femora with golden reflections; head glabrous except few setae along midline and above epistoma, disc of pronotum glabrous, lateral margins and basal depression along midline with sparse white setae, elytra uniformly covered with setae, short, tan, recumbent, and inconspicuous, except golden in transverse band for 1/4 length before middle and white in two oblique transverse bands at apical 2/3 and at apex; ventral surfaces more or less uniformly covered with recumbent white setae except along middle of abdominal ventrites and sides of abdominal ventrites 1–2 and dorsal portion of ventrites 2, setae denser at sides and dorsal portions of abdominal ventrites 3–5.

Head with front moderately convex from above, with weak depression along midline, broader and stronger on lower 1/2 of front, surface rugose; epistoma 1/3 as wide as distance between inner margins of eyes, transversely carinate between middle of antennal insertions and above ventral margin, ventral margin weakly emarginate, eyes large, oval; antennae relatively compact, reaching middle of pronotum, serrate from antennomere 4, antennomeres 4–11 triangular, longer than broad.

Pronotum slightly subequal to elytra at posterior margin, with sides broadening slightly then nearly straight and converging slightly; when viewed from side marginal carina and submarginal carina slightly undulate, narrowly separated for anterior 3/4; from above anterior margin weakly produced as narrowly rounded lobe; basal margin nearly transverse, slightly emarginate before middle of each elytron; disc with very weak depression along midline before apex and somewhat stronger depression at basal 1/2 anterior to scutellum, depressed interior to prehumeral carinae to margins at middle; prehumeral carinae strong, arcuate, for 1/2 length of pronotum; disc finely transversely rugose. Scutellum pentagonal, acuminate behind, and with transverse carina.

Elytra broadest at humeri, lateral margins weakly emarginate to middle, then narrowing to apices, apices narrowly, angulately rounded, denticulate with strong middle tooth; each elytron with shallow triangular-oval depression at base and oval raised area along suture posterior to basal depression, disc weakly costate for entire length posterior to humeri; surface finely imbricate throughout.

Prosternum with sides of prosternal process weakly expanding between procoxae to truncate apex with small medial lobe; prosternal lobe broadly rounded. Metacoxal plate with posterior margin nearly straight, upper exterior angle broadly acute. Abdomen with suture between ventrites 1 and 2 obsolete, dorsal portion of ventrites 1–2 visible from above, dorsal portions of ventrites 2–5 relatively broad. Pro- and mesofemora minutely denticulate on ventral margin; metatarsomere 1 longer 2–3 combined, tarsal claws cleft with slightly shorter acute inner tooth on pro- and mesotarsi and short blunt inner tooth on metatarsi. Male genitalia as in Fig. 34.

Female: As male, but more robust, front red, and all tarsal claws with shorter blunt inner tooth.

Specimens examined. Panamá: Frijoles, V–VI.1960, G.B. Vogt (CLBC), Panama Pr., Ft. Kobbe, 22.v.1989, F.T. Hovore (CHAH), Gamboa, 10– 15.05.1995, F. Oedegaard (FOC), Arraijan, Loma del Rio, 15, 26.02.1989, A. Aiello, eating Casearia sylvestris [Sw., Flacourtiaceae ] leaf (STRI). Venezuela: San Esteban, nr Puerto Cabello, 01–20, 12.1939, P.J. Anduzee (FSCA).

Discussion. This robust species was described from French Guiana in South America and these are the first records from Panamá and Venezuela. The variegated elytra and weakly red head almost take it out of the fly mimicry syndrome. Two males each measure 4.80 mm long, females measure 5.00– 5.80 mm long (mean = 5.47 mm, n = 4).

PLATE 4, FIGURES 29–39. Fly-mimicking Agrilus : A. jenningsi Fisher : figs. 29 31 dorsal, lateral, aedeagus; A. lacordairei Gory & Laporte : figs. 32 34, dorsal, lateral, aedeagus; A. basalis Chevrolat : figs. 35 37, dorsal, lateral, aedeagus; A. incredulus Curletti : figs. 38 40 dorsal, lateral, aedeagus. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.