Agrilus marthae, Hespenheide, Henry A., 2012

Hespenheide, Henry A., 2012, New Mexican and Central American species of Agrilus Curtis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) mimetic of flies, Zootaxa 3181, pp. 1-27 : 3-4

Agrilus marthae , new species

(Figs. 3, 4)

Description. Holotype female: Robust, in cross-section flattened above, convex below, from side elytra weakly convex, 8.40 mm long, 2.50 mm wide; front above epistoma and anterior 4/5 of pronotum dark purplish-red; epistomal area and antennomeres 1–2 greenish-golden; pronotum with basal 1/5 at middle and broadening to basal 1/2 of lateral margins greenish-blue; scutellum light green; anterior 1/2 of elytra, antennomeres 3–11, ventral portion of pronotum, anterior 1/2 of metasternum, and abdominal ventrite 1 black; legs and rest of ventral surface black with more or less strong golden or coppery reflections; spots at basal 1/4 of elytral sutural depressions and posterior 1/2 of elytral sutural depressions golden coppery, setae short, dense, pale, and recumbent in spots at basal 1/4 of elytral sutural depressions and posterior 1/2 of elytra, longer and sparse on prosternum, long, silvery, denser and more conspicuous on upper posterior angles of metasternum, on metepimera and metacoxal plate, on posterolateral angles of abdominal ventrite 1, and on lateral and dorsal portions of abdominal ventrites 2–5.

Head with front somewhat convex, with depression along midline broadening on lower 1/2 and with medial line of setae, surface finely punctate-rugose and shagreened, less densely punctate and somewhat polished on lower 1/2; epistoma 1/3 as wide as distance between inner margins of eyes, rugose, slightly concave and with fine carina between dorsal margins of antennal insertions, ventral margin emarginate; eyes narrowly oval; antennae compact, serrate from antennomere 5, antennomeres 5–11 more or less rounded-triangular.

Pronotum subequal to elytra at posterior margin, with sides slightly emarginate at base, then shallowly expanded outward to basal 1/3, then narrowing; when viewed from side marginal and submarginal carinae slightly undulate, narrowly separated for anterior 2/3; from above anterior margin produced as broadly, weakly rounded lobe; basal margin weakly, angulately emarginate at middle of each elytron, transverse before scutellum; anterior portion of disc convex in cross section, with deep transverse depression at basal 1/3, broadening and deepening at lateral margins; prehumeral carinae absent; disc finely transversely rugose, shagreened on apical 1/4. Scutellum shagreened, pentagonal, acuminate behind, with transverse carina.

Elytra with lateral margins slightly emarginate behind humeri to middle where broadest, then narrowing to apices, apices broad, narrowly emarginate, with short spine on longer exterior side and 3 small teeth on sutural side; disc moderately costate for entire length, each elytron with shallow triangular-oval depression at base; surface imbricate, more strongly so on basal 1/2; dorsal portions of ventrites 1–2 barely visible from above.

Prosternum with sides of prosternal process slightly broadening behind coxae, triangular at apex; prosternal lobe weakly emarginate at middle. Metacoxal plate with posterior margin nearly straight, upper exterior angle quadrate. Abdomen with suture weakly indicated between ventrites 1 and 2 at sides, dorsal portions of ventrites 1– 5 very narrow. Metatarsomere 1 as long as 2–4 combined, tarsal claws similar on all tarsi, cleft with inner tooth slightly shorter than outer tooth and curved inward.

Type material. Holotype: México: Chiapas, 9 mi SE Tapilula, Hwy. 195, 5100’, 14 May 1983, C.&L. O’Brien & G.B. Marshall ( CNIN).

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Martha Logan, graphic designer, who has assisted with illustrations for several of my earlier publications.

Discussion. As with Agrilus updikei , above, the deep transverse depression on the pronotum gives a strong visual impression of a separate red head. Although similar to that species, it differs in being smaller, having a narrow pronotum with a blue rather than black posterior margin and lacking the flared lateral margins, having a different pattern of setae on the elytra and spinose exterior angles to the elytral apices, and possessing dense silvery setae on the metacoxal plate, metepimera, and the sides of abdominal ventrite 1.

PLATE 1. FIGURES 1–9. Fly-mimicking Agrilus : A. updikei , n. sp., figs. 1–2, holotype, dorsal and lateral views; A. marthae , n. sp., figs. 3–4, holotype, dorsal and lateral views; A. dipterioides , n. sp., figs.5–6, holotype male, dorsal and lateral views, figure 7, male genitalia; female allotype, figs. 8–9, dorsal and lateral views. Scale bars = 1 mm.