Buprestis (Akiyamaia) intercostata, Huang, Hao & Pan, Zhao-Hui, 2015

Huang, Hao & Pan, Zhao-Hui, 2015, A new species of Buprestis subgenus Akiyamaia from South-Eastern Tibet, China (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Buprestini), Zootaxa 4007 (3), pp. 389-398 : 391-396

Buprestis (Akiyamaia) intercostata sp. n.

( Figs. 1–23)

Type material. Holotype ( Figs. 1–23), ♂, CHINA: SE Tibet, Linzhi Prefecture, Chayu County, on road between Chayu and Lower Chayu, ca 2100 m, 15.VII.2011, Zhao-Hui Pan leg., deposited in the Entomological Laboratory of Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, P.R. China.

Holotype description. Length measured from apex of head to the elytral apex: 20.3 mm.

Dorsal surface of the whole body ( Fig. 1) metallic green, head and pronotum setose, elytra glabrous. Ventral surface of the whole body ( Fig. 2) metallic green laterally and metallic cupreous centrally, covered with long white recumbent hairs everywhere except for the glabrous non-metallic black gula region of head; all femora metallic green with cupreous lustre; all tibiae metallic cupreous with greenish lustre; tarsi metallic cupreous or non-metallic black; all femora, tibiae and tarsi densely covered with white setae.

Head ( Fig. 4 ) transverse, declivous anteriorly, about 0.6 times as wide as pronotum, not wider than anterior pronotal margin; vertex reticulately punctate with a short white seta in each puncture, and with a narrow longitudinal median groove extending frons and vanishing there; frons nearly twice as wide as eye, reticulately punctate with white setae markedly longer than those of vertex; clypeal suture absent; clypeus transverse with an arcuately emarginated anterior margin; antennal cavity surrounded by a flattened triangular rim; anteclypeus exposed and glabrous; labrum sub-rectangular, transverse, and covered with a few pale setae at lateral sides; labium with flat anterior margin; eye nearly 1/4 times as wide as head in dorsal view and nearly 1/8 times as wide as head in ventral view; apical segment of maxillary palpus nearly 3 times as long as wide and longer than the preceding segment. Antenna (Figs. 6–10) nearly as long as the combined head and pronotum; scape somewhat fusiform, 2.5 times as long as wide; pedicel ovoid, 1.5 times as long as wide; third antennomere triangular, bilaterally flattened, acutely protruding at ventral apex and about twice as long as wide; antennomeres 4–10 triangular, bilaterally flattened, similarly shaped and slightly longer than wide; 11th antennomere somewhat sub-oblong and nearly 3 times as long as wide; antennomeres 4–11 with apical organs and lateral organs (terminology follows Volkovitsh 2001) formed by fossae and fields of sensillae; apical organs (Fig. 10) large, restricted to apical portion of outer side of antennomeres 4-10 and visible on both sides of 11th antennomere; lateral organs (Fig. 10) visible on ventral ridge and ventral portion of both sides of antennomeres 4-11, a little larger than in Buprestis samanthae ( Hattori & Tanaka, 2007) comb. nov.

Pronotum ( Figs. 1, 3) somewhat trapezoidal, about 1.75 times as wide as long, widest at base, slightly convex in anterior view, feebly convex in lateral view, carinated along all margins; anterior margin about 2/3 times as wide as posterior margin, bisinuate, and convex at middle; posterior margin bisinuate, each half with inner 2/3 slightly convex and associated with broad unpunctured marginal area, and with outer 1/3 straight and hardly carinated; a pair of short lateral grooves along posterior margin near posterior angles; posterior angles acute; lateral margins straight and convergent from posterior angle to anterior 1/3, stronger arcuately converging at anterior 1/3 and then straightly converging to anterior angles; an irregular longitudinal carina feebly marked along midline; a pair of longitudinal depressions well marked near and along lateral margins at median part, nearly 1/3 as long as lateral margin; punctures on pronotum denser, reticulate, more irregular in shape and bearing longer white setae near anterior and lateral margins, sparser, more regular in shape and poorly covered with setae in median and posterior parts.

Scutellum ( Fig. 1) small, flat, obtusely pentagonal, slightly wider than long.

Elytra ( Figs. 1, 5 ) 5.0 times as long as pronotum, about 2.1 times as long as wide, widest at median part, with lateral margins parallel for more than half the length; humeral angles rounded; each elytron with eight elevated carinae ( Fig. 5 ), including five carinae usually found in the same positions in all other species of the subgenus Akiyamaia, and three additional carinae ( Fig. 5 ) between the first four main carinae (counting from suture); all carinae abruptly elevated and sparsely covered with very fine punctures; all intervals between suture, carinae and lateral rims granulate and glabrous.

Prosternum ( Fig. 2) convex in anterior view, declivous from the midline to lateral margins, coarsely punctate centrally and sparsely punctate laterally; anterior margin slightly emarginate; anterior angles produced; prosternal process vaulted, somewhat parallel-sided at basal part but triangular at apical part; Metasternum with a complete longitudinal groove along midline and with an arcuate transverse groove, without the sulcus found in Buprestis samanthae .

First visible ventrite with rather flat surface between metacoxae; posterior margin of last visible ventrite (Fig. 11) bisinuate and depressed at middle.

Legs ( Figs. 1–3) as in Buprestis samanthae ; protibia abruptly dilated externally near apex and flattened there, with outer apex rectangular and rounded, with two spurs and a setae tuft at apex of internal margin, and with no hook or emargination at internal margin; mesotibia gradually and slightly widened at apex, not flattened, with outer apex rectangular and with two spurs at apex of internal margin; metatibia hardly widened at apex, not flattened, with outer apex rounded and with two spurs at apex of internal margin; all legs with ventral apex of first tarsomere extremely bent downward.

FIGURES 6–13. Buprestis (Akiyamaia) intercostata male holotype. 6—left antenna, outer side; 7—left antenna, inner side; 8—right antenna, outer side; 9—right antenna, inner side (6–9 under same scale); 10—4th antennomere enlarged, outer side; 11—last visible ventrite; 12—left hindwing; 13—right hindwing (12–13 under same scale).

Hindwing (Figs. 12–13) brown at apical half. Terminology of venation follows that of Kukalová-Peck & Lawrence (1993). Venation generally as in Buprestis samanthae except for the following points: vein MP3+4 without a trace of root directed toward base of wing; vein MP3a attached to vein MP3b.

Last abdominal segment ( Figs. 14–16) a little shorter than aedeagus ( Figs. 22 – 23), consisting of a dorsal plate (proctiger), a pair of lateral plates (paraprocts) and a ventral plate (ventrite 9); rectal sclerite ( Fig. 17) nearly as long as last abdominal segment, flattened dorsoventrally and expanded laterally toward basal end. Aedeagus ( Figs. 22 – 23) elongate, subparallel, flattened dorsoventrally, widest at apical 2/5 and narrowed basally; basal piece ( Figs. 18– 19, 22–23) rounded apically in ventral view; basal margin of the fused part of parameres ( Figs. 18, 22) emarginated at middle; free part of parameres ( Figs. 18–19) triangular in dorsal or ventral view, and with a few setae along outer lateral margins of apices; median lobe ( Figs. 20–21) nearly as long as the combined parameres and basal piece, sinuously narrowed to apex.

Diagnosis. This new species is similar to Buprestis (Akiyamaia) samanthae from North Myanmar, but can be easily distinguished from the latter by the following combination of characters: 1) lateral margin of pronotum straight in posterior half, not convex; 2) each elytron with eight carinae besides the elevated suture; 3) carinae on elytra narrower and metallic green, not black; 4) metasternum with a complete narrow groove along midline instead of a short and broad sulcus; 5) head wider, about 0.6 times as wide as pronotum; 6) hindwing with vein MP3a attached to vein MP3b, and with vein MP3+4 not extending a little toward base of wing to form a trace of root; 7) aedeagus stouter, with parameres shorter.

This new species is easily distinguishable from all the other known species of the subgenus Akiyamaia by having three additional longitudinal carinae on each elytron in addition to the five normal carinae found in all species of Akiyamaia.

Discussion. This new species possesses the following diagnostic characters of Buprestis subgenus Akiyamaia, thus can be easily distinguished from the species belonging to other subgenera of Buprestis : 1) male protibia without a hook or an emargination at internal margin; 2) elytra with abruptly elevated carinae on which very fine punctures sparsely distributed; 3) pronotum with obvious longitudinal depressions near and along lateral margins; 4) basal margin of fused part of parameres in male genitalia emarginated.

The closest species to Buprestis (Akiyamaia) intercostata sp. n. seems to be Buprestis (Akiyamaia) samanthae , both species are close in distribution and share the following peculiar characters: 1) pronotum with carina along midline, not with median depression or groove; 2) first abdominal sternite flat between metacoxae, not sulcate; 3) elytra without red markings.

Etymology. The specific name, intercostata expresses the peculiar character that additional costae or carinae are inserted at intervals between the normal costae of elytra characteristic for all species of the subgenus Akiyamaia.

Figures

FIGURES 4 – 5. Buprestis (Akiyamaia) intercostata male holotype. 4 — head in anterodorsal view, enlarged; 5 — part of left elytron, enlarged.