Agrilus (Paralophotus) semerdjievi, Curletti & Sakalian, 2009

Curletti, Gianfranco & Sakalian, Vladimir, 2009, Sixteen new species of Agrilus Curtis, 1825 from East Africa (Coleoptera, Buprestidae), ZooKeys 24 (24), pp. 1-29 : 24-26

Agrilus (Paralophotus) semerdjievi , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:154A9368-FFA8-4795-A947-D98063E400A9

Figs 26 , 27

Type specimens. “ Holotype ♁: Kenya, S Oltepesi (01°39´S – 36°29´E), 954 m, 22.11.2005, G. Curletti & V. Sakalian leg.”. Paratypes 3 exs: 2 ♁ ♁ and 1 ♀, with same locality and date as holotype. Th e holotype is deposited in IZBAS and the paratypes in GCCI and IZBAS.

Description of holotype. Body short, cylindrical, robust, dark copper, elytra with three spots of short white pubescence.

Head with medial depression on vertex and upper part of frons and two carinae bordering the eyes on vertex and upper portion of frons; width of vertex between eyes 0.37 mm; depression of vertex with dense punctation; frons flat in dorsal view; frons, clypeus and genae with dense white pubescence; eyes convex, slightly protruding, small; antennae short, barely reaching upper portion of eyes; antennomeres 4–11 wider than long, triangular.

Pronotum widest at anterior third; anterior margin arcuate medially, bordering with distinct carinae; lateral margins curved in posterior third; latero-posterior angles slightly obtuse; pronotum with two lateral and one anterior-medial weak depressions; prehumeral pronotal carinae rib-formed, extending from posterior margin to before middle of pronotum; marginal and submarginal carinae coalescent at posterior third of pronotum; discal sculpture consisting of transverse striae; pronotal depressions pubescent.

Scutellum large, prominent; anterior margin rounded; transverse carina present; hind projection short and acutely pointed.

Elytra subparallel, widest at posterior third, width across humeri wider than pronotal base; humeral depressions deep and wide, pubescent; apices jointly arcuate, serrulate; elytra with four spots of short, white, arched pubescence (one humeral, two discal and one apical); discal elytral sculpture consisting of polygonal cells.

Underside. Prosternal lobe slightly arcuate. Prosternal process with sides parallel between procoxae, then narrowed apically; prosternum, prosternal process and meso- and metasternum with long, white pubescence. Abdomen with suture between ventrites 1 and 2 not visible; ventrites 3–5 with long, white pubescence, denser in lat-

eral portions; apex of last ventrite truncate, without medial emargination, pubescent. Metatarsus shorter than metatibia; basal metatarsomere shorter than following metatarsomeres together. Aedeagus ( Fig. 27 ).

Description of paratypes. The paratypes differ slightly in size and density of elytral pubescent spots.

Size. Length 4.40–4.80 mm (holotype 4.40 mm); width 1.40–1.55 mm (holotype 1.40 mm).

Differential diagnosis. See Agrilus (Paralophotus) gordoni , sp. n.

Etymology. The name was chosen to honor the very good friend of the second author, Ing. Hristo Semerdjiev, CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Directors of Technecon Group who partly sponsored the expeditions of the authors in Kenya.

Remarks. Collected from yellow sticky traps placed on branches of Acacia sp.

Figures

Figure 26. Agrilus (Paralophotus) semerdjievi, sp. n. (dorsal view).

Figure 27. Aedeagus of Agrilus (Paralophotus) semerdjievi, sp. n. (dorsal view). Scale: 1 mm.