Pseudocastalia socotra ( Zabransky, 2004 ) Volkovitsh, 2012

Volkovitsh, Mark G., 2012, Polycestinae (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) of Socotra Island, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52, pp. 195-208 : 196-198

Pseudocastalia socotra ( Zabransky, 2004) comb. nov.

( Figs. 1–10 , 18, 19 )

Strigoptera (Svatacesta) socotra Zabransky, 2004: 119 (original description). Strigoptera (Svatacesta) socotra: BELLAMY (2008) : 382 (catalogue).

Type material. PARATYPES (2 JJ 2 ♀♀, NMPC, PZCW): Yemen-Socotra Isl., 1993, ex larva, Petr Zabranky leg. // coll. P. Zabransky // Paratypus Strigoptera (Svatacesta subgen. n.) socotra sp. n., det. Petr Zabransky, 2004.

Notes. ZABRANSKY (2004) placed the species from Socotra into the newly described subgenus Svatacesta Zabransky, 2004 within the mainly Oriental genus Strigoptera Dejean, 1833 [nine species in the Oriental region and a single Afrotropical species S. bettoni (Waterhouse, 1904) from coastal East Africa]. P. Zabransky (pers. comm.) based this decision on a “broad” concept of the taxonomic composition of the genus Strigoptera (sensu lato). However, the study of the paratypes of S. (Svatacesta) socotra has shown that this species actually belongs to the Afrotropical genus Pseudocastalia Kraatz, 1896 .

The principal diagnostic character of Pseudocastalia is the laterally deeply emarginated pronotal and elytral bases ( Figs. 1–4, 6 ) and the opening the apical part of the mesepisterna appearing like teeth from above ( COBOS 1980, HOLM 1982); in Strigoptera the pronotal and elytral sides are contiguous or shallowly emarginated. Another important character is the presence of a short rudiment of AA3a’ vein on the wings ( Fig. 12 ) (terminology follows FEDORENKO 2009), while in Strigoptera this rudiment is lacking ( Fig. 13 ). Another reliable character to distinguish these genera is a lateral serration of the penis, well marked in Strigoptera ( Fig. 21 ) and completely lacking in Pseudocastalia ( Fig. 19 ). Finally, the shape of apical abdominal ventrite in males of Pseudocastalia ( Fig. 10 ) differs from that in Strigoptera ( Fig. 11 ). In accordance with this character set, S. socotra is transferred to the genus Pseudocastalia and the genus level name Svatacesta is treated as a junior subjective synonym of Pseudocastalia . The placement of this species into a separate subgenus is unwarranted.

Although all the specimens of P. socotra have been reared from wood, its host plant is still unknown.

Figures

Figs. 1–13. Pseudocastalia and Strigoptera spp. 1–10 – Pseudocastalia socotra (Zabransky, 2004), paratypes: 1 – dorsal view, male (12.2 mm); 2 – dorsal view, female (18.2 mm); 3, 4 – lateral view, male; 5 – frontal view, male; 6 – pronotum, male, dorsal view; 7 – left antenna, male, ventral view; 8 – hind tarsus, male, dorsal view; 9 – hind tarsus, male, ventral view; 10 – apical part of male abdomen. 11 – Strigoptera bimaculata (Linnaeus, 1758), apical part of male abdomen. 12 – Pseudocastalia penrithae Holm, 1982, holotype, wing. 13 – Strigoptera obsoleta Chevrolat, 1841, wing.

Figs. 18–30. Polycestinae, aedeagi and ovipositor, dorsal view. 18, 19 – Pseudocastalia socotra (Zabransky, 2004), paratype (18 – tegmen, 1.8 mm; 19 – penis, 1.4 mm); 20, 21 – Strigoptera bimaculata (Linnaeus, 1758) (20 – tegmen, 3.2 mm; 21 – penis, 2.7 mm); 22, 23 – Acmaeodera (Acmaeotethya) holmi Levey & Volkovitsh, 1996 (microslide # 1731) (22 – tegmen, 2.0 mm; 23 – penis, 1.5 mm); 24, 25 – A.(A.) kabateki sp. nov., paratype (microslide # 1876) (24 – tegmen, 1.45 mm; 25 – penis, 1.2 mm); 26, 27 – A. (A.) hadiboe sp. nov., paratype (microslide # 1879) (26 – tegmen, 1.4 mm; 27 – penis, 0.8 mm); 28, 29 – A. (A.) socotraensis sp. nov., paratype (microslide # 1880) (28 – tegmen, 1.7 mm; 29 – penis, 1.3 mm); 30 – A. (A.) kabateki sp. nov., paratype (microslide # 1877), ovipositor (1.9 mm).