Anthaxia (Cratomerus) crassa Obenberger, 1922

Svatopluk, 2004, Taxonomic studies on Anthaxiina Gory & Laporte de Castelnau and Curina Ho y ski (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Zootaxa 555, pp. 1-11 : 3-4

Anthaxia (Cratomerus) crassa Obenberger, 1922

Anthaxia crassa Obenberger, 1922: 127 .

Anthaxia (Cratomerus) hunti Théry, 1930: 152 –153, syn. n. Anthaxia (Cratomerus) proserpina Cobos, 1967: 392 –394, syn. n.

Anthxia proserpina was described from one male and two females; the male holotype (deposited in ZSMC) is labeled: ”Okahandja, S. W. Africa, W. Krieg coll., 17.XI.1934 ”, both female paratypes (deposited in MNCN and ZSMC respectively) are labeled: ”Abachaus, Otjiwarongo Distr., S. W. Africa, G. Hobohm coll., 21.VII.1959 ”. Having studied all type specimens of A. proserpina and the female syntype of A. crassa (NMPC) labeled: ” Congo Belge ”, I find no differences and consider A. proserpina to be conspecific with A. crassa and a new junior subjective synonym.

Also, having studied the male holotype of A. hunti (BMNH) labeled: ” Kenya, Machakos, Rev. J. W. Hunt, décembre 1923 ”, I find it to be conspecific with A. crassa and a new junior subjective synonym.

Other material studied: KENYA: Nairobi N.P., xi.1984, Mourglia leg., ex Acacia sp. (2 ex. in NMPC); ZAMBIA: 5 km SE of Livingstone, 15.iii.1993, E. Marais leg. (1 ex. in NMPC); NAMIBIA: Mukwe distr., Popa Camp, 8.iii.1997 (1 ex. in ZSMC); ZIMBA­ BWE: Plum tree (1 ex. in NMPC); Bulawayo (3 ex. in NMPC); Mwengwa, 15.iv.1910, H. C. Dollman leg. (3 ex.in ZMHB); Katona, Shirati, IV.1909 (1 ex. in ZSMC); TANZANIA: Katutu­Budungu, iv.1915, Holtz leg. (4 ex. in ZMHB); NW Usagara (2 ex. in NMPC); Kirumba, 7.iv.1915, Holtz leg. (1 ex. in ZMHB); Zanzibar, Kitui, Hildebrandt leg. (1 ex. in NMPC). SOUTH AFRICA: Blyde River Canyon N.P., 7.iv.1995, M. & O. Niehuis leg. (1 ex. in NMPC).

Distribution: Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Zanzibar; A. crassa seems to be widely distributed across southern Africa and Zanzibar from Kenya to South Africa.

Note. Although some characters of this species can be rather variable (e. g. colouration, male protibiae bearing or lacking large outer tooth with all transitory forms), the main characters like form of aedeagus, armament of male meso­ and metatibiae or pronotal sculpture are rather constant. The outer tooth on male protibiae is a rather common character not only in Afrotropical species of the subgenus Cratomerus Solier, 1833 but also in the Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) congregata Klug, 1829 species­group; in both groups the character is extremely variable, and it is impossible to use it as a reliable diagnostic character.