Toxoscelus griseovariegatus, Ohmomo, Sadahiro, 2011

Ohmomo, Sadahiro, 2011, One new genus and six new species of Coraebini Bedel, 1921 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) from the Philippines, Zootaxa 3058, pp. 22-34 : 28-29

Toxoscelus griseovariegatus , sp. nov.

(Figs. 8, 9)

Description of male holotype. Elongate, transversely flattened dorsally and ventromedially, subconvex laterally; length: 6.1 mm, width 2.2 mm, widest in two places on elytra; integument generally black, feebly shining with faint greenish or bluish reflections on head and pronotum; ventrites also with faint greenish or bluish reflections laterally with faint aeneous reflections medially especially on abdominal ventrites 1 and 2; elytra mostly grey-green with irregular pattern of black fasciae and vittae as in Fig. 8; dorsal surface strongly punctate, head and pronotum with portions strigulate, elytra variously obscurely variolate; ventral surface more finely punctate, abdominal ventrites with faint oblique strigae; dorsal surface without visible vestiture, ventral surface with very short suberect setae on prosternal disc, hypomeron, thoracic and abdominal ventrites and femora. Head: frontovertex moderately projecting between large eyes, moderately longitudinally depressed medially, with two small separate elevations on vertex; eyes slightly diverging dorsally, eyes slightly oblique, oval, circumocular groove not entire, extending around both dorsal and ventral margins before terminating; supra-antennal groove entire, nearly transverse, confluent with very narrow longitudinal, laterally carinate, median clypeal strip terminating with narrow roundly attenuate apex, surface excavate behind; antennal cavities large; gena obliquely transversely depressed for proximal antennomeres in repose; genal margin with very small, very obtuse tooth; antennae serrate from antennomere 5; 1 oblong, somewhat angled; 2 shorter, more globose; 3 subequal in length to 2, much narrower; 4 shorter, subequal to 3; 5–10 each stoutly triangular, width progressively greater than length; 11 oblong, shorter than 10. Pronotum: 1.63 times wide as long, widest at or just anterior to midpoint; anterior margin broadly convex medially, feebly concave laterally to subacute anterolateral angle; posterior margin bisinuate on either side of transverse median section; posterolateral angles rounded, obtuse; lateral margin widely arcuate to beyond midpoint then narrowing; disc with median longitudinal flattened region with two wider areas anterior and posterior to narrow middle; large subround depressions laterally and tapering to explanata margin at lateral 1/3; small oblique, bisinuate, feebly-elevated costa on either side. Scutellum: nearly equilateral triangle, anterior margin straight, lateral margins broadly, shallowly concave; surface with slight, transverse, narrow elevation. Elytra: slightly wider than maximum pronotal width, widest posterior to opposite humeri and slightly anterior to elytral 2/3; moderate-sized depression between humerus and suture near anterior margin; anterior margin more strongly, narrowly bisinuate; lateral margin straight from anterolateral angle to just posterior opposite humerus, then narrowing in very gradual arcuation to narrowest place about opposite midpoint of length, then widening to near posterior 2/ 3 in broad convex arc before narrowing and then tapering gradually to separately angulate, then attenuate serrulate apices; disc flattened medially, with lateral slope slightly steeper between humerus and midpoint; epipleuron broad from anterior margin, extending to just opposite posterior margin of metacoxa; extreme lateral portion of abdominal pleurites 1 and 2 slightly visible from above lateral elytral margin. Prosternum: both longitudinally and transversely feebly convex; anterior margin with short, narrow, feebly bilobed projection medially; process narrowly attenuate. Abdominal ventrites: 1 longer than 2, suture only superficially indicated; 3, 4 subequal in length; 5 subequal in length to 3 + 4, broadly arcuate apically. Legs: femora subparallel, yet narrowly fusiform; pro-, mesotibiae moderately arcuate, in repose only contiguous to femora at either end; metatibae straight, external margin with two small rounded elevations near mid-length, comb of stout setae in three sections, on each rounded elevation and distally; tarsi with tarsomeres 1–4 each slightly shorter than preceding but with progressively wider ventral pulvillus on distal half; 5 subequal in length to 2+3+4, with narrow, wider separated, appendiculate claws. Genitalia: aedeagus as in Fig. 9.

Specimens examined. Holotype ɗ (CSCA): PHILIPPINES, Leyte Is(land), Mt. Balocaue (Balocawe), Mahaplag, 15–27.iv.2009, local collector.

Etymology. The specific epithet is chosen for the faint grey pattern on the dorsal surface.

Remarks. Toxoscelus griseovariegatus is the only one of the four new Toxoscelus species described from a single specimen. Nonetheless it differs convincingly from its Philippine congeners as indicated in the key, by virtue of the distinct and unique dorsal coloration and surface sculpture (Fig. 8). In a sense, the elytral color pattern of this species is similar to a negative image to that of T. actenodes , with the black fasciae and vittae approximately in the same orientation as the dull golden ones for the latter species.