Toxoscelus circumscriptus, 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 : 27-28

Toxoscelus circumscriptus , sp. nov.

(Figs. 6, 7)

Description of male holotype. Elongate, transversely flattened dorsally and ventromedially, subconvex laterally; length: 6.2 mm, width 2.2 mm, widest in two places on elytra; integument black with dark purpureocupreous reflection on head, pronotum, anterior 4/5 of elytral disc and dorsolaterally on abdominal ventrites; elytral disc also with faint blue-grey reflections around black spots; apical 1/5 of elytra brighter red-cupreous; ventral integument shining black with faint aeneous reflection medially; dorsal surface strongly punctate, head and pronotum with portions strigulate; most of elytral disc asperate, except for a pair of short, small oblique feebly punctate black vittae one on each elytron near midpoint of disc at about anterior 1/4 and the large nearly impunctate medial portion which appears shining black except for narrow purpureocupreous strip along each suture, subtriangular in shape with sides straight and posterior margin strongly convex; ventral surface more finely punctate, abdominal ventrites with faint oblique strigae; dorsal surface without visible vestiture except for very small, adpressed setae in elytral spot, 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 broad convex clypeal apex; 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 triangular, width progressively greater than length; 11 oblong, shorter than 10. Pronotum: 1.76 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; margin denticulate; disc generally transversely subconvex, surface with small depressions on either side of middle; one small oblique, feebly-elevated costa on either side. Scutellum: nearly equilateral triangle, anterior margin convex, lateral margins broadly, shallowly concave; disc even. 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 rounded 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 dorsolateral portion of abdominal pleurites 1 and 2 slightly visible from above lateral elytral margin. Prosternum: both longitudinally and transversely feebly convex, but with slight transverse depression before midpoint; 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, narrowly fusiform; pro-, mesotibiae moderately arcuate, in repose only contiguous to femora at either end; metatibae straight, external margin nearly straigh, sparse comb of stout setae nearly entire although not reaching either proximal or distal apices; 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, subappendiculate claws. Genitalia: aedeagus as in Fig. 7.

Variation. Of the 9 paratypes, there are 5 ɗɗ and 4 ΨΨ which vary in size as follows:

ɗɗ length: 6.0– 6.8 mm; width: 2.0– 2.4 mm; ΨΨ length: 6.2–7.2 mm; width: 2.0– 2.5 mm; there is some variation in the amount and strength of the blue-grey reflection on the elytral disc, the size of the large black spot that straddles the elytra and the extent of the elytral apices with the red-coppery coloration.

Specimens examined. Holotype ɗ (CSCA): PHILIPPINES, Leyte Is(land), Mt. Balocaue, vii.2009, local collector; 9 paratypes: 2 ɗɗ, same data as holotype except, vii.2009; 1 Ψ, same data except vi.2009; 2 ɗɗ, 1 Ψ, June-Aug., 2006. Mt. Balcaue (Balocaue), Leyte, Philippines, D. Mohagan leg.; 1 ɗ, 2 ΨΨ, same data as holotype except 2007. 8. Paratypes deposited in CLBC and COTJ.

Etymology. The specific epithet (L., circum + scribo), meaning limited or confined, refers to the dark smooth spot on the posterior half of the elytra, a feature not previously seen in this genus.

Remarks. This new species does not closely resemble any of its congeners from the Philippines, differing as indicated in the species key above.