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

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5354221

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C96F87FF-FFAB-FFB9-9336-01DA76782761

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Pseudocastalia socotra ( Zabransky, 2004 )
status

comb. nov.

Pseudocastalia socotra ( Zabransky, 2004) comb. nov.

( Figs. 1–10 View Figs , 18, 19 View Figs )

Strigoptera (Svatacesta) socotra Zabransky, 2004: 119 View in CoL (original description). Strigoptera (Svatacesta) socotra: BELLAMY (2008) View in CoL : 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 View Figs ) 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 View Figs ) (terminology follows FEDORENKO 2009), while in Strigoptera this rudiment is lacking ( Fig. 13 View Figs ). Another reliable character to distinguish these genera is a lateral serration of the penis, well marked in Strigoptera ( Fig. 21 View Figs ) and completely lacking in Pseudocastalia ( Fig. 19 View Figs ). Finally, the shape of apical abdominal ventrite in males of Pseudocastalia ( Fig. 10 View Figs ) differs from that in Strigoptera ( Fig. 11 View Figs ). 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.

NMPC

National Museum Prague

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Buprestidae

Genus

Pseudocastalia

Loc

Pseudocastalia socotra ( Zabransky, 2004 )

Volkovitsh, Mark G. 2012
2012
Loc

Strigoptera (Svatacesta) socotra

BELLAMY C. L. 2008: 382
ZABRANSKY P. 2004: 119
2004
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