Richtersveldia insperata Bellamy, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Bellamy, C. L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2005
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Buprestidae
Richtersveldia
Richtersveldia insperata

description: Richtersveldia insperata Bellamy, sp. nov.
(Figs.1–6)
Description of holotype (Fig. 1). Navicular, acuminate posteriorly, subcylindrical; length: 4.7 mm (frontovertex to elytral apex), width: 2.8 mm (widest opposite humeri); surface coarsely punctate, with sparse vestiture; dorsal coloration mostly straw­colored, otherwise nearly black in a vague mottled pattern; ventral coloration mostly faint­brownish black with small straw­colored areas on prosternal process, disc of metacoxal plate and perimeter of last visible abdominal ventrite; legs: coxa, trochanter, extreme apex of femur, distal 2/3 of tibia and tarsus are straw­colored, with remaining areas faint­brownish black. Head (Fig. 4): surface areolate­reticulate, with each cell having one deeper medial puncture bearing single long, stout, off­white, adpressed seta; frontovertex distally arcuate, projecting between eyes; frontovertex black with two pair straw­colored spots; eyes large, inner margins feebly converging dorsally; antennal depressions large, widely separated; frontoclypeal margin, feebly arcuately emarginate medially, margin slightly explanate; antenna (Fig. 5) short, brunneous, serrate antennomeres (4–10) each short, strongly transverse. Pronotum: surface foveolate, each moderately deep puncture with single long, stout, offwhite, adpressed seta; color pattern as in Fig. 1; 1.6 x wider than long, widest between lateroposterior angles; anterior margin evenly convex; posterior margin, on either side of midpoint anterior to scutellum, nearly straight, obliquely directed from lateroposterior angles slightly posteriad; lateral margin evenly arcuate, narrowing slightly anteriad, lateral carina extends from posterior margin to before midpoint; scutellum small, nearly round, surface rugose. Elytra: separate, acuminate in posterior 1/3; color mostly straw­colored, infused with brownish markings mostly from sides, few irregular spots on disc; surface punctate, punctures in striae, each with single, short, off­white, recumbant seta; in posterior half, two most lateral stria deeper, most lateral stria separated from lateral margin by single longitudinal carina; sutural stria deepens in posterior 1/3, separated from sutural carina by elevated discal carina; humeral umbones longitudinal, moderately elevated, brownish; disc otherwise even, regular; lateral margins subparallel in anterior 1/2, narrowing gradually in posterior ½ to separately rounded apices; margin serrate posteriad from just beyond midpoint, to dentate apical margin; sutural margin finely serrate in posterior 1/ 3; epipleuron (Fig. 2) broad, not separated from disc by carina, margin extends straight to opposite anterior margin of metacoxa, then narrows to elytral lateral margin opposite lateroposterior angle of metacoxa; pygidium visible beyond elytral apices. Ventral surface (Fig. 3). Prosternum: short; surface foveolate, each puncture with single, off­white semirecumbent seta; anterior margin evenly arcuately concave; process broad, subparallel between procoxae, broadly rounded apically; metacoxal plate without emargination on posterior margin; abdominal ventrites: 1 subequal to 2 + 3, 3 shorter than 2, 4 shorter than 3, 5 shorter than 3 + 4, gradually narrowing to rounded apex. Legs: femora subparallel, flattened, profemur with distal excavation along inner face to receive protibia in repose; tibiae gradually expanded from proximal to distal with two short spines on inner distal apex, an expanded angulate projection on outer face; tarsi short, tarsomere 1 longer than 2, 2 ­ 4 subequal in length, 5 longer than 1 ­ 4; 1 ­ 3 each with very narrow setal pulvillus, 4 with expanded, distally­projecting pulvillus; 5 elongate, narrow proximally, slightly expanding distally, claws strongly appendiculate, outer claws slender, narrow, diverging, inner appendix large, distally angulate. Genitalia (Fig. 6): elongate, slender; parameres expanded preapically before steeply narrowing to separately acuminate apices; medium lobe acuminate apically, mostly hidden from view dorsally.
Etymology. The specific epithet signifies the ‘unexpected’ nature of this new taxon.
Specimens examined. Holotype?: R[epublic of] S[outh] Africa: Northern Cape Prov., Groot Derm 10 (Richtersveld) Yellow Dunes, 12 km SW Brandkaros Camp Site, Succulent­Karoo/ BIOTA 21.025.2001.7.0 5.702, 28 °36'51.4"S, 16°39'4.4"E, 10 pitfall traps, 12­ 13.x.2001, leg. K. Vohland. The holotype will be deposited in the Transvaal Museum, Northern Flagship Institution, Pretoria, South Africa (TMSA) as a gift from ZMHB.
Comments. Having only the single specimen, I dissected the genitalia but decided not to remove a hind wing and thus may be overlooking some informative data from that suite of characters.
description: Published as part of Bellamy, C. L., 2005, A new genus and species of Nothomorphina Cobos, 1955 from northwestern South Africa (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Polycestinae), pp. 1-8 in Zootaxa 900 on pages 5-6, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.170970