Agrilaxia (Agrilaxia) caudata Bílý & Brûlé 2013, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Bílý, Svatopluk
name: Brûlé, Stéphane
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Buprestidae
Agrilaxia
Agrilaxia caudata

description: Agrilaxia (Agrilaxia) caudata sp. nov.   
(Figs 11, 19, 22, 35)  
 Type locality. French Guiana, Kourou, Montagne des Singes.   
 Type specimens. HOLOTYPE (NMPC, J): “ Guyane Fr., Kourou, Montagne des Singes, ex larva, vi.2009, J. Touroult leg.”. PARATYPES: “ Guyane Fr., Mtgne des Signes // vii.2009, ex larva” (1 J, NMPC); “ Guyane F., Montagne des Singes (Kourou), ex larva, vii.2007, J. Touroult leg.” (1 J, NMPC).   
 Diagnosis. Large (6.1–7.2 mm), slightly prognathous, very slender, elongate, wedge-shaped, lustrous, moderately convex (Fig. 11); dorsal surface black with very strong green lustre, frons and vertex black with brass tinge and with narrow, green stripes along ocular margins, clypeus metallic green, pronotum black-bronze or black-green with two large, black, almost fused spots (narrow space between them at anterior half of pronotum golden green or bronze), elytra with metallic green, narrow sutural stripe and narrow basal, transverse stripe; scutellum red-bronze, antennae and legs black with very strong green-bronze lustre; ventral surface lustrous, dark bronze or green-bronze, prosternum with green lustre; entire body asetose.   
 Description of male holotype (Fig. 11). Head large, somewhat wider than anterior pronotal margin; clypeus trapezoidal with slightly emarginate anterior margin; frons flat to slightly grooved, vertex slightly convex, 1.2 times as wide as width of eye; eyes large, elliptical, slightly projecting beyond outline of head; antennae short, reaching anterior third of lateral pronotal margins when laid alongside; scape claviform, slightly curved, 4 times as long as wide, pedicel ovoid, 1.4 times as long as wide; third antennomere almost cylindrical, 1.5 times as long as wide; antennomeres 4–10 trapezoidal, slightly wider than long, terminal antennomere rhomboid, 1.5 times as long as wide; sculpture of head consisting of simple, rounded cells with large, flat central grains.   
Pronotum strongly convex, 1.2 times as wide as long, with wide, deep lateroposterior depressions and deep prescutellar pit; anterior margin biarcuate with moderately projecting medial lobe, posterior margin almost straight; lateral margins strongly S-shaped, deeply emarginate in front of rectangular posterior angles; maximum pronotal width at anterior third; basal tubercles on both sides of prescutellar pit large, “agriloid” carina very well defined, reaching midlength of lateral margins; pronotal sculpture almost homogeneous, consisting of rather fine, polygonal cells with tiny central grains. Scutellum obtusely pentagonal, twice as wide as long.  
Elytra moderately convex, slightly depressed along suture, distinctly caudiform, with quite indistinct longitudinal carinae, 2.9 times as long as wide; lateral margins widely emarginate at midlength, than arcuately tapering to distinctly caudiform, separately rounded apices; apical serration fine but easily visible; humeral swellings small but rather projecting, basal transverse depression deep, wide, reaching scutellum; subhumeral carina strongly developed, reaching elytral midlength, elytral epipleura very narrow, reaching serrate part of apices; elytral sculpture very fine consisting of basal microsculpture and tiny punctures and lustrous grains fusing into fine, transverse, zig-zag rugae.  
Ventral surface lustrous, pro- and metasternum and hind coxae rather roughly ocellate, abdominal ventrites very finely ocellate; anal ventrite regularly rounded with serrate posterior margin (Fig. 22), anal tergite with 10 needle-shaped, apical spines (Fig. 19); prosternum with wide, transverse depression posterior to anterior margin. Legs relatively long and slender, protibiae slightly curved, with preapical row of pale bristles; meso- and metatibiae straight, flattened, all tarsi shorter than tibiae. Tarsal claws fine, slightly curved, only slightly enlarged at base.  
Aedeagus (Fig. 35) long, slender, parallel-sided, slightly bent dorsoventrally; setiferous parts of parameres slightly enlarged, median lobe obtusely pointed.  
 Sexual dimorphism. Female unknown.   
 Measurements. Length: 6.1–7.2 mm (holotype 6.1 mm); width: 1.4–1.6 mm (holotype 1.4 mm).   
 Variability. Slight variability observed in the colouration of pronotum and ventral surface (see above “Diagnosis.”) and in the elytral shape: elytra 2.9–3.2 times longer than wide (2.9 times in the holotype).   
 Differential diagnosis. Agrilaxia caudata sp. nov. belongs to the A. bivittata species-group. Its resembles longer and darker specimens of A. decipiens (Burmeister, 1872) (Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay) and A. tristis Cobos, 1972 (Brasil: Bahía). From A. tristis (described from single female – see above) it differs by the less distinct pronotal and elytral patterns, somewhat longer and almost glabrous elytra, red-bronze scutellum (black-violet in A. tristis) and by the almost cordiform pronotum (maximum width at midlength in A. tristis). From A. decipiens it differs by the much longer body, dark frons, the colouration of pronotum (golden green with two dark spots in A. tristis) and by the almost glabrous elytra. Aedeagi of both species are rather similar (compare Fig. 35 with Fig. 46 in COBOS (1972)) but parameres of A. tristis are somewhat shorter and less open.   
 Etymology. The specific epithet is an adjective derived from the Latin noun cauda (tail) to stress the caudiform shape of the elytra.   
 Distribution. French Guiana.
description: Published as part of Bílý, Svatopluk & Brûlé, Stéphane, 2013, A study on the genus Agrilaxia of French Guiana (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Anthaxiini), pp. 657-686 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 53 (2) on pages 667-669, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5740762