Chrysodema (Chrysodema) variipennis Saunders 1874
Creators: name: Frank, David
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Buprestidae
Chrysodema
Chrysodema variipennis

description: Chrysodema (Chrysodema) variipennis Saunders, 1874
(Figs 54–60, 62, 69, 76, 77)
Chrysodema variipennis Saunders (1874): 310 (original description); Kerremans (1888 a): lxv (catalogue [sic!, locality ‘Iles Nicobar’]); Kerremans (1892a): 40 (catalogue); Kerremans (1903): 74 (catalogue [locality ‘Manille’]); Akiyama & Ohmomo (2000): Pl. 45, Figs 479-1, 479-2 (iconography, misidentification).
Chalcophora variipennis: Kerremans (1885): 128 (catalogue).
Chrysodema (Chrysodema) variipennis: Kerremans (1909): 516 (key), 539 (redescription); Obenberger (1926): 135 (catalogue); Lander (2003): 14 (key), 50 (redescription), 81 (colour Fig. 97); Bellamy (2008): 542 (catalogue).
Chrysodema leopoldiana Théry (1933): 2 (original description).
Chrysodema (Chrysodema) leopoldiana: Lander (2003): 50 (as synonym of C. (C.) variipennis); Bellamy (2008): 533 (listed as synonym of C. (C.) variipennis), 542 (catalogue, in synonymy of C. (C.) variipennis).
Type localities. Chrysodema variipennis: ‘ Type from Mindanao’ [Philippines, Mindanao Island]; C. leopoldiana: ‘ Philippines, Mauo Samar’ [Philippines, Samar Island, Mauo].
Type material examined. Chrysodema variipennis: HOLOTYPE (by monotypy): ♀ (20.75 × 8.50 mm; Figs 55– 58, 76), ‘Minda | nao [w(c), h; round] || Type [w, p; round, red border] || Saunders | 74-18. [w(c), p] || C. variipennis | ES. Type [w(c), h]’ (BMNH).
The specimen was provided with an additional red printed label: ‘ HOLOTYPE (by monotypy) | Chrysodema | variipennis | SAUNDERS, 1874 ♀ | David Frank labelled IV. 2021 [date handwritten]’.
Chrysodema leopoldiana: HOLOTYPE: ♀ (23.75 × 9.00 mm; Figs 54, 59), ‘ ♀? [w, p/h] || [original label] Philippines | Mauo–Samar | 8-IV-1932 | Prince Léopold [w(c), p]; [newer label] Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B. [y, p] [original label is glued on newer label] || Rog. Mus. Hist. Nat. | Belg. I.G. 9796 [w(c), p] || [original label] Chrysodema | Leopoldiana | Thery | TYPE [w(c), h/p (red stamp)]; [original label] Holotype [r, p; black border]; [newer label] d.: Bull. Mus. R. Hist. | nat. Belgique 1933, 9, 31:2,3 [w, h] [original labels are glued on newer label]’ (IRSN).
The specimen was provided with an additional white printed label ‘ Chrysodema (Chrysodema) | variipennis | SAUNDERS, 1874 | David Frank det. IV. 2022 [date handwritten]’
AddiTiOnal maTerial examined (1 ♂, 1 ♀). PHILIPPINES: DINAGAT ISLAND: Philippines, Dinagat Is., 23.11.1991, 1 ♂ (NMPC, ex coll. Bílý; Figs 60, 69, 77); Philippines, Dinagat Is., 15.3.1995, 1 ♀ (NMPC, ex coll. Bílý).
Redescription of holotype. Well preserved ♀ specimen, only left antenna missing from antennomere IV. Length 20.75 mm, width 8.25 mm, length/width ratio: 2.52.
Body navicular, basic colour of dorsal side black with dense metallic golden-green groups of macropunctures; ventral side metallic golden-green, legs green.
Head black with green area around eyes and punctures on dorsal side, green on ventral side. Eyes large, oval. Area around eyes green, finely macropunctate. Frons black, 2.2× as wide as diameter of eye, impressed with deep medial sulcus. Vertex macropunctate and with short pubescence. Labrum very small, brown, with short pubescence. Antennae serrate from antennomere IV. Antennomeres I and II golden-green, sparsely macropunctate; radicula and antennomeres from III dark brown with sparse short pubescence. Antennomeres I, III and IV almost the same length, ca. 3× longer than II. Antennomere IV long triangular, V–X triangular, XI trapezoidal. Maxillae, labium, maxillary palpi and labial palpi pale brown, densely pubescent.
Pronotum trapezoidal, black, moderately densely irregularly golden-green macropunctate, micropunctate on black areas, 1.7× as wide as long, widest at base. Anterior margin arcuate, lobe not protruding, densely pubescent. Medial line black, bordered rows of macropunctures create shallow medial impressions. Principal impressions small and shallow, golden, densely macropunctate and with sparse short pubescence. Lateral impressions shallow, densely macropunctate. Lateral margin black. Basal margin very slightly bisinuate.
Scutellum small, trapezoidal, dark-green and shiny.
Elytra wider than pronotum at base; parallel to middle, narrowing from mid-length to apex, strongly convex in lateral view. Lateral margins arcuate below humeral calli, serrate from beyond its mid-length to apex. Irregular groups of macropunctures have different sizes, but three fairly large at basal third and three large at apical third are situated in transverse rows on each elytron. Black areas between groups of macropunctures create visible costae which are interconnected between themselves, sparsely micropunctate, the first costa is visible for whole length, other costae from mid-length of elytra. The last lateral intervals coherently very densely macropunctate therefore almost entire area is golden-green. Humeral calli macropunctate. Epipleura horizontal, broad at basal quarter, green with golden reflections, macropunctate and with short pubescence.
Legs metallic green; femora and tibiae macropunctate and pubescent more densely on inner side. Inner side of mesotibia with very distinct serrate and pubescent ridge (Fig. 76). Tibiae with two apical ventral spurs. Tarsi metallic green, tarsal claws divergent and simple.
Ventral side metallic golden-green, shiny. Hypomeron and prosternum irregularly punctate. Anterior margin of prosternum densely pubescent. Prosternal process subparallel-sided narrowed at apex, approximately 1.7× as long as wide, densely and coarsely macropunctate at central part, macropunctures bigger than macropunctures on prosternum, sides very sparsely punctate and shiny. Metasternum sparsely punctate and shiny at central part; densely punctate and pubescent on sides. Abdominal ventrites golden-green and densely pubescent and macropunctate at basal part, black with sparse macro- and micropunctures at apical part.
Variation. Body ♂ (n = 1) length: 20.00 mm, width: 7.50 mm, length/width ratio: 2.67; ♀♀ (n = 3): length: 20.75–23.75 mm, width: 8.25–9.00 mm, length/width ratio: (2.52)2.61–2.64. Groups of macropuctures variable in size as well as in count of macropunctures but three large groups at apical third always present. Colour of macropunctures moderately variable from golden-green to dark green. Serrate ridge on mesotibia more distinct in males where it is very obvious. Aedeagus (n = 1) length: 4.41 mm, width: 1.01 mm, length/width ratio: 4.36. Aedeagus small in contrast to other taxa. Parameres oval widest at mid-length, narrowly open from mid-length, apice of parameres obliquely truncated. Penis moderately impressed with densely arranged striate laminae at entire width, apex of penis narrowly triangular (Fig. 69).
Differential diagnosis. Chrysodema (C.) variipennis can be easily distinguished from other taxa by serrate ridge on mesotibia (more obvious at males than females) (Figs 76, 77), small aedeagus and three large groups of macropunctures occure transverse at basal part of elytron.
Distribution. Philippines: Mindanao, Dinagat and Samar islands (Fig. 62).
Remarks. Saunders (1874) described C. variipennis as a typical form and five varieties (Var. 1–5). The typical form is described from one specimen from ‘Mindanao’ which has measures ‘Length 9 ½ lines; breadth 4 lines. [20.14 × 8.48 mm]’. I found one female specimen in BMNH (Figs 55–57) from Saunders’ collection, from ‘Mindanao’ which has the type label ‘ C. Variipennis | ES. Type [w(c), h]’ (Fig. 58). Because this specimen agrees with the primary description and has the type label it can be considered as holotype. All other varieties from Mindanao, Bohol and Luzon islands probably belong to different species (Lander (2003) mentioned C. jucunda, C. smaragdula and C. ruficornis) but I did not find (and study) these specimens.
Théry (1933) described C. leopoldiana from one specimen from Mauo, Samar Is. Théry compared this species only with C. coriacea (= C. (C.) antennata antennata). Lander (2003) synonymized this species only based on the description without studying the type specimen. I studied the type and it certainly belongs to C. (C.) variipennis therefore it is kept in synonymy.
Lander (2003) mentioned distribution for C. (C.) variipennis also from Luzon, Palawan and Borneo islands but I have never studied specimens from these islands. Occurrence in Borneo Is. is unlikely.
description: Published as part of Frank, David, 2022, Studies on the genus Chrysodema (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Chrysochroinae) part II., pp. 507-543 in Zootaxa 5214 (4) on pages 537-541, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5214.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/7397816