Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) Reitter 1911
Creators: name: Bílý, Svatopluk
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Buprestidae
Anthaxia

description: Subgenus Haplanthaxia Reitter, 1911
Type species: Buprestis cichorii Olivier, 1790 (currently Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) cichorii (Olivier, 1790)); subsequent designation by Richter, 1949: 66.
Anthaxia (Cratomerella) Richter, 1949; type species: Anthaxia proteus Saunders, 1873
Anthaxia (Chrysanthaxia) Richter, 1949; type species: Anthaxia polychloros Abeille, 1894
Anthaxia (Cryptanthaxia) Richter, 1949; type species: Anthaxia rossica Daniel, 1903
Anthaxia (Mesanthaxia) Richter, 1945; type species: Anthaxia olympica Kiesenwetter, 1880
Cratomerus (Cryptocratomerus) Richter, 1949; type species: Anthaxia kiesenwetteri Marseul, 1865.
The largest and the most diverse subgenus of Anthaxia. Usually small to medium-sized species (3.5–9.0 mm) of metallic colouration ranging from the black-bronze to bright green or multicolorous species (Figs. 8–10), often with black pronotal stripes or (rarely) with dark elytral pattern; frons flat, weakly depressed or rarely somewhat convex, vertex 0.5–2.5 times as wide as width of eye; antennae of male not or only weakly enlarged; pronotum moderately convex or flat, lateroposterior depressions shallow to deep and wide, anterior third of lateral margins weakly or very weakly rounded (Figs. 45–47); posterior pronotal angles obtuse-angled or less often rectangular; sculpture usually consisting of rounded or polygonal cells (with or without central grains) which are sometimes transversely widened and combined with fine, transverse rugae, or fine, lateral, longitudinal wrinkles (Fig. 46); only rarely pronotal sculpture consisting only of rounded cells (Fig. 45) or simple punctures (Fig. 47); elytra usually regularly convex, moderately tapering posteriorly or almost subcylindrical, usually only 3 (4) abdominal ventrites easily visible from above (Figs. 9–10); anal ventrite of female usually apically notched or emarginate, rarely rounded; aedeagus of various shapes, and almost all types of aedeagus known in Anthaxia can be found in this subgenus: tubuliform, spindle-shaped, flattened, widened or subcylindrical, quite exceptionally asymmetric (Figs. 64–73); parameres often with lateral spines, median lobe often with serrate lateral margins. Tarsal claws in some species with large basal tooth (A. (H.) collaris species-group and some Afrotropical and Nearctic species).
Some species of this subgenus have very often been placed in the subgenus Cratomerus, but it seems that the most related subgenus is Richteraxia subgen. nov. The division between both subgenera is rather unclear; the best diagnostic characters seems to be the form of the pronotum and its sculpture, as well as the shape and sculpture of elytra and the form of male metatibiae and antennae (see Richteraxia subgen. nov. below).
BIONOMY. Development in Conifers, broad-leaved trees and shrubs, and also in herbs (some South African species are associated with Solanaceae).
DISTRIBUTION: entire distribution of the genus Anthaxia except for the northern parts of Asia and Europe.
SPECIES INCLUDED. The following species-groups are included: aeneocuprea species-group, atomaria speciesgroup, cichorii species-group, collaris species-group, flammifrons species-group, kheiliana species-group, laticeps species-group, mashuna species-group, melancholica species-group, millefolii species-group, mundula speciesgroup, olympica species-group, phobos species-group, proteus species-group, rothkirchi species-group, schah species-group, sculptipennis species-group, thunbergi species-group, umbellatarum species-group, weyersi species-group, winkleri species-group, zanzibarica species-group. Besides the above mentioned species-groups, many other species which are not currently attributed to any species-group will be included. It also contains many species currently treated in the subgenus Anthaxia s. str. (Bílý, 1997, 1999; Bellamy, 2008). On the contrary some species attributed currently to Haplanthaxia will be transferred to the subgenus Richteraxia subgen. nov. or Capanthaxia subgen. nov.
All species of the A. (H.) mashuna species-group (and a few, similar species from the southernmost part of Africa) possess only weakly developed subhumeral lobe (Fig. 33) so that they could be interpreted as belonging to Anthaxia s. str., but all other characters correspond to the subgenus Haplanthaxia, namely the shape of elytra (Fig. 8) and extraordinary form of the male genitalia (Figs. 69).
The largest subgenus of the genus Anthaxia comprising about 70 % of all species. Many species-groups should be defined, and the subgenus should be revised group by group. Due to its world-wide distribution and an extreme similarity of some species it belongs among the taxonomically most difficult groups in Buprestidae. It is interesting that all species of Anthaxia distributed in Madagascar belongs only to this subgenus, but without any relationship to the fauna of the African continent.
description: Published as part of Bílý, Svatopluk, 2019, Subgeneric classification of the genus Anthaxia Eschscholtz, 1829 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Anthaxiini), pp. 261-278 in Zootaxa 4568 (2) on pages 266-267, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4568.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/2599418