Paragrilus akersorum Hespenheide, new species
Creators: name: Hespenheide, Henry A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Buprestidae
Paragrilus
Paragrilus akersorum

description: Paragrilus akersorum Hespenheide, new species
(Figs. 15, 31)
Holotype male: Broadly agriliform, moderately flattened above, pronotum and elytra dark purplish blue, more reddish at apices and margins, head with golden reflections, black beneath; minutely, inconspicuously setose, except front somewhat densely silvery setose on lower half; 3.3 mm long. Head with front slightly convex, narrowly impressed along midline on upper 2/3; ventral margin distinctly produced, quadrate, shallowly emarginate, angles acute; surface finely punctate, shagreened. Pronotum flattened, widest near apex; prehumeral callosity prominent, strongly indicated by broad lateral depressions that extend obliquely to lateral margins; prehumeral callosity produced outward and anteriorly to form ridge above and roughly parallel to marginal carina, ridge carinate for middle 1/3; anterior angles rounded­angulate; disc shallowly depressed along basal margin beyond bases of lateral depressions, except raised before scutellum; surface obsoletely rugose, very finely punctate, shagreened. Elytra with fine posthumeral carina extending somewhat beyond hind coxae, surface obsoletely rugose, regularly convex; apices slightly flared, broadly rounded. Hind coxae very narrow, posterior angles rounded­subquadrate, depressed. Male genitalia pale brownish (Fig. 31).
Allotype female: As male, except front glabrous, epistoma sparsely short setose, 5.0 mm long.
Holotype: Costa Rica: Heredia Pr., La Selva Biol. Sta., 3 km S Pto. Viejo, 10° 26’ N
84° 01’ W, 16.07.1992, H.A. Hespenheide, Wissadula (INBC).
Allotype: Same data as Holotype (INBC).
Paratypes: Costa Rica: Heredia Pr., La Selva Biol. Sta., 3 km S Pto. Viejo, 10° 26’ N
84° 01’ W, 17.V.1990 (1, CHAH), 14, 15, 19.VI.1991 (7, CHAH), 16, 23, 27.VII., 06.VIII.1992 (8, CHAH), 10, 18.VII.1994, H.A. Hespenheide, Wissadula (2, CHAH); VII.1992, INBio­OET (1, INBC, barcode INBIOCRI001229477); Limon Pr., Res Biol Hitoy Cerere, Est Hitoy Cerere, Send Espavel, 220 m, 13­18.V.1999, W. Arana, Red de Golpe (3, INBC, barcodes INB0003103841, ­3, ­4); Puntarenas Pr., Osa Peninsula, 2.5, 8.0 mi SW Rincon, 08° 42’ N 83° 29’ W, 22, 28.II, III.1967, 27. II, 28.VII.1968, H.A. Hespenheide (13, CHAH), Rincon, Osa Peninsula, 15.VIII.1966, A.R. Moldenke (6, CHAH). Panamá: Canal Zone, Gamboa., 11, 18.VI.1976, E.G. Riley (10, GHNC); Pipeline Road, 22.VI.1974, D. Engleman (4, CHAH); La Pita signal station rd., 9.VI.1976, E.G. Riley (1, GHNC); Cerro Balera., 14.VI.1976, E.G. Riley (1, GHNC); 3 mi NW Gamboa, 09° 09’ N 79° 43’ W, 17.XII.1969, 3.VIII.1974, H.A. Hespenheide (8, CHAH); 5 mi NW Gamboa, 09° 09’ N 79° 43’ W, 14, 28.XI, 17.XII.1969, 3.VIII.1974, H.A. Hespenheide (3, CHAH), 26.X.1969, 3.II.1970, H.P. Stockwell (2, STRI); 7 mi NW Gamboa, 09° 09’ N 79° 43’ W, 29.VI.1971, H.A. Hespenheide (1, CHAH); 2 mi SSE Gamboa, 09° 06’ N 79° 42’ W, 14.VI.1970, H. Stockwell (2, STRI); 6.5 km SE Gamboa, 09° 04’ N 79° 40’ W, 2.VIII.1978, H.A. Hespenheide (2, CHAH); Madden Forest, mi 3.5, 09° 06’ N 79° 38’ W, 15.VI.1971, H.A. Hespenheide (4, CHAH); Madden Forest, mi 5.0, 09° 07’ N 79° 38’ W, 5.VIII.1970, H.A. Hespenheide (4, CHAH); Cocle Pr. 10 mi SW Penenome, 26.VI.1974, O’Brien & Marshall (1, RLWE); Panamá Pr., Cerro Campana, 850 m, 08° 40’ N 79° 56’ W, 26.VI.1971, W. Bivin (1, CHAH). In addition to borrowed material, Paratypes from CHAH deposited in BMNH, NMPC, CNC, MUCR, GBFM.
Host: Adults are associated with Wissadula excelsior (Cav.) K. Presl (Malvaceae).
Etymology: Named in honor of the late Dr. Gerald and Anna Akers who encouraged my early interest in natural history.
Discussion: This and the next species are rather similar, but apparently widely separated allopatrically. Male specimens vary from 3.2­4.0 mm in length (mean = 3.50 mm, N = 39); females vary from 3.4­4.2 mm in length (mean = 3.74 mm, N = 40).
description: Published as part of Hespenheide, Henry A., 2002, A review of North and Central American Paragrilus Saunders, 1871 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilinae), pp. 1-28 in Zootaxa 43 on pages 19-22, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.155677