Chrysodema (Gelaeus) wetteriana Frank & Sekerka 2016, stat. nov.
Creators: name: Frank, David
name: Sekerka, Lukáš
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Buprestidae
Chrysodema
Chrysodema wetteriana

description: Chrysodema (Gelaeus) wetteriana (Théry, 1935), stat. nov.
(Figs 54–56, 71)
Gelaeus Walkeri subsp. wetteriana Théry, 1935: 248 (original description).
Chrysodema (Gelaeus) walkeri subsp. wetteriana: BELLAMY (2008): 542 (catalogue).
Type locality. Indonesia, Maluku Province, Wetar Island.
Type material examined. LECTOTYPE (present designation): ♂, ‘K. Schädler / Wetter / acq. 1898. [w, h] // Gelaeus / Walkeri / ssp. Wetteriana / Thery / ♂ TYPE [w, h] // C. wetteriana / THY. / det. HOŁYŃSKI / PARATYPE [g, h]’ (RMNH). PARALECTOTYPES (1 ♂ 2 ♀♀): 1 ♀, ‘K. Schädler / Wetter / acq. 1898. [w, h] // Gelaeus / Walkeri / ssp. Wetteriana / Thery / ♀ TYPE [w, h] // wetteriana THY. / HOLOTYPE! / (cf. size) / det. R. HOŁYŃSKI [r, h]’ (RMNH); 1♂, ‘K. Schädler / Wetter / acq. 1898. [h] // Paratype [y, p] // 1934–692 [p] // Gelaeus / Wetteriana / Thery / PARATYPE [w, h]’ (BMNH); 1 ♀, ‘K. Schädler / Wetter / acq. 1898. [w, h] // Ceram / Jilo / C.Ribbe 1884 [w, p, sic!] // Gelaeus / Wetteriana / Thery / PARATYPE [w, h]’ (MHNH). All specimens provided with an additional red printed label: ‘ LECTOTYPE [or PARALECTOTYPE respectively] [sex] / Chrysodema (Gelaeus) / wetteriana / (THÉRY, 1935) / David Frank & / Lukáš Sekerka des. 2016 [year handwritten]’.
Redescription of lectotype. Well preserved ♂ specimen with all appendages intact, elytra with transverse crack at base. Length 27.00 mm, width 10.00 mm, length/width ratio: 2.70.
Body generally black (Figs 54–56) partly with dark metallic reflections: purple on principal impressions of pronotum, marginal punctures on elytra, and most of ventral side; basal impressions of pronotum, and legs and mouthparts at joints with greenish tint. Apical half of last tarsomere and claws darkened but not metallic.
Pronotum in general coarsely and densely punctate particularly anteriorly and laterally, punctures foveolate. Medial line well marked and impunctate. Medial impressions distinct, moderately deep, densely punctate, towards centre somewhat sparser; punctures slightly smaller than those along anterior margin. Principal impressions shallow and weakly bordered from disc, densely punctate. Lateral impressions shallow and punctate. Basal impressions small with anterior part less impressed than basal part.
Elytra without lateral impressions, with strongly elevated intervals and distinctly impressed rows of punctures from base to apex. Punctation of elytra overall very coarse and dense. Rows visible from base to apex, irregularly double (internal) or triple (external) from basal third of elytra to apex. Punctures in rows V–VIII in middle third of elytra forming groups of 2–4 separated by elevated impunctate folds forming irregular elevated reticulate sculpture (Fig. 56). Intervals approximately 4× as wide as rows of punctures, with shallow transverse wrinkles, and apically with several additional punctures.
Mid femora in central part moderately densely punctate, punctures large, on sides punctures smaller and denser.
Ventral side of body (Fig. 55) overall coarsely and quite densely punctate. Abdominal ventrite I laterally densely and coarsely punctate, punctures large. Ventrite II laterobasally densely punctate, punctures distinctly smaller than on ventrite I, lateroapical area sparsely punctate. In each of subsequent ventrites densely punctate area proportionally smaller to the sparsely punctate area.
Aedeagus (Fig. 71) not fully sclerotised and broken between parameres, therefore its width was not measured, length: 7.29 mm. Apices of parameres rounded. Penis elongate, subparallel-sided.
Variation. Body ♂♂ (n = 2) length: 27.00– 27.25 mm, width: 10.00 mm, length/width ratio of body: 2.70–2.73; ♀♀ (n = 2): length: 29.50–30.50 mm, width: 11.00– 12.50 mm, length/ width ratio of body: 2.44–2.68. One female has pronotum slightly smaller and with sparser punctation, mainly in central part. Subhumeral denticle in paralectotypes distinctly larger, particularly in males.
Differential diagnosis. Chrysodema (G.) wetteriana is readily distinguished from other taxa of the subgenus by nearly black body with slight metallic reflections on pronotum and strongly elevated intervals on elytra. It is the most sulcate species of all Gelaeus.
Distribution. Indonesia, Maluku Prov.: Wetar Is.
Remarks. THÉRY (1935) described this taxon as subspecies of C. (G.) walkeri based on the material from RMNH but did not mention the number of specimens he had at disposal. At the beginning of the description he stated: ‘Taille du type (long 28 mm; 5.25 mm).’ but did not mentioned the sex of the ‘type’ nor is it indirectly indicated in the description. The width of ‘type’ must have been given erroneously as the width of studied specimens is 10–11 mm; the length is also not in agreement with presently studied specimens as they are either smaller or larger. The description itself is rather short followed by longer paragraph comparing C. (G.) wetteriana to C. (G.) walkeri where Théry mentioned a female of C. (G.) wetteriana. In the last sentence he compared the apical notch on abdominal ventrite V in both sexes making obvious he must have had more than one specimen. There are two specimens (male and female) of C. (G.) wetteriana in RMNH, however, both were labelled by Théry as ‘type’. Additionally, there are two specimens labelled as ‘paratype’ deposited in BMNH and MNHN respectively. All four beetles bear identical locality label and Théryʼs original identification labels. As two of the four specimens are labelled ‘holotype’ and the description is very short it is not possible to identify any of the specimens as the type and we consider all four to be syntypes. According to the reference number 1934–692 the BMNH specimen was presented to the museum by Théry himself. In order to conserve the concept of this taxon and associate it with the morphology of male genitalia we designate the male specimen deposited at RMNH as the lectotype. The MNHN syntype has two locality lables, one identical to other syntypes, however, on the other is printed Ceram, Jilo. We assume the second locality label was accidentally pinned under the specimen as it was remounted.
As mentioned above Théry described this taxon as subspecies of C. (G.) walkeri. In general C. (G.) wetteriana is most similar to the latter species-group, particularly to C. (G.) walkeri kubani subsp. nov. but it is very distinct (see differential diagnosis). Therefore we rise its rank to species.
description: Published as part of Frank, David & Sekerka, Lukáš, 2016, Revision of the subgenusGelaeus of Chrysodema (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Chrysochroinae), pp. 671-719 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 56 (2) on pages 715-716, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5310800