Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) occulta Ỹ, 2008, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ỹ, Svatopluk Bíl
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Buprestidae
Anthaxia
Anthaxia occulta

description: Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) occulta, sp. nov.
(Figs. 8, 14)
Type specimens. Holotype (ɗ, NMPC): “ Kenya /Amboseli Park, Kilimanjaro Safari Lodge, 1200 m, 16.vii.1985, R. Mourglia leg.”; allotype (Ψ, NMPC): “ Kenya / Amboseli Park, Kilimanjaro Safari Lodge, e. l. Acacia sp., ix.1985, R. Mourglia leg.”; paratypes (30 ɗɗ, 17 ΨΨ): same data as allotype (4 ɗɗ, 3 ΨΨ, NMPC; 1 ɗ, 1 Ψ, DGCI; 1 ɗ, 1 Ψ, MNAC); “ Kenya or., Voi, 24.–28.i.1996, lgt. Ing. M. Sníżek” (1 Ψ, MKCN); “ Kenya, Voi (Tsavo), 22.xi.–2.xii.1996, M. Sníżek leg.” (2 ɗɗ, NMPC); “ Kenya SE, Tsavo, Voi env., 15.iv.2004, M. Sníżek leg. (1 ɗ, MOCB); ”“ Kenya, Lower Tana River: Gamba, 25.–27.x.2005, Sakalian & Curletti leg.” (4 ɗɗ, VSCS); “ Kenya, Nyiri Desert, 3.i.1956, J. C. M. Gardner leg.” (3 ΨΨ, NMPC); “ Kenya süd, Sokoke-Gede-Forest, Umg. Gede, 50 m, 27.x.–3.xi.2007, leg. A. Puchner” (3 ɗɗ, 3 ΨΨ, WBCV); “ Kenya C.S. [central-south], Kangondo Kithioko, 6.iv.2004, M. Sníżek leg.” (1 ɗ, MOCB); “ Kenya, Eastern Katutu-Kihtioko, 27.xi.1999, M. Sníżek leg.” (2 ɗɗ, MOCB; 1 ɗ, MKCN); “ Tanzania, Segera-Chalinze, 30.iii.1997, Werner & Lízler leg.” (1 ɗ, NMPC); “ Tanzania bor. or., Mombo, 9.–11.i.1995, Smrż lgt.” (1 ɗ, NMPC; 1 ɗ, 1 Ψ, MKCN); “ Tanzania bor., Mombo, 9.ii.1996, ing. M. Sníżek lgt.” (5 ɗɗ, 1 Ψ, MKCN; 1 ɗ, NMPC); “ Tanzania NE, Handeni, Makinda env., 14.iii.2002, lgt. M. Sníżek” (1 Ψ, MOCB); “ Ethiopia S., Gamo Gofa, pr. 1200 m, 45 km Sa Arba Minch, 15.iv.2007, J. Halada leg.” (1 Ψ, MOCB); “ Ethiopia, Shakisso?Negele, Sidano Prov., 14.v.2003, Werner leg.” (1 Ψ, NMPC).
Diagnosis. Medium-sized, robust, wedge-shaped, bronze, lustrous, posterior pronotal angles sometimes with red tinge, ventral surface red-bronze; frons of male red-bronze, that of female bronze; dorsal surface asetose, frons with white or cream-white, dense pubescence; ventral surface with very sparse, microscopic, white pubescence, metepisterna and laterosternites with short, white pubescence, sometimes also with sparse, white tomentum.
Description of the holotype. Head large, as wide as anterior pronotal margin, eyes large, reniform, slightly projecting beyond outline of head; frontoclypeus widely emarginate anteriorly, frons moderately convex; vertex as wide as width of eye; antennae short, reaching anterior 1/3 of lateral pronotal margins; scape four times as long as wide, claviform, slightly curved, pedicel suboval, 1.3 times as long as wide; antennomere 3 slightly triangular, 1.5 times as long as wide, antennomeres 4–10 trapezoidal, 1.3–1.5 times as wide as long, terminal antennomere ovoid; sculpture of head consisting of very dense, small, polygonal cells with central grains.
Pronotum moderately convex, 1.9 times as wide as long with relatively wide, shallow lateroposterior depressions and 2 small, rounded, punctiform depressions on disc; lateral pronotal margins nearly regularly rounded, maximum width posteriad of midlength; anterior margin strongly, posterior margin slightly bisinuate; sculpture nearly homogeneous consisting of small, polygonal cells with well-developed central grains; scutellum relatively large, subcordiform, as wide as long.
Elytra moderately convex, wedge-shaped, 1.7 times as long as wide, uneven; humeral swellings small, basal, transverse depression well-developed, nearly reaching scutellum, interrupted by small elevation near humeri; posterior 1/3 of lateral margin finely serrate, epipleura well-developed, nearly reaching apex; each elytron with shallow, rather wide depression at anterior 1/3, prolonged, lateral depression at posterior 1/2 and sutural depression at posterior 1/3; sculpture rugose, very fine but dense laterally, disc lustrous with very fine, simple, sparse punctation.
Ventral surface very finely, rather densely punctate, prosternum finely ocellate; anal ventrite narrowly truncate apically, finely serrate laterally. Legs relatively short, slender, metatibiae only slightly emarginate and serrate at posterior 1/3 of inner margins (Fig. 8).
Aedeagus (Fig. 14) rather short and robust, parameres with well-developed dorsal fields of bristles.
Sexual dimorphism. Female differs from male by less projecting eyes, bronze frons, unmodified metatibiae and finely emarginate anal ventrite.
Measurements. Length: 5.3–7.0 mm (holotype 6.2 mm); width: 2.1–2.8 mm (holotype 2.5 mm).
Variability. No essential variability was observed except for size and various intensity of red lustre on posterior pronotal angles; about one half of paratypes possess the same punctiform, pronotal depressions like the holotype unlike the rest of paratypes which possess regularly convex pronotum (except for lateroposterior depressions).
Bionomy. Allotype and 10 paratypes were reared from Acacia sp. (Mimosaceae).
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin adjective “occultus” (hidden) since this species has been overlooked and has been found mixed in collections with A. kheiliana.
Differential diagnosis. Anthaxia occulta is very similar to the sympatric A. kheiliana from which it differs by the somewhat smaller size, more intensive bright bronze colouration, less wedge-shaped body, smaller scutellum, slender, only slightly curved male mesotibiae and by the shape of male metatibiae (Figs. 6 vs. 8) and genitalia (Figs. 4 vs. 14).
Distribution: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania.
description: Published as part of Ỹ, Svatopluk Bíl, 2008, A revision of the Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) kheiliana Obenberger, 1931 species-group (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), pp. 44-56 in Zootaxa 1816 on pages 52-54, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.182919