Chrysodema (Gelaeus) cupriventris Wetar Is., DFPC
Creators: name: Frank, David
name: Sekerka, Lukáš
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Buprestidae
Chrysodema
Chrysodema cupriventris

description: Chrysodema (Gelaeus) cupriventris (Kerremans, 1898), stat. restit.
(Figs 3, 48–50, 69)
Pseudochrysodema cupriventris Kerremans, 1898: 114 (original description).
Chrysodema cupriventris: KERREMANS (1903): 74 (catalogue); WATERHOUSE (1905): 584 (as syn. of Gelaeus walkeri); KERREMANS (1909): 510 (catalogue, in synonymy of C. (G.) walkeri); OBENBERGER (1926): 29 (catalogue, in synonymy of G. walkeri); BELLAMY (2008): 542 (listed as synonym of C. (G.) walkeri wetteriana).
Gelaeus walkeri var. cupriventris: THÉRY (1935): 248 (key, catalogue).
Gelaeus walkeri ssp. cupriventris: AKIYAMA & OHMOMO (2000): Pl. 42, Figs 445-4 [sic!] (iconography).
Type locality. ‘Macassar’ (see Remarks).
Type material examined. SYNTYPES (2 ♀♀): ♀, ‘ Macassar / Meyer D. [w, h] // cupriventris / Kerr. / Type [w, h] // SYN- / TYPE [b, p] // Kerremans / 1903—59. [w, p]’ (BMNH); ♀, ‘Macassar / Meyer D. [w, h] // cupriventris / Kerr. / Type [w, h] // MUSEUM PARIS / COLL CH. KERREMANS / 1923 [y, p] // TYPE [r, p] // C. cuprive- / ntris Kerr. / Macassar Type [w, h]’ (MNHN). Both specimens were provided with an additional red printed label: ‘ SYNTYPE ♀ / Chrysodema (Gelaeus) / cupriventris / (KERREMANS, 1898) / David Frank & / Lukáš Sekerka labeled 2016’.
Additional material examined. INDONESIA: MALUKU PROV.: Wetter Ins. [= Wetar Island], 5 ♀♀ (MFNB), 1 ♀ (DFPC), 3 ♀♀, C. Schädler [lgt.?] (2 RMNH, 1 MNHN; two specimens labelled as types of unpublished manuscript name ‘ C. wetteriana var. igniventris Théry’); Wetar Island, iii.2002, 1 ♀ (SGBG), v.2004, 1 ♂ (DFPC), iii.2006, 1 ♀ (DFPC).
Redescription of syntype (BMNH). Unusually small ♀ specimen, missing left antenna and with partly cracked elytra and somewhat distorted left elytron in apical third. Length 21.50 mm, width 7.75 mm, length/width ratio: 2.77.
Head, pronotum and scutellum bright green with golden reflections. Elytra fern green with blue lateroapical margins without any reflections (Fig. 48). Ventral side bright green with strong copper and golden reflections. Abdominal ventrite I mostly green while II–V mostly copper (Fig 49). Legs bright green partly with golden reflections, tarsi yellow, last tarsomere and claws metallic green.
Pronotum in general coarsely and moderately densely punctate. Medial line well marked, impunctate. Medial impressions shallow, distinctly impressed along medial line, densely punctate, punctures anteriorly coarse and large, basally smaller than those lateral to them. Principal impressions moderately deep, elongate, densely punctate with small punctures, not connected with basal impression. Lateral impressions deep and rugose. Basal impressions deep, oval.
Elytra moderately punctate, without lateral impressions. Puncture rows visible from base to apex, barely impressed on apical 1/4 length, more or less regularly arranged, and irregularly double in apical half. Punctures in rows V–VIII in middle third of elytra quite irregularly and sparsely arranged, not grouped, internally forming more or less distinct rows with intervals 1–3× as broad as diameter of punctures, flat not reticulate (Fig. 50). Intervals basally flat, not elevated, broad, approximately 3–4× as wide as rows of punctures, impunctate; apically barely elevated and distinctly punctate.
Mid femora in central part strongly shiny, sparsely punctate, punctures large, on sides punctures smaller but coarser and moderately densely arranged.
Ventral side of body (Fig. 49) moderately punctate, abdominal ventrites and central parts of thoracic ventrites sparsely and finely punctate. Lateral side of abdominal ventrite I moderately densely punctate; ventrites II–V with narrow irregular line of dense punctures along basal margin otherwise very sparsely punctate (Fig. 3).
Variation. Body ♂ (n = 1) length: 22.50 mm, width: 8.00 mm, length/width ratio: 2.81; ♀♀ (n = 13) length: (21.50)24.25–30.00 mm, width: (7.75)9.00–11.00 mm, length/width ratio: 2.62–2.77(2.97). Punctation of pronotum variable. Medial impression shallow to moderately impressed. Principal impression variously impressed but always elongate. Pronotum from mostly green to mostly golden or copper. Colouration of elytra quite constant only one specimen with golden tint. Ventral side always extensively copper or copper-red on abdomen, thoracic ventrites centrally green and laterally variously copper; some specimens with nearly whole underside copper-red. All specimens except syntypes with uniformly brown tarsi. Aedeagus (Fig. 69) (n = 1) length: 6.12 mm, width 1.28 mm, length/width ratio: 4.78. Apices of parameres obliquely truncate. Penis wedge-shaped, narrowed basally.
Differential diagnosis. This species can be easily distinguished by very sparsely and finely punctate abdominal ventrites II–V (Fig. 3). All other taxa have coarser and denser punctation (Figs 4–5). Chrysodema (G.) katka sp. nov. is dorsally most similar, see its diagnosis for additional characters.
Distribution. Indonesia: Maluku Prov.: Wetar Is.
Remarks. KERREMANS (1898) gave ‘Macassar’ as the type locality of C. (G.) cupriventris and did not mention how many specimens he had at his disposal, however, he gave a range of lengths: ‘Long., 21-28; larg., 7-9 mill.’ thus he must have had at least two specimens. Later on, KERREMANS (1903) mentioned ‘Iles Alor et Dammer’ as distribution of C. (G.) cupriventris.
We have located two specimens labelled as types with Kerremans original label in BMNH. One has the locality Alor, measures 30.75 × 11.25 mm and does not agree at all with the primary description therefore we exclude it from the type series of C. (G.) cupriventris. The specimen is here included as paratype of C. (G.) walkeri rejzeki subsp. nov., see remarks under that taxon. We believe that it is a voucher specimen for the record published by KERREMANS (1903). The other specimen is curiously small female with somewhat distorted elytra but agrees well with the primary description as well as with the type locality. We found one more specimen from Macassar labelled as type of C. (G.) cupriventris in the collection of Kerremans (MNHN). The specimen perfectly agrees with the primary description therefore we consider the two specimens from Macassar syntypes.
The type locality given by Kerremans is peculiar because Macassar is usually understood to be the city in southern Sulawesi. However, in our opinion it is very unlikely that the species lives on Sulwesi as no other species of Gelaeus is know from that island. There is also Pante Macassar in the Oecusse exclave of East Timor in the Indonesian (West) Timor which is a more likely explanation of the type locality. However, as we have not seen any other specimen of C. (G.) cupriventris from Timor mainland we think that the type locality is erroneous. We have examined a series of specimens from the Wetar Island, which perfectly matches syntypes, with exception of uniformly brown tarsi (last tarsomere metallic in syntypes). On the other hand, C. (G.) cupriventris is morphologically most similar to C. (G.) katka sp. nov., which has about half of specimens with metallic tarsi and half with brown tarsi. Thererefore we assume that this character is subject to intraspecific variation in these two taxa. Chrysodema (G.) katka is endemic to Timor and all specimens have densely punctate lateral sides of abdominal ventrites II–V while all specimens of C. (G.) cupriventris have them very sparsely and finely punctate. This character is constant in the series of specimens from Wetar and thus we think this species is maybe restricted to the Wetar Island and was given the locality Macassar because the original type specimens were received through the relatively nearby Pante Macassar, which served as an important port.
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 679-680, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5310800