Paracupta (Chalcotaenia) jakli Frank, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Frank, David
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Buprestidae
Paracupta
Paracupta jakli

description: Paracupta (Chalcotaenia) jakli sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: C1C0D708-AA40-4831-B13D-F6EC292D5C5F
(Figs 24–29, 36–39, 62, 63, 79)
Paracupta (Paracupta) isabellina [misidentification, see ‘Remarks’]: Hołyński (2014): 409 (colour Fig. 8).
Type locality. Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal Province, Guadalcanal Island, Tenaru.
Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♂ (28.50 × 9.00 mm; Figs 24–26, 38, 62), ‘2647 | SOLOMON IS. | Guadalcanal | Tenaru | 29:iii:1955 | E.S Brown [w, p/h] || Pres by | Com. Inst. Ent. | B.M.1958-79. [w, p]’ (BMNH).
PARATYPES (1 ♂, 18 ♀♀): SOLOMON ISLANDS: GUADALCANAL PROv.: Guadalcanal Island: ♀ ‘4982 | SOLOMON IS. | Guadalcanal | Kukum | 12.IV.1956 | E.S Brown [w, p/h] || Pres by | Com. Inst. Ent. | B.M.1958-79. [w, p]’ (BMNH); ♀ ‘SOLOMON Isls., Quadalcanal | BARANA vill., env., 190m | 09°29.8´S 159°59.5´E | 20.xi.- 3.xii.2018 | J.Horák leg. [w, p]’ (DFPC); 4 ♀♀ ‘SOUTH PACIFIC, Solomon Is. | GUADALCANAL I., Honiara reg. | Barana will. env., 100 - 300 m | XI - XII.2018, St. Jakl leg. [w, p]’ (2 ♀♀ SJPC; ♀ RHMP; ♀ DFPC); ♀ ‘SOLOMON Isls., Quadalcanal | TSIRI, cca 500m | 09°20.5´S 159°43.1´E, | 1.-4.xii.2018 | J.Horák leg. [w, p]’, (DFPC); 2 ♀♀ ‘SOUTH PACIFIC, Solomon Is. | WEST GUADALCANAL I. | Ciri env., 400 - 600 m alt. | 7 - 13.XII.2018, St. Jakl leg. [w, p]’ (SJPC); ♀ ‘SOLOMON IS.: 2001 | Guadalcanal, Honiara | local collectors leg. | Coll. B. & T. Liese [w,p] || Coll. | S. GOTTWALD | (Berlin) [w, p] || Paracupta | isabellina Kerr. | det. S. Gottwald 2002 [w, p]’ (SGBG). MALAITA PROv.: Malaita Island: ♂ ‘[upper side]: 16304 | SOLOMON IS | Malaita | Sisivoa | 26/1 1965 | RMKuniladi [w(c), p/h]; [underside]: 16304 [w(c), h] || coll. R B HOŁYŃSKI | BPeny [w, h] || 1978 | Paracupta | isabellina | KERR.| det. R. Hołyński [w, h (Hołyński's handwritting)]’ (DFPC, Figs 27, 36, 63); ♀ ‘ Solomons | Malaita | Auki | W. M. Mann || MUSÉUM PARIS | 1935 | Coll. A. THÉRY [pink, p]’ (MNHN); ♀ ‘SALOMONT [sic!] | Malaita Isl | Coll. T. LANDER [w, h/p] || Collection | T. Lander | MHNG 2014 [w, p]’, (MHNG, ex coll. Lander); 5 ♀♀ ‘SALOMON | Malaita isl | I.1987 | Coll. T. LANDER [w, h/p]’ (4 ♀♀ MHNG, ex coll. Lander; ♀ DFPC). WITHOUT LOCALITY DATA: ♀ [the specimen was at the end of previous series] (MHNG, ex coll. Lander).
All specimens were provided with an additional red printed label: ‘ HOLOTYPE [or PARATYPE respectively] [sex] | Paracupta (Chalcotaenia) | jakli sp. nov. | David Frank det. I. 2024 [date handwritten]’.
Additional material examined (2 ♀♀). SOLOMON ISLANDS: CENTRAL PROv.: MbaniKa Island [Russell Islands]: ♀ ‘SOLOMON IS. | RUSSELL IS., | Yandina-Banika I. | 100 m. 24.VII.1964 [w(c), p] || R. Straatman | Collector | BISHOP [w(c), p] || coll. RBHOŁYŃSKI | BP i x v [w, p] || Paracupta | isabellina | KERR. | det. R. HOŁYŃSKI | 2004 [w, p/h]’ (DFPC, Figs 29, 37, figured in Hołyński (2014: 409, Fig. 8) as P. (P.) isabellina). Tulagi Island: ♀ ‘ Tulagi I. | near Gela | Woodford [w(c), p] || MUSÉUM PARIS | 1952 | COLL. R. OBERTHÜR [w, p] || Isabellina | Kerr [w, h]’ ♀ (MNHN, Figs 28, 39).
Description of holotype. Well preserved ♂ specimen with all appendages intact. Length 28.50 mm, width 9.00 mm, length/width ratio: 3.17.
Body navicular, black-green with green intercostal areas, sulci on pronotum and macropunctures, laterally partly covered by yellow wax. Four well developed costae and intercostae in 2 nd and 3 rd intercostal intervals on each elytron. Ventral side and legs dark green with violet-bronze reflections.
Head dark green with bronze reflections, macropunctate and micropunctate. Eyes large, oval. Frons 1.7× as wide as diameter of eye, impressed with deep medial sulcus, macropunctate, pubescent. Labrum dark brown, pubescent. Antennae serrate from antennomere IV. Antennomeres I and II dark green, metallic, macropunctate and pubescent, radicula brown, antennomeres from III dark yellow, antennomere XI with dark apical part, pubescent. Antennomere II ca. 4× shorter than III. Antennomeres IV–X triangular, XI oval. Maxillae, labium, maxillary palpi and labial palpi brown, densely pubescent.
Pronotum trapezoidal, narrowing anteriad with almost straight sides, widest at base, 1.4× as wide as long. Anterior margin arcuate, lobe not protruding, densely pubescent. Elevated areas dark black-green with green macropunctures, micropunctate. Five longitudal sulci green, micropunctate. Medial and intermedial sulci well developed, lateral sulci shallow, reduced at basal quarter. Lateral margin dark green with violet reflections, shiny. Basal margin bisinuate.
Scutellum small, almost quadrate, green, metallic.
Elytra slightly wider than pronotum at base, parallel at basal half, narrowing from mid-length to apex, convex in lateral view. Lateral margins moderately arcuate below humeral calli, serrate at apical quarter. Basic colour black-green, intercostal intervals and macropunctures green. Four distinctly elevated costae on each elytron, 1 st costa parallel to suture, 2 nd joined to 1 st before apex. 3 rd costa separated, shortened, reaching beyond mid-length of elytra. 4 th costa also separated but reaching to apex where it is almost joined to 2 nd. Intercostae well developed in 2 nd and 3 rd intercostal intervals, slightly indicated in 1 st. Suture and costae sparsely macropunctate and micropunctate, intercostal intervals irregularly densely macropunctate, individual macropunctures well recognisable, sparsely micropunctate and with sparse short pubescence. Intercostal intervals between 3 rd and 4 th costa partly covered by yellow wax. Epipleura horizontal, dark green, black at apex, sparsely macropunctate and pubescent.
Legs dark green, metallic. Femora densely macropunctate and pubescent on inner side, sparsely on outer side, tibiae regularly macropunctate and pubescent. Tibiae with two apical ventral spurs. Tarsi dark green, metallic, tarsal claws divergent and simple.
Ventral side green with violet-bronze reflections, metallic. Hypomeron irregularly sparsely macropunctate, prosternum finely furrowed. Anterior margin of prosternum densely pubescent. Prosternal process moderately biconcave-sided, arcuately narrowed at apex, approximately 3× as long as wide, sparsely macropunctate and pubescent. Metasternum sparsely macropunctate and pubescent at central part, densely and finely macropunctate with pubescence on sides. Sternum laterally covered by white-cream wax. Abdominal ventrites I–V centrally sparsely macropunctate, laterally densely and finely macropunctate with short pubescence. Yellow wax spots at laterobasal parts of ventrites II–V. Apical part with large ‘V’ shaped notch.
Aedeagus length: 7.04 mm, width: 1.54 mm, length/width ratio: 4.57. Parameres almost parallel-sided, opened from beyond their mid-length, apex rounded; penis narrowly navicular.
Variation. Body ♂♂ (n = 2) length: 26.75–28.50 mm, width: 8.50–9.00 mm, length/width ratio: 3.15–3.17; ♀♀ (n = 17): length: 29.50–34.75(36.25) (average 32.12) mm, width: 9.50–12.00 (average 10.44) mm, length/width ratio: 3.00–3.13(3.21) (average 3.08). Colour of intercostal intervals and sulci on pronotum from green to green-bronze. Macropunctures are variable in size as well as in density. Aedeagus (n = 2) length: 7.04–7.18 mm, width: 1.54 mm, length/width ratio: 4.57–4.66. Parameres of specimen from Malaita with slightly rounded sides.
Differential diagnosis. Paracupta (C.) jakli can be distinguished from similar P. (C.) gottwaldi, P. (C.) isabellina and P. (C.) rennelli by developed intercostae. Paracupta (C.) lamberti has only three sulci on pronotum [P. (C.) jakli five] and species from Moluccas have yellow and not metallic tarsi. For additional characters see Key to species.
Etymology. This species is dedicated to Stanislav Jákl (Prague, Czech Republic), a specialist in Cetoniinae, who collected part of the type series.
Distribution. Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal Island (Guadalcanal Province), Malaita Is. (Malaita Prov.), Tulagi Is. and Mbanika Is. [Russell Islands] (Central Prov.) [see ‘Remarks’] (Fig. 79).
Remarks. I examined a specimen from Tulagi Is. (Fig. 28) which is darker than the other specimens. Although the specimen belongs to P. (C.) jakli and Tulagi Is. is between Guadalcanal and Malaita islands, I have examined no other so dark-coloured specimen therefore it is not included in the type series.
Hołyński (2014) published a photo of Paracupta isabellina from Mbanika Is. [Russell Islands] (Fig. 29). I examined this specimen and it certainly does not belong to P. (C.) isabellina but it also seems a little distinct from P. (C.) jakli. I provisionally list the specimen under P. (C.) jakli until more material is available to evaluate its status. This specimen also is not included in the type series.
description: Published as part of Frank, David, 2024, Revision of the subgenus Chalcotaenia of Paracupta (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Chrysochroinae) and specification of Buprestis xanthocera Boisduval, 1835 as the type-species of the genus Paracupta, pp. 535-568 in Zootaxa 5555 (4) on pages 548-551, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5555.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/14594963