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

description: Chrysodema (Gelaeus) walkeri nigriventris subsp. nov.
(Figs 4, 33–35, 65)
Gelaeus Walkeri var. nigriventris Théry, 1935: 248 (unavailable infrasubspecific name). BELLAMY (2008): 542 (catalogue, listed as synonym of C. (G.) walkeri).
Gelaeus walkeri walkeri [misidentification]: AKIYAMA & OHMOMO (2000): Pl. 42, Figs 445-1, 445-2 (iconography).
Chrysodema walkeri: LANDER (2003): Fig. 152 (colour photograph).
Type locality. Indonesia, Maluku Province, Moa Island.
Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♂, ‘Ins. Moa [w, p] // Coll. / Jul. Moser [w, p]’ (MFNB). PARATYPES (5 ♂♂ 77 ♀♀): 1 ♀, ‘Ins. Moa [w, p] // COLLECTION / de BONNEUIL [w, p] // Pseudochrysodema Saund / Walkeri / I. Moa? [w, h] // Pseudochrysodema / Walkeri / v. nigriventris / Thery / PARATYPE [w, h]’ (NHMB, coll. G. Frey); 2 ♀♀, ‘Ins. Moa [w, p]’ (NHMB, coll. G. Frey); 1 ♀, ‘Ins. Moa [w, p] // Chrysodema / walkeri Waterh. [w, h]’ (NHMB, coll. G. Frey); 1 ♀, ‘Moa / b. Timor [w, p] // Chrysodema / walkeri Wat. / Moa (Timor) [w, h] // walkeri [w, h]’ (NHMB, coll. G. Frey); 1 ♀, ‘Ins. Moa [w, p] // Chrysodema / walkeri / Wat / A. Descarpentries det. [w, h/p]’ (MHNH); 1 ♀, ‘Ile Moa [w, h] // Molukken / Ins. Moa [w, h] // cupriventris / Kerrem. [w, h] // Walkeri / Waterh. [w, h] // Chrysodema / Walkeri v. / nigriventris Théry / A. Descarpentries det. / ne doit pas éte décrit [w, h/p]’ (MHNH); 1 ♂ 45 ♀♀, same data as holotype (1 ♂ 43 ♀♀ MFNB, 2 ♀♀ DFPC); 1 ♀, same data as holotype plus additional label ‘ Gelaeus // Walkeri Wat. [w, h]’ (MFNB); 1 ♀, ‘ Ins. Moa [w, p] // Museum Leiden / Ex coll. / G. van Roon [w, p] // Chrysodema / walkeri (WATH.) / nigriventris (THY.) / det. R. HOLYŇSKI 2004 [w, p/h]’ (RMNH); 1 ♀, ‘ Ins. Moa [w, h] // Gelaeus Walkeri / Wat. / Det. Dr. Obenberger [w, h/p]’ (NMPC); 4 ♀♀, ‘Ile Moa / INDONESIE / v.1992 / Coll. T. LANDER [w, h/p] // Galaeus / walkeri / (Waterh. 1892) / Dét. T. LANDER 1992 [w, h/p]’ (MHNG); 1 ♀, ‘ Ile de Moa / v.1992 / Coll. T. LANDER [w, h/p] // Galeus / walkeri / (Waterh. 1892) / Dét. T. LANDER 1993 [w, h/p]’ (MHNG); 1 ♀, ‘INDONESIE / Moa Isl. / vii.1998 / Coll. T. LANDER [w, p/h] // Gelaeus / walkeri / (Wat. 1892) / Dét. T. LANDER 2000 [w, h/p]’ (MHNG); 1 ♀, ‘ GELAEUS WALKERI WALKERI / (bon A2, lot de 5 pcs) / Moa / INDONESIE, iii.2001 / 8462 L [w, p] // ex coll. S. Bílý / National Museum / Prague, Czech Republic [w, p]’ (NMPC); 3 ♀♀, ‘ INDONESIA, iii.2001 / Moa Is. / local collector [w, p] // ex coll. S. Bílý / National Museum / Prague, Czech Republic [w, p]’ (2 ♀♀ NMPC, 1 ♀ IRSN); 1 ♀, ‘ INDONESIA, iii.2001 / Moa Is. / local collector [w, p] // ex coll. S. Bílý / National Museum / Prague, Czech Republic [w, p] / Gelaeus / walkeri Wat. / Sv. Bílý det.’ (NMPC); 4 ♀♀, ‘ INDONESIA, / Maluku, March 2001, / MOA isl., / native coll. [w, p]’ (3 ♀♀ VKSC, 1 ♀ DFPC); 1 ♂, ‘ Moa / Feb. 2002 [w, p]’ (VKSC); 1 ♂, ‘ Moa / Juni. 2003 [w, p]’ (DFPC); 4 ♀♀, ‘MOA ISL. / 2/2008 [w, h]’ (3 ♀♀ SJPC, 1 ♀ DFPC); 2 ♂♂ 2 ♀♀, ‘Indonesia, SW Moluccas / MOA ISLAND., 0 - 200 m alt / E of TIMOR., 1.2009 / KAIWATU vill / local collectors lgt [w, p]’ (1♂ 2♀♀ SJPC, 1♂ DFPC); 1♀,‘SUMATRA / Pulau [= Island] Moa [w, p] / GALEUS / walkeri Waterhouse / det. Barries 1995 [w, p]’ (WBWA). All specimens provided with an additional red printed label: ‘ HOLOTYPE [or PARATYPE respectively] [sex] / Chrysodema (Gelaeus) / walkeri / nigriventris subsp. nov. / David Frank & / Lukáš Sekerka des. 2016 [year handwritten]’.
Description of holotype. Well preserved ♂ specimen with all appendages, missing only left antenna from antennomere VIII on. Length 29.50 mm, width 11.00 mm, length/width ratio: 2.68. Body weakly shiny.
Head, pronotum and scutellum dark green, impunctate areas on pronotum with dark purple tint. Elytra dark viridian, apical half with purple-violet metallic reflections (Fig. 33). Ventral side dark green with purple and golden reflections (Fig. 34). Legs green with strong golden reflections, whole tarsi brown, only claws metallic.
Pronotum in general moderately coarsely and densely punctate. Medial line well marked, impunctate, not elevated. Medial impressions shallow, more impressed internally than externally, coarsely and moderately densely punctate, punctures subequal to those on disc, basally denser. Principal impressions elongate and shallow, not sharply bordered, well separated from basal impressions, impunctate but rugose. Lateral impressions shallow, oval, punctate. Basal impressions large and triangular.
Elytra without lateral impressions, moderately strongly punctate. Rows visible from base to apex, weakly impressed and irregularly double in apical half, internal rows more or less regularly arranged, external gradually irregular. Punctures in rows V–VIII in middle third of elytra irregular but not forming isolated groups; spaces ca. 3× as broad as puncture diameter, not elevated (Fig. 35). Intervals basally flat, not elevated, broad, approximately 4–5× as wide as rows of punctures, impunctate; apically and laterally vanishing, strongly narrowed, slightly elevated and punctate.
Ventral side (Fig. 34) including legs as in nominotypical subspecies. Only lateral sides of abdominal ventrites II–V densely punctate in basal half and very sparsely punctate in apical half; punctures moderately large, subequal in size (Fig. 4).
Aedeagus (Fig. 65) length 7.50 mm, width 1.63 mm, length/width ratio: 4.60. Apex of parameres rounded. Penis elongate, subparallel-sided.
Variation. Body ♂♂ (n = 6) length: (21.00) 24.25–29.50 mm, width: (7.50)8.75–11.00 mm, length/width ratio: 2.63–2.80; ♀♀ (n = 74) length: (22.75)24.00–35.75(38.00) mm, width: (8.25)9.25–13.00(14.00) mm, length/width ratio: (2.43)2.54–2.85. Head, pronotum and scutellum green with blue, turquoise, purple, golden or copper sheen. Impressions on pronotum usually golden. Elytra predominantly viridian with purple-violet reflection on apical half. Purple colour sometimes extends also to basal half of elytra. Rarely elytra dark blue-green. Underside nearly always dull, only exceptionally shiny, varying from almost uniformly dark green to mostly golden-green or copper-green. Punctation of pronotum variable in density and coarseness, medial impressions variously impressed, principal impressions oval to round and variously impressed, lateral impressions variously impressed, and basal impressions oval to triangular, always deeply impressed. Elytra exceptionally with lateral impressions; larger specimens smoother while smaller specimens rougher, particularly on apical third. Aedeagus (n = 5) length: 6.17–8.06 mm, width 1.17–1.63 mm, length/width ratio: 4.60–5.04(5.45).
Differential diagnosis. Among the subspecies of C. (G.) walkeri this one is easily distinguished by viridian colouration of elytra (various shades of blue in other subspecies) and rounded apices of parameres (truncate in other subspecies). For additional characters see Table 1.
Etymology. The epithet is combination of Latin words niger = black and venter = underside reflecting darkly coloured ventral side of body.
Distribution. Indonesia, Maluku Prov.: Moa Is.
Remarks. THÉRY (1935: 248) described Gelaeus walkeri var. nigriventris, however, in the same work he described also a subspecies Gelaeus walkeri wetteriana therefore the variety nigriventris is infrasubspecific name according to the Article 45.6.4 (ICZN 1999). Nor it was validated before 1985 (Article 45.6.4.1) and hence it is an unavailable name according to ICZN (1999).
We have located one female specimen in NHMB from the locality Moa mentioned by THÉRY (1935) and provided with his original paratype label as the variety nigriventris. Additionally we have found a series of specimens in MFNB with identical locality label (specimens originated in the collection of Julius Moser) agreeing also morphologically with the NHMB specimen. In our opinion this taxon is a distinct subspecies of C. (G.) walkeri and we decided to use the same name as Théry.
LANDER (2003) provided a colour photograph of C. (G.) walkeri, however, the specimen does not have the last tarsomere metallic green thus it does not belong to the nominotypical subspecies. In our opinion the depicted specimen belongs to C. (G.) walkeri nigriventris subsp. nov. based on general shape.
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 711-713, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5310800