Agrilus leucaenae Hespenheide & Bellamy 2009, New Species
Creators: name: Hespenheide, Henry A.
name: Bellamy, Charles L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Buprestidae
Agrilus
Agrilus leucaenae

description: Agrilus leucaenae Hespenheide, New Species
(Figs. 10, 11, 22)
Description. Holotype male: Slender, in cross-section flattened above, convex below, 6.00 mm long, 1.50 mm wide; dark reddish-coppery throughout, brighter on epistoma, beneath, and legs, more purplish on front above epistoma; setae pale and recumbent, short, sparse and relatively inconspicuous throughout, except denser on lower 1/2 of front, on sides of pronotum above and below prehumeral carina, in three patches on each elytron - a small spot in basal depressions, a narrow, more elongate spot along suture at 1/3 and stronger, nearly isometric spot at 2/3 - on posterior 1/3 of dorsal portion of abdominal ventrite 1 and on anterior 1/3 of dorsal portions of each of abdominal ventrites 3–5, on outer 1/2 of posterior coxaeand metasternum, setae long, dense and semi-erect on prosternum and continuing along midline of metasternum and abdominal ventrites 1 and 2.
Head with front very weakly convex, weakly, distinctly depressed along midline, surface granular-rugose, shagreened; epistoma between antennal insertions 1/3 width of distance between inner margins of eyes, very shallowly emarginate below, eyes oval, slightly emarginate on upper inner margins; antennae serrate from segment 5, segments 5–11 rounded-triangular.
Pronotum slightly narrower than elytra at posterior margin, with sides shallowly expanded outward then nearly parallel, and slightly converging at apex; marginal and submarginal carinae slightly undulate, separated for for anterior 2/3 when viewed from side; from above anterior margin produced as narrowly-rounded lobe; basal margin sharply angulately emarginate at middle of each elytron, slightly emarginate before scutellum; disk relatively flat, with weak depression along midline, strongest in polished spot at basal 1/4, and narrow, oblique depressions just interior to prehumeral carinae; prehumeral carinae strong, first diverging from lateral carinae then converging toward and paralleling them for length of pronotum; surface finely transversely rugose. Scutellum pentagonal with distinct transverse carina.
Elytra subequal in width at humeri and beyond middle, lateral margins indistinctly emarginate between, converging for apical 2/5 to narrowly, separately rounded, minutely toothed apices; disk nearly flat, very weakly convex, each elytron with oval depression at base and relatively broad costa along suture, narrowing to apex; surface regularly, rather finely imbricate.
Prosternum with sides of prosternal process slightly narrowing between coxae, rounded at apex, prosternal lobe nearly transverse, very weakly, narrowly emarginate at middle. Posterior coxae with posterior margin weakly emarginate, upper exterior angles obtusely rounded. Abdomen with suture nearly obsolete between ventrites 1 and 2. Hind legs with first metatarsal segment slightly longer than next two combined, tarsal claws similar on all feet, cleft with short, blunt inner tooth. Genitalia as in Figure 22.
Allotype female: As male except 6.05 mm long, 1.65 mm wide; front brighter reddish-coppery, setae on front, prosternum and along midline of metasternum sparse and appressed; abdominal ventrites 1–2 more convex, without line of setae.
Type material. Holotype. México: Puebla, 6 km SW Acatepec, 1990 m, 18˚13’ N, 97˚38’ W, 17.07.1996, R.L. Westcott, beaten from Leucaena esculenta (UNAM). Allotype. Same data as holotype (UNAM). Paratypes. México: Guerrero, 6.2 mi SW Xochipala, 5670 ft, 6.07.1987, Kovarik, Schaffner (1F, TAMU), 27 km W Hwy 95, Xochipala rd., 22.07.1992, G.H. Nelson (1F, FSCA); Oaxaca, 5.2 km SW Huapanapan, Hwy 125, 6015’ft, 18˚06’30” N 97˚41’13” W, 18, 21.10.2004, T.C. MacRae, beaten from dead branch Leucaena diversifolia (Schltdl.) Benth. (Fabaceae) (6M, 2F, TCMC), 29.07.2005, T.C. MacRae, beating Leucaena diversifolia (Schltdl.) Benth. (2M, 1F, TCMC), 18.10.2006, T.C. MacRae, beating live branch Leucaena diversifolia (Schltdl.) Benth. (7M, 11F, TCMC), beaten from dead branch Leucaena diversifolia (Schltdl.) Benth. (4M, 4F, TCMC); 10 km S S. Fco. Huapanapan, 29.10, 1.11.1990, C.L. Bellamy (5M, 6F, CLBC); Puebla, 4.4 mi SW Acatepec, 9.07.1977, J.C. Schaffner (1M, TAMU), same data as holotype (16M, 38F, RLWE), 24.06.1997, R.L. Westcott, on Leucaena (1M, RLWE), 6 km S Acatepec, 19.08.1982, Clark & Cave (4M, 1F, AUEM). Paratypes to be deposited also in BMNH, CHAH.
Hosts. Most adults have been collected on species of Leucaena: L. diversifolia (Schltdl.) Benth. and L. esculenta (Sessé & Moc.) Benth.
Etymology. Named for the genus of its presumed larval host.
Discussion. This species is superficially very similar to A. quetzalcoatli Fisher and A. acaciae Fisher in ground color and pattern of setae, but both A. quetzalcoatli and A. acaciae are much smaller (<5 mm), and males have a green front and very different genitalila. Males of A. leucaenae measure 4.40–7.00 mm long (mean = 5.85 mm for 46 specimens), and females measure 4.90–8.00 mm long (mean = 6.36 mm for 64 specimens).
description: Published as part of Hespenheide, Henry A. & Bellamy, Charles L., 2009, New species, taxonomic notes, and records for Agrilus Curtis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) of México and the United States, pp. 50-68 in Zootaxa 2084 on pages 61-62, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.274805