Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) mannaea Baiocchi, 2011, n. sp.
Creators: name: Baiocchi, Daniele
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Buprestidae
Anthaxia
Anthaxia mannaea

description: Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) mannaea n. sp.
(Figs. 5,7,8,19,20,21,33,41,47,53,58,61)
Description of holotype 3 (Fig. 5). Body rather short, subparallel, more strongly convex ventrally; length: 3.4 mm, maximum width at humeral height: 1.3 mm, length/width ratio: 2.6 times longer than wide; head and lateral sides of pronotum green, scutellum and large discal pronotal area dark graysh-green, elytra olive-green, whole dorsal surface with silky lustre, ventral surface of pronotum black with strong, dark green tinge, ventral abdominal surface black, antennae and legs black with green reflection.
Head (Fig. 19) as wide as anterior pronotal margin; eyes large, slightly projecting beyond outline of head; vertex very wide (0.5 times as wide as width of head), feebly convex, glabrate; frons (Fig. 33) wide, weakly bilobate; inner ocular margins straight, slightly divergent on upper portion of frons, parallel on vertex; sculpture of vertex very weak; frontal sculpture shallow, irregularly areolate, with oblong, larger cells in the mid area; cell bottom composed of several glossy microcells, with their own, tiny, central grain; frontal pubescence yellowish, sparse, very short, semierect; clypeus short, weakly prominent, with slightly converging lateral margins and feebly arched anterior edge.
Antennae (Fig. 41) as long as middle pronotal length; antennomeres strongly convex; scape club-shaped, with inner margin strongly gibbous; pedicel suboval, 1.3 times longer than wide; antennomere 3 widely triangular, as long as pedicel; antennomeres 4 – 10 subtriangular, as long as wide, rather drop-shaped; last antennomere acutely oblong.
Pronotum (Fig. 19) transverse, 1.4 times wider than long, distinctly flattened on the disc, with maximum width anteriad midlength; anterior margin with strongly prominent central lobe; lateral margins weakly arched on mid portion, slightly sinuately narrowed before the rectangular posterior angles; posterior margin very slightly arched backward in middle; superficial sculpture areolate, consisting of large, irregular cells, with poorly raised borders, hardly visible on central discal area; basal microsculpture the same as on frons, consisting of numerous, tight microcells, each with a tiny central grain; lateroposterior depressions absent; pronotal pubescence yellowish, short, erect, frontally oriented, slightly thicker and more visible on lateral sides.
Scutellum (Fig. 19) as long as wide, subtriangular, finely microreticulate.
Elytra subparallel, 1.9 times longer than wide, widest at humeri, feebly narrowed in middle, shortly tapering at apical 1/5; basal transverse depressions short, wide, moderately deep, present only near humeral angles; humeral swellings poorly developed; lateral elytral groove very narrow, flat, reaching the apex; lateral margins slightly serrate on apical 1/4, till the separately rounded apex; epipleura complete, broad, parallel till the apex; surface more coarse on basal and postscutellar area, slightly depressed at basal 1/3, smoother in middle, slightly rugulose apically; basal microsculpture as on head and pronotum in slightly smaller scale; pubescence yellowish, sparse, short, and semierect.
Ventral surface (Fig. 8) black, with stronger greenish tinge on pro- and metasternum; anterior prosternal margin straight; prosternal process with feebly curved lateral margins and rather long posterior apex; protrochanters unarmed; mesotrochanters with small, obtuse posterior spine; metatrochanters with acute posterior spine; superficial sculpture of prosternum and proepisternum widely, shallowly areolate as on dorsal part of pronotum; rest of pronotal ventral surface finely microsculptured; abdominal segments black, finely microreticulated; the whole ventral surface covered with short, sparse, yellowish pubescence.
Anal ventrite (Fig. 53) about twice as wide as long, truncate, apex shallowly emarginate with slightly raised margins; anal pleurites deeply hollow till the apex.
Legs straight, slender; meso- and metatibiae flattened; inner margins smooth in mesotibiae, indistinctly serrate in metatibiae (Fig. 47); foretarsomere 1 slightly longer than 2; meso- and metatarsomeres 1 almost twice as long as 2; tarsomere 5 slender, longer than 1 in all legs; claws long, slender, poorly curved, brown with darker distal portion.
Aedeagus rather stout, 3.6 times longer than wide, anterior 1/2 bisinuate, posterior 1/2 directly tapered; maximun width anteriad midlength; parameres (Fig. 20) widely, sinuately expanded anteriorly; anterior portion of apical lobes rather convex, smoothly edged and very sharply pointed, posterior portion serrate, flattened externally, inner portion pocket-shaped, hosting the membranaceous, setigerous area; median lobe (Fig. 21) widest at midlength, 6 times longer than wide, anterior 1/2 regularly, acutely narrowed; dorsal surface vaulted, slightly, transversally rugulose; lateral margins partly, feebly serrate, apex smooth, acutely pointed; apodemes slightly sinuous, extending for more than 1/3 of total length.
Variation. Very small species (2.8 – 3.4 mm); in the studied specimens, the size of males ranges from 3.4 mm x 1.3 mm of the holotype, to 2.9 mm x 1.1 mm, while the females vary from 3.4 mm x 1.3 mm to 2.8 mm x 1.1 mm of the allotype (Fig. 7). The discal pronotal sculpture is slightly variable in depth, and cell borders can be more or less raised and distinct; in one male paratype, the antennae are proportionally slightly longer. The two sexes show a slight dichromatism: males have head and pronotal lateral sides brighter green, discal pronotal area and scutellum dark graysh-green, elytra olive green, antennae, legs and ventral pronotal surface black with green reflection, abdominal ventral surface black; in females, the green colouration show a darker moss-green tinge and in some specimens the frons is bright purple; females also show the following morphological differences: head slightly narrower than in the male, frons moderately vaulted; eyes slightly smaller, not projecting beyond outline of head; antennae shorter, more compact, 0.9 times as long as middle pronotal length, last antennomere less elongate; elytra tapered at last 1/4. Ovipositor of allotype illustrated (Fig. 58).
Specimens examined. Holotype, 3: Iran, (Kordestān), 1500 m., 22 km N Kāmyārān, N34°57’20.6’’ E46°58’38.4’’, 14 – 15.V.2010, Baiocchi leg. / ex larva Crataegus sp. 8.VI.2010; allotype, Ƥ: Iran, (Kordestān), 1500 m., 22 km N Kāmyārān, N34°57’20.6’’ E46°58’38.4’’, 8 – 9.V.2009, Baiocchi leg. / ex larva Crataegus sp. 11.VI.2009; paratypes: Iran, (Kordestān), 1500 m., 22 km N Kāmyārān, N34°57’20.6’’ E46°58’38.4’’, 8 – 9.V.2009, Baiocchi leg. / ex larva Crataegus sp. 11.VI.09 (1 3 1 Ƥ), 15.VI.2010 (1 3); Iran, (Kordestān), 1500 m., 22 km N Kāmyārān, N34°57’20.6’’ E46°58’38.4’’, 14 – 15.V.2010, Baiocchi leg. / ex larva Crataegus sp. 8.VI.2010 (2 ƤƤ), 15.V.2011 (2 ƤƤ), 17.V.2011 (1 Ƥ), 19.V.2011 (1 Ƥ), 21.V. – 4.VI.2011 (3 3 1 Ƥ); Iran, (Kordestān), 1500 m., 22 km N Kāmyārān, N34°57’20.6’’ E46°58’38.4’’, 14.V.2010, Gianasso leg. / ex larva Prunus sp. 16.VI.2010 (1 Ƥ); Iran, (Kordestān), 1500 m., 22 km N Kāmyārān, N34°57’20.6’’ E46°58’38.4’’, 14.V.2010, Gianasso leg. / ex larva Crataegus sp. 12.V.2011 (1 Ƥ).
The holotype, allotype and some paratypes are deposited in D. Baiocchi collection (Rome, Italy); paratypes in the following collections: National Musem of Prague (Czech Rep.), and D. Gianasso (Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Italy).
Comments. The main distinctive character of A. mannaea is the peculiar pattern of basal microsculpture, which is present also in its closest species, A. (Haplanthaxia) parvula Baiocchi & Magnani 2006 (Fig. 6), another endemic species of Iran; because of this morphological feature, and for other analogies, the two species are brought together to form the new A. parvula species-group of which a short definition is given herein.
The characters state that separate the two species are listed in table 2.
Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) mannaea n. sp. Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) parvula Baiocchi & Magnani,
2006
Male with brighter green colouration, female more moss-green Bronze-green species; sexual dichromatism absent
Body (Fig. 5) shorter, more stout (2.6 times longer than wide) Body (Fig. 6) more slender (2.8 times longer than wide)
Antennae (Fig. 41) as long as middle pronotal length, scape Antennae (Fig. 42) 1.1 times as long as middle pronotal strongly club-shaped, antennomere 3 strongly triangular length, scape subconically lengthened, antennomere 3
weakly triangular
Head (Fig. 19) as wide as anterior pronotal margin; eyes promi- Head (Fig. 22) slightly narrower than anterior pronotal marnent in the male, not prominent in the female; vertex wider (0.5 gin; eyes not prominent in both sexes; vertex narrower (0.4 times as wide as width of head); frons (Fig. 33) slightly bilobate times as wide as width of head); frons (Fig. 34) very in the male, more distinctly convex in the female; inner ocular slightly convex in both sexes; inner ocular margins subparmargins slightly divergent on upper frontal portion, parallel on allel, slightly converging on vertex; sculpture of frons conthe vertex; sculpture of frons consisting of oblong, larger cells sisting of smaller, rather regular cells; clypeus flat, lateral on mid area; clypeus weakly prominent, lateral margins slightly margins strongly convergent, anterior margin deeply, trianconvergent, anterior margin roundly emarginate gularly emarginate
Pronotum: anterior margin (Fig. 19) with strongly prominent Pronotum: anterior margin (Fig. 22) very slightly bisinuate central lobe; lateral margins weakly arched at midlength with feeble central lobe; lateral margins subparallel at mid-
lenght
Elytra very slightly sinuate at midlength, tapered on posterior 1/ Elytra more strongly narrowed at midlength, tapered on last 5 in the male, on posterior 1/ 4 in the female 1/4
Anal ventrite (Fig. 53) truncate in both sexes, apex smooth, Anal ventrite (Fig. 54) with subrounded, weakly serrate shallowly emarginate; anal pleurites deeply hollow till the apex apex in the male, truncate, slightly emarginate in the
female; anal pleurites concave only laterally, flat at apex
Inner margins of male metatibiae (Fig. 47) straight, indistinctly Inner margins of male metatibiae (Fig. 48) slightly incurved serrate distally; claws slightly thicker, dark brown with darker inward, with small apical spur; claws slightly thinner, pale tips, not enlarged at base brown with dark tips, weakly enlarged at base
Aedeagus more stout, 3.5 times longer than wide, widest ante- Aedeagus more slender, 4.5 times longer than wide, more riad midlength, distinctly narrowed posteriorly; dorsal surface subparallel; dorsal surface of apical lobes (Fig. 23) shalof apical lobes (Fig. 20) smooth; median lobe (Fig. 21) widest at lowly rugose; median lobe (Fig. 24) more subparallel, latmidlength, lateral margins very slightly serrate, central portion eral margins not serrate, central portion of dorsal surface of dorsal surface slightly rugulose more coarsely rugose
Bionomy and distribution. Anthaxia mannaea is endemic to Iran, and has never been caught in the nature; all the studied specimens have emerged in laboratory from small twigs of Crataegus sp. and Prunus sp. collected 22 km north of Kāmyārān, in the northwestern Iranian province of Kordestān. The larval development lasts presumably one year. At present it is not known whether A. mannaea is a flower visitor.
Other species of Anthaxia that have emerged from the same samples of wood are the following: A. (Haplanthaxia) winkleri ssp. winkleri Obenberger, 1914, A. (Haplanthaxia) astoreth Obenberger, 1934 (first record for this species in Iran) and A. (Anthaxia) tractata Abeille de Perrin, 1901, obtained from thin twigs of Crataegus, while from branches of Prunus emerged numerous specimens of A. (Haplanthaxia) winkleri ssp. winkleri Obenberger, 1914, together with few specimens of A. (Cratomerus) meda n. sp., another new species described below, in this article.
Etymology. Anthaxia mannaea is named in honor of the the Mannaeans, an ancient Iranian people that lived from 10th to 7th century BC in the area situated to the east and to the south of the Orūmīye lake, not far from the place where this new species was found.
Definition of the A. parvula species-group. Very small to small-sized, subparallel, more strongly convex ventrally; dorsal surface olive- to moss-green or copper-green, with silky lustre, discal area of pronotum sometimes dark graysh-black; ventral surface bronze, or black with greenish tinge; whole body furnished with sparse, short, yellowish or whitish pubescence. Head slightly narrower or as wide as anterior pronotal margin; frons wide, weakly convex, or with very feeble median groove; vertex wide, 0.4 – 0.5 times as wide as width of head; eyes large, slightly projecting beyond outline of head in males, not in females, inner ocular margins straight, subparallel; clypeus short, flat or feebly prominent, anterior margin roundly or triangularly emarginate. Antennae short, slightly longer or as long as middle pronotal length, antennomeres 3 – 10 subtriangular, rather globose, teardrop-shaped, mostly as wide as long. Pronotum transverse, 1.4 – 1.5 times as wide as long, moderately convex, rather flat on disc, with lateroposterior depressions very shallow or completely absent, lateral margins feebly arched, slightly sinuate before posterior angles, anterior margin slightly bisinuate, or with strongly prominent central lobe, posterior margin slightly arched backward. Scutellum subtriangular, as long as wide, finely microsculptured. Elytra moderately convex, 1.9 – 2.3 times as long as wide, slightly wedge-shaped; humeral swellings poorly developed; basal transverse depression wide, complete or not reaching the scutellum; epipleura well developed, reaching the elytral apex; marginal elytral groove flat, complete, very narrow; posterior 1/4 of lateral margins slightly serrate; one shallow depression present at basal elytral 1/3. Legs straight, slender, rather flattened, inner margin of metatibiae very weakly serrate, or smooth with apex slightly incurved inward; tarsal claws small, simply hook-shaped, smooth or very weakly enlarged at base. Superficial sculpture of frons and pronotum areolate, with borders more strongly raised on frons and pronotal lateral sides, hardly visible on the pronotal disc; basal microsculpture of frons, pronotum and elytra consisting of very dense, tiny microcells with their own central grain, appreciable only at high magnification; sculpture of ventral pronotal surface irregularly, widely areolate, with very fine basal microsculpture; ventral abdominal surface finely microreticulate. Anal ventrite sub-rounded, or truncate and shallowly emarginate. Aedeagus 3.6 – 4.6 times as long as wide, bisinuate and widest anteriad midlenght, straightly tapered on posterior 1/ 2, apical lobes acutely pointed, with lateral margins serrate on posterior 1/2; median lobe acutely pointed, rather rugulose on dorsal surface, lateral margins smooth, or very feebly serrate. Sexual dimorphism. Females of both species differ from males by shorter antennae, with more rounded last antennomere, not prominent eyes, simply convex frons, unmodified metatibiae, truncate or less emarginate anal ventrite. Sexual dichromatism in A. parvula is present only in frons colouration, in A. mannaea in the overall colouration.
Comments. The most typical morphological feature of the group is the unusual structure of basal microsculpture of head and dorsal surface, consisting in an homogenous, tight network of microcells, giving the body a silky lustre that in other species is given by a more confused, rugulose microsculpture, especially on elytra; a further distinctive feature is the shape of antennomeres 3 – 10, rather globose, teardrop-shaped. At present both the two species composing the species-group are endemic to Iran. No convergence of foodplant requirements has been observed so far, and the larvae of the two species develop in plants of different families, (A parvula on Anacardiaceae and A. mannaea on Rosaceae). Specimens of A. (Haplanthaxia) parvula Baiocchi & Magnani, 2006, when freshly emerged, show a pair of white pulvurulent spots at basal elytral 1/3; the same wax-like dust covers the laterobasal pronotal depressions, the mesepimeron, part of basal and anal pleurites, and is sparsely present on the rest of the whole body (see Fig. 2 in Baiocchi & Magnani 2006). Other species of Anthaxia (i.e. A. (Haplanthaxia) sudana Obenberger, 1928, A. (H.) angustipennis (Klug), 1829) show pulvurulent parts of body, but never elytral spots.
description: Published as part of Baiocchi, Daniele, 2011, Three new species of Anthaxia Eschscholtz, 1829 from Iran (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), pp. 1-23 in Zootaxa 2932 on pages 6-10, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.278056