Anthaxia haraldi, Plachetka, 2025

Plachetka, Mikuláš, 2025, Notes on the genus Anthaxia Eschscholtz, 1829 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Anthaxiini) from Myanmar with description of a new species and a new record for Cambodia, Zootaxa 5584 (3), pp. 437-441 : 437-440

Anthaxia haraldi sp. nov.

Type locality: Myanmar, Sagaing Division, Alaungdaw Katthapa National Park , 22°19.113′N; 94° 28.518′E.

Type specimens. Holotype ♂ ( NMHW): MYANMAR: Sagaing Division / Alaungdaw Katthapa NP / 22°19.113′N 94° 28.518′E / 3.–13. 5. 2003, ca. 350 m, light, / leg. Boukal & Schillhammer (101) . Paratype ♂ ( MPCP): same data as holotype. Type specimens bear red labels with printed text: HOLOTYPE [PARATYPE respectively] / Anthaxia / (Haplanthaxia) / haraldi sp. nov. / det. M. Plachetka 2024.

Diagnosis. Rather convex, medium sized, lustrous, colourful species. Head large, wide as anterior margin of pronotum, vertex black with green tinge, frons convex, golden orange to red bronze, head covered with long white setae. Eyes projecting beyond outline of head. Pronotum rather convex, with wide depression in lateroposterior angles, golden orange laterally, with black macula with thin golden margin in the centre, lateral margins irregularly rounded. Scutellum wide, cordiform, 1.5 times as wide as long, golden green. Elytra 1.75 times as long as wide, oval, last third tapering. Elytra black-blue, with green or blue-green stripe along lateral margins suture and along the suture. Elytra widely depressed along lateral margins, the depression reaching half of elytral width. Ventral surface lustrous, black with golden orange and green tinge, partly with lustrous reflection. Aedeagus slender, long, spindle-shaped.

Description of holotype. Holotype male ( Figs. 1, 2, 3 ). Head large, eyes projecting beyond outline of head, vertex black with green tinge, frons convex, near vertex golden orange, then red-bronze. Head covered with rather long, white setae. Sculpture of frons consists of irregular, microsculptured polygonal cells with central grains, with setae growing from central grains. Eyes large, reniform, inner margins slightly, irregularly S-shaped, widest near labrum. Antennae slightly overlapping the middle length of pronotum when laid alongside. Antennae golden orange to copper, covered with long white setae. Scape claviform, about 3.5 times as long as wide; pedicel barrel-shaped, 2 times as long as wide; third antennomere rectangular, 1.9 times as long as wide; antennomeres 4–7 asymmetrically trapezoidal; 8–10 rectangular; terminal antennomere oval with sharp, triangular apex.

Pronotum convex, 1.8 times as long as wide, brightly golden-orange, with a symmetrical black central macula with uneven margins, bordered by a thin golden margin. Lateral margins unevenly curved, widest in the middle, anterior margin bisinuous, lobate in the middle, lateral anterior angles sharp. Pronotum with two depressions near latero-posterior angles, depressions deep, but small. Sculpture of pronotum consist of irregular, microsculptured polygonal cells with central grains, with short white setae growing from central grains.

Scutellum cordiform, 1.4 as wide as long, reticulate, lustrous, green to golden green, anterior margin strongly depressed.

Elytra 1.75 times as long as wide, unevenly oval, anterior two thirds almost parallel-sided, posterior third tapering. Elytra with very short, recumbent, sparse, white setae. Elytra lustrous, blue with green or golden green stripe along anterior and lateral margins, near apex very narrow, along suture is green stripe broad in anterior third, then tapering. These stripes partly with light blue tinge, especially at the margins. Each elytron depressed from humeral callosities along lateral margin, this depression wide, reaching half of elytral length, minor depression along suture. Transverse, basal and postscutellar depressions deep.

Ventral side lustrous, mostly highly reflective. Surface of ventral side consist of irregular, mostly pentagonal cells with central grains, on the sternites cells less distinct. White setae growing from central grains. Proepisternum golden green to golden orange, prosternum blue-black with green tinge, anterior margin green, prosternal process golden green. Mesosternum and metasternum black with strong golden green tinge. Metacoxae golden orange, without any sharp angle or spine. Ventrites black with violet reflection, lateral margins golden-orange to copper red. Last sternite obtusely rounded, apex truncate, without notch, with depression along margin, depression widest near lateral angles.

Legs rather short, bicolorous: dorsal side black partly with golden-green tinge, ventral side regularly golden-green. Legs covered by white setae. Protibiae unmodified, meso- and metatibiae slightly incurved, with indistinct denticulation and row of white setae on inner margins, metatibiae with small depression near apex on inner margin, with row of setae on both margins. Adhesive pads and tarsal claws pale brown. Tarsi slightly enlarged at base.

Aedeagus long, slender, spindle-shaped, equally wide from the base to anterior third, then tapering. Apical part of parameres slightly enlarged with several long, pale setae, apices sharp, triangular. Median lobe parallel-sided in anterior three-quarters, then tapering towards triangular apex. Preapical half of median lobe slightly enlarged and elevated, lateral margins with microdenticulation.

Measurements. Length: 4.3–4.6 mm (holotype 4.3 mm), width: 1.2–1.5 mm (holotype: 1.2 mm).

Variability. Although only two specimens are known, it is clear that A. haraldi sp. nov. is strongly variable species. Paratype ( Figs. 4, 5 ) possesses different shape of pronotal macula (macula itself is symmetrical in both specimens) and different shape of pronotum (widest in posterior third, while widest in the middle in holotype), elytra are dark blue while margins are greener.

Bionomy. Unknown.

Distribution. Myanmar.

Etymology. This species is named after one of the collectors, curator in Naturhistorisches Museum Wien and specialist in Staphylinidae : Harald Schillhammer.

Differential diagnosis. There is no similar species in the Oriental region. Several species of the Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) weyersi Kerremans, 1900 species group have roughly similar elytral pattern, but all of them are much smaller ( Bílý, 1990), less convex and all differ by very widely and deeply depressed posterior angles of pronotum. Species of Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) collaris Kerremans, 1893 species group are similar with respect to general shape of body, however none of these species has a similar elytral pattern and colouration in male (all are green, blue-green or bronze-green, several species with black, usually not well outlined, irregular oval macula along elytral suture and irregular, indistinct dark macula on pronotum), all members of A. collaris species group possess tarsal claws with basal hook ( Bílý, 1995). A haraldi sp. nov. has simple tarsal claws, only with slightly enlarged base.

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. 1—Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) haraldi sp. nov., holotype (dorsal view); 2—A. (H.) haraldi sp. nov., holotype (ventral view); 3—A. (H.) haraldi sp. nov., holotype (aedeagus); 4—A. (H.) haraldi sp. nov., paratype (dorsal view); 5—A. (H.) haraldi sp. nov., paratype (ventral view).