Anthaxia (Anthaxia) amandae Holloway, 2024

Holloway, Graham J., 2024, Anthaxia (Anthaxia) amandae (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Buprestinae), a new species from Mallorca, Spain, Insecta Mundi 2024 (89), pp. 1-6 : 2-5

Anthaxia (Anthaxia) amandae Holloway , new species

( Fig. 1–2 )

Type specimen. Holotype male. Spain, Mallorca , Cases de Son Real (39.737, 3.181), 16 th May 2024 A. Callaghan leg., collected from wild carrot, Dorcus carota L. (Museu de Ciències Naturalis de Barcelona, MCNB).

Description, external characteristics. Holotype Anthaxia (Anthaxia) amandae ( Fig. 1A ) BL = 4.75 mm, BW = 2.03 mm. Medium-sized, slim, parallel-sided ( Fig. 1A ). Center of frons heavily punctate, glossy black. Lateral and lower margin of frons plus clypeus iridescent golden/copper. From front edge to rear of vertex, iridescent golden through to green and finally to turquoise. Pronotum broad (PW = 2.05 mm, PL = 1.1 mm), rounded lateral margins broadest just before midpoint, slightly sinuous from midpoint back to toothed hind angles. Surface of pronotum heavily sculptured with concentric ridges, shallow punctures and micro sculpture, iridescent golden at margins and along antero-posterior midline. Inside the golden iridescence pronotum black with bluish sheen. Scutellum equilateral triangle, shining purple, densely covered in tiny punctures. Parallel-sided elytra (1.76 times long as wide) heavily rugose and punctured, bases iridescent golden to scutellum and ¼ way down elytral suture. Below and inside iridescent gold elytra deep indigo blue up to including the shoulder calluses. Disc of elytra to halfway intense fuchsia. From the fuchsia to the margins and apices of elytra deep purple tinted fuchsia. Abdominal tergites heavily punctured, intense iridescent blue. Abdominal ventrites heavily sculptured with a network of ridges, shining green, bright fuchsia margins. Antennae ( Fig. 1B ) serrated, with 11 antennomeres, antennomeres 1–5 shining black, antennomeres 6–11 reddish brown (segments 6 and 7 darker along longest margin). Femora bright, shining green, tibiae and tarsi shining greenish black.

Description, internal characteristics. Slim, pointed, pale brown median lobe ( Fig. 2B , ML = 1.43 mm) extends well beyond paramere tips ( Fig. 2A ). Median lobe margins heavily scaled ¼–½ mm from posterior tip ( Fig. 2C ).

Parameres ( Fig. 2D , PaL = 1.56 mm) with pale brown anterior half, dark brown, slim posterior lobes. Outer margins of posterior lobes bulge out before sweeping in towards sharp, white apices tilting slightly inwards. Narrowly whitish outer margins at bulge towards posterior tip carrying many long, posterior curved setae.

Distribution. Anthaxia (Anthaxia) amandae is only known from Mallorca ( Fig. 3 ).

Etymology. Anthaxia (Anthaxia) amandae is named after Professor Amanda Callaghan, Curator of the Cole Museum of Zoology (REDCZ), University of Reading, UK.

Differential diagnosis. Anthaxia (Anthaxia) amandae belongs to the Anthaxia (A.) dimidiata (Thunberg, 1789) species group as defined by Bílý (1984), and very closely resembles A. dimidiata . Externally, the only differences that could be detected were the lateral pronotal margins were more heavily reflexed resulting in slightly deeper outer foveae and slightly more marginal sinuosity down to the posterior corners ( Fig. 4A, 4C ), and the shape of the terminal tergite ( Fig. 4B, 4D ). In A. amandae , the terminal tergite margins bulge outwards from the anterior horns much more than A. dimidiata . Internally, the most obvious differences lie in the shorter extension of the (less heavily scaled) median lobe tip beyond the tips of the parameres in A. dimidiata ( Fig. 5A, 5B ), and the shapes of the posterior tips of the parameres. In A. amandae , the paramere outer margins are white from where they sweep outwards before the tips ( Fig. 5C ), with several long marginal setae at the bulge and many smaller punctures in towards the disc of the paramere tips. The outer margins of the A. dimidiata parameres do not bulge out before the paramere tips producing a narrower, gradually but only slightly expanding paddle before the posterior tip ( Fig. 5D ) compared with the broader, more accentuated paddle in A. amandae . The very tips of the A. dimidiata parameres carry tiny, but obvious extensions.

Figures

Figure 1. Anthaxia amandae holotype. A) Habitus dorsal aspect (scale bar = 1 mm). B) Antenna (scale bar = 200 µm).

Figure 2. Anthaxia amandae holotype. A) Aedeagus. B) Median lobe. C) Median lobe illustrating scaly margins. D) Parameres. Scale bars = 200 µm in all cases.

Figure 3. Map of Mallorca showing point of collection of holotype.

Figure 4. Anthaxia amandae. A) Pronotum (scale bar = 1 mm). B) Terminal tergite (scale bar = 200 µm). Anthaxia dimidiata: C) Pronotum (scale bar = 1 mm). D) Terminal tergite (scale bar = 200 µm).

Figure 5. Anthaxia dimidiata. A) Aedeagus. B) Median lobe illustrating reduced scales on margins. C–D) Posterior tips of parameres. C) Anthaxia amandae. D) Anthaxia dimidiata.