FOLIA HEYROVSKYANA

FOLIA HEYROVSKYANA
Vol. 12(2004)(4): 175-178 ISSN 1210-4108 editum: April 30,2005
Two new species of African Agrilini
(Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilinae)
Gianfranco curletti') & Charles L. ~ e l l a r n ~ ~ )
')~useo Civico di Storia Naturale
via S. Fr. di Sales 188, Parco Cascina Vigna, 10022 Carmagnola, Italy
email: musnat@comune.carmagnola.to.it
2)~lant Pest Diagnostics Laboratory, California Department of Food & Agriculture
3294 Meadowview Road, Sacramento, CA 95832 U.S.A.
email: cbellamy@cdfa.ca.gov
Abstract. Bellamyus opacus sp. nov. from Cameroon and Agrilus (Lilliput) pulex sp. nov. from
South Africa are described.
Taxonomy, new species, Coleoptera, Buprestidae, Bellamyus opacus sp. nov., Agrilus (Lilliput)
pulex sp. nov., Palaeotropical Region
The buprestid subfamily Agrilinae Laporte, 1835 is the largest single group within
the family containing the most genus rich tribe, Coraebini Bedel, 1921 and the most
speciose genus, Agrilus Curtis, 1825, perhaps the largest genus in the entire animal
kingdom, in the nominate tribe. Two new species are described herein to continue
with the progress towards a complete accounting and understanding of the African
Agrilini (see Curletti i.e. 1993, 1995, 1996a, b, 1997a, b, 2000) and so that the
names will be available for the nearly complete world catalogue (Bellamy, in prep.,
see Bellamy 2003).
Abbreviations used in the text are:
CLBC C. L. Bellamy research collection, Sacramento, California;
LACM Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, California;
MCCI Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Carmagnola, Italy;
TMSA Transvaal Museum, Pretoria, South Africa.
Bellamyus opacus sp. nov.
(Fig. 1)
T y p e 1 o c a 1 i t y: Central Cameroon.
S p e c i m e n s e x a m i n e d. Holotype $ (MCCI): "Cameroun centre, VI. 1997, Desfontaine leg."
Paratype $2, "Cameroun centre, VI. 199 1, Desfontaine leg." (CLBC).
D e s c r i p t i o n. Holotype, male. Length 12.0 mm.; glabrous, dark, with head black,
pronotum cupreous, elytra green. Ventral surface cupreous with white pubescence
%?--

176 Two new species of African Agrilini (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilinae)
more concentrated at metecoxa and at anterolateral portion of each ventrite;
corresponding spots occur on lateroterga. Legs cupreous.
Head. Vertex flat in dorsal view, % the width of anterior margin of pronotum.
Frons furrowed in middle, covered with brief white pubescence at tlie base; black
pubescence in the rest of the frons, appreciable in profile only. Clypeus reduced,
without transversal carina. Antennae short and small, with antennomeres widened
from IV. Eyes relatively large with respect to the head.
Thorax. Pronotum widest at midpoint, with lateral margins regularly rounded
and lateroposterior angles obtuse. Disc without premarginal carina, replaced by a
rounded swelling. Superficial sculpture formed by transverse striae except near
lateroposterior angles, where it is concentric to the swelling. Sublateral carina
contiguous to lateral carina at posterior %. Anterior prosternal lobe feebly produced
and sub-sinuate medially. Prosternal process with lateral margins parallel.
Scutellum. Large, quadrangular, without transverse carina.
Elytra with apices rounded, expanded and denticulate.
Legs. Metafemur slender. Metatarsus short: first metatarsomere only as long as
combined length of I1 and III together. All claws bifid.
Aedeagus strongly sclerotized, black, with median lobe subacute apically.
Variation. One female paratype: length 13.8 mm. Apart from the larger size, the
only visible difference is sexual: all the claws are mucronate.
E t y m o 1 o g y. The specific epithet refers to the dark coloration of the integument.
C o m m e n t s. Bellamyus opacus sp. nov. is the fourth species to be discovered in
this relatively new genus (Curletti 1997b). The other three are B. fulgidus Curletti,
1997 from Congo, Gabon and Ivory Coast, B. maddalenae Curletti, 2002 from Ivory
Coast, B. acutiformis Curletti, 2002 from Congo (Curletti 2002). With a flattened frons
and the form of the anterior portion of the prosternal lobe, B. opacus sp. nov. is most
similar to B. acutlformis. This latter species (Fig. 2) differs with the body longer, a
more acuminate elytral apex, the coloration more brilliant (pronotum red, elytra blue),
prosternal process rhomboidal, and aedeagus with parameres wider apically.
Agrilus (Lilliput) pulex spa nova
(Fig. 3)
T y p e 1 o c a 1 i t y: South Africa, Waterberg Mts., Geelhoutbush farm, 24.22"s 27.33"E.
S p e c i m e n s e x a m i n e d. Holotype $ (TMSA): "S. Afr., Waterberg, Geelhoutbush farm,
24.22s - 27.33E, 9.10.1995, E-Y 3 157, Pyrethrum fogging, Acacia erubescens Welw. ex Oliv.,
Endrody & Bellamy legg.". Paratypes: 1 $ and 6 3 9, same data (3 TMSA, 2 CLBC, 2 MCCI).
D e s c r i p t i o n. Holotype, male. Length 3.0 mm. Uniformly bronzed, dorsally
covered with long, white pubescence; ventral side with pubescence less dense than
dorsal.
Head projecting, ovoid, with vertex % width of anterior margin of pronotum.
Frons smooth with obsolete sculpture. Clypeus transversely carinate. Eyes large.

Folia Heyrovskyana, vol. 12(2004)(4): 175-178,2005 177
Figs 1-3. 1 - Bellamyus opacus sp. nov., holotype; 2 - Bellamyus acutiformis Curletti, 2002, holotype;
3 - Agrilus (Lilliput) pulex sp. nov., holotype.
Antennae short, with median and apical antennomeres very transverse, expanded
from fifth.
Pronotum widest anteriad middle, with lateral margins arcuately rounded and
sinuate before posterior margin. Posterior angles obtuse. Disc with long white
pubescence not covering the integument, regularly convex, without depressions.
Sculpture superficial, formed by vertical wide striae. Premarginal carinula absent.
Lateral carinae parallel, separate also at the base. Anterior prosternal lobe rounded.
Scutellum with transverse carina.
Elytra with the same regular white pubescence of the pronotum. Apices separately
rounded and microdenticulate.
Legs. First metatarsomere as long as 11, Ill and IV together. Anterior claws bifid.
Aedeagus elongate, thin and parallel.
Variation. 1 8 and 6 9 9 paratypes: length from 2.5 to 3.2 mm. The females
have the anterior claws mucronate.
E t y m o 1 o g y. The specific epithet refers to the diminutive size of this species.

178 Two new species of African Agrilini (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilinae)
C o m m e n t s. With the uniform pubescence on the elytra, Agrilus (Lilliput) pulex
sp. nov. is similar to A. (L.) paracuspidadus Obenberger, 1939 from South Africa,
A. (L.) pseudolituratus Descarpentries, 1959 from Tanzania, A. (L.) sangadzinus Thery,
1934 from Mozambique, and A. (L.) fossithorax Thery, 1955 from South Africa and
Zimbabwe. These species are similar with the presence of premarginal carinula that
is absent in A. (L.) pulex sp. nov.
References
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(Coleoptera). Folia Heyrovskyana Suppl. 10: 1-1 97 pp., 44 plates.
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