Acmaeodera parasuperba Hansen and Westcott, 2024

Acmaeodera parasuperba Hansen and Westcott , new species

( Fig. 1a View Figure 1 )

Description. Holotype male: Length 11.12 mm, width 4.24 mm; robust; dorsal surface moderately clothed with erect long black setae; head and pronotum shining green, immaculate; elytra strongly shining, green blending to blue and narrowly purple just before irregular broad red transverse band that is interrupted by suture, then narrowly purple blending to blue apically; beneath shining slightly bluish-green, rather densely clothed with moderately long subrecumbent white setae.

Head. Densely, cribrately punctured; front convex, slightly flattened above, vertex with median carina extending from occiput to frons; clypeus deeply, arcuately emarginate, clothed with setae lighter than those on frons; eyes with inner margins parallel, oval, wider below than at vertex; antennal insertions separated by less than the length of the first antennomere; antennae reaching middle of pronotum when laid along the lateral margin, first antennomere as long as the following three united, which are globular, antennomeres serrate from fifth, 5–10 triangular, 11 th subquadrate. Pronotum. With blue sheen, slightly wider than two times the length, widest behind middle, immaculate; punctures on disc separated by two times their diameter, larger and closer together laterally, each with a single black seta; anterior margin broadly sinuate, slightly produced medially; posterior margin straight; lateral margin narrowly reflexed, visible from apex to just before base from above; three depressions at base, one at middle flanked by two laterally. Elytra. Base depressed at suture; umbone not prominent; basolateral angle quadrate; strial punctures much narrower than interspaces on disc; interstrial spaces with small, shallow punctures each with a single black seta; sides subparallel to about middle then attenuate to narrowly rounded apices; lateral margin serrate from middle to apices, sinuate at metacoxa when viewed laterally. Venter. Densely punctate; prosternum with anterior margin retracted and slightly sinuate; proepimieron with large punctures set close together; metacoxa with inner margin slightly dilated, anterior margin sinuate, posterior margin arcuate; last abdominal ventrite without subapical carina, margin strongly reflexed downward. Legs. Femoral setae longer than width of femur.

Material examined. Holotype: “ MEXICO: Michoacan | 24km. S Las Canas | (Pueblo Nuevo), Ruta | 37, 28-IX-1986 | R.Miller & L.Stange. || HOLOTYPE | Acmaeodera | parasuperba | Hansen & Westcott ‘24” [handwritten on red rectangular label] [ CSCA]. Paratypes are from the following localities in Michoacán: same as holotype (11); Km 167.5, hwy. 37, 32 km S Cuatro Caminos, 230 m, 18°47.643′, -102°04.782′, 28-viii-2002 (4); same, except 2-x-2022 (2); 2.3 km S Cupuancillo (hwy. 37, S of Chilar), 18°47.862′, -102°06.408′, 2-x-2002 (3); MEXICO, Michoacán, 5 Km W Zicuirán, hwy. to Cuatro Caminos, 250 m, 18°53.548′, -102°01.030′, 26.viii.02 (1) [ CSCA, JAHC, RLWE, UCDC]; 29.5 km S Cuatro Caminos, Hwy. 37, 18°47.643′N, - 102°04.782′W, 230 m, 2-viii-2005, cut ex dead branch Mimosa benthamii Macbr. ( Fabaceae ) (1) [ TCMC].

Variation. Specimens range in length from 9.39–12.21 mm. One specimen examined has a small red basolateral spot on either side of the pronotum. Another has a small, approximately square orange-red marking at the elytral base on either side of the sutural interval. Most are like the holotype, the ground color bright metallic green except blue just anterior to red marking and at apex. Variants range from blue to black, all with metallic reflections above and below to at least some degree. All have the characteristic large preapical elytral red markings, which vary only slightly in shape. The fifth ventrite is shallowly depressed laterally, without a subapical plate, but sometimes has a slight transverse swelling behind apical margin.

Sexual dimorphism. In males, the ungual teeth of the tarsal claws are larger and clearly extend more than half the length of a claw. In females the teeth do not exceed half the length of a claw. The eighth sternite covering the aedeagus is dark yellow to yellow or light brown apically but dark brown covering the ovipositor. The junior author has observed this distinction many times in the genus Acmaeodera , but we have not seen it discussed. Unfortunately, this character is not always visible on a dry specimen without relaxing it.

Etymology. The specific epithet is an adjective referring to its similarity to Acmaeodera superba Waterhouse , based on the Greek “ para- “ meaning resembling.

Discussion. This species can easily be distinguished from A. superba ( Fig. 1b View Figure 1 ) by the difference in pronotal shape and elytral markings. The pronotum of A. parasuperba is less expanded at the base and less strongly convergent to the apex. A basal orange-red spot at the base of each elytron is absent in A. parasuperba but almost always present in A. superba ; only four of the 65 specimens examined lack it.

cmaeodera parasuperba appears to be restricted to the lower thorn woodland vegetation type between 187 and 228 meters elevation. The one exception we have seen is at 590 meters. All 65 specimens of A. superba we examined were from the tropical dry forest vegetation type, at elevations ranging from 1200–1400 meters. An exception was a specimen collected at only 550 meters, and it was the closest to any of the localities where the new species is found, at a distance of 267 km SbW ( Fig. 2 View Figure 2 ).