Agrilus Curtis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) of the Baja California peninsula, México
Author
Hespenheide, Henry A.
Author
Westcott, Richard L.
Author
Bellamy, Charles L.
text
Zootaxa
2011
2805
36
56
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.277078
0f7d868c-14a8-43b4-aca7-5b54c6915b0d
1175-5326
277078
Agrilus jacobinus
Horn 1891
(Figs. 67–68)
BCN, Ensenada, N.L.H. Krauss (CAS);
4 mi
S el Condor,
13-VI-81
, Brown & Faulkner (SDMC).
Cazier (1951)
recorded the species from Chihuahua, but we strongly suspect that was based on a misidentification. Otherwise,
A.
jacobinus
has been known only from southern California. It belongs to a difficult group, which includes the aforementioned
A. felix
, that is in need of revision.
Agrilus lacustris
LeConte 1860
(Figs. 45–46)
We have seen only a few specimens from Baja California, and the only previous specific record is from San José del Cabo, BCS (
Horn 1894
). We have examined specimens from the following localities: BCN,
49 mi
SE Ensenada, E.L. Sleeper (CAS); El Descanso,
27-V-68
, D.S. Verity (DSVC). BCS, Bahía de los Frailes,
14-VIII-55
, J.P. Figg-Hoblyn (CAS); San José Viejo,
17-VII-68
; San José del Cabo,
IX-10
(TAMU); near Santa Catarina. Elsewhere in
Mexico
it has been recorded from states in northern
Mexico
, and in Veracruz. It is widespread in the
U.S.
, and occurs in Ontario,
Canada
. Adults have been collected on
Croton pottsii
(Klotzsch) Müll. Arg.
and
C. punctatus
Jacq. (Euphorbiaceae)
and
Solanum
sp. (
Solanaceae
).
Agrilus lucanus
Fall 1906
(Figs. 14–15)
On the peninsula this species is known only from the Cape Region, BCS, and was described from one specimen taken at El Taste. We have seen others, all from the vicinities of La Burrera, ±
23°30’N
,
110°00’W
,
580–900 m
; and La Huerta, ±
24°04’N
,
110°13’W
, ±
410 m
, collected during August to October (CLBC, CHAH, RLWE, WFBM). One of us (RLW) beat a series from foliage of
Diospyros californica
(Brandegee) I.M. Johnston
var.
californica
(Ebenaceae)
,
7.5 km
E La Burrera, nearby a stream in the canyon,
14-X-78
. Sighting fresh emergence holes in a dead branch led to this collection, thus strongly implicating this plant as the larval host. Further evidence is that most if not all the other specimens mentioned here were also taken on that plant. No other host is known. This Mexican species of
Agrilus
has also been recorded from Sinaloa, Zacatecas, Morelos and Oaxaca.
Agrilus paraimpexus
Hespenheide 2007
(Figs. 57–58)
Specimens of this species from Baja California formerly were treated under
A. addendus
Crotch (
Horn 1894
)
or
A. impexus
Horn
, but
Hespenheide (2007)
showed that three species are involved, with only
A. paraimpexus
being found on the peninsula. We have seen specimens of this widespread and common beetle from as far north as San Matias Pass (ca.
31.31°N
,
115.50°W
) in BCN, south throughout the arid and semi-arid portions of the peninsula, from where adult collections are known only from leguminous trees and shrubs, notably mesquite, with a single, surely incidental collection on
Eriogonum fasciculatum
. However, it has been reared only from dead twigs of
Argythamnia
b. brandegeei
Millspaugh (sometimes placed in the genus
Ditaxis
).” Dates of collection range from March to July in BCN, April to October in BCS (
Hespenheide 2007
). Elsewhere
A. paraimpexus
ranges widely, occurring from S California to SW New
Mexico
, southward to
Costa Rica
, and all adult collections and the single rearing record (
Pomaria jamesii
(Torr. & A. Gray) Walp.
=
Hoffmannseggia jamesii
Torr. & A. Gray
are from plants in the family
Fabaceae
.
Agrilus parvus californicus
Westcott and Nelson 2000
(Figs. 49–50)
This subspecies is known on the peninsula from only a single locality in BCN near the southern end of the Sierra Juárez,
31°52'24"N
,
116°05'27"W
, taken in a malaise trap. Elsewhere it is known only from southern California, collected from its presumed host plant,
Amorpha fruticosa
L. (
Fabaceae
). The nominate subspecies is recorded from central Arizona eastward over much of the
U.S.
PLATE 2.
Dorsal and lateral views of species of
Agrilus
from Baja California; scale bars =
1 mm
: Figures 14–15,
A. lucanus
Fall
; 16–17,
A. fisherianus
Knull
; 18–19,
A. fisherellus
Obenberger
; 20–21, (male), 22 (female)
A. walsinghami
Crotch
; 23–24,
A. quadriguttatus niveiventris
Horn.
Agrilus pectoralis
Waterhouse 1889
(Figs. 59–60)
This species was recorded from as far north as
10 mi
S of Punta Prieta, BCN, south to
20 mi
W of Santa Rosalia, BCS (
Van Dyke 1942
, as its synonym
A. palmacollis
Horn 1891
). We have examined numerous specimens from near Penjamo, BCN southward to near Cabo San Lucas, BCS. Dates of collection range from March to November, the majority being taken from June through August. The only specimens with host data were beaten from
Prosopis glandulosa
var.
torreyana
. Outside Baja California,
A. pectoralis
occurs from S. California to Texas, south through
Mexico
to Hidalgo and Guerrero. Larval and adult hosts all are trees in the family
Fabaceae
.
PLATE 3.
Dorsal and lateral views of species of
Agrilus
from Baja California; scale bars =
1 mm
: Figures 25–26,
A. inhabilis inhabilis
Kerremans
; 27–28,
A. inhabilis chalcogaster
Van Dyke
; 29–30,
A. detractus
Waterhouse
; 31–32, 33 (genitalia),
A. coxalis
Waterhouse
; 34–35, 36 (genitalia),
A. auroguttatus
Schaeffer
; 37–38,
A. politus
(Say)
.
PLATE 4.
Dorsal and lateral views of species of
Agrilus
from Baja California; scale bars =
1 mm
: Figures 39–40,
A. arbuti
Fisher
; 41–42,
A. angelicus
Horn
; 43–44,
A. gibbicollis
Fall
; 45–46,
A. lacustris
LeConte
; 47–48,
A. harenus
Nelson
; 49–50,
A. parvus californicus
Westcott & Nelson.
Agrilus peninsularis
Van Dyke 1942
(Figs. 54–56)
This endemic is one of the most common species of
Agrilus
on the peninsula, especially in BCS. Nevertheless, nothing about it has been published since the original description, at which time its habits were unknown. We have examined numerous specimens from just south of Punta Prieta southward throughout most of the peninsula all the way to Cabo San Lucas, a region that encompasses the collections recorded by
Van Dyke (1942)
. That author recorded 17
paratypes
; however, one of us (RLW) discovered that most of them had not been labeled as such. This has been corrected. As noted above, specimens from the two northernmost localities listed by
Van Dyke (1942)
for this species actually refer to
A. abstersus
. The two species are very closely related, but seem to be reliably separated based on the characters given in the key. Whether or not their ranges overlap remains to be determined, although based on specimens we examined there is a distance of only about
70 km
between them. Oddly, we have seen no records of
A. abstersus
from northeastern BCN, although it is expected from there. Dates of capture for
A. peninsularis
range from June to October, all those collected in the latter month being from the Cape Region. Adults have been collected only from shrubs and trees of the family
Fabaceae
, mostly by beating, as follows:
Cercidium
sp.,
Mimosa xantii
Gray
,
Olneya tesota
A. Gray
,
Ebenopsis confinis
(Standl.) Britton & Rose
(=
Pithecellobium confine
Standley
), and
Prosopis glandulosa
var.
torreyana
. A vast majority of the specimens bearing host data were collected on the latter plant.