Revision of the subgenus Chalcotaenia of Paracupta (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Chrysochroinae) and specification of Buprestis xanthocera Boisduval, 1835 as the type-species of the genus Paracupta Author Frank, David text Zootaxa 2024 2024-12-20 5555 4 535 568 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5555.4.3 journal article 307456 10.11646/zootaxa.5555.4.3 565aade4-1d52-4a2e-b95f-6e6c2cbafd09 1175-5326 14594963 D905A4F9-35E5-4EE8-86AF-17CE358E05E8 Paracupta ( Chalcotaenia ) lamberti (Laporte de Castelnau & Gory, 1837 ) ( Figs 30–35 , 65, 66 , 74 ) INVALID NAME: Evides ? Lambertii Hope (1836) : 9 (nomen nudum, see ‘Remarks’). Chrysodema Lamberti Laporte de Castelnau & Gory (1837) : 14 (original description, incl. colour Fig. 18 , Pl. 4). Chalcotaenia Lamberti : Deyrolle (1864) : 12 (noted in description of Chalcotaenia ); Saunders (1868) : 7 (redescription); Waterhouse (1875) : 203 (comparison with C. elongata ); Kerremans (1892) : 43 (catalogue); Kerremans (1903) : 77 (catalogue); Kerremans (1909) : 3 (key), 5 (redescription); Carter (1922) : 66 (key to species); Obenberger (1926) : 145 (catalogue); Obenberger (1928) : 28 (noted in description of Chalcophorotaenia ); Bellamy (2006) : 23 , 24 (noted). Chalcophora Lamberti : Gemminger & Harold (1869) : 1358 (catalogue), Masters (1886) : 89 (catalogue). Chalcotaenia Lambertii [sic!]: Saunders (1871) : 15 (catalogue). Chrysodema ( Chalcotaenia ) Lamberti : Théry (1926) : 66 (downgraded Chalcotaenia to the subgenus of Chrysodema ). Paracupta ( Chalcotaenia ) lamberti : Hołyński (1997) : 182 (classification, phylogeny), 188 (catalogue); Bellamy (2003) : 33 (catalogue); Bellamy (2008) : 506 (catalogue); Hołyński (2014) : 409 (classification, remarks). Paracupta lamberti : Williams, Mitchell & Sundholm (2024) : 66 (monograph), 103 (Fig. 291). Type locality. ‘Nouv.- Hollande .’ [Nouvelle-Hollande = Australia ] . Type material examined. NEOTYPE (present designation): ♂ (22.75 × 7.00 mm; Figs 30–32, 35 , 65 ), ‘[in front of row of specimens]: Lambertii | Hope | Australie [w, h; red border] || [under specimen]: MUSÉUM PARIS | 1952 | COLL. R. OBERTHÜR [w, p]’ ( MNHN ). The specimen was provided with an additional red printed label: ‘ NEOTYPE ♂ | Chrysodema | lamberti | LAPORTE DE CAST. & GORY, 1837 | David Frank des. I.2024 [date handwritten]’. Additional material examined ( 1 ♂ , 6 ♀ ). AUSTRALIA : the same data as neotype, ♀ ( MNHN ); [in front of row of specimens]: Lambertii | Hope |Australie [w, h; red border]; [under specimen]: Ex Musaeo JAMES THOMSON, MUSÉUM PARIS, 1952, COLL. R. OBERTHÜR, ♀ ( MNHN ); Australia, [Roberte] Bakewell, ♀ ( MNHN ). NEW SOUTH WALES : [upper side]: New South Wales ; [underside]: R. River , ♂ ( MNHN , Figs 33, 34 , 66 ); N. S. Wales , ♀ ( NMPC , ex coll. Kubáň ). UNCLEAR LOCALITY DATA [see ‘ RemarKs’ ]: Richmond , ♀ (DFPC, figured in Hołyński (2014: 409 , Fig. 8 )); Nouvelle Hollande , Swan River , ♀ ( MHNG , ex coll. Lander ) . Material from MarK Hanlon collection, checKed by photos ( 1 ♂ , 6 ♀ ). AUSTRALIA : NEW SOUTH WALES : The Glade Picnic Area ; Dorrigo NP , NSW, 3-6 Jan. 2006 , R. de Keyzer , 1 ♂ ( MHPA ); National Park, Sydney, NSW, H.W. Brown , 2 ♀♀ ( MHPA ); Iluka Nature Reserve , NSW, 30.Jan.1995 , 1 ♀ ( MHPA ); Cambewarra, NSW, H.W.Brown , December, Taken on Fig , 2 ♀♀ ( MHPA ); 2 km NE of Harrington , NSW, 1 February 2016 , G. & T. Williams , Ex littoral rainforest, 1 ♀ ( MHPA ) . Description of neotype . Preserved ♂ specimen, left antenna missing from antennomere VII, right from antennomere III, right fore leg without tarsus and left hind leg without last tarsomere. Metasternum partly damaged. Length 22.75 mm , width 7.00 mm, length/width ratio: 3.25. Body navicular, black-violet with green-bronze intercostal areas, sulci on pronotum and macropunctures. Four well developed costae on each elytron. Ventral side and legs green-bronze. Head dark violet, macropunctate and sparsely micropunctate. Eyes large, oval. Frons 1.6× as wide as diameter of eye, impressed with deep medial green sulcus, macropunctate, sparsely pubescent. Labrum dark brown, pubescent. Antennae serrate from antennomere IV. Antennomeres I and II dark green-violet, metallic, sparsely macropunctate and pubescent; radicula and antennomeres from III dark brown-black, sparsely pubescent. Antennomere II ca. 2× shorter than I and III. Maxillae, labium, maxillary palpi and labial palpi brown, densely pubescent. Pronotum trapezoidal with three longitudal sulci, narrowing anteriad with almost straight sides, widest at base, 1.3× as wide as long, macropunctate and micropunctate. Anterior margin arcuate, lobe moderately protruding, pubescent. Basic colour dark violet, macropunctures and sulci green-bronze. Medial sulcus well developed, lateral sulci reduced to impressions. Lateral margin violet with green macropunctures, shiny. Basal margin very slightly bisinuate. Scutellum small, trapezoidal, green-violet, shiny. Elytra slightly wider than pronotum at base, parallel at basal half, narrowing from mid-length to apex, moderately convex in lateral view. Lateral margins moderately arcuate below humeral calli, serrate at apical quarter. Basic colour dark violet, intercostal intervals and macropunctures green-bronze. Four distinctly elevated costae on each elytron, 1 st costa parallel to suture, 2 nd joined to 1 st before apex. 3 rd costa separated, shortened, reaching to 3/4 length of elytra. 4 th costa also separated slightly indicated at apical quarter. Suture and costae sparsely macropunctate and micropunctate, intercostal intervals irregularly very densely macropunctate, sparsely micropunctate and with short pubescence denser at lateral parts. Epipleura horizontal, green-violet at basal half, dark green at apical half, dark at apex, sparsely macropunctate and pubescent. Legs green-violet with bronze reflections, metallic. Femora green, densely macropunctate and pubescent on inner side, sparsely on outer side, tibiae green-violet, regularly macropunctate and pubescent. Tibiae with two apical ventral spurs. Tarsi dark green, metallic, tarsal claws divergent and simple. Ventral side dark green-bronze with violet parts, metallic. Hypomeron green, very sparsely macropunctate, shiny, prosternum bronze, macropunctate. Anterior margin of prosternum pubescent. Prosternal process biconcave-sided, arcuately narrowed at apex, approximately 2.6× as long as wide, macropunctate and pubescent at central part. Metasternum violet and sparsely macropunctate at central part, green, densely and finely macropunctate with pubescence on sides. Abdominal ventrites I–V centrally sparsely macropunctate and shiny, laterally densely and finely macropunctate with short pubescence. Apical part with large ‘V’ shaped notch. Aedeagus narrowly regularly navicular, widest at apical third, length: 5.45 mm , width: 0.91 mm , length/width ratio: 5.99. Parameres open at apical third, apices of parameres rounded; apex of penis rounded triangular ( Fig. 65 ). Variation. Body ♂♂ (n = 2) length: 19.50–22.75 mm , width: 6.00–7.00 mm, length/width ratio: 3.25; ♀♀ (n = 6): length: 25.00–28.00 (average 26.63) mm, width: 8.00–9.00 (average 8.54) mm, length/width ratio: (3.06)3.11– 3.14 (average 3.12). Colour of intercostal intervals from green to dark green. Aedeagus (n = 2) length: 5.09–5.45 mm , width: 0.86–0.91 mm , length/width ratio: 5.92–5.99. Differential diagnosis. Paracupta ( C .) lambertii can be easily distinguished from the other taxa with metallic tarsi by having only three sulci on pronotum (intermedial sulci are missing). For additional characters see Key to species. FIGURES 30–41. 30–32, 35— Paracupta ( Chalcotaenia ) lamberti (Laporte de Castelnau & Gory, 1837 ) (neotype, ♂ 22.75 mm, MNHN). 33, 34— P. ( C. ) lamberti (♂ 19.50 mm, MNHN). 36— P. ( C. ) jakli sp. nov. (paratype, ♂ 26.75 mm, DFPC, Malaita Is.). 37— P. ( C. ) jakli sp. nov. (♀ 32.25 mm, DFPC, Russell Is.). 38— P. ( C. ) jakli sp. nov. (holotype, ♂ 28.50 mm, BMNH, Guadalcanal Is.). 39— P. ( C. ) jakli sp. nov. (♀ 34.00 mm, MNHN, Tulagi Is.). 40— P. ( C. ) horaki sp. nov. (paratype, ♀ 33.75 mm, NMPC, Seram Is.). 41— P. ( C. ) laperousei sp. nov. (paratype, ♀ 31.75 mm, NMPC, Bacan Is.). 30, 33—dorsal view; 31—ventral view; 32—lateral view; 34–39—labels; 40–41—abdominal ventrites. FIGURES 42–47. 42–44— Paracupta ( Chalcotaenia ) horaki sp. nov. (holotype, ♂ 25.50 mm, BMNH, Seram Is.). 45— P. ( C. ) horaki sp. nov. (paratype, ♂ 27.25 mm, MNHN, Seram Is.). 46— P. ( C. ) horaki sp. nov. (paratype, ♀ 33.75 mm, NMPC, Seram Is.). 47— P. ( C. ) horaki sp. nov. (♀ 34.00 mm, SGBG, Mangole Is.). 42, 45–47—dorsal view; 43—ventral view; 44—lateral view. Distribution. East Australia , known from New South Wales ( Fig. 74 ). Remarks. Hope (1836) described ‘ Evides ? Lambertii ’ but this article has never been published within the meaning of Code of Zoological Nomenclature and all used names are invalid ( ICZN, 1950 ; see also Carter, 1945 ; Jordan , 1945 and Obenberger, 1956 ). The first subsequent redescription was published by Laporte de Castelnau & Gory (1837) therefore they must be considered authors of name Chrysodema lamberti although they did not treat the taxon as new species. Laporte de Castelnau & Gory (1837) did not specify explicitly how many specimens they had at their disposal when (re)describing Chrysodema lamberti . They mentioned only depository in ‘Du cabinet des auteurs’ and a single length and width measurement ‘Long. 9 lig. ½. Larg. 3 lig. [21,47 × 6.78 mm ]’ in their description. There are two specimens pinned after Deyrolle’s label under C. lamberti , labelled as from the collection of R. Oberthür and without further locality data in MNHN. However, according to Horn & Kahle (1935) and Cambefort (2006) , major part of Buprestidae from Gory’s collections and duplicates from Laporte de Castelnau’s collections are deposited in MNHN via F. Th. de La Ferté-Sénectère, G. V. Mniszech and R. Oberthür (it is very likely the type (s) are deposited here), not all specimens described by these authors must nowadays be in the collection of R. Oberthür. Therefore it is not certain whether those two specimens are from the collection of Laporte de Castelnau and Gory and they cannot be automatically considered as the types . Henri Deyrolle (at that time curator of the G. V. Mniszech collection) indicated presence of the type material within each series (if not described by himself) by inscription on the labels pinned in front of the rows of specimens. However, since he considered F. W. Hope as the author of C. lamberti he would not indicate it on the label for specimens from Laporte de Castelnau’s or Gory’s collections. One of the examined specimens (male) from the Oberthür’s collection without locality label has similar measurements (22.75 × 7.00 mm) as those mentioned by Laporte de Castelnau & Gory (1837) and actually could be the one from Laporte de Castelnau’s or Gory’s collections. As there are no other existing specimens that might be interpreted as types I designate the abovementioned specimen a neotype to avoid any further misinterpretation. Because Paracupta ( Chalcotaenia ) lamberti is the type-species of the subgenus Chalcotaenia I consider designation of the type necessary. Hołyński (2014: 408 , Fig. 4 ) presented a photo of P. ( C. ) lamberti with locality data ‘ Australia : Queensland’ . I examined the specimen and it has old rounded label ‘Rich- | mond. [w(c), h; round]’. Although there is Richmond in Queensland [ 20°43'53"S , 143°8'31"E ] the likelier locality is Richmond in New South Wales [ 33°36'1"S , 150°45'2"E ] which is very close to the other (provable) localities. I examined a specimen with incorrect (or unclear) locality data ‘600/1 | Swan Riv | Nouv. Holl. | Coll. Mcley [w, h/p] || Nlle. Holla. | Swan River | Whittte. [w, h]’ in MHNG (ex coll. Lander). The well known Swan River is in West Australia (flowing through Perth) but I found no river of this name on east coast.