A new species of Conognatha Eschscholtz, 1829 from northwest Colombia (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)

Abstract

Conognatha (Pithiscus) rhombofasciatasp. nov. (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Stigmoderini), from northwest Colombia, is described and illustrated. The type specimen of Conognatha (Pithiscus) rochereauiThéry, 1932 was examined and is here recognized as the holotype by monotypy. The known distribution of C. (P.) rochereaui Théry, 1932 is extended to the department of Antioquia, and new collection records are provided for C. (P.) brevicollis (Kirsch, 1866), and C. (P.) lebasii (Mannerheim, 1837). Additionally, a simplified key to the Colombian species of Conognatha is proposed.

Keywords:
Distribution; Jewel beetles; Pithiscus; Stigmoderini; Taxonomy.

INTRODUCTION

Conognatha Eschscholtz, 1829 has a Neotropical distribution occurring from the southern states of Mexico to Chile and Argentina.

The species within the genus are classified into two subgenera: Pithiscus Solier, 1849, distinguished by the lack of a developed prosternal process, and Conognatha Eschscholtz, 1829, distinguished by the presence of a developed prosternal process with an anterior prominence (Moore & Lander, 2010).

The genus is represented by 84 species and five non-nominotypical subspecies, of which 11 species and one non-nominotypical subspecies are known from Colombia: Conognatha (Conognatha) abdominalis Waterhouse, 1912, C. (C.) batesi Saunders, 1869, C. (C.) interrupta Waterhouse, 1882, C. (C.) iris vargasii (Rojas, 1855), C. (C.) mayeti Théry, 1904, C. (Pithiscus) brevicollis (Kirsch, 1866), C. (P.) calliomaThéry, 1932, C. (P.) coeruleipennis (Obenberger, 1922), C. (P.) lebasii (Mannerheim, 1837), C. (P.) olivacea Saunders, 1869, C. (P.) rochereauiThéry, 1932, and C. (P.) semenovi Obenberger, 1928 (Bellamy, 2008; Moore, 2019; Pineda et al., 2022; Pineda et al., 2023).

This paper aims to contribute to the knowledge of Colombian species of Conognatha primarily by describing a new species of the subgenus Pithiscus from northwestern Colombia and extending the known range of C. (P.) rochereaui to the department of Antioquia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Label data of type material are given verbatim between quotation marks “ ”, different lines of a label are separated by one vertical bar “|”, different labels are indicated by two vertical bars “||”, additional information not written on the label is given between square brackets “[ ]”. The abbreviations for institutional and private collections used in the text are: MNHN: National Museum of Natural History of Paris, France; CEUA: Colección Entomológica Universidad de Antioquia, Antioquia, Colombia; CFPL: Colección familia Pardo-Locarno, Palmira, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

RESULTS

Conognatha (Pithiscus) rochereauiThéry, 1932 (Figs.1-9)

Type locality: Pampluna, État de Santander, Colombie, 2,500 m (Théry, 1932).

Collector or donor (not specified): P. Rochereau, 1920.

Distribution: In Colombia (Santander and Antioquia).

Specimen examined: 1 specimen: CO Ant San Carlos Vda. Serranias Porvenir Red de Golpe 2013-05-18 C. Bota & C. Flórez CEUA 91825 (CEUA) New record. Previously known from Santander (Moore & Lander, 2010).

Type material: Holotype: Male: “COLOMBIE | Santander | Pampluna | 2500 m || MUSÉUM PARIS | 1935 | Coll. A. THÉRY || TYPE || HOLOTYPE || Conognatha | (Pithiscus) | rochereaui | Thery, 1932 | Dét. T. LANDER 19 || MNHN, Paris | EC21547” (MNHN).

Figures 1-5
Male holotype of Conognatha (Pithiscus) rochereauiThéry, 1932. (1) Dorsal view. (2) Ventral view. (3) Lateral view. (4) Aedeagus, ventral view. (5) Labels.

Figures 6-9
Conognatha (Pithiscus) rhombofasciatasp. nov., Female holotype. (6) Dorsal view. (7) Frontal view. (8-9) Ovipositor. (8) Dorsal view. (9) Ventral view.

Recognition of the holotype by monotypy: The holotype specimen of this species was not originally designated by Théry (1932). The repository of the type material was not specified. The type material of this species consists of a single specimen deposited in the entomological collection of André Théry at the National Museum of Natural History of Paris, France (MNHN), which was first located and illustrated by Moore & Lander (2010). Currently, this specimen bears six labels, but it can be concluded that these are not original, based on the statement by Tiéri Lander in Moore & Lander (2010), who noted that the specimen did not have any labels when it was located in Théry’s collection. The label identifying this specimen as the holotype is not valid, since its designation as such was not formally published. Following the guidelines of Article 73.1.2 of the ICZN (1999), the specimen in question is recognized as the holotype by monotypy of Conognatha (Pithiscus) rochereaui Théry, 1932, based on the fact that, firstly, the original description implicitly states that the species was described from a single specimen, as it only mentions one size (length 21.5 mm, width 7.75 mm). Additionally, as shown in Figs. 1-5, this specimen matches perfectly with Théry’s original illustration (Théry, 1932, p. 172).

Conognatha (Pithiscus) rhombofasciata Pineda, Taboada-Verona & Alzate-Cano sp. nov. (Figs. 1 - 9 )

Type locality: Páramo de Belmira, Antioquia, Colombia.

Figures 10-13
Conognatha (Pithiscus) rhombofasciatasp. nov., Male paratype. (10) Dorsal view. (11) Frontal view. (12-13) Aedeagus. (12) Dorsal view. (13) Ventral view.

Distribution: In Colombia (Antioquia).

Type material: Holotype: Female: “CO ant Belmira Páramo de Belmira | 6°38′43.9″N 75°40′10″W 3241 masl | Páramo Jama | A.L. Montoya 2-5-Mayo-2008 | CEUA 43415” [white label printed] || “HOLOTYPE | Conognatha (P.) rhombofasciata | Pineda, Taboada-Verona & Alzate-Cano, 2025” [red label printed] (CEUA). Paratypes: Male: “CO Ant. Belmira, Páramo de Santa Inés, el Morro, Humedal. 3200-3300 masl | 6,666685, -75,669869 | Páramo. Red entomológica | 02-14 Abr 2024. S. Serna-Muñoz | CEUA 156644” (CEUA). Male: “San Pedro ANT | En el suelo | Abril 1994 | Ever M. Reyes | Colombia” (CFPL). A yellow Label added to each paratype stating “PARATYPE | Conognatha (P.) rhombofasciata | Pineda, Taboada-Verona & Alzate-Cano, 2025”.

Description: Female: Measurements: Total length: 21 mm; prothoracic length: 3.8 mm; anterior prothoracic width: 3.7 mm; posterior prothoracic width: 6 mm; maximum prothoracic width: 6.8 mm; humeral width: 7.4 mm; elytral length: 16.7 mm. Head: Surface densely punctate with coarse punctures separated by spaces equal to or less than the width of one puncture. Pubescence inconspicuous. Antennae with antennomeres 1-3 subcylindrical; antennomeres 4-11 widened apically. Pronotum: Surface punctate with coarse punctures separated by spaces 2-3 times the width of one puncture. Pubescence consisting of scattered tufts of long setae that sparsely cover the surface. Pronotal base narrower than elytral base. Posterior angles not prominent and strongly rounded. Scutellum: Bluish black, smooth, glabrous, and reniform. Elytra: Orange with bluish-black ornamentation: a longitudinal humeral stripe on the anterior third that widens posteriorly and reaches the lateral margin; a transverse median band rhombus-shaped. Costae convex, separated by striae narrower than the width of a costa. Ventral surface: Bluish black. Surface punctate with fine, widely spaced punctures. Pubescence conspicuous, especially toward the sides. Genitalia: Ovipositor short; proctiger subquadrate; posterior margin nearly straight with a few long, rigid, erect setae protruding. Male: Aedeagus: Parameres finger-like in apical third, apex rounded with sparse long setae. Median lobe acuminate at apex, ventrally with parallel longitudinal grooves that converge toward the apex.

Intraspecific variation (n = 3): Total length: 18-21 mm. In the first paratype (Fig. 15), the bluish black area is more extended; the humeral stripe partially joins the transverse median band, and the orange preapical maculae are very reduced and narrow.

Etymology: The specific name derives from the Latin “rhombus” (meaning a rhombus or diamond) and “fasciatus” (meaning banded or striped).

Figures 14-16
Intraspecific variation of C. (P.) rhombofasciata sp. nov. (14) Holotype, female. (15-16) Paratypes, males.

Differential diagnosis: Conognatha (Pithiscus) rhombofasciata sp. nov. closely resembles C. (P.) rochereauiThéry, 1932 (Fig. 1-5), particularly specimens in which the bluish-black area is more extensively developed (Figs. 10-13,15). However, C. (P.) rhombofasciata can be readily distinguished from C. (P.) rochereaui by the elytra having costae separated by intervals that are narrower than the width of each costa (versus intervals approximately twice as wide as each costa in C. (P.) rochereaui).

Habitat: The Belmira complex, located in the department of Antioquia, is composed of two main nuclei: one to the north, in the municipality of Belmira, and another of lesser extent toward the south, in Entrerríos. Both nuclei preserve a notable proportion of natural páramo ecosystems, defined by high water availability throughout the year and by the presence of mountains of fluviogravitational origin. The páramo is almost completely surrounded by stunted high-Andean forests and, to a lesser extent, by fragments of mid-stature Andean forests (Corantioquia, 2005; Villa, 2024). The landscape also includes areas of frailejones, pajonales, and grasslands that intersperse with the characteristic vegetation of the high montane forest. Average temperatures around 2,800 masl range between 13 and 16℃, dropping to ranges of 8 to 10℃ at higher elevations. In the highest parts, annual precipitation ranges between 1,900 and 2,200 mm, reinforcing the cold and humid character typical of this ecosystem (Corantioquia, 2005; Castañeda, 2013).

Figure 17-19
C. (P.) rhombofasciatasp. nov. (17) Distribution map. (18-19) Type locality.

Figures 20-23
Dorsal views of Conognatha (Pithiscus) spp. (20) C. (P.) rochereauiThéry, 1932. (21-22) C. (P.) brevicollis (Kirsch, 1866). (23) C. (P.) callioma Théry, 1932.

Other material examined

C. brevicollis: 1 specimen: CO. Ant. Envigado El Salado 1,575 masl Jama Laura Forero 19 Febrero 2011 CEUA 62887 (CEUA). 1 specimen: Co, Ant. El Retiro, San Sebastián, Castellanca, 02/03/2025, 2,200 masl, Alzate Cano JD. (CEUA). Previously known from Antioquia and Cundinamarca (Moore & Lander, 2010).

C. lebasii: 1 specimen: CO33 Bogotá Páramo Cruz Verde 3,450 m-manual Sep 13/03 Posada and Parro CEUA 40857 (CEUA). Previously known from Cundinamarca, Boyacá and Meta (Bellamy, 2008; García et al., 2023; Pineda et al., 2025).

Key to the Colombian species of the genus Conognatha Eschscholtz, 1829 (Adapted from Moore & Lander, 2010)

1 Lateroposterior pronotal angles usually projecting and angular; prosternum prominent (Conognatha)2

1′ Lateroposterior pronotal angles usually not projecting; prosternum flat (Pithiscus)6

2 Abdominal ventrites concolorous; sometimes with yellow markings on ventrites of the males 3

2′ Abdominal ventrites yellowabdominalis Waterhouse, 1912

3 Body less than 3× longer tan wide 4

3′ Body 3× longer tan widemayeti Théry, 1904

4 Costae feeble or not developed on anterior portion 5

4′ Costae entirely developed, equivalent, parallelinterrupta Waterhouse, 1882

5 Elytra blue or green; abdomen of males with last three ventrites testaceousbatesi Saunders, 1869

5′ Elytra testaceous with black maculaeiris vargasii (Rojas, 1855)

6 Elytra with costae separated by intervals 2× wider tan each costae 7

6′ Elytra with costae separated by intervals slender than each costae 9

7 Elytra with ornamentation different from the general color 8

7′ Elytra dull green without ornamentationolivacea Saunders, 1869

8 Elytra dark mat blue with two slender fasciae testaceusrochereauiThéry, 1932

8′ Elytra blood red with discal dark green nitid maculalebasii (Mannerheim, 1837)

9 Elytra with anterior ½ red and posterior ½ dark bluecalliomaThéry, 1932

9′ Elytra with different color pattern 10

10 Elytra red with black fasciae just posterior midpoint of elytral lengthsemenovi Obenberger, 1928

10′ Elytra not red 11

11 Elytra testaceus with black ornamentations: preapical fasciae, small macula on humeral callus and apical maculabrevicollis (Kirsch, 1866)

11′ Elytra black or blue with orange ornamentation 12

12 Elytra black with purplish highlights; elytral ornamentation formed by long orange macula on lateral margin at level of metacoxae and sinuous fasciae on apical thirdcoeruleipennis (Obenberger, 1922)

12′ Elytra orange with bluish black ornamentation: longitudinal humeral stripe on the anterior third, becoming wider at the posterior side, reaching lateral margin; transverse median band in the shape of a rhombusrhombofasciata sp. nov.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

We would like to thank Hans Mühle and an anonymous reviewer for improving the manuscript by their valuable suggestions. We thank Christophe Rivier and Antoine Mantilleri (MNHN) for providing us with photographs of the holotype of Conognatha rochereaui. LCP-L would like to thanks to the Universidad del Pacífico for the research hours assigned during 2025.

Data Availability:

All data supporting the findings are contained within the manuscript.

REFERENCES

• Bellamy, C.L. 2008. A World catalogue and bibliography of the Jewel Beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestoidea), Volume 2: Chrysochroinae: Sphenopterini through Buprestinae: Stigmoderini. Pensoft Series Faunistica, 77: 626-1259.
• Castañeda, I. 2013. Paleoecología de Alta Resolución del Holoceno (11000 Años), en el Páramo de Belmira, Antioquia (Colombia). Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
• Corporación Autónoma Regional del Centro de Antioquia (CORANTIOQUIA). 2005. Conservación, ordenamiento y manejo del sistema de páramos y bosques altoandinos del noroccidente medio antioqueño. Tomo I (Diagnósticos: biofísico, socioeconómico, sociocultural) y Tomo II (Área de manejo especial, Plan de Manejo: programas y proyectos). Medellín, Corantioquia. 325p.
• García, K.; Uchima-Taborda, D. & Migliore, L. 2023. Análisis del estado del conocimiento de los escarabajos joya (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) en Colombia. Caldasia, 45(3): 430-449. https://doi.org/10.15446/caldasia.v45n3.105438.
  » https://doi.org/10.15446/caldasia.v45n3.105438
• International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). 1999. Fourth edition. London, UK: International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature. Available: Available: https://www.iczn.org/the-code/the-code-online Access: 26/05/2023.
  » https://www.iczn.org/the-code/the-code-online
• Moore, T. 2019. Lista actualizada de los Stigmoderini Neotropicales (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). Revista Chilena de Entomología, 45(4): 593-612. https://doi.org/10.35249/rche.45.4.19.13.
  » https://doi.org/10.35249/rche.45.4.19.13
• Moore, T. & Lander, T. 2010. Révision du Genre Conognatha Andrésy, Magellanes. 124p. (Collection Systématique, 24).
• Pineda, C.; Koike, R.M. & Barros, R.C. 2022. A new species of Conognatha (Pithiscus) from Minas Gerais State in Brazil (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). Zootaxa, 5134(2): 297-300. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5134.2.8.
  » https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5134.2.8
• Pineda, C.; Ramírez, M. & Fagua, G. 2023. Recognition of the holotype and discovery of a second specimen of Conognatha (Pithiscus) callioma Théry, 1932 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in Colombia. Revista Chilena de Entomología, 49 (3): 471-476. https://doi.org/10.35249/rche.49.3.23.05.
  » https://doi.org/10.35249/rche.49.3.23.05
• Pineda, C.; Taboada-Verona, C. & Pardo-Locarno, L.C. 2025. Rediscovery and redescription of Hiperantha fontanieri Théry, 1928 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) and new records of buprestids from Colombia. Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia, 65(45): 1-8. https://doi.org/10.11606/1807-0205/2025.65.045.
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• Théry, A. 1932. Deux Conognatha nouveaux de Colombia (Col. Buprestidae). Bulletin du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 4(2): 171-173.
• Villa, E. 2024. Gestión ambiental y participación comunitaria, conservación y preservación de paramos Caso Páramo de Santa Inés en Belmira (Antioquia) Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia UNAD Available: https://repository.unad.edu.co/jspui/bitstream/10596/62509/1/evillat.pdf
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• 1
  https://zoobank.org/3372D4A1-C695-42B7-A881-628554777289
• Ethics Statement:
  Not applicable.
• AI Use:
  No artificial intelligence tools were used in this study.
• Funding:
  This study is not supported by any external financial funding.
• Published with the financial support of the “Programa de Apoio às Publicações Científicas Periódicas da Universidade de São Paulo”.

Edited by

• Edited by:
  Simone Policena Rosa

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  17 July 2026
• Date of issue
  2026

History

• Received
  03 Jan 2026
• Accepted
  02 Mar 2026
• Published
  01 May 2026