Cacia (s. str.) cabrasae, Medina & Vitali & Barsevskis, 2023

Medina, Milton Norman, Vitali, Francesco & Barsevskis, Arvids, 2023, Catalog of the genus Cacia Newman (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae) in the Philippines with description of two new species, Zootaxa 5231 (5), pp. 537-551 : 545-547

Cacia (s. str.) cabrasae sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE, female ( Fig. 1 ): PHILIPPINES — Mindanao / Davao del Sur / Davao City / III.2022 / local collector ( MMCP), to be deposited at NMNH ( PNM) Philippines [printed on red card].

Description. Measurements: SEX (n=1), LB: 13.5 mm. WH: 3.0 mm. LG: 2.0 mm. LL: 0.8 mm. WL: 0.7 mm. LP: 2.5 mm. WP: 3.5 mm. LE: 8.7 mm. WEH: 5.0mm.

Adult female. Teguments black, tomentose, densely covered with minute recumbent white pubescence, finely punctate; randomly scattered on pronotum, fine tubercles near the base of elytra. Elytra with marginal spots of white pubescence reaching apical third, a wide sutural band of white pubescence from apex to base, four vertical bands of white pubescence (lining of the elytral base, before the middle, after the middle, and near the elytral base), rounded at the apex. Scutellum black, middle covered with white pubescence ( Fig. 1A ).

Head with some erect black setae on vertex, front and gena; genae covered with white pubescence; back of the compound eyes reaching margin of the head covered with black pubescence; thick band of white pubescence lined the middle from base of the head towards clypeus, interrupted by black pubescence forming an interlocking band of white and black pubescence ( Fig. 1D ); frons and center of vertex covered with black pubescence. Eyes matte black, rectangular.

Antennae matte black, slightly longer than body, densely covered with black erect hairs from scape to antennomere 5; scape the same length with antennomere 3, thick with small scar near the pedicel; lump of black erect hairs from the middle to posterior end of antennomere 4; antennomeres 6–11 sparsely covered with minute black hairs; scape, pedicel, antennomeres 3–5 partially covered with white pubescence.

Pronotum parallel, unarmed; basal and apical margin lined with whitish pubescence; disc slightly convex with shallow depression near the basal margin; sides covered with whitish to dirty white pubescence from the middle towards the ventral side.

Elytra 1.7x longer than wide, tomentose covered with white and black recumbent hairs, coarsely punctate from the base towards apical third, sparsely covered with erect hairs from the middle towards the apex; thick band of white pubescence lining the suture and margin, more elaborate in the humeri area; two thick longitudinal undulate band of white pubescence: one at the basal third and the other at apical third connected with two parallel thin transverse bands; apex obovate with think band of white pubescence, sparsely covered with erect black hairs. Scutellum elliptical, tomentose, covered with white recumbent hairs at the middle, black at the sides.

Coxae, trochanters and femora densely covered with minute greyish pubescence; tibiae covered with minute greyish pubescence, white and dense medially, and some semi-erect black setae towards tarsi; tarsi dorsally covered with dense whitish pubescence, ventrally with minute black semi-erect pubescence; claws matte black, sparsely covered with black setae.

Ventral side covered with whitish gray pubescence, propleuron and prosternum covered with erect greyish pubescence; procoxal, mesocoxal, and metacoxal cavities close anteriorly towards trochanters; mesosternum, mesepisternum, metepisternum, and metasternum covered with greyish pubescence, off-white at the sides; abdominal sternites covered with greyish pubescence, denser dirty white at the sides; pygidium widely ovate at apex, densely covered with yellowish and black erect hairs. Female genitalia as in Fig. 2 .

Adult Male. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Cacia cabrasae sp. nov. belongs to the subgenus Cacia s. str. for having an apical spine on antennomere 3, antennae a little longer than body and a thick band of white pubescence along the elytral suture and margin. Cacia ulula and C. vermiculata differ from it for lacking a band of white pubescence along the elytral suture. Cacia vermiculata has elytra covered with white and brown bands of pubescence while C. cabrasae sp. nov. has white and black pubescence. Cacia marionae differs for having four large circular band of white pubescence on the elytra and interrupted band of white pubescence along the elytral suture.

Etymology. Cacia cabrasae sp. nov. is named after Dr. Analyn Anzano Cabras, one of the founders of the Philippine Coleopterological Network (PhilColNet), for her significant contribution towards the advancement of beetle research and conservation in Philippines.

Distribution. Philippines: Mindanao (Davao City, Mt. Apo Range).

Notes on ecology, threats, and conservation. The species is considered relatively rare considering that only a single material collected opportunistically during the whole duration of the expedition. The species habitat is characterized between secondary forest and agro-ecosystem at an elevation from 700 to 900 m.a.s.l. The current threat to species habitat is continued conversion of the remaining secondary forests into agricultural lands. Farmers used various chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that would likely affect species population.

Considering that the species is presently found only in a single population at a very limited habitat range, conservation initiatives must be taken in place. Research on identifying the exact species Area of Occupancy (AOO) and species Extent of Occurrence (EOO) is deemed necessary. Expansion of the sampling sites covering the entire range of Mt. Apo is also recommended to fully understand the surviving adult species in the wild.

Figures

FIGURE 1A–D. Cacia cabrasae sp. nov. habitus:A: Dorsal aspect, B: Ventral aspect, C: Lateral aspect, D: Frontal aspect.

FIGURE 2E–G. Cacia cabrasae sp. nov. female genitalia: E: Ventral. F: Dorsal. G: Apodeme