Brachinus solidipalpis Tian & Deuve

Tian, Mingyi & Deuve, Thierry, 2007, Review of four species of the genus Brachinus Weber (Coleoptera: Caraboidea: Brachinidae) from the Philippines, Zootaxa 1546, pp. 15-22 : 16-18

Brachinus solidipalpis Tian & Deuve , new species

( Figs. 1 , 5 , 9–10)

Holotype. Male, labeled “Museum Paris, Manille, Leotaud, 1843”, from Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, deposited in MNHN. Paratypes: 4 males, 2 females, same data as holotype, all deposited in MNHN except 1 male in SCAU.

Diagnosis: Large sized, black, legs with femur (except apex) darker, mouthparts with palpi stout, mentum with two large pits at base, labial palpiger with three setae; head slightly wider than pronotum, lateral margin of pronotum deeply sinuate before hind angle, hind angle acute, proepisternum faintly visible from above; elytra distinctly carinate.

Length: 14.0 mm; width: 5.5 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 .

Dark brown, but antennomeres 5–11, palpi, labrum, frontal impressions, coxae, trochanters, femora except apex, and median portions of lateral sides of abdominal ventrites II–VI reddish brown. Head with a pair of small red spots between eyes.

Head slightly longer than wide (HL/LW=1.01), labrum straight at front margin, sexsetose, clypeus sexsetose, glabrous in median portion, frons and vertex glabrous, eyes moderate for Brachinus ; frontal impressions well marked, large and nearly paralleled backwards; palpi stout, pubescent, maxillary palpomere 4 slightly dilated at apex, labial palpomere 3 dilated at apex; maxillary palpomere 4 longer than palpomere 3, labial palpomere 3 subequal to palpomere 2; labial palpomere 2 plurisetose; ligula robust, pubescent at apex, adnated to paraglossae posteriorly; mentum without median tooth, with two large and deep pits at base, rounded by long setae located on mentum and submentum; mentum and submentum plurisetose, labial palpiger with three setae. Antennae extending to middle of elytra, antennomere 3 longer than antennomeres 1 and 2 combined, antennomeres 4 and 5 subequal to each other.

Pronotum transverse (PW/PL=1.2), widest at apical one-fourth, hind margin slightly oblique, lateral margin deeply and suddenly sinuate from about basal one-third, hind angle acutangular, rather sharp; disc moderately convex, faintly wrinkled, with a few setae on basal and apical portion, two setae near margin ( Fig. 5 ).

Elytra elongate-ovate (EL/EW=1.73), nearly parallel-sided, widest at one-third from apex, apex with membrane and fringe, without setae, shoulders slightly prominent; depressions wider than costae, costae convex, slightly carinated; without pubescence on median portion.

Proepisternum slightly tumescent, faintly visible from above; glabrous on anterior half, but with several setae near anterior suture, fine punctured on posterior.

Fore tibia with subapical spur externally located, fore tarsomeres 1–3 slightly dilated, sponge setae diagnosed symmetric in male. Meso- and meta-sterna and median portions of abdominal ventrites with long setae, but with short setae at sides.

Microsculpture meshes densely isodiametric on head, pronotum and elytra.

Male genitalia: Median lobe of the aedeagus long and slender, arcuate, apex gently and gradually constricted, blunt; dorsally apical lamella rather long, broad at apex; virga absent (Figs. 9–10).

Remarks: This new species is easily recognized from other Brachinus representatives in Philippines. It is also distinguishable within the genus Brachinus in Southeast Asia by the following characters combined: (1) black in coloration; (2) mouthparts with palpi stout; (3) antennomere 4 subequal to 5; (4) proepisternum faintly visible from above; and (5) the shape of aedeagus.

Etymology: The specific epithet derives from Latin adjective solidus, a, um (firm, dense, solid) and noun palpus, i, m (the soft palm of the hand, feeler) and refers to the stout palpi of this new species. Distribution: The Philippines (Manila). Known only from the type locality.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Habiti of Brachinus ssp. from the Philippines. 1. B. solidipalpis n. sp., paratype, male, 2. B. philippinensis n. sp., holotype, female, 3. B. piceus Chaudior, holotype, male, 4. B. luzonicus Chaudoir, female. Scale bar: 5.0 mm.

FIGURES 5 – 8. Pronota and aedeagi of Brachinus ssp. from the Philippines. 5, 9 – 10. B. solidipalpis n. sp., holotype, 6. B. philippinensis n. sp., holotype, 7, 11 – 12. B. piceus Chaudior, holotype, 8, 13 – 14. B. luzonicus Chaudoir. Scale bar: 5.0 mm for 8, 10.0 mm for others.