Prothyma (Symplecthyma) eureka, Anichtchenko & Wiesner, 2023

Anichtchenko, Alexander & Wiesner, Jürgen, 2023, Philippine species of the genus Prothyma Hope, 1838 (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae). Part 2. Subgenus Symplecthyma Rivalier, 1964, Zootaxa 5357 (1), pp. 71-99 : 83-86

Prothyma (Symplecthyma) eureka sp. nov. ( Figs 6–7 )

Type material. Holotype male: “ Philippines, Mindanao / xi–xii.2014, Bukidnon / Mt. Kitanglad / Noel Mohagan leg. [8.154813, 124.920774]”, “HOLOTYPE / Prothyma / ( Symplecthyma ) / eureka / des. Anichtchenko & Wiesner 2023 [printed, red]” ( JWc) . Paratypes: 1 male, 1 female: “ Philippines / Mindanao. / San Louis / coll. Dheurle ”, “ Agusan del Sur / Fevrier 2018 / Lumawig leg. [8.464578, 125.705975]”, “Pr. (Symplec) / nitida / Rivalier, 1964 / Dheurle det.” (CDc) ; 1 male: idem, but Mars 2018 (CDc) ; 1 male: “ Philippines / Mindanao. / Esperanza / coll. Dheurle [8.570324, 125.717051]”, “ Agusan del Sur / Mars 2018 / Lumawig leg.”, “Pr. (Symplec) / nitida / Rivalier, 1964 / Dheurle det.” (CDc) ; 1 male, 1 female: “ Philippines, Mindanao / Agusan del Sur, / Esperanza , iv.2014 / local collector leg” ( DUBC) ; 2 males: “ Filippine Mindanao / Agusan del Sur / Esperanza VIII.2018 ” (RSc) ; 1 female: “ February 2018 / San Luis / Mindanao / Philippines ” (WJc) ; 1 male, 1 female: “ February 2018 / San Miguel / Mindanao / Philippines [8.936433, 126.011617]” (WJc); 1 female- idem, but March 2018 (WJc) ; 1 female: “ San Migel / Surigao del Sur, Mindanao / III.2016 Philippines / Lumawig leg. Coll. G. Colas ” (GCc) ; 1 female: “ Philipp. ”, “ Coll. / Baden / Ruge ”, “ Coll. W. Horn / DEI Eberswalde”, “DEI Münchenberg / Col-14627 [green label]” ( SDEI) ; 1 female: “ Coll Ruge / Philippines ”, “lucidicollis / Chd. ”, “DEI Münchenberg / Col-14625 [green label]” ( SDEI) ; 2 males, 1 female: “ Philippines, Mindanao / xi–xii.2014, Bukidnon / Mt. Kitanglad / Noel Mohagan leg.[8.154813, 124.920774]” ( JWc) ; 2 females: “ Philippines, Mindanao, Gingoog, Eureka Mt. , 730m, 8°41.4970N, / 125°14.2710E, 31.3– 3.4.2022 / Anichtchenko A. leg.” (AAc) ; 4 females: idem, but M. Medina leg. ( DUBC, MMc) ; 1 male, 1 female: “ Philippines, / Mindanao, Mt. Apo / 10.2010 / Noel Mohagan leg.” ( JWc) . All paratypes with label “ PARATYPE / Prothyma / ( Symplecthyma ) / eureka / des. Anichtchenko & Wiesner 2023 [printed, red]” .

Etymology. The species name is derived from Eureka (Ancient Greek: εὕρηκα), an interjection used to celebrate a discovery or invention. It is a transliteration of an exclamation attributed to Ancient Greek mathematician and inventor Archimedes. The name surprisingly coincided with the toponymic name of the mountain where the greater portion of type specimens was collected by the first author.

Diagnosis. One of the few species of the subgenus that can be easily distinguished by external features. Body robust, dorsal side very shiny. Transverse wrinkles of pronotum sparse and superficial, in anterior half less evident. Elytra are uniformly covered by narrow transverse punctures, forming a scale-like surface. Aedeagus elongated, narrow in basal third and gradually widened on dorsal side to the middle, with long and narrow apex, the tip is bent down in the shape of rounded hook ( Fig. 7 ).

Description. Size: TL (without labrum) 8.6–9.9 mm (mean = 9.3 mm; n = 26).

Head: slightly wider than elytra (mean EW/HW = 0.9). Shiny; with gold and copper reflections; orbital plates with copper reflections; area behind the eye and near orbital plates with blue and green reflections; genae blue-violet; clypeus with greenish-blue reflections; surface glabrous, with two setigerous punctures next to eye, one along frontal margin and one dorsally at center; longitudinal striae on orbital plates and vertex moderately deep; transverse striae behind the eyes and on neck very shallow; striae becoming weak on genae and frons; clypeus almost smooth. Labrum golden-green, laterally with red and purple reflections. Labrum of male ( Fig. 6e ) wider than long (mean LW/LL = 1.2); with two setae located near the lateral margins and two setae centrally, between midline and lateral margins in anterior fourth; with two obtuse anterolateral teeth and two small anterior teeth at the anteromedian lobe, intermediate space slightly convex. Labrum of female ( Fig. 6d ) as long as wide (mean LW/LL = 1), with four setae located near the margin, two lateral and two apical; with two blunt anterolateral teeth and two inward directed, curved teeth on the anterior margin at the anteromedian lobe, intermediate space with a long and slightly downturned triangular tooth. Mandibles light brownish, with four dark brown teeth. Labial and maxillary palpi testaceous, the last segment of both dark brown or black. Antennae slender, reaching posteriorly to the middle of the elytra in the male, shorter in the females; scape dorsally ochre-testaceous, ventrally violet; antennomeres 2–4 brownish with metallic violet luster, two and three with lighter spot at apex; scape with one apical seta, the following three antennomeres almost glabrous; antennomeres 5–11 black, matte, finely, and evenly pubescent.

Thorax: pronotum sub square (mean PW/PL = 0.95); sides weakly rounded between the transverse constrictions, nearly parallel-sided; glabrous; transverse wrinkles weak and sparse in basal half, effaced in anterior half; copper with coppery and reddish reflections dorsally; transverse constrictions with blue and green reflections; margins bluish-green.

Elytra: ( Figs 6a, b ) twice as long as wide (mean EL/EW = 2), parallel-sided, with a dorsally flattened basal hump, dorsal surface without microreticulation, very shining coppery, disc golden-coppery with greenish reflections behind humeri; testaceous elytral maculation in males consists of humeral, lateromedial and preapical spots; the humeral spot is located at the shoulders; the lateromedial spot is wide and oblique; the preapical spot is relatively large and rounded; in females humeral spot absent, or rarely presented as barely visible dot. Elytra are uniformly covered by narrow transverse punctures, forming a scale-like surface; near the suture becoming slightly denser and confluent. Apical margin minutely serrate, distinctly rounded and restricted towards middle suture, with a minute sutural spine. Epipleurae black.

Ventral aspect: bluish-violet; sternae and episternae glabrous; pro- and mesocoxa testaceous, metacoxa violet with testaceous apex; trochanter glabrous, pro- and mesocoxa with 3–4 setae, metacoxa bisetose; femur, tibia, and tarsi setose. Coxa, and femora testaceous, apices of femora and remaining segments of legs dark brown, with or without metallic luster. Protarsomeres 2–3 in males laterally and ventrally covered by long white setae.

Aedeagus: ( Figs 7a–i ) median lobe elongate, in lateral view slender in the basal third, then gradually expanded to the middle and tapering again towards the long and narrow apex, the tip is bent down in the shape of rounded hook. The spiral sclerite of endophallus at the base has two complete coils.

Distribution. Species known from a few disjunct localities on Mindanao Island ( Map 1 ).

Figures

MAP 1. Distribution of species of Prothyma (Symplecthyma).

FIGURE 6. Prothyma (Symplecthyma) eureka sp. nov. a) Dorsal habitus. Holotype male; b) Elytra, paratype, female. Scale = 5 mm. c) Labrum, female; d) Labrum, male. Scale = 1 mm.

FIGURE 7. Aedeagus of Prothyma (Symplecthyma) eureka sp. nov. a–b) Mt. Apo; c–d) Mt. Kitanglad; e–f) San Miguel; g–i) Agusan del Sur, Esperanza. Scale = 1 mm.