Philanthaxia granum, Bílý, Svatopluk, 2016

Bílý, Svatopluk, 2016, Four new species of the genus Philanthaxia Deyrolle, 1864 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Thomassetiini), Zootaxa 4205 (1) : -

Philanthaxia granum sp. nov.

( Fig. 6 )

Type locality. The Philippines, eastern Luzon, Sierra Madre , Quirino.

Type specimen. Holotype (male, NMPC): “ Philippinen, E-Luzon, Sierra Madre, Quinino [Quirino], Feb. 2014, native collector”.

Diagnosis. Small (4.5 mm), subelliptical, strongly convex, asetose, entirely black with silky lustre and with weak brass tinge on frons ( Fig. 6 ).

Description of the male holotype. Head small, narrower than anterior pronotal margin, anterior margin of frontoclypeus very weakly emarginate; frons strongly convex, with small, shallow, postclypeal, longitudinal depression, vertex convex, about 6 times as wide as width of eye; eyes small, elliptical, very weakly projecting beyond outline of head; antennae short, hardly reaching mid-length of lateral pronotal margins when laid alongside; scape weakly claviform, slightly curved, about 4.0 times as long as wide, pedicel ovoid, 1.3 times as long as wide; third antennomere short, pyriform, 1.2 times as long as wide; antennomeres 4–10 triangular, 0.8–1.0 times as long as wide, terminal antennomere rhomboid, about 1.5 as long as wide; sculpture homogeneous, consisting of small, very dense, polygonal cells without central grains.

Pronotum strongly convex at anterior half, somewhat flattened at posterior half, 1.9 times as wide as long; anterior margin arcuate, posterior margin weakly bisinuose; lateral margins very weakly arched, not emarginate before rectangular posterior angles; maximum pronotal width at base; lateroposterior depressions very shallow, almost indistinct, prescutellar pit absent; sculpture consisting of short, very fine, dense, almost concentrically arranged rugae and fine punctures. Scutellum small, triangular, 1.4 times as wide as long, microsculptured.

Elytra regularly, strongly convex, 1.5 times as long as wide, not caudiform, maximum width at posterior fourth; humeral callosities very small, not projecting beyond elytral outline; basal transverse depressions very shallow, wide, almost reaching scutellum; each elytron with 8 very fine, longitudinal striae, interstices with fine grains combined with fine polygonal cells; apex of lateral margins without distinct serrations, elytral epipleura narrow, parallel-sided almost, reaching elytral apex;

Ventral surface lustrous, with very fine eye-shaped sculpture; prosternal process wide, with coarse eye-shaped sculpture, weakly convex, subparallel; anal ventrite apically obtusely truncate. Legs short, slender, all tibiae straight. Tarsal claws strongly hook-shaped, somewhat enlarged at base.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 6 ) spindle-shaped, flattened, weakly sclerotised, median lobe wide, sharply pointed apically.

Measurements. Length: 4.5 mm; width: 2.3 mm.

Sexual dimorphism. Female unknown.

Bionomy. Unknown.

Etymology. The Latin substantive “ granum ” (grain) indicates the grain-shaped body of this species.

Differential diagnosis. Philanthaxia granum sp. nov. is very similar and most probably also related to P. hanloni sp. n. from Leyte Island (see above). The main diagnostic characters differentiating both species are the shape of the frons and eyes, pronotal and elytral sculpture and the shape of the male genitalia ( Figs. 5 vs. 6) —see the differential diagnosis of P. hanloni sp. nov. above.

Distribution. The Philippines (Luzon).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. 1 — Philanthaxia depressifrons sp. nov., holotype, 6.8 mm; 2 — the same, aedeagus, holotype; 3 — P. purpureifrons sp. nov., holotype, 9.5 mm; 4 — P. hanloni sp. nov., holotype, 4.2 mm; 5 — the same, aedeagus, holotype; 6 — P. granum sp. nov., holotype, 4.5 mm.