Platyebaeus quirinicus Tshernyshev, 2015

Tshernyshev, Sergei E., 2015, A new species of soft-winged flower beetles of the genus Platyebaeus Wittmer, 1995 (Coleoptera, Cleroidea, Malachiidae) from Philippines, Zootaxa 3941 (2), pp. 289-293 : 289-291

Platyebaeus quirinicus Tshernyshev, 2015 sp. n.

( Figs. 1–7 )

Type material. Holotype, male: “ Philippines: Luzon Island Cagayan Valley Quirino province, Sierra Madre mountain range, 16°17′N 121°35′E, March 2014 ”—printed label on white paper, “ Holotypus Platyebaeus quirinicus Tshernyshev , sp.n. ”—printed label on red paper. Paratypes, same labeling but “March-May 2014”, 2 ♂ and 2 ♀ (SCH).

Description. Male. Body elongate, parallel. Head black, its forepart, from antennal insertion to mouth, and mouthparts yellow. Antennae dark brown with antennomeres 1–4 somewhat paler above and yellow on sides. Pronotum orange-yellow with a black longitudinal median stripe and black thin margins of fore angles. Scutellum and elytra, except apices, black; flattened parts of the elytral apices orange-yellow, slopes of elytral apices straw. Underside contrasting: prothorax and mesothorax in the middle, abdomen yellow-orange, metathorax, a narrow stripe above anterior trochanters and median areas of tergites dark; anterior legs yellow with narrow black stripes above femora, intermediate legs except trochanters and posterior legs black. Head and pronotum surface evenly covered with sparse, fine, pale pubescence; elytra with semi-erect, dense, pale pubescence and sparse black setae. Vesicles and thoracic mesepimera yellow.

Head slightly narrower the pronotum, front flat; eyes large and protruding; genae short and straight; clypeus narrow, transverse, straight; labrum short, transverse; palpi simple with cylindrical apical segment; head surface sparsely and finely punctured, microsculpture indistinct, pubescence short, pale and adpressed.

Antennae filiform, 1.1 mm long, reaching the first third of elytra; 1st antennomere elongate, slightly clubbed, 2nd rounded, 3rd elongate, cylindrical, 4th subtriangular, as long as 3rd, all following articles cylindrical, more or less equal in length, apical segment slightly longer than the previous and evenly sinuate at apex; antennal surface evenly covered with short, pale and erect pubescence.

Pronotum longitudinal, anterior side bowed, posterior straight; lateral sides evenly sinuate at base, with rounded and slightly protruding fore angles; sides in basal half of the pronotum marginate; surface very sparsely and finely punctured, with smooth microsculpture, with dense, fine, adpressed pubescence.

Scutellum small, rectangular, finely punctured and covered with very sparse pubescence, almost completely hidden by pronotum.

Elytra elongate, parallel-sided, at base slightly wider than the pronotum; humeri distinct, lines behind humeri absent; suture not marginate, apices slightly impressed, lacking appendages or processes, distal part of elytral apices very slightly flattened and stretched ( Figs 1, 2 ); surface distinctly bright at base, attenuated posteriorly, densely punctured and sculptured, densely covered with semierect, pale pubescence and sparse, erect, black setae.

Hind wings normally developed.

Legs long and thin; posterior femora not reaching the elytral apices; tibiae thin, straight; femora slightly compressed; anterior tarsi appearing 4-segmented because of the very small 1st tarsomere almost completely hidden by second which is fitted with a massive comb; 5th longer than all previous ones, approximately as long as 3rd and 4th together; claws wide at base, short, curved and sharp.

Ventral surface of body densely punctured, with sparse, thin, pale and depressed pubescence; apical tergite elongate, twice longer than wide, sinuate, apically extended with round angles, moderately emarginated on rear side ( Fig. 3 ); apical sternite undivided, short, transverse, 2.3 times wider than long, strongly sinuate at apex, apical angles flattened and evenly rounded, deeply emarginate on rear side ( Fig. 4 ); tegmen with short and wide with thin long processes apically ( Fig. 5 ); aedeagus simple ( Fig. 6 ), internal sac showing a long spine and two groups of denticles, respectively basal and apical; median lobe dorsally curved, with stretched and pointed lamellae.

Length 3.0 mm, width (at elytral base) 0.8 mm.

Female. Differs from male by somewhat shorter and slender antennae, absence of comb on anterior tarsi, elytra slightly widened and not impressed posteriorly; apical tergite not stretched. Antennae and anterior legs almost completely black. Length 3.1 mm, width (at elytral base) 0.9 mm.

Etymology. The name of the new species reflects the distribution in Philippines.

Habitat. This form is known only from the type locality and nothing can be said on its distribution range however, presently; it might be considered as a species endemic to the mountainous territory of Luzon Island. Its biology is also unknown.

Distribution. Luzon Island of Philippines ( Fig. 7 , asterisk).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Distribution map for Platyebaeus quirinicus Tshernyshev, 2015 sp. n. (asterisk).

FIGURES 1 – 6. Platyebaeus quirinicus Tshernyshev, 2015 sp. n., holotype, male, habitus (1); slope of right elytra (2); apical tergite (3); apical sternite (4); tegmen (5); aedeagus, dorsal (6). Scale bar 0.5 mm.