Polycatus bramantii Rukmane, 2020

Bramanti, Alessandro, Bramanti, Andrea & Bārbale, Anita Rukmane -, 2020, Five new species of the genus Polycatus Heller, 1912 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Polycatini) from the Mindanao Island (Philippines), and new examples of mimicry among weevil genera, Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 20 (1), pp. 61-80 : 77-80

8. Polycatus bramantii Rukmane , sp. nov. ( Fig. 8 , 10 )

Type material. Holotype, Male ( Fig. 8.1-5 ): PHILIPPINES / Mindanao , Lanao, Bayong / X. 2019 / local collector leg. (white label) ; HOLOTYPE / Polycatus bramantii / Rukmane (red label) ( DUBC) .

Bramanti A., Bramanti A., Rukmane - Bārbale A.

Distribution. Mindanao Island, Lanao del Sur, Bayang. Species is probably present at Piapayunang mountain ( Fig. 10 ).

Description. Measurements (n=1): LB: 12.8; LR: 2.4; WR: 2.0; LP: 3.6; WP: 3.3; LE: 8.0; WE: 5.5.

Body black, with markings of metallic green, golden and coppery round to recumbent scales on elytra, coppery and yellow on pronotum and coppery to metallic green on legs, underside with weak lustre, with markings of bright yellow and green markings. Head with indistinct punctation. Eyes medium-sized, prominent from outline of head, peak just before the middle. Forehead with distinct dorsal bulge bulge dorsally, four times as wide as eye. Rostrum 1.5 times as long as head, longer than wide (LR/WR 1.2), evenly covered with scales except for medial groove, with medial longitudinal groove from base of the forehead to apical 2/3, with a few dark hairs dorsally; in dorsal contour straight at the ventral part, weakly bulging at apical part; in lateral contour moderately bulging from middle of forehead to middle of rostrum, then straight to apex; underside with longitudinal medial groove in all length. Antenna covered with elongated scales of metallic colour; antennal scape covered with irregularly dispersed dark hairs; antennomeres with dark hairs along midline of each antennomere; basal antennomere twice as long as wide, same length as antennomere II; antennomere II 1.5 times as long as wide, twice as long as III; III-V subequal in size, same length and width, shorter and narrower than antennomeres VI-VII that are subequal in size; club widest in middle, apical part strongly narrowed, nearly 3 times as long as wide. Prothorax minutely punctured, nearly same length and width (LP/WP 1.09); with the following markings: 1) transverse continuous line of yellow scales along basal margin; 2) transverse continuous line of yellow scales along apical margin; 3) both lines connected on each latero-ventral part with additional, longitudinal line; 4) ventral part densely covered with yellow scales; 5) irregularly, densely dispersed scales of coppery colour on dorsum and lateral parts; weak longitudinal medial groove on dorsum, from apical margin to basal 2/3; widest at apical ½, in dorsal contour narrowest along apical margin, widened to apical ½, moderately narrowed to slightly after middle and minutely widened to basal margin; in lateral contour with bulge at apical 2/3. Elytra covered with irregularly dispersed coppery to metallic scales; without expressed intervals, with short dark hairs on apical apart in direction to apex; LE/WE 1.45; in dorsal contour widest just at the middle; LE/LP 2.22, WE/WP 1.66; metasternum covered with metallic scales; ventrite I with longitudinal line of scales on central part; II with ovate scally patch on central part; III and IV without scally spots; V with triangular shape scale spots

Bramanti A., Bramanti A., Rukmane -Bārbale A.

centrally. Legs covered with coppery to metallic scales in all length. Aedeagus as in Fig. 8.6-8 .

Female unknown.

Differential analysis. This new species on the general appearance is similar to P. waoensis sp. nov., by it’s large bulge on the rostrum, but is easily distinguishable by the lack of scale spots on elytra and transverse line along basal margin of prothorax, that is continuous, without extension medially on disc. Additionally, elytra of P. bramanti sp. nov. lacking intervals on elytra unlike in P. waoensis sp. nov..

Etymology. Third author of this paper dedicate the new species to first two authors, brothers Alessandro and Andrea Bramanti, for their patience and big work involved into study of the current genus.

Mimicry. Pattern of this species corresponds to Pachyrhynchus subamabilis Yoshitake, 2012 found in the same location of Mindanao ( Fig. 11.7-8 ).

Figures

Fig. 8: P. bramantii sp. nov. (DUBC). 1-5 male; 6-8 aedegal body; 9 - tegmen; 10 – sternite IX

Fig. 10. Distribution map of studied Polycatus species

Fig. 11: 1 – P. jaegeri sp. nov.; 2 – Pachyrhynchus zamboanganus Yoshitake, 2012; 3 – Metapocyrtus sp.; 4 – Calidiopsis speciosa Heller, 1913; 5 – P. mimicus sp. nov.; 6 – Pachyrhynchus tikoi Rukmane, 2016; 7 – P. bramanti sp. nov.; 8 – Pachyrhynchus subamabilis Yoshitake, 2012