Philanthaxia chalcogenoides, Bily, Svatopluk & Nakladal, Oto, 2011

Bily, Svatopluk & Nakladal, Oto, 2011, Four new species of the genus Philanthaxia Deyrolle, 1864 from Southeast Asia and comments on P. iris Obenberger, 1938 (Coleoptera, Buprestidae, Thomassetiini), ZooKeys 116, pp. 25-36 : 31-32

Philanthaxia chalcogenoides sp. n. Figs 39

Diagnosis.

Large (10.0 mm) lustrous, convex; dorsal surface bright bronze, medial portion of pronotum somewhat darkened, elytra lustrous along suture with distinct mirror-effect (Fig. 3); scutellum with purple lustre; ventral surface bronze, prosternal process and middle portion of metasternum lustrous; dorsal surface entirely asetose, ventral surface with extremely fine, sparse, white pubescence.

Description of the holotype.

Head as wide as anterior pronotal margin; frontoclypeus widely, shallowly emarginate, separated from frons by deep, transverse impression; frons flat with shallow, rounded impression at middle; vertex 4 times as wide as width of eye; eyes small, ellyptical, slightly projecting beyond outline of head; antennae long and slender, reaching posterior fourth of lateral pronotal margins when laid alongside; scape nearly straight, slightly claviform, 5 times as long as wide; pedicel ovoid, 1.6 times as long as wide; third antennomere very small, slender, nearly twice as long as wide; antennomeres 4-10 obtusely triangular to trapezoidal, 1.3-1.6 times as long as wide; terminal antennomere rhomboid, slightly longer than wide; sculpture consisting of small, very dense, oval cells with lustrous bottom; cells in frontal impression slightly prolonged vertically.

Pronotum rather convex, flattened at prescutellar portion, twice as wide as long; both anterior and postrior margins very weakly biarcuate; lateral margins very slightly rounded, nearly straight, posterior angles sharp; lateroposterior depressions indistinct, maximum pronotal width at base; sculpture consisting of small, fine, simple punctures on disc and small, rather deep, dense, polygonal cells on lateral sides. Scutellum subtriangular, very lustrous, twice as wide as long.

Elytra convex, twice as long as wide, subparallel at anterior two thirds; posterior third regularly acuminate posteriorly with finely, densely serrate margins; humeral swellings well-developed; basal, transverse depression developed only on lateral half of elytra; elytral epipleura very narrow, reaching posterior third of elytra; each elytron with eight, very fine striae; interstices flat with fine, dense, transverse rugae.

Ventral surface very densely, finely ocellate, prosternal process flat, weakly enlarged posteriad procoxae, obtusely pointed apically; anal ventrite weakly convex, without distinct lateral serration, shortly truncate to emarginate apically. Legs long, slender, meso- and metatibiae straight. Tarsal claws small, strongly hook-shaped, only weakly enlarged at base.

Aedeagus (Fig. 9) short, robust, flattened, widely spindle-shaped; median lobe sharply pointed apically.

Female unknown.

Measurements. Length: 10.0 mm; width: 3.6 mm.

Type specimen.

Holotype (male, NMPC): "Malaysia, Sabah, Crocker Range, vic. of Mt. Trus-Madi, iii.-iv.2002, local collector".

Type locality.

Malaysia, Sabah, Crocker Range, vic. of Mt. Trus-Madi.

Distribution.

Borneo: Sabah province.

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the superficial similarity to species of the genus Chalcogenia Saunders, 1871.

Differential diagnosis.

Philanthaxia chalcogenoides sp. n. resembles some species of the genus Chalcogenia ( Anthaxiini ) by the body-shape, colouration and by distinct elytral mirror effect. It differs from its congeners by the strange pronotal sculpture (deeply rugate or exceptionally deeply ocellate in other species) and by the conspicuous mirror effect along the elytral suture. With the shape and colouration, it resembles Philanthaxia akiyamai Bílý, 1993 described from the Peninsular Malaysia (but recently collected in Sabah). The latter species differs from Philanthaxia chalcogenoides sp. n. by the rough, rugose pronotal sculpture; matt dorsal surface; wider scutellum and by the shape of male genitalia (Fig. 9).