Brachinus palawanensis Tian and Deuve new species .

(Fig. 3)

Holotype. ♀, labeled “Coll. I. R. Sc. N. B, the Philippines, C. Palawan, 3 km N. of Nagtabon, dry coastal forest, 0 9.57. 0 15 N /118.39.275 E, 220 m, 12 Dec. 2007, J. H. Lourens leg.”, in RISNB, Brussels.

Length: 12.5 mm; Width: 5.5 mm.

Medium sized; head, pronotum, elytra, tips of femora and tibiae black; tarsi, antennomeres 1–4 and underside surface dark brown; frontal spots, palps and other antennomeres brown; head and pronotum finely striate and impunctate. Microsculptural meshes more or less isodiametric on head, pronotum and elytra.

Head longer than wide (HL/HW=1.1), covered with sparse setae; anterior margin of labrum straight, bearing sexsetose,, clypeus with two long setae, and a few short ones, glabrous in median portion; frons and vertex glabrous, eyes large and prominent; palps moderate, pubescent and subcylindrical, apical joints slightly dilated near apex; maxillary palpomere 4 longer than 3; labial palpomere 3 as long as 2; ligula robust and wide, adnated to paraglossae posteriorly, both multisetose at apex; mentum without median tooth, basal foveae large, nearly rounded, smooth, surrounded by numerous mental and submental setae; both mentum and submentum multisetose; palpiger unisetose at base. Antennae extending beyond middle of elytra; comparative length ratio of antennomeres 1–5 as: 1.0, 0.4, 2.2, 1.2 and 1.1; antennomere 3 longer than antennomeres 1 and 2 combined, antennomere 4 longer than 5.

Pronotum wider than long (PW/PL=1.1), widest in the apical portion, frontal margin distinctly emarginated in the middle, hind margin almost straight even slightly bisinuate, lateral margin deeply sinuate before hind angle, hind angle acute; disc moderately convex, faintly striate on surface, impunctate, with two marginal setae, one in the middle, the other at the front.

Elytra elongate oval, EL/EW=1.4, pubescent; shoulders broad, gradually widening backwards till middle; apex membranous and fringed; both costae and depressions faint, depressions wider than costae, rather flat, costae faintly convex.

Pro-episternum slightly tumescent, invisible from dorsal view; sparsely setose. Fore tibia with subapical spur externally.

Male: Unknown.

Remarks: This new species is peculiar for its stout body. It differs from Brachinus palawanensis by its broader elytra and unisetosed palpiger.

Etymology: The name of this new species refers to its type locality.

Distribution: The Philippines (Palawan Island).