Philippscelus panayensis sp. nov.

(Fig. 7)

Description of female holotype. Elongate­ovoid, subcylindrical, flattened above and below; length 13.5 mm, width 6.2 mm, widest at about elytral posterior 1/3; coloration shining black above and below; dorsal surface strongly striolate­rugose, except median portion of pronotum and elytral which are sparsely, very shallowly punctate; ventral surface imbricate; entire surface glabrose except short, sparse, adpressed, fine setae wellspaced along ventral imbrications. Head: frontovertex very feebly depressed between eyes dorsally and feebly, irregularly projecting between ventral half of eyes; eyes large, inner margins feebly diverging dorsally; frontoclypeus strongly compressed between antennal insertions; distal margin entire, explanate; gena without any projecting lobe, with short obtuse depression beneath eye to receive basal antennomeres in repose. Antennae short, antennomere 2 longer than 3; 3 and 4 subequal, serrate from antennomere 5; 6–10 wider than long; 11 oblong, entire. Pronotum: wider than long, widest at basal 1/3; disc entire, only slightly convex medially; anterior margin arcuate; basal margin bisinuate; basolateral angle obtuse; lateral margin arcuately emarginate in basal 1/3 to angulate projection, then narrowing slightly to before anterior 1/3 and then feebly arcuately convex to anterior margin. Elytra: disc entire, evenly transverse; slight basal depression between humerus and scutellum; posterolateral margin serrulate; apical angles separately rounded; epipleuron short, ventrally deflexed, extending only to opposite mesepimeron. Pygidium not visible posterior to elytral apices. Thoracic ventrites: prosternum with moderately produced, feebly bilobed mentonniere; process subparallel, lateral margins converging posteriorly; mesepimeron partially visible beyond basal abdominal projection; metacoxal plate with anterior margin strongly sinuate. Abdominal ventrites: suture between ventrites 1 and 2 only indicated laterally; distal margin of ventrites 5 angularly emarginate, entire margin finely dentate. Legs: femora fusiform; pro­ and mesotibiae feebly arcuate; metatibia straight, with small rounded tooth on external margin at about basal 1/3, setal comb present on external margin from before proximal1/3, extending to beyond distal 1/3; tarsomeres 1–4 each slightly shorter than preceding, each with ventral pulvillus; 5 elongate, length equal to 2+3+4, claws bifid.

Specimens examined. Holotype Ψ (TLCS): Panay Is, Philippines, 20.vii.1995.

Etymology. The species epithet is for Panay Island.

Remarks. This new species is immediately distinguished from P. f i s h e r i by color and distribution differences. While this new species is completely black, P. f i s h e r i is a dark iridescent green and is only recorded from Catanduanes Island, southeast of Luzon (misspelled as ‘Candanduani­Ins.’ by Hoscheck von Mühlhaimb, 1931a).