Gauromaia (Gauromaia) kitangladensis, Medina & Cabras & Ruzzier, 2022

Medina, Milton Norman, Cabras, Analyn & Ruzzier, Enrico, 2022, The Tenebrionidae Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea) of the Philippines Part 2. Two new species of the genus Gauromaia Pascoe, 1866 (Cnodalonini) from Mindanao Island, Zootaxa 5178 (3), pp. 278-284 : 282-283

Gauromaia (Gauromaia) kitangladensis sp. nov.

( Figs 3H–N )

Holotype: male, PHILIPPINES, Bukidnon province, Mt.Kitanglad Range Natural Park , 8°07’25.20 N; 124°55’17.99 E, 18-20. VII. 2018, M.N.D. Medina leg. ( MMCP) to be deposited at PNM.

Description. Measurements (in mm): body length: 14.7; IE 1.5; TD 0.5; EL 8.0; EW 4.5; mCG 0.5; PL 2.0; PW 3.4; Proportions: IE/TD 3.0; PW/PL 1.7; EL/EW 1.8.

Body subrectangular, brownish-black with strong green metallic shine, elytra purple with green luster along suture and lateral margins.

Head dorsally metallic green, lateral side metallic black including genae towards ventral side; head in dorsal view transversely elliptical, slightly depressed, finely microsculptured, with piliferous punctures; epistoma weakly depressed, finely punctate; mEG weakly notched; labrum dark brown, elliptical, entirely flattened, finely punctate, piliferous, covered with golden setae at apex; epistomal suture obsolete, evenly arcuate; genae slightly convex, finely punctate, subparallel at sides; frons coppery metallic green, slightly depressed, finely punctate; inner ocular sulci shallow, not extending beyond the diameter of an eye; eyes moderate in size, transverse in lateral view; tempora weakly convex, not produced. Neck glabrous.

Antennae short, reaching approximately middle of pronotum; 7 th –10 th antennomeres moderately dilated and forming a weak club; 1 st and 3 rd twice as long as wide, individually; 2 nd as long as wide; 4 th 1.5 times as long as wide; 5 th and 6 th slightly longer than wide; 7 th as long as wide; 7 th- 11 th moderately covered with golden setae; 8 th- 10 th wider than long; 11 th ellipsoidal, as long as wide. Ultimate maxillary palpomere feebly securiform. Mentum trapezoidal, slightly convex, and roughly punctate in anterior half, bearing a couple of long golden setae. Mandible black, glabrous. Base of the head lined with golden setae.

Pronotum subquadrate, widest at the middle, 1.7 times as wide as long, metallic blue with coppery green luster, finely punctate, piliferous; disc slightly convex, steeply descendent laterally, smooth along lateral margins; anterior margin almost straight; basal margin weakly bisinuate; pronotal margin thick, black, glabrous; anterior corners obtusely rounded, posterior corners slightly recurved, pointed. Scutellum triangular, slightly convex, metallic green, glabrous.

Elytra metallic purple with metallic green luster along suture and lateral margins, distinctly convex in lateral view, widest before apical third; striae defined only by a series of fine, clearly separate punctures, which are gradually more defined towards apical declivity; interstrial intervals flat, finely and sparsely punctate at the basal half, becoming almost invisible towards the apex; humeral calli gently humped, steep descendent towards elytral margin; epipleura black, glabrous, evenly flat until 3 rd abdominal ventrite, the rest weakly oblique, reaching until the anterior third of 5 th abdominal ventrite.

Prothoracic hypomera slightly depressed, piliferous, with fine microsculpture. Prosternum with very fine microscopic punctations; prosternal process ( Fig. 3K ) lanceolate, curved inwards behind coxae, gently depressed near the apex. Mesoventral ridge strongly oblique, slightly raised. Abdomen finely punctate; ventrite I-III with microsculpture pronounced near each anterior margin; ventrite IV-V impunctate, without microsculpture.

Genitalia ( Fig. 3 L-M): phallobase 1.2 times as long as paramera, subrectangular in dorsal view, curved at basal third in lateral view; paramera fused, leaf-shaped in dorsal view, pointed at apex, in lateral view, gently curved from the base toward the apex.

Legs short, metallic blue-green. Femora metallic blue, finely punctate, sparsely piliferous, distinctly dilated at apical third. Tibiae slightly incurved, anterior terminals of protibiae, posterior terminals of meso- and metatibiae bearing golden setae. Tarsi (pro-, meso-, metatarsi) covered with golden setae; claws glabrous.

Etymology. This new species is named after Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park in Bukidnon Philippines where the type specimen was collected.

Diagnosis. The new species, Gauromaia kitangladensis sp. nov., resembles G. laticeps Gebien , with which it shares a similar body shape, the distinctly convex profile of the elytra in lateral view and a similar coloration of head, pronotum and legs. From the latter, G. kitangladensis can be separated by having the elytra entirely greenpurple colored (in G. laticeps elytra are dark brown with purple limited to the impressions defining elytral striae), the elytral intervals flat (slightly convex in G. laticeps ), and the prosternal process sharply pointed in ventral view (blunt in G. laticeps ). Unfortunately, the present diagnosis is based solely on the original description of G. laticeps , as all attempts to find the holotype in the collections of the Zoological Museum Hamburg (depository indicated in the original description) or the Naturhistorisches Museum Basel (Gebien Collection) were unsuccessful; the type is probably lost. G. kitangladensis can easily be separated from the remaining Gauromaia species in the Philippines, because of the absence of a transverse iridescent band on the elytra.

Figures

FIGURE 3H–N. Gauromaia kitangladensis sp. nov. H. Dorsal aspect, I. Ventral aspect, J. Lateral aspect, K. Ventral aspect showing the sternal process (SP). L-N. Male genitalia. L. Ventral, M. Dorsal, N. Lateral view.