Prothyma (Symplecthyma) sciakyi, Anichtchenko & Wiesner, 2023

Anichtchenko, Alexander & Wiesner, Jürgen, 2023, Philippine species of the genus Prothyma Hope, 1838 (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae). Part 2. Subgenus Symplecthyma Rivalier, 1964, Zootaxa 5357 (1), pp. 71-99 : 95-98

Prothyma (Symplecthyma) sciakyi sp. nov. ( Figs 13 , 14f )

Type material. Holotype male: “ Philippines, Mindanao, Davao Or., Tarragona, 800m, 7.0575, 126.3118, 2.v.2023, Anichtchenko A. leg.” ( DUBC) . Paratypes: 1 female; idem (cAA); 1 male: “ Philippines (Mindanao) / Misamis Oriental-Mala- / sag Forest, Cagayan de / Oro 26.VI.1977 / leg. A. Bandinelli”, “ Prothyma / ( Symplecthyma ) / nitida / Rivalier, 1964 / Det. F. Cassola, 1994”, “ Prothyma / ( Symplecthyma ) / heteromallicollis / (W. Horn, 1909) / Det. F. Cassola, 2002” ( MCZR); 1 female: “ Philippines (Mindanao) / Misamis Oriental-Mala- / sag Forest, Cagayan de / Oro 4.VII.1976 / leg. A. Bandinelli [8.460295, 124.698811]”, “ Prothyma / ( Symplecthyma ) / nitida / Rivalier, 1964 / Det. F. Cassola, 1994”, “ Prothyma / ( Symplecthyma ) / heteromallicollis / (W. Horn, 1909) / Det. F. Cassola, 2002” ( MCZR); 1 female: “Filipine-Mindanao / Bukidnon / Kalatungan VI.2014 [7.937768, 124.821902]” (RSc); 1 male: “Filipine-Mindanao / Governor Generoso / Davao or. X.2017 ” (RSc); 1 female: “Governor Generoso vill. / Davao Oriental Province / Mindanao-Philippines / local collector 06/2018 [6.643204, 126.124134]”, “ Prothyma (Genoprothyma) / not discretepunctata / W.Horn, 1924 / det. J.Wiesner, 2021” (CKc); 1 male: “ November 2017 / San Francisco / Mindanao / Philippines [8.503043, 125.954230]” ( JWc); 1 female: idem but December 2017 (WJc); 2 females: “Mt. Kitanglad / Cinchona / Bukidnon / VII.2017 1100m, M. Medina leg.[8.057122, 125.006957]” (AAc; MMc).

Etymology. Species named after our friend and colleague Riccardo Sciaky (Milano, Italy).

Diagnosis. It is similar in appearance to P. heteromallicollis with the dull, dark coppery dorsal side of body. Pronotum matte, densely, transversely wrinkled. Elytra transversely wrinkled along suture. It is easily distinguished from all species by broad apex of aedeagus with thick and blunt apex. The spiral sclerite of endophallus is wide and forms only one and a half coils at the base ( Figs 13e, f ).

Description. Size: TL (without labrum) 9.3–10.4 mm (mean = 9.8 mm; n = 11).

Head: ( Fig. 14f ) as wide as elytra (mean EW/HW = 1.0). Dorsally color dark copper with greenish reflections; orbital plates with copper reflections; area behind the eye and near orbital plates with blue reflections; genae blue-violet; clypeus copper with greenish-blue reflections; surface glabrous, with two setigerous punctures next to eye, one along frontal margin and one dorsally at center; strong longitudinal striae on orbital plates and vertex; central rugae between and behind eyes zigzag; strong transverse striae behind the eyes and on neck; striae becoming weak on genae; frons with strong rugae. Labrum coppery with red reflections on disc and greenish laterally. Labrum of male ( Fig. 13c ) wider than long (mean LW/LL = 1.36); with two setae located near the lateral margins and two setae centrally, between midline and lateral margins in anterior fourth; with two obtuse anterolateral teeth and two small, forward directed anterior teeth at the anteromedian lobe, intermediate space slightly convex. Labrum of female ( Fig. 13d ) almost as long as wide (mean LW/LL = 1.0–1.06), with two setae located near the lateral margins and two setae centrally, between midline and lateral margins in anterior fourth; with two blunt anterolateral teeth and two slightly inward directed thorn-like anterior teeth at the anteromedian lobe, intermediate space with slightly downturned triangular tooth. Mandibles light brownish, with four dark brown teeth. Labial and maxillary palpi testaceous, the last segment of both dark brown or black. Antennae slender, reaching posteriorly to the middle of the elytra in the male, shorter in the females; scape dorsally ochre-testaceous, ventrally and basally violet; antennomeres 2–4 metallic violet, two and three sometimes slightly brownish in basal half scape with one apical seta, the following three antennomeres almost glabrous; antennomeres 5–11 black, matte, finely, and evenly pubescent.

Thorax: pronotum slightly longer than wide (mean PW/PL = 0.9); sides weakly rounded between the transversal constrictions, nearly parallel-sided; glabrous; densely transversally rugate throughout; dull; coppery with reddish reflections dorsally; transverse constrictions with blue and green reflections; margins bluish-green.

Elytra: ( Figs 13a, b ) slightly more than twice as long as wide (mean EL/EW = 2.1), parallel-sided, with a dorsally flattened basal hump, dorsal surface with irregular microreticulation, dull coppery with greenish-blue stripes behind humeri; testaceous elytral maculation in males consists of humeral, lateromedial and preapical spots; the humeral spot is located along anterior margin of the humeri; the lateromedial spot is wide and oblique; the preapical spot is relatively large and rounded; in females humeral spot absent. Anterior third of elytra with relatively large and deeply impressed transverse punctures, towards the apices becoming narrower and more transverse, forming a scale-like surface; near the suture becoming denser and confluent. Apical margin minutely serrate, distinctly rounded and restricted towards middle suture, with a minute sutural spine. Epipleurae black.

Ventral aspect: bluish-violet; sternae and episternae glabrous; pro- and mesocoxa testaceous, meta-coxa violet with testaceous apex; trochanter glabrous, pro- and mesocoxa with 4–5 setae, metacoxa bisetose; femur, tibia, and tarsi setose; Leg coloration varies in specimens from within the same population. Coxa, and basal half of femur relatively testaceous, remaining segments of legs brownish, with bluish-violet metallic luster. Protarsomeres 2–3 in males laterally and ventrally covered by long white setae.

Aedeagus: ( Figs 13e, f ) median lobe short and robust, strongly widened immediately from the base; ventral side of median lobe, just behind the middle towards to apex, with rounded protrusion, in which the coil of spiral sclerite is situated; apex short and wide, with thick hook; spiral sclerite of endophallus wide, with one and half coils at base.

Distribution. This species is known from several mountainous areas of the island of Mindanao ( Map 1 ).

Figures

MAP 1. Distribution of species of Prothyma (Symplecthyma).

FIGURE 13. Prothyma (Symplecthyma) sciakyi sp. nov. a) Dorsal habitus, Holotype, male. Scale = 5 mm. b) Left elytron, paratype, female. Scale = 5 mm. c) Labrum, male; d) Head, female; e) Aedeagus, left lateral view, Governor Generoso; f) Aedeagus, left lateral view, San Francisco Scale = 1 mm.

FIGURE 14. Head and pronotum of Symplecthyma species. a–c: Prothyma (Symplecthyma) aeneoparva Horn, 1934; a) Lectotype, Samar; b) Cawa-Cawa, Mindanao; c) Park Tayabas, Luzon; d) Prothyma (Symplecthyma) eureka sp. nov., Paratype. e) Prothyma (Symplecthyma) heteromallicollis Horn, 1909, Holotype. f) Prothyma (Symplecthyma) sciakyi sp. nov., Holotype. Scale = 1 mm.