Nidella petrovi, Barševskis & Cabras, 2021

Barševskis, Arvīds & Cabras, Analyn Anzano, 2021, Two new species of Nidella Gressit & Rondon 1970 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from the Philippines, Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 21 (1), pp. 53-57 : 53-57

Nidella petrovi sp. nov.

( Fig. 2)

Type material: HOLOTYPUS, female: Philippines: Mindoro isl. / Baco, 11.2017. / local collector leg. [handwrited] ; HOLOTYPUS / Nidella / petrovi sp. nov. / A.Barševskis descr. 2021. [handwrited, red label] ( DUBC) .

General distribution: Mindoro isl., Philippines.

Description. Body black, elongated, narrow, dorsal surface of elytra dark-grey, without yellow longitudinal bands or spots. Length: 9.3 mm, maximal width: 2.0 mm. Head flattened, with rectangular apical portion and convex, bilobate eyes. Dorsal surface of head with very coarse punctures and sparse tomentum, especially along the margins, without distinct longitudinal line between thick and extended antennal bases. Labrum brown, slightly pubescent, very shiny. Apical margin of labrum strongly concave. Clypeus brown, transverse, shiny. Mandibles brown, with darkened edges and sharp apex, massive, wide, shiny, relatively short, with dense lateral pubescence. Cheeks with sparse pubescence. Anterior part of head with sparse, relatively long white pubescence. Antennae slen- der, long, antennae shorter than body, covered with coarse punctures and fine, sparse pubescence; antennomeres 1–4 widened apically, black, remaining antennomeres dark brown, paler basally. Pronotum red, cylindrical, elongated, neckshaped narrowed in apical and basal portions, along basal angles and near frontal edge covered with small bands of silver-white, dense pubescence. Dorsal and lateral portions of pronotal disc without pubescence, with very dense and coarse punctures and wrinkles. Scutellum small, with dense silver-white pubescence. Pars stridens forming smooth spot, with very fine transverse microsculpture. Elytra flattened dorsally, with weak shoulders hump. First half of elytra almost parallel-sided, from middle narrowed apically. Elytra dark-grey, with weak golden-greenish metallic reflection and indistinct microsculpture. Punctation of elytra very dense, not arranged in longitudinal rows. Apical margins of elytra near suture with small, sharp extensions, slightly inclined towards each other. Lateroventral surface of body with dense, silver-grey or grey pubescence. Legs dichromatic, with yellow-red base of femur and dark tibia, tarsus and apical thickened part of tibia, covered with very fine pubescence.

Male unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Regarding the shape of the body, the new species is similar to N. anichtchenkoi , but differs by the distinctly smooth dorsal and lateral portions of the pronotum, without tomentum or with rudimentary traces of it (except for portion along basal angles and near frontal edge covered with small bands of silver-white, dense pubescence). Nidella petrovi has the frontal portion of head between bases of antennae without a narrow longitudinal line and characterized by coarser punctation, with the presence of wrinkles. Besides that, the new species can be distinguished from N. anichtchenkoi by the shape of more curved extensions on the apical margins of each elytron near suture.

Etymology. This species is named after my friend and colleague, Belarusian entomologist Dmitry Petrov (Daugavpils, Latvia) in appreciation of cooperation, and in gratitude for his contribution to the studies of the fauna of insects of Belarus and Baltic Region.