Metapocyrtus rubricollis, Sandel & Bollino, 2018

Sandel, Franco & Bollino, Maurizio, 2018, Four New Species of Metapocyrtus Heller, 1912, from Mindoro Island, Philippines (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae, Pachyrhynchini), Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 18 (2), pp. 139-158 : 148-152

Metapocyrtus rubricollis sp. nov.

( Figs. 5 a-5d)

Diagnosis

Metapocyrtus rubricollis shows a superficial affinity to Metapocyrtus schicki Schultze, 1925 (Type locality: Luzon, Nueva Vizcaya Province, mountains near Santa Fe), from which the new species is easily distinguishable by the different coloration of pronotum and legs, all these being of testaceous red color. Elytra of rubricollis with striae more regularly striato-punctate; in both species elytra with similar profile, but in M. rubricollis a quite pronounced and prominent apical hull is present; besides the elytral spots are pale blue white, rather than bright blue as in M. schicki .

Type material. Holotype male “ Philippines - Mindoro Island / SW slopes mt. Iglit Baco / San Jose (Calintaan) / X.2015 - mt. 1200 / coll. Sandel ”, will be deposited in SMTD

Paratypes (11 males, 5 females): 6 males, 1 female: Philippines - Mindoro / NE slopes Mt. Baco - V.2015 / ~ 12°48’N 121°12’E / m 1300, coll. M. Bollino ; 2 males, 3 females: Philippines - Occ. Mindoro / Abra de Ilog Range / (Santa Cruz) / May 2016 / coll. Bollino; all in MBLI; 3 males, 1 female : Philippines - Mindoro / SW slopes Mt. Iglit Baco / San Jose (Calintaan) / I. 2016 - m 1200 / coll. Sandel, all in CFS .

Description

Male. Dimensions: LB: 9.4 - 11.9 (holotype 11.7; â: 10.72). LR: 1.6 - 2.0 (2.0; â: 1.82). WR: 1.3 - 1.7 (1.6; â: 1.5). LP: 3.6 - 4.5 (4.5; â: 4.1). WP: 3.2 - 4.2 (4.2; â: 3.75). LE: 5.9 - 7.4 (7.4; â: 6.62). WE: 3.7 - 4.8 (4.7; â: 4.3).

N = 4 for all measurements.

Head, elytra and ventral parts black, upper and lateral parts of the pronotum, femora and tibias testaceous red; glossy surface. Subglabrous body; upper part with sparse and short pale grey hairs on the rostrum and on apex of elytra;, lower part with sparse pale yellow bristles between th e coxe, on mesosternum an d metasternum, more numerous and dense on ventrites I and II, more sparse on ventrites III-IV-V.

Head glabrous, upper part of the rostrum with short pale yellow hairs, ventral part with light yellow hairs longer and thicker, laterally present only below the eyes and mixed with few whitish elongated scales. Apex of the rostrum with long yellowish bristles. Upper part of the pronotum testaceous red with anterior and posterior edges darker, the anterior one with few pale white elongate scales in the lateral parts and two small spots of pale white scales in the latero-ventral area. Short and sparse pale yellow bristles on the disc of pronotum. Elytra with spots of whitish pale blue circular scales so distributed: two elliptical spots in the anterior third, the first in the space between the striae II and V, the second in a lateral position between the stria IX and the elytral edge; three spots to form a central band, one between striae I and III, one between striae IV and V, smaller and slightly closer the elytral base, and one of the same size of first, or slightly larger, between striae VII and IX; posterior third with a larger and elongate spot between striae II and V, and an apical spot always between striae II and V; a thick band of scales between the middle and the posterior elytral third, between stria IX and the elytral edge.

Elytral striae formed by aligned points, each one with a short, whitish bristle, longer in the apical region; moderately wrinkled interstriae. Femora slightly clavate, covered with short white adpressed bristles, slightly thicker and elongated towards the distal part. Tibiae covered in the inner and outer part by less adpressed yellowish white bristles, inner part notched with a series of small teeth, and a weak fringe of yellowish bristles. Coxae with sparse yellowish hairs. Mesosternum glabrous, the transverse furrow with few pale hairs, hairless in the area between coxae; anterior portion towards both sides with a series of small and shallow points with small whitish hairs. Metasternum with few whitish bristles in the central part, two spots of whitish blue circular scales on both sides. Ventrite I with long adpressed light yellow bristles, more dense in the longitudinal furrow; ventrite II with a tuft of pale yellow bristles, more sparse on both sides; ventrites III-IV-V with long pale yellow bristles, ventrite V flat and with a series of large rough spots covered with bristles.

Eyes slightly protruding from the contour of the head, very flattened with convexities more highlighted in the back. Antennae with thin scapes, longer than the funnel; I segment about 4 times longer than wide, almost 1.6 times longer than II; segment II about 2.5 times longer than wide, and 1.8 times longer than III; segment III about 1.4 times longer than wide; segment IV 1.1 times longer than wide; segments V and VI as long as wide; segment VII approximately 0.8 times longer than wide. Club swollen and covered with thick yellowish pubescence, about 2.2 times longer than wide.

Rostrum longer than wide (LR/WR 1.25), enlarged at the apex with scrobes clearly visible from above, dorsally wrinkled and covered with coarse spots; longitudinal groove along the midline interrupted towards the anterior forth;. sides raised and more convex backward, then gradually more flat towards the apex up to the insertion of the scape; dorsolateral part on each side with a deep longitudinal incision between the upper half of the margin of the antennal furrow with very wrinkled bottom, slightly reaching the lower edge of the eyes; ventrally slightly convex, without any projection.

Pronotum subglobose, narrowed forward, slightly longer than wide ( LP /WP 1.07), its greater width on the back third, dorsal contour higher in the middle.

Dorsal surface with small sparse and shallow points, finely wrinkled surface between the points.

Elytra subovate ( LE /WE 1.57), larger than pronotum, ( WE / WP 1.12), with greater width just before the middle, with a constantly convex dorsal contour, dorsal contour slightly higher at the anterior third, terminal part before the apex with a slight hull-like expansion. Sutural apical declivity of elytra between the hull expansion and the apex with a series of brown bristles longer at the sutural striae; some longer brown bristles in the posterior third of the elytra, along the apical edge, in proximity of last striae. Elytral disk dotted, striae with aligned points which, in the lateral part, are aligned more irregularly; finely wrinkled interstriae. Elytra in ventral vision with a profile dilated up to the half, maximum width in the middle, then narrowing to the apical third, and rounded at the apex.

Legs slender, with clavate femora; tibiae slightly curved at the apex, mid and hind legs with slightly more pronounced curvatures; fore tibiae with straight inner edge, few short tubercles, and blackish brown small mucrones. Mid tibiae with numerous small short tubercles along the inner edge, and small brown mucrones: Hind tibiae with a series of very small tubercles, barely visible.

Genitalia as illustrated (figs 6a-6d; 9c).

Female. Dimensions: LB: 10.9 - 11.7 (â: 11.42). LR: 1.5 - 1.8 (â: 1.6). WR: 1.2 - 1.5 (â: 1.4). LP: 3.5 - 3.9 (â: 3.65). WP: 3.3 - 3.7 (â: 3.5). LE: 7.0 - 8.1 (â: 7.55). WE: 4.8 - 5.3 (â: 5.1).

N = 5 for all measurements.

Elytra more convex than the male, with a more regular convexity, apical third with dorsal hull more pronounced, apical angle of the elytra obtuse. Elytral spots smaller, covered with round whitish pale blue scales; pronotum with latero-ventral spot more marked, transversal bands on anterior and posterior edges absent, being only present few pale light blue circular scales. Mesosternum and metasternum strongly rough and with sparse and short pale yellowish white bristles, ventrites I-II-III with evident and well marked transversal wrinkles, and sparse yellowish white bristles, ventrite V much less wrinkled than in the male, with basal depression, and a pair of deep wrinkles at the apex.

Femora of the hind legs shorter than in the male; other characters practically as in the male.

Genitalia as illustrated (figs 6e- 6g).

Distribution. All along the mountain ridges of the Island

Etymology. The name rubricollis “with the neck (= pronotum) red” derives from the red color of part of the integuments of the new species.

Figures

Fig. 5. a: Metapocyrtus rubricollis Holotype dorsal view; b: idem, lateral view, c: Metapocyrtus rubricollis female dorsal view; d: idem, lateral view