Philippistenia, Botero & Vives, 2021

Botero, Juan Pablo & Vives, Eduard, 2021, Philippistenia, a new Disteniini genus from the Philippines (Coleoptera: Disteniidae), Zootaxa 5047 (4), pp. 465-476 : 466-468

Philippistenia gen. nov.

Type species. Distenia heterotarsalis Heller, 1923 , here designated.

Diagnosis. Philippistenia gen. nov. can be differentiated from other genera of Disteniini by the following characteristics: head distinctly narrowed behind eyes; lateral tubercles of prothorax directed upward; elytra pubescent, with longitudinal bands of dense black pubescence, always present on suture; metafemora linear, unarmed apically, and long, almost reaching elytral apex; and metatarsomere I at least as long as II + III.

Description. Head prognathous, narrowed behind eyes ( Fig. 2 ). Eyes somewhat coarsely faceted, upper eye lobes well-separated, distance between them at least 1.5 times width of upper lobe. Antennae longer than body in both sexes; antennomeres gradually thinner toward apex of antenna. Fourth maxillary palpomere sexually dimorphic, securiform in male, fusiform in female. Prothorax wider than long (including lateral tubercles), strongly constricted anteriorly and posteriorly, more evident anteriorly; lateral tubercles wide basally, acute apically, directed upward. Pronotum microsculptured, covered with dense, fine pubescence and sparse long setae, with five gibbosities: two subcircular, placed on each side of anterior half; two larger, subrounded, placed on each side of posterior half, subfused with anterolateral one; another elongate, slightly elevated, placed medially. Elytra long, at least 3.5 times as long as prothorax; slightly narrowed toward apex; surface of anterior half with coarse, dense punctation, on posterior half, punctation decreases and there is no punctation apically; with dense black pubescence on suture, forming longitudinal bands on some other regions of elytra ( Figs 4–5 ); elytral apex with projection at inner and outer angle. Femora linear; apex unarmed; metafemora long, almost reaching elytral apex. Metatarsomere I at least as long as II + III.

Male terminalia ( Figs 27–33 , 38–46 , 62–70 ). Tergite VIII (e.g. Fig. 38 ) with lateral margins strongly convergent at apical third, distal margin truncated and lined with long yellow setae. Sternite VIII (e.g. Fig. 39 ) subtransverse, distal margin with long sparse yellow setae; apophysis long, about 1,5 times as long as sternite. Ventral arc (e.g. Fig. 64 ) fork-shaped, with apophysis long. Tegmen (e.g. Figs 31–33 ) with distal region completely divided into parameres; parameres (e.g. Figs 68 – 70 ) cylindrical-elongated, subparallel, bearing both short and long setae, mainly at apex; apex rounded; ring piece elongated, proximal part connected only by narrow membrane, without projection. Median lobe (e.g. Figs 41 – 43 ) about 1.3 times length of tegmen; curved at apical third in lateral view; dorsal lobe shorter than ventral lobe; basal apophysis very short.

Etymology. The name Philippistenia is a compound of the words Philippines, referring to the country where the species of the new genus are distributed, and Distenia . Feminine gender.

Remarks. The genus Philippistenia differs from Distenia ( Figs 1 , 6–18 ) by the head distinctly narrowed behind the eyes ( Fig. 2 ); elytra with longitudinal bands of dense black pubescence, always present on the suture (e.g. Figs 4–5 ); and the metafemora long, almost reaching the elytral apex. In Distenia , the head is not strongly narrowed behind the eyes ( Fig. 1 ); the elytra do not have longitudinal bands of dense black pubescence ( Fig. 6 ); and the metafemora are short, just reaching the apical third of the elytra. Comparing the male terminalia of Philippistenia species with the male terminalia of Distenia (D.) columbina ( Figs 1–18 ) is possible to observe that in the latter the tergite VIII ( Fig. 10 ) and the apophysis of sternite VIII ( Fig. 11 ) are longer than in Philippistenia , and the parameres of tegmen are divergent apically ( Fig. 13–15 ) (in Philippistenia species are subparallel).

The new genus can be also differentiated from Typodryas Thomson, 1864 ( Fig. 19 ) by the absence of transversal wrinkles on the vertex and pronotum ( Fig. 2 ), and the elytra with longitudinal bands of dense black pubescence. In Typodryas , the vertex and pronotum have transversal wrinkles ( Fig. 3 ) and the elytra do not have longitudinal bands of black pubescence.

Philippistenia can be differentiated from Novantinoe Santos-Silva & Hovore, 2007 by the pronotum with the medial tubercle slightly elevated, poorly visible; elytra with longitudinal bands of dense black pubescence; and the metafemora long, almost reaching the elytral apex. In Novantinoe , the medial tubercle of pronotum is well elevated and clearly visible; the elytra do not have longitudinal bands of black pubescence, and the metafemora do not reach the elytral apex. Novantinoe is geographically restricted to the New World.

Currently, Philippistenia is an endemic genus from the Islands of the Philippines ( Fig. 71 ).

Figures

FIGURE 71. Geographical distribution of Philippistenia species.

FIGURES 1–5. 1-3. Detail of posterior area of head and pronotum. 1. Distenia (D.) columbina Lepeletier & Audinet-Serville, 1828; 2. Philippistenia levitemporalis (Heller, 1924); 3. Typodryas callichromoides Thomson, 1864; 4–5. Detail of the elytra showing the longitudinal black bands of pubescence. 4. Philippistenia samarensis (Villiers, 1959); 5. Philippistenia heterotarsalis (Heller, 1923).

FIGURES 20–33. Philippistenia levitemporalis (Heller, 1924). 20–21. Lectotype, female. 20. dorsal view; 21. Labels. 22–26. Paralectotype. 22. Labels; 23. Dorsal view; 24. Ventral view; 25. Lateral view; 26. Frontal view; 27–33. Male terminalia. 27. Tergite VIII; 28–30. Median lobe. 28. Dorsal view; 29. Lateral view; 30. Ventral view. 31–33. Tegmen. 31. Dorsal view; 32. Lateral view; 33. Ventral view. Scale = 1 mm.

FIGURES 34–46. Philippistenia halconensis (Vives, 2012). 34. Holotype, male; 35–37. Female. 35. Dorsal view; 36. Lateral view; 37. Frontal view. 38–46. Male terminalia. 38. Tergite VIII; 39. Sternite VIII; 40. Ventral arc; 41–43. Median lobe. 41. Dorsal view; 42. Ventral view; 43. Lateral view. 44–46. Tegmen. 44. Dorsal view; 45. Ventral view; 46. Lateral view. Scale = 1 mm.

FIGURES 54–70. Philippistenia heterotarsalis (Heller, 1923). 54–57. Holotype of Distenia samarensis Villiers, 1959, male, copyright MNHN Paris. 54. Dorsal view; 55. Ventral view; 56. Lateral view; 57. Labels. 58–70. Male specimen. 58. Frontal view; 59. Dorsal view; 60. Ventral view; 61. Lateral view; 62. Tergite VIII; 63. Sternite VIII; 64. Ventral arc; 65–67. Median lobe. 65. Dorsal view; 66. Ventral view; 67. Lateral view. 68–70. Tegmen. 68. Dorsal view; 69. Ventral view; 70. Lateral view. Scale = 1 mm.

FIGURES 6–19. 6–18. Distenia (D.) columbina Lepeletier & Audinet-Serville, 1828, male. 6. Dorsal view; 7. Ventral view; 8. Lateral view; 9. Frontal view; 10–18. Male terminalia. 10. Tergite VIII; 11. Sternite VIII; 12. Ventral arc; 13–15. Tegmen. 13. Dorsal view; 14. Ventral view; 15. Lateral view. 16–18. Median lobe. 16. Dorsal view; 17. Ventral view; 18. Lateral view; 19. Typodryas callichromoides Thomson, 1864. Scale = 1 mm.