Leucopholis bezdeki, Calcetas, 2023

Calcetas, Orlando A., 2023, Three new species of the genus Leucopholis Dejean, 1833 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae, Leucopholini) from the Philippines and designation of a neotype for L. semperi Brenske, 1896, European Journal of Taxonomy 890, pp. 184-203 : 190-192

Leucopholis bezdeki sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:24A67CFE-43C3-41EF-B115-074908EE1C72

Figs 7–10

Differential diagnosis

The new species can be distinguished from all other Philippine Leucopholis by the paramere with the apical process bird bill-like, distinctly shorter than the phallobase, tapering towards the apex and narrowly rounded apically. The pronotum has the posterior angle obtuse, rounded apically and slightly sinuate in L. bezdeki sp. nov. while it is either nearly or slightly above 90° angle and distinctly sinuate in the other six species of Philippine Leucopholis with the metaventral process extending in front of the prosternal process. The posterolateral margin of the elytron near the posterior angle is distinctly infleXed in L. bezdeki and L. ratcliffei sp. nov. while it is vertically flattened laterally in L. stainesi sp. nov. and L. semperi .

Etymology

This new species is named after Dr Aleš Bezděk (Biology Centre CAS, České Budějovice, Czech Republic), a specialist on Asian melolonthines.

Material examined

Holotype PHILIPPINES • ♂; Zamboanga City, Watershed Camp-II ; Jun. 1993; V. Samarita leg.; PNM.

Paratypes PHILIPPINES • 3 ♀♀; Zamboanga City, Watershed Camp-II ; Jun. 1993; V. Samarita leg.; PNM .

Type locality

Philippines (Mindanao, Zamboanga City).

Description

BODY LENGTH. 38.2 mm.

BODY WIDTH. 19.1 mm.

COLOUR. Dorsum and venter monochromatic black; covered with yellowish white scales ( Fig. 7 ).

HEAD. Clypeus with medial anterior margin nearly straight anteriorly; moderately cleft laterally, slanted at 60° angle; above clypeo-labral suture with row of large, rounded to rugose punctures adjacent to posterior margin; each puncture with stiff brownish hair or seta; surface directly above clypeo-labral suture lustrous, glabrous; anterior and lateral margins carinate dorsally, distinctly concave medially; anterior angle widely rounded dorsally; dorsal surface covered with short or long, narrow, elongate, nearly parallel-sided, rounded, apically scales; scales slightly bent downward. Apical maxillary palpomere rice grain-like with spindle-shaped flattened area. Mentum pot-shaped, lustrous, glabrous; with nearly flattened surface; with very few hair brushes on each side of medial cleft subanteriorly. Antennal lamellae length 2.9 mm, distinctly longer than entire length of antennomeres II–VII.

PRONOTUM. Anterior margin widely concave; with short, nearly straight margin medially; anterior angle obtuse, lustrous, glabrous, triangulate, impunctate subapically; with rounded callosity apically; anterolateral margin wedge-shaped at 45° angle, crenulate; medial margin widely rounded, crenulate; posterolateral margin slightly wedge-shaped, smooth; posterior angle distinctly obtuse; slightly sinuate, rounded, apically; above it with small glabrous, impunctate callosity; posterior margin evenly wedge-shaped downward on each side; widely concave, medial margin slightly extended posteriorly; surface with very narrow impunctate longitudinal medial callosity, disappearing subanteriorly and subposteriorly; surface covered with variable scales; covered mostly with elongate, ovoid, medially stout, rounded apically scales medio-subanteriorly; covered mostly with elongate, spindle-shaped, rounded apically scales medio-subposteriorly; covered mostly with elongate, nearly parallel-sided, inverted-lanceolate, rounded apically scales submedially; covered mostly with elongate, inverted lanceolate, widely rounded apically scales adjacent to lateral margin.

VENTRAL SIDE OF THORAX. Prosternal process mound-shaped to nearly isosceles triangulate; wedge-shaped subapically; widely rounded apically; with flattened impunctate area medially and apically; with very few scales and hairy on each side and posteriorly. Metaventral process length 4.6 mm; distinctly wide, triangulate basally, elongate towards apex; not constricted subapically; subapical lateral margin distinctly long, nearly parallel-sided; moderately rounded apically; lustrous, glabrous, impunctate dorsally; each side covered with scales of variable shapes and sizes along each depression; with very narrow, faint, longitudinal dark line dividing metaventral process and metasternum medially; faint line much distinct in metasternum ( Fig. 8 ). Metasternum with shallow medial depression, covered mostly with short, inverted lanceolate scales.

LEG. Foretibia bidentate; with narrow rounded apex; posterior metatibia with 22–24 spicules.

SCUTELLUM. Covered with large and small, elongate, inverted lanceolate, ovoid, nearly parallel-sided scales; lustrous, impunctate, without scales around posterior margin.

ELYTRON. Anterior margin distinctly wedge-shaped towards scutellum; anterior angle widely rounded; thickly carinate, explanate; with narrow suture towards anterior angle; margin evanescent medially; posterolateral margin distinctly infleXed towards posterior angle; posterior angle obtuse, widely rounded; posterior margin weakly explanate, not carinate; wedge-shaped laterally; sutural angle widely obtuse; sutural margin towards sutural angle and scutellum distinctly carinate, covered with minute fringed hairs; surface covered mostly with short, inverted lanceolate, rounded to truncate apically scales.

ABDOMEN.Abdominal sternites I–IV covered with short, ovoid lanceolate, widely rounded basally, rounded apically scales; abdominal sternite V covered mostly with elongate lanceolate to elongate ovoid scales.

PYGIDIUM. Anterolateral margin thickly carinate towards anterior angle; disappearing medially; with narrow explanate margin medially, very distinct and wide towards posterior margin; posterior margin slightly concave, narrowly explanate, distinctly depressed medially; convex laterally; subposterior margin vertically flattened laterally; surface covered mostly with minute, elongate ovoid, parallel-sided scales.

MALE GENITALIA. Genitalia 14.9 mm long. Phallobase dorsal apical margin bisinuate, W-shaped, moderately convex medially, distinctly concave on each side and slightly convex towards lateral margin ( Fig. 9 ). Paramere dorsal basal margin bowl-shaped, widely concave medially; distinctly extended posteriorly; each side sinuate. Apical process length 3.6 mm, distinctly shorter than phallobase; distinctly elongate, bird bill-like, tapered towards apex; rounded apically; anterior posterior margin widely rounded. Lateral margin of paramere with wide, shallow longitudinal depression on each side ( Fig. 10 ).

FEMALE. Length 41.0–42.0 mm, width 19.8–20.5 mm. Clypeal anterior margin strongly convex medially, anterior angle widely rounded dorsally; medial cleft slanted at 60° angle laterally. Lamellae length 2.3– 2.5 mm, nearly as long as entire length of antennomeres II–VII. Metaventral process length 4.5–4.8 mm. Posterior metatibiae with 26–34 spicules.

Distribution

Philippines (Mindanao).

Figures

Fig. 7–10. Leucopholis bezdeki sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (PNM). 7. Habitus, dorsal aspect. 8. Metaventral process, dorsal aspect. 9. Male genitalia, dorsal aspect. 10. Male genitalia, lateral aspect.