Acronia paulsi, Barševskis, 2022

Barševskis, ArvÓds, 2022, A new species of the genus Acronia Westwood, 1863 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from the Philippines, Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 22 (1), pp. 139-143 : 140-142

Acronia paulsi sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 )

bands and spots of white pubescence ( Fig. 1 ). Body length: 15.1­ 20.0 mm, maximal width of elytra: 4.3­ 6.2 mm.

Head flat, wide, with almost parallel sides, with slightly convex eyes. Cheeks not extended, covered with dark sparse pubescence and transverse, narrow, slightly interrupted band of white pubescence in frontal and basal portions. Surface of head shiny, with sparse and coarse punctation. Middle portion of head with longitudinal thin line, slightly impressed in the middle part, stretching from clypeus to basal portion of head. Head between eyes with two white elongated spots, with two shaped small white spots behind eyes. Ventral surface of head between eyes with two white spots. Frontal portion of head with transverse white line.

Type material

Holotype: male. Philippines, Luzon Isl. / Aurora, Ditumabo / 04.2018, local collector leg. <handwritten> // HOLOTYPUS: / Acronia paulsi sp.nov. / A. Barśevskis det. 2022. <red label, handwritten>. Deposited in DUBC .

Paratypes: 4 specimens (2 males and 2 females). Philippines, Luzon Isl. / Ditumabo, Aurora / 04.2018, local collector leg. <handwritten label>. Philippines, Luzon Isl. / Ditumabo , Aurora / 09.2017, local collector leg. <handwritten label>. Philippines, Luzon Isl. / Ditumabo , Aurora / 09.2017, local collector leg. <handwritten label>, Philippines / Eastern Luzon , Aurora, Ditumabo , / 10.2018, local collector leg. <handwritten label>. All paratypes with red handwritten label : PARA­ TYPUS: Acronia paulsi sp. nov. A.Barśevskis det. 2022. Deposited in DUBC.

General distribution: Philippines: Luzon Island.

Description. Body elongate, black, lustrous, surface with black pubescence, with addional

Labrum pubescent, punctated, covered with dark short and long hairs. Clypeus dark­brown or black, narrow, transverse, shiny, with fine and elongate wrinkles in frontal portion. Mandibles shiny, massive, relatively wide and with acute apices, with very fine, sparse wrinkles and punctures in basal part, covered with very sparse dark pubescence. Antennae black, relatively short, covered with dense dark pubescence; basal antennomere thickened, with sparse fine punctures and pubescence, antennomeres 3 and 4 with white pubescence in basal portions.

Pronotum almost cylindrical, very convex and glossy, black, some specimens with greenish metallic lustre. Frontal portion of pronotum with sparse punctures, basal portion of pronotum with acute, extended angles. Basal portion of pronotum slightly neck­shaped. Dorsal disc of pronotum without middle line, very smooth and shiny, bothfrontal and basal portions with two oblique white lines.

Scutellum small, rounded apically, with elongate wide impression in middle part. Pars stridens with reticulate, slightly transverse, fine microsculpture and punctures.

Elytra black or greenish, glossy, with relatively coarse punctures and reticulate microsculpture. Each elytron with well­developed and distinct humps behind shoulders. Dorsal part of elytra behind shoulders with wide impression. Elytra mostly covered with black pubescence and white irregular bands and spots ( Fig. 1 ). Shoulders with elongated and slightly curved white lines almost

Barṥevskis A.

extending almost wide depression posteriorly. White line encircle scutellum and extending suture. Middle portions of each elytron with white transverse line stretching from lateral margin and broadly curved near suture, and curved on lateral margin and stretching to about apex of elytra. Surface between these transverse lines partially covered with fine and white pubescence. Apical portions of elytra with two to four longitudinal lines, curved or merging together. Apical part of elytra near suture with narrow flat keel­shaped elevation.Apical part of elytra slightly concaved, without distinct projections.

Ventral surface of body black, with greenish or bronze lustre, with white spots and lines. Legs relatively short, slightly shiny, covered with dark pubescence.Lateral sides of tibia with fine wrinkles and punctures, covered with dark pubescence. Lateral sides of femori with white spot. Tarsomeres greenish, with metallic lustre, covered by dark pubescence.

Differential diagnosis. Based by the shape of drawing of the surface of the body, the new species is similar to Acronia ysmaeli Huedepohl 1989

( Fig. 2 ), from which it can be distinguished by the different coloration. The surface of of the body of A. ysmaeli is green, with additional many irregularly shaped spots and lines that not forming a regular transverse line in the middle. Another related species is A. pretiosa Schultze, 1917

(Fig. 3). Elytra of this species has transverse lines, but the surface pattern is different: lines at the base of the elytra are more curved, almost converging, with two­three broader and merging white and yellow lines at the apex of the elytra. The white or yellow lines on the prothorax and head are also have different shapes.

Etymology. Patronym. This species is named after the famous contemporary Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls, in gratitude for his invaluable contribution to Latvian culture and to the development of popular music in Latvia.

Figures

Fig. 1. Acronia paulsi sp. nov.

Fig. 2. Acronia ysmaeli Huedepohl 1989. Fig. 3. Acronia pretiosa Schultze, 1917.