Brachinus mindanaoensis Tian and Deuve

Tian, Mingyi & Deuve, Thierry, 2013, Three new species of the genus Brachinus Weber, 1801 from the Philippines, with a modified key to species (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Brachininae), Zootaxa 3737 (3), pp. 289-294 : 291-293

Brachinus mindanaoensis Tian and Deuve new species.

( Figs. 2 , 6 )

Holotype. ♂, labeled “Mindanao”, “Ex-Musaeo Mniszech”, in MNHN; Paratype: 1 ♀, idem, in MNHN.

Length: 13.5–15.0 mm; width: 5.2–5.5 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 2 .

Dark brown on head, pronotum and elytra, but antennomeres, palps, labrum, clypeus, tibiae and tarsi lighter, femora (except for tips) and frontal spots yellow to reddish brown. Microsculptural meshes densely isodiametric on head, pronotum and elytra.

Head longer than wide (HL/HW=1.1), anterior margin of labrum straight, bearing sexsetose, clypeus bisetose, with a few shorter setae aside, glabrous in median portion of clypeus, frons and vertex; eyes moderate for Brachinus ; palps moderate, pubescent and subcylindrical; maxillary palpomere 4 normal at apex, labial palpomere 3 slightly dilated near apex, both obliquely truncate at apex; maxillary palpomere 4 much longer than palpomere 3 (1.4 times), labial palpomere 3 as long as 2; labial palpomere 2 plurisetose; ligula robust and wide, adnated to paraglossae posteriorly, both multisetose at apex; mentum without median tooth, basal foveae large, surrounded by numerous setae of mentum and submentum; palpiger bisetose at base. Antennae extending at about middle of elytra, comparative length ratio of antennomeres 1–5 as: 1.0, 0.7, 1.9, 1.3 and 1.1.

Pronotum wider than long (PW/PL=1.1), widest in anterior half, at about 1/3 of pronotum from apex, hind margin straight, fore margin widely and evenly emarginated, deeply sinuated laterally before hind angle, hind angle acute; disc moderately convex, surface finely striate, with a few setae located near to basal and apical margins.

Elytra elongate-ovate, EL/EW=8.5/5.1, shoulders broad, widening backwards till 1/3 of elytra from apex, not parallel-sided, widest at about apical 1/3 of elytra; elytral apex with membrane and fringed, depressions and costae well marked, depressions much wider than costae (nearly twice), rather flat, costae faintly convex, rather wide; sparsely pubescent on median portion, denser at apical and basal areas.

Pro-episternum slightly tumescent, invisible from dorsal view; whole glabrous and smooth. Fore tibia with subapical spur externally.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 6 ): median lobe of aedeagus slender, strongly arcuate, evenly expanded at median portion. Remarks: Brachinus mindanaoensis is similar to B. bigutticeps Chaudoir ( Fig. 4 ) for the body shape, but it differs from the latter with it dark colour, wide pronotum, aedeagus slender in contrast to the lighter body, narrow pronotum and stout aedeagus of B. bigutticeps ( Fig. 7 ).

Etymology: The specific name of the new species refers to its type locality. Distribution: The Philippines (Mindanao Island).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4 Habitus: 1. B. grootaerti n. sp.; 2. B. mindanaoensis n. sp.; 3. B. palawanensis n. sp.; 4. B. bigutticeps Chaudoir; scale: 5.0 mm.

FIGURES 5 – 7. Male genitalia (median lobe, lateral view and dorsal view of apex): 5. B. grootaerti n. sp., lateral view; 6. B. mindanaoensis n. sp.; 7. B. bigutticeps Chaudoir; scale: 0.5 mm.