Heptodonta mindoroensis Cassola 2000
Creators: name: Görn, Sebastian
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Carabidae
Heptodonta
Heptodonta mindoroensis

description: Heptodonta mindoroensis Cassola, 2000
Figs. 2, 47, 55–61
Heptodonta mindoroensis Cassola 2000: 496.
Type locality. Philippines: Mt. Halcon (Mindoro).
Type material. Holotype: ♀ in RMNH, labelled: “ PHILIPPINES, Mindoro Id / Calapan, Mt Halcon / Barrio Luyang, 360-500 m / May 14.-17. 1991 / Roland A. Müller leg. et coll.” [printed] // “ HOLOTYPUS / Heptodonta / mindoroensis n. sp. / Ded. F. Cassola, 1999” [red, printed].
Diagnosis. Resembling H. melanopyga, but distinguishable by the regular and less fused elytral punctation (Fig. 2), rather fine transverse striation of the pronotum, almost parallel-sided slender elytra with more pronounced apical impression, and typical aedeagal shape with gently sloping base and rather pointed than rounded tip.
Redescription. Body size: Length 10.7–13.7 mm (without labrum), width 3.1–4.0 mm (Figs. 47, 55–56).
Dorsal surface of head dark-bronze with metallic blue-green areas on vertex and lateral occiput, or metallic blue-green with iridescent yellowish-bronze areas on frons and occiput, temples blue. Frons transversely to irregularly grooved, crumpled wrinkles in transition to vertex. Vertex median with parallel longitudinal striation, that converging in transition to the orbital plates. Orbital plates with fine, convex to parallel converging striae, and with two setae on each side. Occiput with irregular transverse grooves, anteromedian irregularly rugose. Genae glabrous and shallowly grooved, violet-blue posterior and yellowish green anterior. Clypeus glabrous (except two specimens with one right seta), blue, bluish green, yellowish green or even bronze, with two dull dark blue frontal impressions. Labrum with four setae, five apical teeth, and one lateral tooth on each side, three median teeth acute, third apical tooth often reduced, shape variable, male labrum rectangular and short (0.53–0.58 mm long, 1.30–1.48 wide mm, Fig. 57), testaceous; female labrum antero-triangular or three median teeth protruding (0.80–0.93 mm long, 1.40–1.65 mm wide, Fig. 58), testaceous to dark testaceous. Mandibles testaceous to dark testaceous, teeth black. Labial and maxillary palpi testaceous with black terminal palpomeres, pre-terminal maxillary palpomere testaceous to dark testaceous in males, and dark-testaceous to black in females. Antennae slender, extending back over the middle of the elytra, metallic black; scape, pedicel, and antennomeres 3–4 dorsally sometimes with a gentle green or violet lustre, pedicel testaceous at base, scape with a single apical seta, antennomeres 3–4 with few scattered setae, antennomeres 5–11 finely and evenly pubescent.
Thorax entirely glabrous. Pronotum dark-bronze with marginal bluish-green lustre, or bluishgreen with yellowish-bronze areas, moderately pronounced median line generally with blue margin, proportions variable, approximately as long (2.10–2.63 mm) as wide (2.03–2.78 mm), fine transverse grooves often irregular on disc, pronounced anterior and posterior sulci, anterior lobe wider than posterior, lateral margins of the median lobe moderately converging to the base. Episterna, sterna, and epimera violet with iridescent green to bluish-green lustre.
Elytra elongate, length 6.6–8.6 mm, almost parallel-sided, maximal width posterior, dark-bronze to iridescent bronze with lateral bluish-green to green lustre, which is in some specimens gently expanded to the sutures, lateral margin violet to bluish-green, apex green to blue, discal and juxtahumeral impression moderate, impression on posterior declivity moderate or lacking, apical impression deep, basodiscal convexity and posterior gibbosity moderate, deep punctures regularly distributed and more separated (Fig. 2), puncture lines not fused to groove lines, punctures decreasing in size to apex, basal and apical irregularly punctured.
Coxae dark-testaceous with iridescent yellowish-green to violet lustre, pro- and mesocoxae anteriorly, meta- coxae laterally densely covered with long white setae, mesocoxae posterior with few white setae. Trochanters and femora testaceous. Distal femoral metallic black colouration of equal length expanded over approximately one quarter of the profemora. Tibiae and tarsi metallic black. Proximoapical tibiae testaceous or at least slightly lightened. Claws rufous-testaceous to dark-testaceous.
Abdomen: Sternites glabrous (apart from few long setae at posterior margins, some minute single setae on sternites 4–5 of females, and in males some minute setae on posterior margins of sternites 4–5 and on posterolateral margins of sternites 2–5), dark-brown with iridescent bluish-green to violet reflections, anal sternite almost completely dark-brown (Fig. 59).
Aedeagus: Arched and elongated, length 2.35–2.48 mm, ventral concave with a subtle basoventral convexity, rather pointed tip slightly directed ventrally, dorsoapical slope moderate and extended over approximately a quarter of the aedeagus, dorsomedian convexity slightly and dorsobasal convexity moderately sloping. Inner sac in left lateral aspect median with spoon shaped diagonal sclerite (Figs. 60–61).
Variability. Besides the more common dull colour form, there are also iridescent green specimens resembling H. melanopyga in colouration (Fig. 47).
Distribution. Central PHILIPPINES (Mindoro).
Additional material examined. 20 specimens. PHILIPPINES: Mindoro: Mt. Halcon, IX.2010 (JWCW, SGCH); Mt. Halcon, 800 m, VIII.1993 (ZSM).
Remarks. Only recorded from Mount Halcon on Mindoro (Cassola 2000; Cabras et al. 2016).
description: Published as part of Görn, Sebastian, 2020, Revision of the Oriental tiger beetle genus Heptodonta Hope, 1838 (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), pp. 1-62 in Zootaxa 4875 (1) on pages 23-24, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4875.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4578779