Philippscelus gracilis Ohmomo, 2009, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ohmomo, Sadahiro
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Buprestidae
Philippscelus
Philippscelus gracilis

description: Philippscelus gracilis, sp. nov.
(Figs. 2, 5)
Description (3 holotype). Elongate-ovoid, subcylindrical, flattened above and below; length from head to elytral apex 12.7 mm, width 4.2 mm, widest at about elytral posterior 1/2; dorsal coloration iridescent green with faint blue tint laterally and the distal 1/3 of elytra slightly strong blue-green; ventral coloration green with moderate golden tint below, except prosternum which is black except for green disc, and narrow band of cupreous reflection along extreme edge of mesepisternum, mesepimeron, metacoxal plate and anterior abdominal segments just beyond elytral lateral margin; hypomeron black with blue green tint; dorsal surface transversely striolate-rugose, except median portion of pronotum and elytral which are sparsely, very shallowly punctate; ventral surface imbricate; entire surface glabrose except short, sparse, adpressed, fine setae well-spaced along ventral imbrications. Head: frontovertex very feebly depressed between eyes dorsally and feebly, irregularly projecting between ventral half of eyes; eyes large, inner margins feebly diverging dorsally; circumocular groove extends from behind eye both dorsal and ventral and all around front; frontoclypeus strongly compressed between antennal insertions, distal margin feebly concave, explanate; supra-antennal grooves contiguous, connecting with central longitudinal depression of frontoclypeus; gena without any projecting lobe, with short obtuse depression beneath eye to receive basal antennomeres in repose. Antennae short, antennomere 2 longer than 3; 3, 4 subequal, serrate from antennomere 5; 6–10 wider than long; 11 oblong, entire. Pronotum: wider than long, widest at basal 1/3; disc entire, only slightly convex medially, lateral portions somewhat explanate; anterior margin arcuate; basal margin bisinuate; basolateral angle obtuse; lateral margin arcuately emarginate in basal 1/3 to angulate projection, then narrowing slightly to before anterior 1/3 and then feebly arcuately convex to anterior margin. Elytra: disc entire, evenly transverse; slight basal depression between humerus and scutellum; posterolateral margin serrulate; slight preapical depression inside and posterior to two short, subparallel, longitudinal costae midway between suture and lateral margin at about middle of length of posterior 1/2; lateroapical margin finely dentate; apical angles subattenuate, separately rounded; epipleuron short, ventrally deflexed, extending only to opposite mesepimeron. Pygidium not visible posterior to elytral apices. Thoracic ventrites: prosterum with moderately produced, feebly bilobed mentonniere, two lobes widely spaced, slightly angularly produced; process subparallel, lateral margins converging posteriorly; mesepimeron partially visible beyond basal abdominal projection; metacoxal plate with anterior margin strongly sinuate. Abdominal ventrites: suture between ventrites 1 and 2 only indicated laterally; distal margin of ventrite 5 finely dentate. Legs: femora fusiform; pro- and mesotibiae feebly arcuate; metatibia straight along internal margin, external margin widest proximally before narrowing to slight concave depression, then straight to apex, setal comb present on external margin from before proximal1/3, extending to beyond distal 1/3; tarsomeres 1–4 each slightly shorter than preceding, each with ventral pulvillus; 5 elongate, length equal to 2 + 3 + 4, claws bifid. Male genitalia as in Fig. 5.
Variation. There is no obvious sexual dichromatism or dimorphism. Color varies slightly from the holotype to include specimens that tend to a golden green reflection dorsally. The type series varies in size as follows: 33 (n = 19), length 12.1–13.5 mm, width 4.0– 4.3 mm and ƤƤ (n = 7), length 13.2–14.5 mm, width 4.3–4.8 mm.
Specimens examined. Holotype, 3 (CSCA): PHILIPPINES, Leyte Is(land), Mt. Balocaue (Balocawe), 2006.08, D. Mohagan leg.; 27 paratypes: 4 33, same data as holotype; 2 33, 2 ƤƤ, same data except 2006.4; 1 3, 1 Ƥ, same data except June–Aug., 2006; 2 unsexed, Mt. Balocaue, vi.2006; 1 Ƥ, Mt. Balocaue, Mahaplag, 5–10.iv.2009, local collector; 2 33, same data except 15–27.iv.2009; 2 33, Mt. Balocaue, 9.vi.2009; 1 3, same data except 15–19.vi.2009; 2 33, 2 ƤƤ, Mt. Balocaue, vi.2009; 4 33, 1 Ƥ, Leyte Is., Mahaplag, Hilusig, Mt. Balocaue, August 2009. Paratypes are deposited in BLCW, CLBC and COTJ.
Etymology. This new species’ name is from the Latin for ‘slender,’ to mark the most obvious diagnostic feature that separates it from the two congeners.
Remarks. This is the first species of Philippscelus that lacks the entire transverse, strongly rugose elytral disc. Instead P. gracilis has the lateral portion of the elytral disc moderately rugose and the median portion is simply punctate. The three species of Philippscelus can be distinguished in the key below.
description: Published as part of Ohmomo, Sadahiro, 2009, Three new species of Coraebini Bedel, 1921 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilinae) from the Leyte Island, Philippines, pp. 57-64 in Zootaxa 2292 on pages 60-61, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.275305