Doliops comvalensis Medina, 2024

Medina, M. N., Agbas, D., Obrial, G. & Cabras, A., 2024, DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF THE GENUS DOLIOPS WATERHOUSE, 1841 (COLEOPTERA: CERAMBYCIDAE, LAMIINAE) FROM DAVAO DE ORO WITH NOTES ON OTHER ENDEMIC SPECIES AND MIMICRY COMPLEX IN MINDANAO ISLAND, THE PHILIPPINES, Far Eastern Entomologist 507, pp. 15-24 : 17-21

Doliops comvalensis Medina , sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ 555EF177-01A0-486B-967D-20FCD2EA9402

Fig. 1

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype – male, the Philippines: Mindanao, Davao de Oro / Maragusan / Mt. Candalaga / 10.I 2024 / 1500 masl. D. Agbas, D. Obrial leg. / printed on red card. The holotype specimen is deposited at the PNM. Paratype: female, the Philippines: Mindanao, Davao de Oro / Maragusan / Mt. Candalaga / 10.I 2024 / 1500 masl. D. Agbas, D. Obrial leg. / printed on red card. The paratype specimen is deposited at MMCP .

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: Doliops cuellari : male, from Kapatagan Davao del Sur, I 2018, loc. col. leg. ( MMCP) ; Doliops halconensis : 2 females, Oriental Mindoro, VII 2017, loc. col. leg. ( MMCP) ; Doliops halconensis : male, Puero Gallera , Oriental Mindoro, VII 2017, loc. col. leg. ( MMCP) ; Pachyrhynchus miltoni Cabras et Rukmane, 2016 : male, Mt. Candalaga, Maragusan, Davao de Oro , 1500 m, 10.II 2024, D. Agbas and D. Obrial leg. ( MMCP) ; Metapocyrtus kuehli Cabras et al., 2021 : Mt. Candalaga, Maragusan, Davao de Oro , I 2024, loc.col. leg. ( MMCP) .

DESCRIPTION. Male ( Fig. 1A , C-D). Body tegument coppery red, lustrous; underside of head and prothorax with tinge of coppery green; ventral side of abdomen coppery red with tinge of coppery green at the sides. Antennae reddish-brown, lustrous, scape, pedicle, and antennomere III coppery red, antennomeres IV to XI light brown with tinge of matte black near apex of IV-V and X-XI.

Head wider than long; lined at the middle with whitish to yellowish recumbent pubescence from base of epicranium to base apex. Genae as long as wide, lustrous, slightly raised at middle, covered with yellowish recumbent pubescence. Frons covered with very fine punctures, slightly raised at middle towards near apex; apex lined with long semi-erect black setae. Clypeus yellowish to black, lustrous, glabrous. Labrum with dense puncturations, covered with semi-erect long black setae. Mandible short, robust, beak-shaped, lateral side covered with fine whitish pubescence. Vertex parallel, lustrous, sparsely covered with very fine punctures. Maxillary and labial palpi matte brown to black, covered with erect black setae. Eyes crescent-shaped, matte black, lower eye lobe wider than long, lower eye lobe wider than upper eye lobe, with one orbital setae at lower lobe and two at upper lobe.

Antennae shorter than body length, reaching apical third of elytra. Scape, pedicle, and antennomeres III to XI with very fine punctures, covered with very fine recumbent pubescence. Scape elongated conical shaped, shorter than antennomere III; pedicle short, the underside with long erect black setae; antennomere III twice longer than antennomere IV, slightly recurved, the underside with long semi-erect setae concentrated from apical third towards apex, expanded near apex, underside with more pronounced fine white recumbent pubescence; antennomere IV light brown, slightly longer than antennomere V, base with whitish recumbent pubescence, the other half black; antennomeres V to XI light brown, sparsely covered with semi-erect light brown to black setae.

Prothorax when viewed dorsally semi-spherical, covered with very fine punctures. Pronotal disc slightly convex, each side lined with a thick band of whitish or yellowish scales; Propleuron and prosternum densely covered with thick bands of whitish to yellowish scales, interrupted at midline in propleuron. Pronotum widest in the middle.

Elytra densely covered with very fine punctures, widest at the middle, disc convex, clothed with whitish to yellowish scales interrupted at humeral angle, pre-median, post-median, elytral suture from base towards basal third, and an elongated interruption from declivity towards apex ( Fig. 1 ). Elytral margin when viewed laterally slightly recurved, apex lined with fine, short, semi-erect yellowish pubescence; elytra apex slightly truncate. Humeral angle flat and slightly raised. Scutellum rounded, lustrous, densely covered with fine recumbent black pubescence.

Procoxa and mesocoxa rounded, raised, metacoxa not raised; coxa covered with fine whitish to yellowish recumbent pubescence. Trochanter's lustrous black, sparsely covered with whitish pubescence, triangular to conical shaped. Femora densely covered with very fine punctures and recumbent whitish pubescence, underside and dorsal side of apical third with bands of whitish scales. Tibiae covered with very fine punctures, apical third flattened with ridge covered with semi-erect brownish to black setae. First and second tarsal segments club-shaped, densely covered with whitish recumbent pubescence with few semi-erect black setae. Tarsal claws light brown, simple.

Mesosternum, mesepimeron, mesepisternum, metaventrite, and metanispisternum densely covered with thick yellowish to white recumbent pubescence. Metaventrite slightly convex at middle. Abdominal ventrites coppery green, densely covered with very fine whitish pubescence, with thick band of whitish pubescence at each side, thinner at ventrite V; ventrite I broader than ventrites II, III, and IV.

Genitalia. Whole system of genitalia including the whole length of the endophallus 10.0 mm. Aedeagus as long as endophallus (5.0 mm). Tegmen shorter than endophallus (4.0 mm). Parameres 1.0 expanded at each side, apex lined with yellowish soft setae. Aedeagus when viewed laterally highly recurved, apical half lanceolate with a highly pointed and slightly recurved apex.

The whole system of genitalia strongly curved when viewed laterally. Parameres slightly bottle–shaped, distinctly separated from each other, covered with long soft erect yellowish setae; aedeagus strongly curved, apex distinctly pointed, conical shaped. Endophallus more than twice longer than aedeagus. Apex of tergites VII and VIII lined with erect yellowish setae. 9th tergite broad, apex lined with long soft yellowish setae ( Fig. 1 ).

Female ( Fig. 1B , E-F). There is no sexual dimorphism between male and female, except the female is larger, more robust, and with shorter antennae (do not reach the apical third of elytra). The apex of head in female lined with long whitish setae, absent in males. The elytral maculation seems consistent between male and female species.

MEASUREMANTS (in mm). Holotype male: LB: 13.0; WH: 2.5; LL: 0.8; WL: 1.0; LP: 3.0; WP: 3.0; LE: 8.0; WE: 5.5; WEH: 4.0 mm. Paratype female: LB: 14.0; WH: 2.5; LL: 0.8; WL: 1.0; LP: 3.0; WP: 3.5; LE: 10.0; WEH: 5.5 mm.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. The new species is similar to its Mindanao endemic congeners, Doliops cuellari Vives, 2012 , D. edithae Vives 2009 , and D. halconensis Vives, 2012 ( Fig. 2 ), in the size and elytral maculation. However, the new species can be easily distinguished from these species in its unique maculation in pronotum. Pronotal maculation is similar to D. cuellari except that it does not have a thin band of whitish pubescence at the pronotal disc. Elytral maculation is similar to one of variations of D. halconensis but can be easily distinguished based on pronotal differences.

HABITAT. New species was found in the forest near the road and soil erosion ( Fig. 3 ). The host plant is fallen Shorea contorta .

DISTRIBUTION. Philippines: Mindanao (Davao de Oro: Mt. Candalaga , Maragusan, Davao de Oro) .

ETYMOLOGY. The new species is named after Compostela Valley, the former name of the province of Davao de Oro .

NOTES ON MIMICRY

Mimicry among Pachyrhynchini and Doliops has already long been noted (Wallace, 1889; Schultz, 1923, 1925). Mimicry is a known phenomenon in nature that is central to evolutionary biology wherein organisms resemble each other’s patterns and colors to fool predators. Among the most common mimicry includes Batesian mimicry wherein palatable species (mimic) resemble the non-palatable or less palatable organisms (model) so predators will avoid them ( Bates, 1862), and another is Mullerian mimicry wherein equally defended organisms (venomous, poisonous, etc.) resemble each other to better educate the predators ( Muller, 1878). The possible mimicry or the convergence of similar patterns having three bands in the elytra is quite common in Mt. Candalaga as was previously noted by Cabras et al. (2021). Species which has these three bands in the elytra include Metapocyrtus mansaka Cabras at al., 2018, Pachyrhynchus kraslavae Rukmane et Barševskis, 2016 , Pachyrhynchus miltoni Cabras et Rukmane, 2016 , Metapocyrtus salesi Cabras et al., 2021 , Metapocyrtus kuehli Cabras et al., 2021 , Metapocyrtus jumawani Cabras et Medina, 2021 , Metapocyrtus (Dolicocephalocyrtus) cf. clemensi , and Doliops cuellari Vives, 2012 (Cabras et al., 2021). During fieldwork, Doliops comvalensis sp. n. was collected together with Metapocyrtus kuehli , M. mansaka , and Pachyrhynchus miltoni . The resemblance of Doliops comvalensis and Pachyrhynchus miltoni is striking especially since they also share the same metallic red integuments and golden yellow three-banded patterns ( Fig. 5 ). Whereas with Metapocyrtus mansaka and Metapocyrtus kuehli it is more on the patterns, although from afar the reddish sheen of M. mansaka scales can also be deceiving. More efforts should be conducted to study the complex of mimicry species in Mt. Candalaga Range.

Figures

Fig. 1. Doliops comvalensis Medina sp. n. A, C, D, G-L – male; B, E, F – female. A, B – habitus, dorsal view; C, E – the same, lateral view; D, F – frons; G, H – male genitalia: G – ventral aspect; H – lateral aspect; I, J – aedeagus: I – lateral aspect; J – ventral aspect; K – 9th tergite, dorsal aspect; L – tegmen, ventral aspect.

Fig. 2. Some Doliops species endemic to greater Mindanao. A-C – Elytral variation of D. halconensis Vives, 2012; B – D. cuellari Vives, 2012 from Kapatagan, Davao del Sur; E – D. cuellari Vives, 2012, holotype male, EVC; F – D. edithae Vives, 2009, holotype female, EVC. Images E-F, credit to E. Vives.

Fig. 3. Habitat of Doliops comvalensis Medina sp. nov. in Mt. Candalaga. A-B – the montane forest in Mt. Candalaga showing the newly opened road and soil erosion, C – fallen Shorea contorta, the host plant of D. comvalensis, D – D. comvalensis (in situ).

Fig. 5. Mimicry complex of Doliops, Pachyrhynchus, and Metapocyrtus in Mt. Candalaga. A-B – D. comvalensis Medina sp. n.: A – male; B – female; C – P. miltoni fully banded, yellow variation; D-E – P. miltoni: D – fully banded pink variation; E – non banded: F – M. kuehli.