Therates hubertusi sp. nov. a new species of tiger beetle (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) in Davao City Philippines

Abstract

2022. Therates hubertusi sp. nov. a new species of tiger beetle (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) in Davao City Philippines. Baltic J. Coleopterol., 22(1): 127-131. Therateshubertusi sp.nov. is described from Davao City, Philippines. The new species is distinct from its known congeners for its size, slender neck, blunt elytral apex, and long slender bottle-shaped aedeagus tapering towards the apex. The present species is endemic in the Philippines and known so far from its type locality.

Full text

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Baltic J. Coleopterol. 22(1) 2022
ISSN 1407 - 8619
Therates hubertusi sp. nov. a new species of tiger beetle (Coleoptera:
Cicindelidae) in Davao City Philippines
Milton Norman D. Medina, Joshua Donato, Analyn A. Cabras
Medina M.N.D., Donato J., Cabras A.A. 2022. Therates hubertusi sp. nov. a new species of
tiger beetle (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) in Davao City Philippines. Baltic J. Coleopterol.,
22(1): 127–131.
Therateshubertusi sp.nov. is described from Davao City, Philippines. The new species is
distinct from its known congeners for its size, slender neck, blunt elytral apex, and long
slender bottle-shaped aedeagus tapering towards the apex. The present species is endemic in
the Philippines and known so far from its type locality.
Keywords: Cicindelini, Therates, new species.
Milton Norman D. Medina, Analyn A. Cabras. Coleoptera Research Center, University of
Mindanao, Davao City Philippines. E-mail: mnd_medina@umindnanao.edu.ph
Joshua Donato. Euro Generics International Philippines, Davao City Philippines
INTRODUCTION
There are about 160+ species of tiger beetles in
the Philippines with approximately 80–90%
endemism. In so far, few species are being added
(Zettel&Pangantihon, 2017; Anichtchenko&
Medina, 2019; Medina et al. 2019; Medina et al.
2020; Zettel&Wiesner, 2018).The genus The-
rates Latreille, 1816 is a charismatic species of
Cicindelidaedistributed mainly in the Oriental
Region, from India to southern Japan and the
Solomon Islands (Medina et al. 2019; Zettel&
Pangantihon, 2017).
Cabras et al. (2016) listed 13 species of Therates
of which five species belongs to the Therates
fasciatus group. Moreover, Zettel&Pangantihon
(2017) added two species T. negrosicola and T.
monticola bringing the total to 15 species in the
Philippines and seven species under T.fasciatus
group. Members of T. fasciatussub-species group
found in the Philippines deposited in the Uni-
versity of Mindanao Coleoptera Research Center
are examined including T. f. quadrimaculatus
Horn, 1895, T.f. pseudolatreillei (Horn, 1895),
T.f. fasciatus Fabricius, 1801, and Therates fas-
ciatus group including T. monticola Zettel&Pan-
gantihon, 2017. Additional materials examined
includethe Therates collections of Herr Jürgen
Wiesner during the first and third author’s visit
in his hometown in Wolfsburg, Germany. Other
Philippine Therates materials deposited in Mu-
seum fur Tierkunde Dresden were also examined.
The current materials were also compared using
the high definition images in Carabidae.org
(www.carabidae.org). Considering the fact that

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Medina M.N.D., Donato J., Cabras A.A.
there are a number of ambiguous species particu-
larly in the T.fasciatus group, a thorough review
of the genus is highly needed.
Although, the new species has a very close affi-
nity to T. fasciatus group for having clypeus
without setae and elytron without tumescence at
mid-length and with weak anteapical tumescence,
we refrain from assigning this new species to any
sub-species group and its correct sub-generic
placement will be revealed after a thorough review
of this genus.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The holotype of this new species is deposited in
the University of Mindanao Coleoptera Research
Center (UMCRC), to be deposited at the Philip-
pine Museum of Natural History (formerly Philip-
pine National Museum or PNM). The specimens
were collected primarily through opportunistic
sampling between 8:00AM and 11AM, Philip-
pine Standard Time. Specimens were killed in
vials with ethyl acetate.
Morphological characters were observed under
Luxeo 4D and Nikon SMZ745T stereomicros-
copes. Habitus and genitalia images were taken
using Canon EOS 800D digital camera and Sigma
18-250 macro lens. All images were then stacked
using Helicon Remote and Helicon Focussoft
wares and processed using a licensed version of
Photoshop CS6 Portable.
The measurements taken are adopted from Ma-
talin (2015) with modification as follows: total
body length (TBL) from anterior margin of
clypeus to apex of elytra (without labrum); length
of labrum (LL) from anterior margin of clypeus
to anterior margin of labrum (without apical tooth);
length of mandible (LM), length of pronotum
(LP) along midline; length of elytra (LE) from
shoulders to apex of sutural angle (without sutural
tooth); width of labrum (WL), width of pronotum
(WP), width of elytra (WE) in broadest sense,
and length of aedeagus (LA), width of aedeagus
(WA) in broadest sense.
Materials examined:
MTD – Museum fur Tienkunde Dresden, Ger-
many;
UMCRC – University of Mindanao Coleoptera
Research Center, Philippines ;
JWCG – Jürgen Wiesner Collections, Dresdener
Ring Wolfsburg, Germany.
TAXONOMY
Therates hubertusi Medina & Cabras, sp.nov.
(Fig. 1)
Type depository. Holotype 1 male in UMCRC,
paratype 1 male in UMCRC.
Type material. HOLOTYPEmale (Figure 1): Phi-
lippines – Mindanao, Mindanao, / Davao City, /
4-5.vi.2021, 700 masl, local collector leg.
(UMCRC), printed on red card. PARATYPE:
Same data as holotype (1 male, UMCRC), printed
on yellowcard. Each specimen also bears a red
(holotype) or yellow (paratype) label under the
locality label that states “Holotype [or Paratype] /
Therates hubertusi / Medina&Cabras, 2021”.
Etymology. Named after Dr. Hubertus van Die-
rendonck, a Dutch national for his invaluable
contribution in protecting the environment within
the Obu-Manuvu tribe ancestral domain in Davao
City Philippines.
Description. Measurements: Male (n=2), TBL:
7.2-7.5 mm. LL: 1.0 mm. WL: 1.0 mm. LP: 0.8 mm.
WP: 1.0 mm. LP: 1.5 mm. LM: 1.2 mm. LE:
4.4mm. WE: 3.5 mm. LA: 1.7 mm. WA: 0.3 mm.
Male. Length without labrum 7.2-7.5 mm (Holo-
type, 7.5mm) (Fig. 1A-B). Head dorsal aspect-
dark metallic blue, frons glabrous lustrous metal-
lic blue, vertex lustrous dark metallic blue, with
supraorbital striae, clypeus lustrous fulvous brown
without setae, antennal plates glabrous; lateral
aspect genae lustrous black with tinge of fulvous
brown near the base of the teeth; ventral aspect-
gulalustrous black with metallic brown at the
middle. Eyes black, large distinctly protruding,
globose, as wide as the humerus, supraorbital

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Therates hubertusi sp. nov. a new species of tiger beetle (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) in Davao City Philippines
area glabrous, with one setae near each eyes,
setae yellow. Labrum (Fig. 1C) with one pair of
short basal teeth, one pair of distinct distolateral
teeth, and middle lobe bearing 6 longer sharp
teeth and 5 smaller teeth in between, 9 golden
brown setae. Mandibles, light yellow at base,
golden brown towards the apex; labial palp white
at base, golden brown otherwise, length 1mm.
Antennae filiform, when projected posteriorlydo
not reach at the middle of elytra; scape golden
yellow on one side, golden brown on the other
side with 1 yellow setae; antennomeres 1-4 golden
brown, with 2-7 setae in between antennomeres;
antennomeres 5-10 evenly covered with fine gol-
den yellow setae. Prothorax distinctly globose;
Pronotumlustrous black, 1.5 times longer than
wide, glabrous althroughout; pronotal disc finely
striated metallic green; pronotal groove deep.
Prosternum, prosternalepimeron, mesosternum,
mesipisternumlustrous black, glabrous. Intercoxal
process golden brown. Metasternum golden
brown. Coxa and trochanters of front, middle,
lower legs light golden yellow. Femur as long as
tibia, femur and tibia light golden yellow sparsely
covered with minute golden yellow setae: front
leg 2.0 mm, middle 2.5 mm, hind leg 3.5 mm.
Figure 1. Therates hubertusi Medina&Cabras, sp.nov. A: Habitus, B: Lateral side, C. Labrum, D-E:
Aedeagus.

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Medina M.N.D., Donato J., Cabras A.A.
Abdominal sternites 1-5 golden brown with 2 fine
golden yellow setae, anal sternitegolden brown.
Elytra 1.25 times longer than wide, LE: 4.4 mm,
WE: 3.5 mm, scutellum and epipleura golden
brown, elytral suture golden brown from the base
up to near the apex, light golden yellow towards
the apex. Thick transverse maculation after the
base separated at the middle, and from the middle
slightly recurve transverse black maculation up
to before the apex. Apex of elytra blunt, flat (Fig.
1D-E). AedeagusWA: 0.3 mm. LM: 1.2 mm. long
slender bottle-shaped aedeagus tapering towards
apex (Fig. X).
Distribution. Therates hubertusi Medina&
Cabras, sp. nov., is known only from the type
locality in Carmen Baguio District, Davao City
Philippines.
Figure 2. Elytra apex: A: Therates hubertusi Medina&Cabras, sp.n., B: Therates fasciatus fasciatus
Fabricius, 1801, C: Therates monticola Zettel&Pangantihon, 2017, D: Therates fasciatus
pseudolatreillei (Horn, 1895), E: Therates fasciatus quadrimaculatus Horn, 1895.
Ecology. The present species was collected approx-
imately 200 meters from the riparian ecosystem,
around 700 masl, perching in Cyatheaconta-
minans (Giant Tree Fern). The biotype has
clayish soil partially covered with shrubs mostly
members of Pteridophyta and Anthophyta.
Differential diagnosis. This new species is dis-
tinct from its congeners in T. fasciatus group T.f.
fasciatus (sensustricto), T.f. quadrimaculatus, T.f.
pseudolatreilli, and T. palawanensis but can be
easily recognize in size difference, labrum, very
distinct elytral apex (Fig. 2A-E), and slender neck
of the head. Based on size, it is very similar to T.
monticola, and on maculation with T. palawa-
nensis but differ in many ways. Ultimately, its
genitalia is unique from its known congeners.

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Therates hubertusi sp. nov. a new species of tiger beetle (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) in Davao City Philippines
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We thank Jürgen Wiesner for the kind accommo-
dation during our visit and examination in his
collections in Wolfsburg, Germany. Our gratitude
to Dr. Klaus-Dieter Klass Sectionsleiter Cole-
optera, MTD, Olaf Jager Preparator Coleoptera
MTD for the accommodation during our visit in
Dresden, Germany. We thank the UMCRC Re-
search Team Ms. Chrestine Torrejos, Ms. Leslae
Kay Mantilla, and Mark John Pepito for the help
in the collections. To Dr. Guillermo P. Torres Jr.
for the support in our coleopterological studies
in the Philippines. To Dr. Arvids Barsevskis and
his coleopterogyteam in DU for the support and
fruitful collaborations. To my friend Dr. Alex-
ander Anichtchenko for the suggestions and im-
provements. To our local guide Felix and Alvin,
and to the Ovu-Manubo tribe in Davao City
headed by tribal chieftain DatuLandim. We also
thank the anonymous reviewers.
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Received: 19.09.2021.
Accepted: 04.05.2022.