Bityle oriens: A new species of Longhorn Beetle from Mindanao Island, the Philippines.

The islands of the Philippines are considered to be one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, with a largely tropical forest ecosystem scattered across a large number of islands, leading to a very high rate of endemism (the occurrence of species with limited geographical ranges). However, much of this biodiversity is currently threatened by habitat loss as forests are converted to agricultural use. One of the groups most threatened by this are Beetles, a hyper-diverse Insect group which reach their most specious in tropical forests. Many Beetles found in the Philippines are unique to the islands, but often closely related to species found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

In a paper published in the Philippine Journal of Science in February 2024, Milton Norman Medina of the Tropical Genomics Laboratory and the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Davao Oriental State University, and the National Museum of Natural History Philippines, Amy Ponce, also of the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Davao Oriental State University, and Jhonnel Villegas of the Faculty of Teacher Education and Center for Futures Thinking and Regenerative Development at Davao Oriental State University describe a new species of Longhorn Beetle from Davao Oriental Province on Mindanao Island, the Philippines.

The new species is placed in the genus Bityle, which contains six previously described species from Mindanao and Luzon islands in the Philippines and Sulawesi in Indonesia, and given the specific name oriens, meaning 'east', in reference to Davao Oriental Province. The species is described from one male and two female specimens collected in the Municipality of Boston, which is part of the Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor, a continuous stretch of forest ecosystems that serve as a biological sanctuary in the eastern part of Mindanao.

Habitus of Bityle oriens: (A) Holotype male, dorsal aspect; (B) paratype female, dorsal aspect; (C) frons of male holotype; (D) lateral aspect, male holotype. Medina et al. (2024).

Females of Bityle oriens are slightly larger than males, reaching 9.5 mm as opposed to 8.0 mm, but otherwise externally similar. The Beetles are black in colour, with white hairs on the head, antennae, legs, and underside, while the upper part of the body is covered by black hairs, except three bands of white hairs on the elytra.

See also...

Amamiclytus wuxingensis: A new species of Longhorn Beetle from Guizhou Province, China.

Longhorn Beetles, Cerambycidae, are a widespread and diverse group, noted for their elongated antennae, which are often longer than their bodies (though some species lack these). Their larvae are wood-boring grubs, which can be destructive to timber, and many species are considered pests, both in the forestry industry and in human dwellings as woodworm. Some of the largest species of Beetle are Longhorns, including the 16 cm Titan Beetle (Titanus giganteus) of South America. Members of the genus Amamiclytus are Small-bodied Longhorn Beetles with black, glossy bodies and white pubescent markings on the elytra (wing cases), found across Asia including India, Sri Lanka, China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and the Ryukyu Islands. There are currently nineteen described species in the genus, two of which are known from China.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 14 November 2019, Shulin Yang and Cha Wang of the School of Life Sciences at Guizhou Normal University, describe a new species of Amamiclytus from Guizhou Province, China.

The species is decribed from two male specimens collected by by net sweeping on a Flowering Bird Cherry, Prunus sp., in the village of Wuxing in Leishan County. The species is named Amamiclytus wuxingensis, meaning 'from Wuxing'. These specimens are 3.5 and 5.0 mm in length, predominantly black and glossy, with brown mouthparts, antenna, abdomen and legs. The body is sparsely covered with long pale hairs.

Amamiclytus wuxingensis, male specimen in dorsal view. Scale bar is 1 mm. Yang & Wang (2019).

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Four new species of Longhorn Beetles from South Island, New Zealand.

Longhorn Beetles (Cerambycidae) are a widespread and diverse group, noted for their elongated antennae, which are often longer than their bodies (though some species lack these). Their larvae are wood-boring grubs, which can be destructive to timber, and many species are considered pests, both in the forestry industry and in human dwellings as woodworm. Some of the largest species of Beetle are Longhorns, including the 16 cm Titan Beetle (Titanus giganteus) of South America.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 16 April 2013, Qiao Wang of the Institute of Natural Resources at Massey University and Wen Lu of the College of Agriculture at Guangxi University describe four new species of Longhorn Beetles from South Island, New Zealand. All are placed in the genus Brounopsis, which is endemic to the island.

The first new species described is named Brounopsis concolora, in reference to its uniform reddish brown colour. The species is named from six female specimens, collected at an altitude of 4100 m on Mount Arthur and a seventh specimen, also female, from about 4500 m on Gordon's Pyramid, both within the Kahurangi National Park on the northwest of South Island. The Beetles range from 13.5 mm - 18.5 mm in length. The larvae of the Beetle live on Mountain Cottonwood shrubs (Cassinia vauvilliersii), the adults emerging in January to March.

Brounopsis concolora, female specimen in dorsal view. Scale bar is 10 mm. Wang & Lu (2013).

The second new species described is named Brounopsis nigrifacta, a reference to the black colour of the head, wing case and front part of the thorax. The species is named from four male and nine female specimens from the Southland and Otago Regions of southern South Island. The females are notably larger than the males, reaching 12.9 mm - 16.9 mm. as opposed to 11.3 - 14.7 mm for the males. The larvae also lived on Mountain Cottonwood shrubs, with the adults emerging in November-January.

Brounopsis nigrifacta, male (2) and female (3) specimens in dorsal view. Scale bars are 10 mm. Wang & Lu (2013).

The third new species described is named Brounopsis deitzi, after Lewis Dietz of the North Carolina State University, who collected the first specimen of this Beetle. The species is named from one male and two female specimens collected the Southland Region and Mount Cook National Park. These are black, and reddish brown Longhorn Beetles, partially covered with fine hairs. The females are larger than the male, at 13.5 mm and 17.5 mm, as opposed to 12.8 mm. The larvae also lived on Mountain Cottonwood shrubs, with the adults emerging in November-January.

Brounopsis dietzi, male (6) and female (7) specimens in dorsal view. Scale bars are 10 mm. Wang & Lu (2013).

The final new species is named Brounopsis gourlayi, in honour of ES Gourlay of the Cawthron Institute, who collected the first specimen. The species is described from nine male and fourteen female specimens collected from across South Island. These are black and blackish brown Longhorn Beetles, the females are larger than the males, reaching 13.5 mm - 19.5 mm, as opposed to 12.0 mm - 13.2 mm. The larvae were found living on Silver Cottonwood (Cassinia leptophylla) the adults emerging in October to January and in May.

Brounopsis gourlayi, male (8) and female (9) specimens in dorsal view. Scale bars are 10 mm. Wang & Lu (2013).

See also...

 A new species of cave-dwelling Ground Beetle from Jiangxi Province, southeast China.









 A new species of Ground Beetle from Mexico.











 Two new species of Jewel Beetle from Central America.










Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

A new species of Longhorn Beetle from Southeast Asia.

Longhorn Beetles (Cerambycidae) are a widespread and diverse group, noted for their elongated antennae, which are often longer than their bodies (though some species lack these). Their larvae are wood-boring grubs, which can be destructive to timber, and many species are considered pests, both in the forestry industry and in human dwellings as woodworm. Some of the largest species of Beetle are Longhorns, including the 16 cm Titan Beetle (Titanus giganteus) of South America.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 16 April 2013, Mei-Ying Lin of the Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution at the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Carolus Holzschuh of Villach in Austria describe a new species of Longhorn Beetle from China, Vietnam and Laos.

The new species is named Blamada rubripronota, where 'Blamada' is 'an arbitrary combination of letters' and 'rubripronota' refers to to the orangey-red pronotum (top of the thorax) of the Beetles. Blamada rubripronota is a 9.7-13.1 mm elongate black Beetle with an orangey-red head and protonum. The females are slightly larger than the males. The species was found living in Hua Phan in Laos, Vinh phu Province in Vietnam and Guangxi Province in China.

Blamada rubripronota. (1) Male from Laos, (2) male from Laos, (3) female from Laos, (4) male from Vietnam, (5) female from Vietnam and (6) male from China. Lin & Holzschuh (2013).

See also A new species of Marsh Rove Beetle from Japan, A new species of Chrysomeline Leaf Beetle from Ireland, England and Tasmania, A new species of Diving Beetle from New Guinea, A new species of Skin Beetle from Yunnan Province, China and A blind, cave dwelling, Ground Beetle from Anatolian Turkey.

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.