In March 2024, descriptions of two new cave beetle species from the Philippines, as well as the proposal of a new genus, were published in Zootaxa.
New Genus – ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐
Beetles under the new genus ๐๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ข are similar in appearance to Indonesiaโs ๐๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ถ๐ด ๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐จ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ช๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ถ๐ด beetle, but with some differences (such as very small eyes, reduced hind wings, and a longer upper lip). In general, ๐๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ข beetles can be differentiated from related genera by their lack of setiferous (bristly) pores in hind angles.
Etymology: ๐๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ข is the Filipino word for โcave,โ referencing the fact that they are cave-dwelling ground beetles.
๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐
Distribution/habitat: Eastern part of Mindanao, Philippines (type specimen found in Barangay Maglahus, Municipality of Cateel, Davao Oriental)
Endemic: Yes
Distinctive traits: ๐. ๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฃ๐ข๐บ๐ข has a shiny, dark brown to dark reddish body, with pale red margins that match the color of its mandibles, upper lip, and legs. It has yellowish antennae and feet. Its broad, shiny forewings are slightly iridescent (they may show bright colors based on the insectโs movements or how light hits them). Its body and forewings are more elongated (but not longer) than those of the other known ๐๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ข species, ๐. ๐ฅ๐ช๐ธ๐ข๐ต๐ข.
Conservation status: Unspecified
Described by: Milton Medina & Alexander Anichtchenko
Etymology: ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฃ๐ข๐บ๐ข is an indigenous Filipino term for the Supreme Creator.
๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐
Distribution/habitat: Eastern part of Mindanao, Philippines (type specimen found in Barangay Caatihan, Boston, Davao Oriental)
Endemic: Yes
Distinctive traits: ๐. ๐ฅ๐ช๐ธ๐ข๐ต๐ข has a shiny, dark brown to dark reddish body, with pale red margins that match the color of its mandibles, upper lip, and legs. It has yellowish antennae and feet. Its broad, shiny forewings are slightly iridescent (they may show bright colors based on the insectโs movements or how light hits them). Its body and forewings are less elongated (but not shorter) than those of the other known ๐๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ข species, ๐. ๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฃ๐ข๐บ๐ข.
Conservation status: Unspecified
Described by: Milton Medina & Alexander Anichtchenko
Etymology: ๐๐ช๐ธ๐ข๐ต๐ข is a Filipino term for a fairy or mythical creature living in nature.
Significance
In the Philippines, there are over 8,000 records of beetle descriptions, most of which were first found in forest ecosystems. According to the authors, there is no data on cavernicolous (cave-dwelling) beetles in the country. Thus, this newly published research โ which also describes a new subgenus (๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐จ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ๐ต๐ถ๐ด, under the genus ๐๐ฆ๐ต๐ข๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ๐ต๐ถ๐ด) and two new species under it (๐. (๐.) ๐ฃ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ข๐ป๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ฆ and ๐. (๐.) ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ถ๐ด) โ fills an important knowledge gap and encourages further study of Mindanaoโs limestone caves, especially since there may be other species there that have yet to be discovered.โMF
Reference:
Anichtchenko, Alexandre & Medina, Milton Norman. (2024). Uncovering what lies within: The first scientific account of cave-dwelling ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in the Philippines with the description of a new genus, new subgenus, and four new species from Mindanao. Zootaxa. 5428. 10.11646/zootaxa.5428.4.3.
Author: Mikael Angelo Francisco
Bitten by the science writing bug, Mikael has years of writing and editorial experience under his belt. As the editor-in-chief of FlipScience, Mikael has sworn to help make science more fun and interesting for geeky readers and casual audiences alike.
