What a very pleasant surprise when I just discovered that I seem to have three different Callichromatini species that I haven’t noticed before. All were collected in the same locality in Bukidnon, Mindanao. I was going over my collection when I became suspicious of three specimens that I have known to be a Polyzonus. I set up my camera, took photos and upon close inspection of the images, voila! my hunch proved correct.
The first one is what Joan Bentanachs and Eduard Vives identified as a new Polyzonus sp. Like the pronotum of Polyzonus schmidti, the overal shape is quadrate, right. You can click on the images for a more detailed look. Compared with the other two, the elytra is greener and the sutural sheen yellow green. A thin green line runs parallel to the edges.
In the second specimen, corresponding to the middle photo above, the structure of the pronotum is different and gives the impression that it is shorter and rounder than the first. The elytra is more subdued, a darker green, and the sutural color is golden yellow. Really, if the two are compared based on the characteristics mentioned, I would think that these are two different species. However, there is also the possibility that these are of the same species if we take into account the possibility of sexual dimorphism.
The last specimen is a bit different from the other two. First, the form of the pronotum is more rounded. Its surface has a metallic blue green sheen. The scutellum is not as acute.The sutural stripe is not as consistent from base to apex. The elytra is shorter and more rounded while the colors of the first segment of the fore and middle legs is metallic bluish green. I’m not sure if this can be another species of Chelidonium but definitely, it is not C. monticola based on the pronotum and which can be found in the higher altitudes of Luzon.
I have already referred this to the two entomologists mentioned above. Both are working on the tribe Callichromatini and have been publishing their studies for a time now. I just hope that these are all new species.
According to Eduard Vives and Joan Bentanachs-Calvo through emails, this is a new Polyzonus species. This is said to be different from the lone Polyzonus species in the country: P. schmidti SCHWARZER 1926. The two authors are collaborating together and will publish their findings in the future.
Note that initially, Vives identified this as Podanychroma monticola HUDEPOHL 1989 and later as a supposed to be new species of a new genus. With their upcoming study, this will then be clarified.
I was making some edits of my salagubang.net page and I’ve decided to bring back my What’s New page as a means of informing readers on changes to the website. I last updated this page a few years ago! Anyway, the current July update contains information on new pages including stock, some species pages, photos and papers.
Hudepohl in his survey of Philippine Cerambycinae, The Longhorn Beetles of the Philippines Part II, only mentioned the existence of Coptocercus quatuordecimsignatus SCHWARZER 1926 as the only cerambycid beetle from the tribe Phoracanthini. However, during a collecting trip in Misamis Oriental, I was able to catch this longhorn beetle which Eduard Vives said is from this tribe.
If so, this will be the second species to be found in the country and perhaps, possibly a new one.
March 2009 update: In Vives’s paper, Cerambicidos nuevos o interesantes de Filipinas (Part II) (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), he identified this as Paraskeletodes gracilis AURIVILLIUS 1927 which is a new record for the Philippines.
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