Eubulides taylori Rehn & Rehn, 1939

Eubulides taylori Rehn & Rehn, 1939 View in CoL

( Fig. 33)

Eubulides igorrote Rehn & Rehn, 1939: 410 View in CoL , pl. 31: 12, 2 10.

HT, ♀: Polillo Taylor View in CoL ; Eubulides taylori Rehn View in CoL + Rehn, Type H. 1251, Heard Cln; Data Base Serial No. assigned as Type No. September 2008, Type #9124 [ANSP];

PT, ♂: Polillo Is. P. I. (Taylor) ; 16744; Allotype Eubulides taylori Rehn + Rehn, Paratype, Hebard Cln; Data Base Serial No. assigned as Type No. September 2008, Type #9124 [ANSP];

PT, ♂: Polillo Taylor ; 16744; USNM; Eubalides taylori Rehn & Rehn Paratype [USNM].

- Otte, 1978: 79. (Type data)

- Zompro, 2004: 209.

- Otte & Brock, 2005: 136.

- Baker, 2015: 3. (Pest status)

- Brock & Büscher, 2022: 521.

[Not: Eubulides taylori, Acola et al., 2022: 4 , fig. 2. Misidentification,

see comment below]

Differentiation. – This is the largest member of the genus and very closely resembles the type-species E. alutaceus Stål, 1877 from the island of Luzon, with which it shares the general smoothness of the body, stocky overall shape, notably inflated posterior portion of the meso- and metathorax (♂ in particular) and strongly incrassated meso- and metafemora of both sexes. Both sexes however are separable by the less pronounced tubercles at the anterior margin of the pronotum and wanting mesal pair of pronotal tubercles. Females may also be separatedby the large posteromedian protuberance of abdominal terga VIII and IX ( Fig. 33E) and minutely dentate dorsal carinae of the meso- and metafemora ( Fig. 33B).

Remarks. – With theexceptionthat E. taylori isnotably larger than the threeknownexamplesof E. alutaceus themorphologicaldifferencesare so insignificantthat the availability of more specimens fromthroughout South Luzon and the island of Polillo may well show that taylori is merely a geographic variant of Stål’s species and thus a synonym.

Although also from the island of Polillo, the specimens recorded and illustrated by Acola et al. (2022: 4) from the collection of UPLB are apparently misidentified and do not represent E. taylori .

– A. ♀ holotype, dorsal view [ ANSP]. – B . ♀ holotype, dorsolateral view [ ANSP]. – C . ♂ allotype, dorsal view [ ANSP]. – D . ♂ allotype, dorsolateral view [ ANSP]. – E. Terminalia of ♀ holotype, lateral view [ ANSP]. – F. Terminalia of ♀ holotype, ventral view [ ANSP]. – G. Terminalia of ♂ allotype, lateral view [ ANSP] .

Both sexes differ considerably from the type specimens by their smaller size (♀ 68.65-79.25 mm, ♂ 55.75-57.40 mm), slenderer shape, relatively longer body segments, not posteriorly inflated meso- and metathorax as well as the much slenderer and relatively longer and more delicate limbs. The femora are strongly incrassated and considerably broader than the corresponding tibiae in taylori and ♂ of this species in particular are also characteristic for having the posterior portion of the meso- and metathorax distinctly swollen or inflated (less pronounced in ♀). Moreover, ♂ of taylori have the tubercles of the mesopleurae much less developed. In ♀ of taylori abdominalsegments II-VII are almost 2.5x wider than long, whereas they are rather subquadrate inthe UPLM examples. The specimens recorded byAcola etal. (2022) much more resemble E.lumawigi n. sp. and E.timog n. sp. from Luzon in general shape, but without detailed examination their true identity must remain unsolved for now. It is likely that they representanother as yet undescribed species. Body length of the type-specimens of taylori according to Rehn & Rehn (1939: 410): ♀ holotype 92.0 mm, ♂ allotype 62.5 mm.

Distribution. – Polillo Island, endemic.