Rhopalopsole rotundus Pelingen, 2025

Rhopalopsole rotundus Pelingen , sp. nov.

( Fig. 2c View FIGURE 2 , 3c View FIGURE 3 , 6 View FIGURE 6 , 7c View FIGURE 7 , 8c View FIGURE 8 )

Holotype: ♂, Philippines, Luzon, Quezon \ Infanta , 9.IV.1997 \ leg. Mey ( PNM) . Paratypes: 1 ♂, same data as holotype ; 3 ♂, Mt. Banahaw \ Kinabuhayan \ 17-19.III.2000 \ leg. Mey & Richter ( AdMU)

Diagnosis. Male adults of this species are characterized by the lateral projections of the tergum 10 composed of a giant dorsal spine and a tiny ventral tubercle. The epiproct is small and elliptical in the dorsal view.

Description. Male adult habitus. Forewing length is 4.0– 4.2 mm (n=5). Head dark brown, wider than pronotum; compound eyes black; antennae light brown; mouthparts brownish to brown. Pronotum light brown without dark rugosities; wings subhyaline with darker veins; legs light brown. Abdomen brown to light brown.

Male terminalia. Tergum 9 well sclerotized anteriorly, less so posteriorly, this margin terminating in a wide, produced sclerite with tiny granules. Sternum 9 longer than wide, distal portion with narrow trapezoidal subgenital plate, the plate wider than long; vesicle in ventral view dark brown, ovoid, covered with long, dense hairs. Tergum 10 with well sclerotized lateral projections terminating into a giant dorsal spine and a tiny ventral tubercle. Central plate sclerotized and trilobed, lateral lobes subtriangular, together with a circular; medial lobe darkly pigmented, with a small knob-like projection. Cercus twice as long as wide, curved dorsally, with setation, without terminal spine. Epiproct darkly sclerotized, and strongly curved cephalic in lateral view. Subanal lobe with sclerotized lateral margins and apex membranous, ventral furrows vague.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the cephalically curved epiproct in lateral view as the distinguishing characteristic from R. andreae and R. cayasan .

Distribution. This species is known so far only from Quezon Province, Philippines.

Remarks. The novel species is a typical of R. malayana group, sensu Sivec et al. (2008). It can be possibly confused with R. andreae and R. cayasan having tergum 10 lateral projections with a giant dorsal spine. However, R. rotundus sp. nov. can be differentiated from R. andreae with its epiproct being more cephalically curved as compared to the R. andreae epiproct which is more straightly projected caudally in lateral view ( Sivec et al. 2008: 31). Interestingly, R. cayasan can also be differentiated from R. rotundus due to its shorter upright epiproct, in lateral view ( Sivec et al. 2008: 33)