Viridagonum azureoviride, Sciaky & Facchini & Anichtchenko, 2024

Viridagonum azureoviride n. sp.

https://zoobank.org/ 85EE2A87-53A3- 473E-A607-3E30D0CFE2E3

Type material. Holotypus, male: “ Philippines, Mindanao / Ugwad Falls ( Kapuka ) / Caraga , Davao Or., 260m / 7.440359, 126.434027, 29-30.IV.2023 / Anichtchenko A. leg.” ( DUBC) GoogleMaps . Paratypes: 1 ♂, 1 ♀: “ The Philippines, Mindanao / Agusan del Sur / Esperanza, IV.2018 ” (RSc, SFc) ; 1 ♀: “ The Philippines, Mindanao / Davao Oriental / Governor Generoso, XI.2017 ” (RSc) ; 1 ♀: “ Philippines, Mindanao / Ugwad Falls ( Kapuka ) / Caraga , Davao Or. , 260m / 7.440359, 126.434027, 29-30.IV.2023 / Anichtchenko A. leg.” (AAc) GoogleMaps ; 1 ♂: “ Philippines - Davao Or. / Caraga / Kapuka Falls / M.N. Medina, leg. / MMCP ” ( MMC) .

Description. A Viridagonum of medium size (14.5-15 mm), dorsal side of head, pronotum and elytra completely blue violet or green with light blue hues. Ventral side black, with light bluish tinge. Buccal parts, antennae, and legs, except the tibiae, blackish; tibiae yellowish, with narrowly black apical and basal parts. Wings fully developed. ( Figs 1-2 View Figs 1-3 ).

Head wide, 0.81 times as wide as pronotum, mostly smooth, with few punctures on vertex; labrum with anterior margin slightly concave, with six apical setae; anterior margin of clypeus straight, posterior bi-sinuate near frontal fossae; mandibles rather long and slender, apices narrow and strongly curved, all palps smooth, the last segment of maxillary palps not widened in both sexes. Mentum with tooth, slightly bifid; mentum separated from submentum by complete transverse suture. Antennae very long, posteriorly reaching well beyond the anterior third of the elytral length; third antennomere 1.6- 1.7 times as long as fourth. Antennomeres 1-3 almost smooth, 4-12 densely pubescent. Eyes very large and convex, twice longer than tempora.

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Sciaky R., Facchini S., Anichtchenko A.

Pronotum 0.77 times as long as wide. Disc of pronotum mostly smooth, with few large punctures in basal third, sometimes extended along lateral sides and medial line; moderately rugate along base; without microsculpture, slightly transverse, wider than head, with sides evenly rounded, constricted towards base and briefly sinuate before basal angles. Anterior angles weakly protruding forward, posterior angles straight and protruding backwards. Basal foveae rather short, less than one fourth of the pronotal length, and very deep. Posterior pronotal setae not inserted in the posterior angle, but advanced in relation to it; lateral setae situated slightly before midlength; sometimes with 1-4 additional setae between anterior angle and lateral seta.

Elytra 1.71 times as long as wide; elongate and almost parallel-sided, very slightly dilated towards apex. Striae deep and from moderately to gently punctate, intervals convex but not carinate, each one with two

144 rows of points adjoining the striae, and few irregularly inserted points between rows, these points bring each a seta. Shoulders rounded, the lateral margin continues in smooth curve the basal margin.

Prosternum sparsely and unevenly punctate, more densely on the sides, minutely setose. Proepisterna smooth, with 4-5 tiny setae. Mesosternum and mesepisterna almost smooth. Metasternum smooth, except for few relatively large punctures laterally. Metepisternum sparsely punctate and minutely setose. Prosternal process bordered at apex. Ventrites smooth, bisetose on apical margin.

Legs long and slender. All tarsi dorsally minutely punctate and pubescent, onychium ventrally with two rows of 3-4 thin setae; onychium of metatarsi longer than tarsomere 4; protarsomeres 1-3 of the male slightly dilated, with dense setae ventrally; article 4 of all tarsi strongly bilobed, those of the meso- and metatarsi slightly asymmetrical; the greatest length of the lobe of the tarsus on the inner side

Median lobe of aedeagus ( Fig. 4 View Figs 4-5 ) of medium size, rather short; strongly inflated in basal third; ventral side slightly convex, preapical portion almost rectilinear, apex strongly bent downwards at tip; in dorsal view with apex wide and obtuse angulate.

Affinities. The two known species can be easily distinguished by the punctuation of the elytral intervals: almost completely smooth in V. lumawigi ( Fig. 3 View Figs 1-3 ), except for sparse punctures with setae at the apex and in intervals 8 and 9; while in V. azureoviride n. sp. ( Figs 1-2 View Figs 1-3 ) all the intervals are punctate and pubescent. Head and pronotum are smooth in V. lumawigi , but with rare points at the base of the head and pronotum in V. azureoviride .

Etymology. This specific epithet refers to the two colours that different specimens show dorsally.

Distribution. This unexpected species is known only from the island of Mindanao, in two different provinces: Agusan del Sur and Davao Oriental. The only other species of the genus is known only from the province of Bukidnon.