Rough Groove

Heffernia filipina VIVES, 2005

This is the other new species that I’ve mentioned in the previous post awaiting publication. Heffernia filipina VIVES 2005 is the second Lepturine species that will be described under the genus and a new occurence too for the Philippines. The first one was Heffernia borneana VIVES 2001 which was collected in Borneo. The genus was named in honor of my friend Dan Heffern from Texas who provided the specimen for description to Eduard Vives.

Another lone specimen, I also gave this to Eduard, together with Trypogeus cabigasi VIVES 2005 for him to describe. This was collected also in the forested hinterlands of Mindanao during April 0f 2002.

Trypogeus cabigasi VIVES, 2005

Philippine Lepturinae (Cerambycidae, Coleoptera - a tribe of longhorn beetles) is very much understudied. Described species count only 9 with two still to be published. One of these is Trypogeus cabigasi. The genus is a new record for the country and this new species was collected in the forested hinterlands of Mindanao way back in May of 2002 when trees were abloom, a surefire time to collect these beautiful beetles while feeding on the flowers.

A lone specimen, I gave this one to my Catalan friend, Eduard Vives for him to describe and he named it in my honor

The paper describing this new species will be published in the Belgian entomological magazine, LAMBILLIONEA, 105 (1) , October, 2005.

Pachyrrhynchini

A newly emerged Pachyrrhynchus congestus ssp. with its elytra still soft.
Banaue, Ifugao

Another Pachyrrhynchus congestus ssp.
Banaue, Ifugao

A photo of the Metapocyrtus sp. from Quezon, above (probably the first image to show a live one feeding on parts of fruit, Ficus sp., dropped by birds), these beetles belong to the family Curculionidae and are flightless. These insects usually mimic their more colorful cousins of the genus Pachyrrhynchus (first two photos above) and are easily found on trees and brushes in mountainous areas all over the Philippine islands where about 98% of the known species are endemic. Not much is known about its life history and species descriptions seemed to have stopped after 1934. And according to my friend, Paul Siraudeau, much needs to be done from descriptions of new species to a revision of the tribe.

Additional photos can be viewed at my salagubang site.