๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐น ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ข๐ฟ๐ฆ๐จ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐
CITY OF MATI โ ๐๐ฆ๐ต๐ข๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ค๐บ๐ณ๐ต๐ถ๐ด ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ช is a new weevil species published in the Journal of Tropical Coleopterology 2(2) December 2021, which is named after Dr. Roy G. Ponce, President of the Davao Oriental State University (DOrSU) in the Philippines, recognizing his contributions in advancing biodiversity research in Davao Oriental.
Beetle taxonomists Dr. Analyn A. Cabras, Ms. Hannah P. Quimpan, and Dr. Milton Norman Medina from the Coleoptera Research Center of the University of Mindanao and DOrSU Graduate School discovered the said species in the low elevation open secondary forest of San Isidro, Davao Oriental. The specimens were collected 500 meters away from a riparian ecosystem with semi-dense vegetation composed of shrubs and grasses.
The beetle resembles the elytral markings of ๐๐ฆ๐ต๐ข๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ค๐บ๐ณ๐ต๐ถ๐ด (๐๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ค๐บ๐ณ๐ต๐ถ๐ด) ๐ฉ๐ช๐ณ๐ข๐ฌ๐ถ๐ช Cabras, Medina & Bollino, 2021, and ๐๐ฆ๐ต๐ข๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ค๐บ๐ณ๐ต๐ถ๐ด s.s. ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐ช๐ณ๐ข๐ฌ๐ถ๐ช Cabras & Medina, 2021, both discovered from Bukidnon, Mindanao. However, it has a unique pronotum fully covered in scales, elytra with longitudinal scaly stripes, full scales in the lateral sides, and with rounded apex. The female was also observed to have a short acute black spine at the apex of each elytron.
โ๐๐ค ๐๐๐ง, ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ฉ๐ช๐จ ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ฅ. ๐ฃ๐ค๐ซ. ๐จ๐๐๐ข๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐ง๐๐๐ค๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฟ๐๐ซ๐๐ค ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ก,โ the researchers remarked. They also encouraged the conduct of more fieldwork in the province to properly assess the species distribution.
Davao Oriental is home to the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Pujada, Mayo, and Balete Bays declared as Most Beautiful Bays in the World. Beetle experts believe that novel species are yet to be discovered with the provinceโs natural frontiers.
โ๐ฟ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐ง๐ค๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐๐ค๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐จ๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ. ๐๐๐๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐ช๐ข๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฃ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ, ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐จ๐๐ฉ๐ฎ,โ said President Ponce. (JP Villegas, Board Secretary)
READ HERE: https://bit.ly/3I0rgaS
