Brasiella (Brasiella) philipi Acciavatti 2011

General. Figs 12A, 13A. Body. Formelongate; head narrow, eyes prominent, slightly bulging laterally; pronotum subarcuate, wider than long; elytra broadened distad, each slightly rounded. Size.Males, length 6.0-6.4 mm, width 1.9-2.0 mm; females, length 6.4-6.7 mm, width 2.0-2.1 mm. Head. Figs 12B, 12D, 13D, 13F. Shiny dark copper brown to dark brown dorsally and blue green ventrally; entire surface glabrous except for two pairs of supraorbital sensory setae. Frons finely and longitudinally rugose. Vertex more coarsely rugose, transverse rugae along anterior margin narrow and irregularly arranged, 15-18 more or less complete longitudinal rugae between eyes and middle where rugae converge into an arcuate pattern; rugae transition abruptly into a posterior area with a finely and irregularly granulate surface. Eyes prominent, slightly bulging laterally. Genae longitudinally rugose. Clypeus finely and irregularly granulate, narrowed mesad. Labrum testaceous with a dark brown margin, subrectangular, width to length ratio 2.2 in holotype male, ratio 2.6 in allotype female; anterior margin sinuate, a small bulge on either side of a tiny medial tooth in most specimens, tooth absent in others specimens; posterior margin broadly arcuate mesad; medial carina narrow, distinctly raised with a broad depression on either side; 6-8 setae in an irregular row near middle, most often symmetrically arranged. Maxillae and labium mainly testaceous, only distal palpal segments dark brown with metallic blue green reflections. Mandibles sexually dimorphic; in male, surface mainly testaceous, only teeth metallic green; in female, surface only testaceous in basal half, apical half and teeth shiny brown; mandibles symmetrical, four teeth distad of molar, apical tooth longest, third and first tooth coequal in length, second tooth shortest; gaps between three intermediate teeth narrow in male, wide in female. Antennae 11 segmented; scape dorsally shiny green with a single subapical sensory seta; antennomeres 2-4 shiny green, glabrous except for a few, short erect setae along their length and distally; antennomeres 5-11 black green, sheathed with dense short sensory setae. Prothorax. Figs 12C, 12D, 13C, 13D. Pronotum shiny dark copper brown. Proepisterna shiny copper black, surface wrinkled dorsad. Prosternum shiny green. Pronotum glabrous except for short, decumbent, white setae distributed in several, irregular rows medially directed, originating close to, and lying in a narrow band distinctly removed from lateral margin, in a sparse narrow band transversely and anteriorly oriented within broad anterior margin, and in a sparse narrow band laterally oriented on each side of midline extending nearly to the narrow posterior margin; transverse submarginal sulci distinct, anterior sulcus shallow, posterior sulcus deeper and deepest at posterior angles; transverse rugae within broad anterior margin irregular and shallow, interrupted at middle by an irregularly arranged pattern, within posterior margin more distinctly and deeply engraved especially medially and extending onto midline; surface sculptured by fine, transverse rugae angled on disc and interrupted by a finely engraved longitudinal midline, and more finely and irregularly sculptured elsewhere. Proepisterna glabrous except for white, erect and appressed setae arising from small, setigerous punctures scattered over ventral half and along posterior margin in males, only near ventral margin females. Prosternum glabrous. Pterothorax. Figs 12C, 13C. Mesepisterna glabrous except for appressed setae near ventral margin; female coupling sulcus represented by a small depression medially situated, a distinct groove extends only dorsally from pit, surface smooth below pit. Mesepimeron with sparse appressed setae. Metepisterna with scattered appressed setae, more abundant in male than female. Prosternum and mesosternum glabrous, smooth to slightly wrinkled; metasternum glabrous except for long, dense white appressed setae laterad, surface smooth mesad and coarsely sculpted laterad where setae originate. Scutellum triangular, copper to dark cupreous black. Legs. Figs 12A, 13B. Segmentsmetallic green with copper reflections or metallic green and testaceous. Coxae shiny metallic brown green; trochanters shiny testaceous; femora and tibiae testaceous with metallic green reflections anteriorly along most of their lengths except distal ends; tarsomeres dark metallic violet black; white, appressed setae on front and middle coxae, and laterally on hind coxae; erect setae and suberect closely spaced in several regular and irregular rows on all femora; setae widely spaced in a few rows on all tibiae; middle tibiae with patch of appressed setae dorsally along distal half; tarsomeres with short scattered setae on ventral surface; distal tarsomeres with two asymmetrical rows each with a few to several small, erect setae; an erect subapical seta present only on front trochanter, absent on middle and hind trochanters; males with dense pad of erect setae ventrally on proximal three tarsal segments; tarsal claws small. Elytra. Figs 12A, 13A. Form narrow in male, broadened slightly distad and broadest at outer apical angle in female; evenly curved along posterior margins with apices separately rounded; sutural spine small, feebly withdrawn from apex; posterior margins finely microserrulate. Surface finely granulate, impunctate, numerous small, irregular metallic blotches comprised of shiny green or blue green flecks of various sizes scattered over a dull, dark copper brown background; fully developed elytral pattern of bold markings contrasting with the darker elytral ground color; setigerous punctures with short, erect, transparent setae indistinct in subsutural rows on disc, but distinct at elytral base, and at inner humeral angles, each surrounded by a metallic fleck slightly larger than flecks elsewhere on elytra; surface slightly depressed in humeral area and on disc creating a slight but distinct raised area basally. Elytral markings tawny, fully developed, wide and contrasting with darker, dull copper brown background; pattern consisting of humeral and apical lunules and middle band; humeral lunule complete terminating as a slightly enlarged end on disc in most specimens, slightly broken at posterior end in a few specimens; middle band of nearly uniform width, distinctly recurved anteriorly near suture, and slightly expanded along lateral margin; apical lunule wide, complete and broadened near suture in all specimens examined. Elytral epipleura testaceous except for narrow, metallic green to copper green band along dorsal margin. Abdomen. Figs 13B, 13E. Surface of 1st-5th sterna shiny black with green reflections, 6th sternum entirely shiny black to black brown; posterior margins of male 3rd-5th sterna and female 3rd-4th sterna narrowly black; posterior margin female 5th sternum broadly black; 3rd-5th sterna medially smooth with scattered, fine, erect setae in both sexes; male 1st-6th sterna and female 1st-5th sterna laterally covered with dense, scattered, appressed white setae and roughened from setal punctures; male 6th sternum glabrous medially with a broad, deep concave notch; female 5th sternum with moderately raised, transverse wrinkles and a membranous band at midline extending anteriorly along most of the sternum from a small, transverse membranous wedge along posterior margin; female 6th sternum entirely glabrous, posterior margin with a row of 6-10 erect spines and a large lateral gibbosity on each side. Male Genitalia. Figs 12E, 12F, 12G. Shape bulky, narrow only basally, uniformly broad along most of its length, distal neck short and broad, apical hook evenly rounded, tip elongated and nearly at right angle to aedeagus. Aedeagus inner sac sclerites: stylet tip recurved, tapering to sharp point; shield tapered distad; large tooth long and pointed at tip with large root and large dark fields; arched piece long and thin; spine field within aedeagus neck short and and wide, forming a distinct pad.

Fig. 22. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, Santiago Province, and La Vega Province, on the north slopes of the Cordillera Central. This species likely will be found in suitable habitats distributed over the entire northern slopes of the Cordillera Central.