AIF #7 is here in Salagubang.net

Beetles. I’ve been amazed at these marvelous and interesting insects, that, though the biggest insect order, and for a tropical country, here in the Philippines, is often overlooked.

For the 7th edition of An Inordinate Fondness blog carnival, which salagubang.net is hosting, let’s focus on the beautiful and interesting species that I’ve found in several blogs.

Cycnotrchelus sp., male by KURT

Kurt of Malaysia has very interesting giraffe beetle (Cycnotrchelus sp.) images. I’ve only seen a few species here in the field but the macro photographer was even able to photograph a female building its nest!

Calosoma scrutator by ALEX WILD

Rhopalapion longirostre by ALEX WILD

Alex Wild a.k.a. Myrmecos had an encounter with the fiery searcher, Calosoma scrutator that, according to him, is a stinker.

In the same blog, he has another beautiful beetle shot, this time, its the Hollyhock weevil, Rhopalapion longirostre laying an egg on a flower bud.

Lycus arizonensis by DAVE STONE

Dave Stone presents us with a lycid, Lycus arizonensis which we learn to be diurnal pollen feeders found in Arizona and Mexico.

Rose curculio by ADRIAN THYSSE

Lots of weevils in this post! Here’s another one by Adrian Thysse with his rose curculio with his interesting account of the beetle’s playing dead, a defensive mechanism.

Tiger beetles by STEVE WILLSON

Shh… there’s a couple having sex there. Steve Willson brings us an (almost) blow by blow account of tiger beetles mating. But more than that, he’s a keen observer of beetle behavior that is recounted in his post.

European cockchafers by CATA

A European cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) spreading its wings to fly. This photo is one of four at the blog.

Buprestis rufipes by TED MACRAE

A really beautiful jewel beetle, Ted MacRae tells us the story behind his photograph of Buprestis rufipes that a blog reader sent him.

Cicindela punctulata by AMBER COAKLEY

Amber Coakley has a fascinating encounter with a Cicindela punctulata as she was trying out her new macro lens. Check out her post for more images of this beetle.

Onthophagus hopfneri by MARGARETHE BRUMMERMANN

Hey, these might not be the cutest but this group, dung beetles, are one of the more fascinating. For Margarethe, they actually saved her life.

Buprestis lineata by JSK

JSK posts about Buprestis lineata and how it is camouflaged in its surroundings.

A beautiful Alcidodes sp. on its foodplant

And of course, to finish this post, is my own, “Alcidodes sp. in the wilds of Bohol” a short account of seeing a weevil from this genus.

Thanx to Ted MacRae for this opportunity as well as pointing me out to additional links for this blog carnival.

A beautiful Alcidodes sp. on its foodplant

While waiting for the Tarsier Center to open at 9 AM in Corella, Bohol, me and my friend Eduard, who was in the country for a few weeks vacation, checked the surrounding vegetation for beetles. It was dismal, so to speak, and unusual, that on a sunny day, there wasn’t much beetle activity going on.

While walking, however, I came up to this plant where there were several Alcidodes sp. with yellowish spots feeding on the leaves. Some were just clinging on one side and when I came close, hid by going to the leaf’s underside. This kind of Alcidodes is one of three groups that Schultze categorized.

Vegetation where the Alcidodes sp. was photographed

The area is a mix of secondary forest and clearings especially along the road. It is a known habitat of the tarsier (Tarsius syrichta), a primate common in this province. Other than this species, I was also able to collect two Metapocyrtus sp..

The newly released paper that revises this difficult group

It’s 124 pages and includes 31 new species with new genera designations for a group of Parandrinae (Cerambycidae) found in Hawaii, Japan and the Oriental Region including the Philippines.

This is a landmark work for the group and I’m still digesting it. More detailed post on the Philippine Parandrinae, including one named after me, is in the works.

Spectacular scenery but kind of disappointing for beetles

I was trekking in Batad, Banaue, Ifugao to visit the spectacular Batad Rice Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage listed site, and I was hoping to collect a few beetles especially Pachyrrhynchini weevils.

Even if I didn’t have a net or collecting gear, it was kind of dismal with so few Coleoptera sighted along the way from Batad Junction to Batad town and then to Tappia Falls.

I was only able to collect a few species like two Metapocyrtus sp. (Curculionidae), several specimens of Engertia (Scarabaeidae), a few species of Melolonthinae (Scarabaeidae), collected at light during the night, and one, surprisingly beautiful Glenea species. There were no Pachyrhynchus collected but when I went down, I saw one species at one high branch which was just too far to reach.

I’m not really sure why there were so few. Perhaps this was due to the inclement weather during the time I was there considering that it was during the month of May. This area, by the way, is forested and is near Mt. Amuyao, the highest mountain in the place.

Salagubang.net is part of the "An Inordinate Fondness" blog carnival hosted at "Fall to Climb"

An Inordinate Fondness #3: Discovery Zone, the interesting beetle blog carnival is on at Fall to Climb, and includes my post, Pachyrhynchus congestus form and it’s Eupyrgops sp. mimic.

The said carnival is a monthly event that is a celebration of beetles—of their indescribable beauty, amazing forms, and astonishing diversity and this edition includes 13 blog entries from different parts of the world.

Check it out at Fall to Climb by clicking on the image at the left.

A new downloadable ebook focusing on the genus Pachyrhynchus and its mimics

This half letter, 54 page ebook is sure to delight collectors and entomologists. It consists of an introduction and of course, full page images of 16 Pachyrrhynchus beetles and a corresponding number of their mimics from different genera: Metapocyrtus, Eupyrgops, Polycatus, all from family Curculionidae and the very interesting Doliops and Paradoliops genera, family Cerambycidae. Thumbnail images are also included.

You can check out a sampler by clicking the link below.

Get the full version of the ebook for just $6. Proceeds will go to support future collecting trips around the country as well as take care of website hosting expenses. Click the link below. I’m still fine tuning an e-commerce plugin. Once it’s setup, ordering will be smooth. For the meantime, it will be manual ordering.

Buy the full ebook

Email me your receipt at estancabigas [at] gmail [dot] com. Once I have confirmed your payment, I will send you the ebook.

Pachyrhynchus congestus form, model

Eupyrgops sp., mimic from another tribe

Not to be missed, however, is a species of Eupyrgops that has almost the same coloration and patterns, but drabber than it’s model.

New paper from Eduard Vives

Eduard Vives was published by Magellanes last November 2009 his latest installment on Philippine longhorn beetles: New or interesting Cerambycidae from the Philippines (Part III) (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae).

This one includes 34 different species of cerambycids with over 12 new descriptions, new records, a designation of a new genus Mimacronia with new combinanations including the genera Acronia and Aprophata. This paper has around seven specimens that I’ve contributed which are mostly new species. And lastly, two new species of the spectacular genus Doliops are here.

Check this out.

The new Salagubang fan page in Facebook

Salagubang, your online resource on Philippine Coleoptera has a new fan page in Facebook! I’ve just added several images of beetles from my site and more to come. Click on the image at the left to go to the fan page.

Check it out! Better still, be a fan!

Undescribed Pachyrrhynchus sp., female, model

Undescribed Pachyrrhynchus sp., male, model

A few years ago, I was able to do a beetle entomological collection at the northeastern part of the Zamboanga Peninsula and, while the collection wasn’t too great, there were some species that are not only new to my collection but, most likely, and I’m pretty sure about it, new to Science.

First is a beautiful Pachyrrhynchus sp. that at first glance the spots looks like those of P. erichsonni WATERHOUSE 1841 but heavily punctured and colored reddish purple. But what delighted me more was the presence of a mimic!

Undescribed Metapocyrtus sp., male, mimic

Undescribed Metapocyrtus sp., female, mimic

Like many Pachyrrhynchus species, present also was a smaller Metapocyrtus species that was found on the same plant where I collected the former.

Other than it’s size, the elytral pattern isn’t as faithful but it does have an iridescent color that is almost the same as with it’s model.