Newly-identified beetle named after Mansaka IP group

UNIVERSITY OF Mindanao (UM) researchers have recently identified a beetle endemic to the Davao Region and named it after an ethnolinguistic group in Compostela Valley. Analyn A. Cabras of the UM Coleoptera Research Center said last week that her group first found the Metapocrytus (Orthocyrtus) mansaka sp.n. in Maragusan, considered as the tourism capital of Compostela Valley. Ms. Cabras said that her group, which included researchers Maurizio Bollino and Milton Medina, also facilitated the publication of the species in the Baltic Journal of Coleopterology this month. She described the beetle as “beautiful and is common in the municipality and some other areas in the region. Its average length is 15 millimeters and sports the colors green, turquoise and golden yellow.” Ms. Cabras said they named the species after the Mansaka indigenous people because they are peace-loving “and value the environment.” — Carmelito Q. Francisco