Dilatitibialis sheila Canepari and Gordon, 2013

Canepari, Claudio, Gordon, Robert D. & Hanley, Guy A., 2013, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XV: systematic revision of Dilatitibialis Duverger (Coccidulinae; Hyperaspidini), Insecta Mundi 2013 (312), pp. 1-91 : 62

53. Dilatitibialis sheila Canepari and Gordon , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 3.0 mm, width 2.6 mm; body round, slightly elongate, convex. Dorsal surface smooth, shiny. Color black except head yellow, pronotum with apical 1/3 and lateral 1/3 yellow, black mediobasal macula deeply emarginate with yellow at middle of apical margin; elytron with 5 large yellow spots in rows of 2 each plus apical spot, humeral spot triangular, almost connected to scutellar spot, all spots narrowly separated ( Fig. 290 ); ventral surface with head, prosternum, meso- and metaventrites brown; abdomen with ventrites 1-4 brown medially and yellow in lateral 1/4, ventrites 5-6 yellow. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less, each puncture slightly larger than an eye facet; pronotal punctures larger than head punctures, separated by a diameter or less; elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by a diameter or less; metaventral punctures sparse, nearly absent medially, separated by a diameter or less medially, sparse, larger than elytral punctures toward lateral margin. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, lateral angle rounded, surface with sparse, long pubescence. Eye canthus about 5 eye facets long, angled forward, apically rounded, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal and anterior angles abrupt, lateral margin rounded, basal margin without trace of bordering line. Epipleuron narrow, grooved, weakly descending externally, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia with narrow flange, flange about as wide as remainder of protibia. Carinae on prosternal process widely separated at apex, parallel to middle, not connected to prosternal base. Metaventrite without sparse setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite with median setal tuft. Abdomen with primary pores laterally between ventrites 4-5 large, extended under apical 1/3 of 4th ventrite; postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite weakly flattened along posterior ventrite margin, extended forward, ventrite with short pubescence and large, dense punctures; ventrites 2-4 pubescent throughout, punctures dense, large; 5th ventrite, densely, coarsely punctured, depressed medially, deeply depressed by primary pore laterally, without tubercle on each side of middle, apical margin broadly, deeply emarginate; 6th ventrite short, narrow, depressed medially, apical margin deeply emarginate, densely pubescent on each side of median depression, lateral angle abruptly rounded, surface densely punctured. Apical tergite with apex deeply, broadly emarginate, lateral angle strongly projected. Genitalia with basal lobe slender, about 1/2 length of paramere, asymmetrical, sides convergent from base to apex, apex obliquely truncate; paramere with ventral margin arcuate, Pem, apex deeply emarginate medially ( Fig. 291, 292 ); sipho robust, strongly curved in basal 1/2, basal capsule large, inner arm short, wide, sides sinuate, apex obliquely truncate, outer arm longer and slightly wider than inner arm, with accessory piece, basal border deeply, shallowly emarginate ( Fig. 293, 294 ).

Female. Similar to male except head with vertex and upper surface of frons brown, elytron with humeral spot broadly connected to apical spot along lateral margin of elytron. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule long, slender, cornu slightly enlarged; bursal cap small, oval, with 2 outer arms and 1 faint median arm, apical strut long, heavily sclerotized, curved, apex abruptly flattened in lateral view ( Fig. 295 ).

Variation. None observed.

Type material. Holotype male; Colombia, 6500' nr. Saladito , Valle, July 20, 1970, H & A. Howden. ( USNM).

Other specimen. 1. Colombia, Manizales, Cas., 22-25 Jun 1965. ( USNM).

Remarks. The dorsal color pattern is quite similar to that of several other Dilatitibialis species , but the yellow spots on each elytron are very large, narrowly separated, and the pronotum is mostly yellow with a small, basomedian black macula. These characters will aid in recognizing this species, but males must be examined to assure an accurate identification.

The specimen listed under “other specimen” above differs from the type in having the lateral elytral spots broadly connected along the elytral border, and prosternal carinae connected to the prosternal base. It is a female and the genitalia are described under “female” above, but whether or not it is actually D. sheila is in doubt.

Figures

Figures 284-301. 284-289) Dilatitibialis shannon. 284) Habitus. 285) Phallobase ventral. 286) Phallobase lateral. 287) Enlarged siphonal apex. 288) Sipho. 289) Female genitalia. 290-295) Dilatitibialis sheila. 290) Habitus. 291) Phallobase ventral. 292) Phallobase lateral. 293) Enlarged siphonal apex. 294) Sipho. 295) Female genitalia. 296- 301) Dilatitibialis ethel. 296) Habitus. 297) Phallobase ventral. 298) Phallobase lateral. 299) Enlarged siphonal apex. 300) Sipho. 301) Female genitalia.