Psyllobora lueri, González & Almeida, 2017

González, Guillermo & Almeida, Lúcia M., 2017, Psyllobora picta (Germain) species complex (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), with descriptions of two new species from Chile, Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 61 (4), pp. 330-338 : 334-335

Psyllobora lueri sp. nov.

( Figs. 15–25 , 53 )

Holotype ♂: “ Chile, XI-R [ Región ]/Gral. [ General ] Carrera / Chile Chico / 14-2-2005 /coll. [leg.] A. Lüer ” “ ♂ 1657” (mv) [ MHNS].

Paratypes (20 specimens): 1 ♂: same data as holotype except “ ♂ 148” (mv) [ CPAL] . 1 ♂ and 2 ♀: same data except date 16-2-2005 (mv) [ MHNS] . 12 specimens: same data except several dates from 12 to 17–2-2005 [ CPAL] . 2 ♂: “ 10/02/2016 / 13 km W Chile Chico/XI Región/ Chile leg. R. Honour S.” “ ♂♂ 1733 ƖƖ (mv) [ CPRH] and 2 ♀: same data except “ ♀♀ 1733” (ab) [ CPMD] .

Diagnosis

The dorsal color yellowish brown with ten light-brown spots with dark border, ringed, and the very thick tube of the male penis (its width 1/6 of the maximum length), separate P. lueri from the big majority of the genera species. From the similar looking P. pauline is distinguished by the penis guide nearly straight with slightly converging sides and the elytral spots 2–1–4–5–6–7 almost always linked together, forming an “S” shape, while from the other similar looking species P. bicongregata is distinguished by the penis guide elongate more than 4.0 times longer than wide.Otherwise P.pauline is restricted to Copiapó to Llanquihue provinces from Chile, and P. bicongregata to Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay and Uruguay, regions where P. lueri is not present.

Holotype description: Male. Length: 2.4 mm, width: 1.9 mm. Oval with maximum width near middle of elytra. Back yellowish brown, with five dark-brown spots on pronotum and two small supernumerary spots near border, elytra with ten brown spots with darker, irregular borders, with spot ten widely scattered and a clearer supernumerary spot between spots 5 and 7. Spots 3–2–1–4–5–7–8 joined together, forming an “S” pattern. Legs, antennae and mouthparts yellowish brown. Ventral surface light brown with dark-brown metaventrite. Dorsal punctation inconspicuous, irregular, surface opaque, without reticulation ( Figs. 15–20 ).

Head: Color light brown, with two brown spots between eyes at insertion of antennas and large dark-brown transverse spot above eyes, extending laterally on vertex. Antennas, labrum, maxillary palps and labium light brown. Eyes rounded frons three times width of eye. Punctation irregular, denser laterally, with points separated by two or more diameters.

Thorax: Pronotum light brown, with anterior and lateral borders yellowish and translucent. Small central brown spot near base, surrounded with semicircle of four brown spots, two posterior spots touching base and two anterior spots half length of pronotum, all equidistant from each other, and two small, pale, somewhat irregular spots on each side. Scutellum small, triangular, dark brown ( Figs. 15, 17 ). Hypomeres and mesosternum yellowish brown, metaventrite dark brown. Legs yellowish brown. Pronotum with almost imperceptible punctation, points widely separated.

Elytra: Slightly yellowish brown, with ten brown spots, with somewhat darker borders (3:1:2:1:2:1) and clearer supernumerary spot in space between spots 5, 7 and suture. Spot 1 very large, almost ¼ length of elytra, spot 2 slightly smaller and spot 3 even smaller, adjacent and in contact with base, connected together at middle; spot 4 longitudinal-oval, occupying 1/5 to 2/5 of length of the elytra, close to suture but not touching, near spots 1 and 5; spots 5 and 6 nearly half length of the elytra, spot 5 large and connected to spots 4 and 7, and spot 6 separate and half divided longitudinally, homogeneous dark brown; spot 7 immediately behind large spot 5, semicircular, connected at outer border, both forming large “C” shaped spot, in space between these and suture, with supernumerary spot much clearer, small and irregular; spot 8 near suture, half of diameter of spot 4, spot 9 on same transverse line but still smaller, near lateral border, dark brown; spot 10 disjointed in three small irregular inconspicuous spots, arranged in triangle ( Figs. 15–18 ). Punctation with large distinct points, irregularly distributed, separated by about two diameters on average. Pale yellow epipleuron strongly descendant, with small dark spot in middle of outer border.

Abdomen: Brown, with middle of first two ventrites dark brown. Postcoxal lines descending diagonally at 45 ◦, bent to touch back border attached to it. Ventrite V emarginate around posterior margin, ventrite VI as short as half of 5 ventrite, gently rounded with shallow notch in center.

Male genitalia: Tegmen 4.5 times longer than wide, phallobase subtrapezoidal, 1.1 times longer than wide and with posterior bor- der slightly rounded. Terminal strut 1/3 length of phallobase. Penis guide in dorsal view with slightly converging sides, slightly sinuous, narrowing to 3/4 of width at 5/6 of length, apical 1/6 ending in triangle, with concave sides and slight apical projection; in lateral view triangular, sinuous, bent toward parameres in distal 1/6 of apex. Parameres in dorsal view narrow and slightly curved toward basal lobe, 1/5 shorter than this, with pubescence in distal half, exceeding paramere in almost half of length ( Figs. 22–24 ). Penis width about 1/6 of maximum length, in a semicircle in basal half, slightly curved to 2/3 length, distal 1/3 straight. Apex 1/6 of length and slightly wider than penis tube, separated from it by a sclerosed union at widely oblique angle, with ejaculatory duct “S” shaped and sclerose spine on apex; penis capsule with internal branch hook-shaped, outer branch twice as wide as internal, basal margin convex ( Fig. 21 ).

Female: Similar to male. Spermatheca “C” shaped, about ten times longer than wide, narrowing regularly toward apex, nodulus lateral and short, ramus 1/10 of total length, seminal duct very short. Infundibulum “Y” shaped, half size of spermathecal ( Fig. 25 ). Coxites paddle-shaped, with very wide, pubescent apex and evident stylus.

Variation: Length 2.1–2.6 mm. Color nearly homogenous, spots varying from light brown dark-ringed to homogeneous dark brown. The spots, especially on the pronotum and supernumerary of the elytra tend to disappear, while the elytral spots may be partially disjointed to rarely losing the “S” shape, the posterior spot sometimes complete ( Figs. 15, 19, 20 ).

Discussion

Psyllobora lueri sp. nov. differs in the coloration pattern and in the male genitalia (see species key). Also, it is geographically isolated from other species of the genus, probably occurring in Argentina to Chubut Province, where no Psyllobora species has been recorded previously.

Geographical distribution: Austral Chile, Chile Chico Province ( Fig. 53 ).

Etymology: This species is named for Alfredo Lüer, dedicated Chilean entomologist and collector of many of the known specimens of this species.

Figures

Figs. 1–25. 1–14: Psyllobora pauline sp. nov.: 1–5: male holotype habitus (dorsal, lateral,frontal,posterior and ventral detail);6–9:variations (dorsal view); 10: male sipho; 11–13: male tegmen (dorsal, lateral and basal lobe detail); 14: female genitalia (spermatheca and infundibulum). 15–25: Psyllobora lueri n. sp.: 15–18: male holotype habitus (dorsal, lateral, frontal and posterior); 19–20: variations (dorsal view); 21: male penis; 22–24: male tegmen (dorsal, lateral and basal lobe detail). 25: female genitalia (spermatheca and infundibulum).

Fig. 53. Distribution map of Psyllobora picta species complex.