Coeliaria erythrogaster Mulsant, 1850

Churata-Salcedo, Julissa M. & Almeida, Lúcia M., 2017, Review of Coeliaria (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Chnoodini), Zoologia (e 19866) 34, pp. 1-11 : 4

Coeliaria erythrogaster Mulsant, 1850

Figs 13–28, 55

Coeliaria erythrogaster Mulsant, 1850: 1042 (description); Crotch 1874: 283 (description); Gemminger and Harold 1876: 3801 (catalog); Korschefsky 1932: 229 (catalog); Blackwelder 1945: 451 (checklist); Gordon 1987: 34 (catalog); Fürsch 1990b: 9 (systematic); Costa et al. 2008: 367 (revision, Brazilian species).

Exoplectra erythrogaster Mulsant, 1850: 916 (original description); Mariconi and Zamith 1959: 261 (biology); Mariconi and Zamith 1960: 229 (biology).

Redescription. Male. Length 5.67–10.00 mm, width 5.42– 9.17 mm. Body hemispherical, rounded and convex, with fine pubescence, short, thick, whitish or yellowish, with thin, sparse punctuation; integument black and dark brown ( Figs 13–16, 24–26). Head dark, antennae and mouthparts reddish ( Fig. 14). Pronotum transverse, narrower than elytra, with anterior margin emarginate, lateral margin straight, rounded anteriorly, and posterior margin subsinuous ( Fig. 15), hypomera with deep, rounded fovea. Prosternal process with rounded apex, without carina, longer than wide, strangulated at base ( Fig. 8). Scutellum black. Elytra dark, without spots and strongly expanded ( Figs 15, 25); epipleurae wide, narrowing towards apex, fovea shallow for reception of femoral apex ( Figs 10, 14). Meso- and metaventrite black. Legs black, with flattened femora and tibiae, with acute angulation on outer margin ( Figs 11, 14). Abdomen with incomplete post-coxal line, attached to posterior margin of first ventrite, with oblique line ( Figs 17, 27). Genitalia symmetrical; tegmen with penis guide symmetrical, broad at base, narrowing at apex; parameres slightly wide, with short bristles, slightly larger than penis guide ( Figs 18, 19). Penis sclerotized, J-shaped, with rounded apex, penis capsule with highly developed inner arm ( Fig. 20).

Female. Similar to the male. Coxites longer than wide, sub-triangular, with long bristles; mammiliform style ( Fig. 22). Spermatheca C-shaped, with acute apex ( Fig. 21).

Type material. It was only possible to examine photographs of the syntype ( Figs 24–28) deposited in the Musée des Confluences , Lyon, France ( MHNL). In 1970, R.D. Gordon indicated, on a label, that the specimen as the Lectotype , but this designation was not published. Here we designate this specimen as the Lectotype.

Material examined. Bolivia. Santa Cruz: Roboré, 28-II to 1-III-1954, C. Gans-F. Pereira leg., 1 specimen ( DZUP 188194 ) . Brazil. Goiás: Faz. Cachoeirinha, Jatai , X. 1962, Exp. Dep. Zool., 1 specimen ( MZSP) ; Minas Gerais: Faz dos Campos , XII-1920, Col. J.F. Zikán, 1 specimen ( DZUP 146675 ) ; Espírito Santo: Sta. Teresa , 12-X-64, C. Elias leg., 1 specimen ( DZUP 185643 ) ; 19-X-64, C. Elias leg., 2 specimens ( DZUP 188181 , 185641 ) ; 26-X-64, C. Elias leg., 1 specimen ( DZUP 185642 ) ; São Paulo: Marília , 1.XI.945, Coll. H. Zellibor, 2 specimens ( MNRJ) ; São Paulo, Mus. Pragense , Korschefsky Collection 1952, 1 specimen ( USNM); (Jabaquara) , 10.XII.45, Coll. H. Zellibor, 1 specimen ( MNRJ) ; Rio de Janeiro: Itatiaia , I-1929, Coll.J.F.Zikán, 1 specimen ( DZUP 185612 ); (Corcovado) , VII.1958, Alvarenga and Seabra, Coll. M. Alvarenga, 1 male ( DZUP 188193 ) ; 18-IX-61, J.S.Moure, Alvarenga and Seabra, 1 male ( DZUP 288378 ) ; X-1961, Seabra and Alvarenga leg., 2 specimens ( DZUP 185644 , 185645 ) ; 8.X.1962, Alvarenga and Seabra, Coll. M. Alvarenga, 1 female ( DZUP 288374 ) ; XI.1962, Alvarenga and Seabra, Coll. M. Alvarenga, 1 specimen ( DZUP 188192 ) ; X.1966, Alvarenga and Seabra, Coll. M. Alvarenga, 1 specimen ( DZUP 288373 ) ; XI.1967, Alvarenga and Seabra, Coll. M. Alvarenga, 1 specimen ( DZUP 288375 ) ; 30.X.1975, M.A. Monné, 1 specimen ( MNRJ) ; 1.X.1976 M.A. Monné, 1 specimen ( MNRJ) ; 7.X.1976 M.A. Monné, 1 specimen ( MNRJ) ; XI.1955, Alvarenga and Seabra, 1 female ( MNRJ) ; X.1958, Alvarenga and Seabra, 1 specimen ( MNRJ) ; XI.1958 / Alvarenga and Seabra ”, 3 specimens ( MNRJ) ; XII.1958, Alvarenga and Seabra, 1 female ( DZUP 288376 ) ; Nova Friburgo, IV.2005, E.J. Grossi col., 1 specimen ( DZUP 132000 ) ; Paraná: Arapongas , XII.1951, A. Maller, 1 female ( DZUP 185640 ) ; Santa Catarina: Seara ( Nova Teutônia ), 27°11’8”, 52°23’1”, Fritz Plaumann , 1.X.1949, 1 specimen ( FPNT) ; XI.1953, 1 specimen ( FPNT) ; Corupá , Hansa Humbolt , Oct. 1944, 1 specimen ( CAS) ; 2-I-38, 1 specimen ( DZUP 188185 ) ; Mus. Westerm. , 1 specimen ( ZMUC) .

Geographical distribution. Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay ( Fig. 55).

Remarks. Coeliaria erythrogaster , first described in Exoplectra , was characterized by presenting a fovea in the hypomera, differentiating it from all other species of Exoplectra . Since then it was considered the only species of Coeliaria . In addition to this character, C. erythrogaster has strongly expanded elytra, pubescence very dense and uniform, and is larger than the other species of the genus.

Biological data. Costa Lima (1950) published a report of the metamorphosis of C. erythrogaster larvae, and mentioned that it was covered by abundant waxy secretions. Mariconi and Zamith (1959, 1960) described the larvae and adult, as well as biological aspects of E. erythrogaster preying on Mimosicerya hempeli (Cockerell, 1899) ( Hemiptera : Margarodidae ) on the plant Cassia fistula Linnaeus ( Fabaceae ) in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. In their description of the adult they mentioned various bare areas, apparently with shorter and thinner pubescence. This description is consistent with Crotch (1874), who mentioned that recently collected specimens have gray pubescence, giving the impression of bare spots, which is very peculiar. According to those authors, the larvae are completely covered by white secretions that form a mass of conspicuous flaky wax, which extends 30 to 35 mm in length.