Cryptognatha aethiops Crotch

F, Guillermo González, Hanley, Guy A. & Gordon, Robert D., 2019, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XIX: Overview of Cryptognathini and systematic revision of South American Cryptognatha Mulsant, Insecta Mundi 714 (714), pp. 1-32 : 21

22. Cryptognatha aethiops Crotch

Cryptognatha aethiops Crotch 1874: 206 ; Korchefsky 1931: 219; Blackwelder 1945: 449.

Description. Female holotype. Length 3.4 mm, width 3.2 mm. Dorsal surface shiny except head dull, alutaceous. Color black; head with vertex black, apex of black vertex irregular; pronotum with anterolateral angle broadly yellow ( Fig. 113 ); median projection of basal abdominal sternum black, legs and abdomen reddish yellow ( Fig. 114 ). Head without punctures; pronotal punctures small, separated by a diameter or less; elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by less than a diameter to twice a diameter, becoming gradually larger toward lateral margin; prosternal punctures small, indistinct, mesosternal punctures large, separated by less than a diameter, metasternal punctures small, separated by two or three times a diameter medially, absent in lateral 1/3; basal abdominal ventrite with coarse punctures separated by about a diameter medially, lateral 1/3 of ventrite lacking punctation, ventrites 2–4 finely punctured, punctures separated by about a diameter, ventrite 5 with dense, fine punctation. Head with frons parallel-sided, medially depressed, 1.5 times as wide as eye, apex weakly arcuate, lateral 1/8 slightly retracted, angle acute; eye canthus long, about 3/4 width of eye. Prosternum with lateral carina on each side extended from apex of intercoxal process 1/3 distance to apex of prosternum, straight. Epipleuron strongly descending externally. Postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite evenly curved, extended 2/3 distance to rear margin of ventrite.

Male. Unknown.

Variation. Unknown.

Type locality. Colombia.

Type material. Holotype, UMZC.

Geographical distribution. Colombia.

Specimens examined. 1, holotype .

Remarks. This species is known only from the female holotype, making it difficult to distinguish from other entirely black species except by its Colombian origin. Similar appearing species are known from Brazil. In addition, C. aethiops is at least slightly larger than other entirely black species. The holotype of C. aethiops in the Crotch collection is labeled “Columbia/Hoffm./ aethiops Boh. ”

Figures

Figures 113–120. Cryptognathini genera. 113–114) Cryptognatha aethiops. 113) Habitus dorsal. 114) Ventral surface. 115–117) Cryptognatha. 115) Frons. 116) Epipleuron. 117) Prosternum. 118–120) Calloeneis. 118) Frons. 119) Epipleuron. 120) Prosternum.