Cryptognatha gayle González and Hanley, 2019

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 : 19

19. Cryptognatha gayle González and Hanley , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.9 mm, width 2.8 mm. Dorsal surface shiny with little trace of microsculpture. Color dark brown; head, epipleuron yellow; pronotum with lateral 1/5 yellow; elytron with elongate macula next to scutellar shield, macula narrowly extended posteriorly parallel to suture ending in triangular macula at apex of apical declivity, lateral 1/3 reddish brown from base to apex ( Fig. 103 ); venter reddish yellow; abdomen mostly yellow. Head without punctures; pronotal punctures small, separated by less than a diameter to twice a diameter; elytral punctures smaller than on pronotum, separated by less than to 3 times a diameter, becoming gradually larger toward lateral margin; prosternal punctures small, nearly absent, mesosternal punctures small, nearly invisible, metasternal punctures small, widely separated medially, absent in lateral 1/3; basal abdominal ventrite with fine, indistinct punctures in median 1/3, lateral 1/3, ventrites 2–4 with punctures apparently absent, ventrite 5 with dense, fine punctation. Head with frons parallel-sided, medially depressed, nearly twice width of eye, apex truncate, lateral 1/8 slightly retracted, angle acute ( Fig. 104 ); eye canthus long, about 3/4 width of eye. Prosternum with lateral carina on each side extended from apex of intercoxal process slightly more than 1/2 distance to apex of prosternum, slightly curved laterally. Epipleuron strongly descending externally. Postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite evenly curved, extended 3/4 distance to rear margin of ventrite. Genitalia with phallobase lost; penis short, robust, apical 1/4 wide; penis capsule with inner arm long, slender, apically tapered to abruptly rounded apex, outer arm short, wide, apex truncate ( Fig. 105 ).

Female. Similar to male in all external characteristics, genitalia not examined.

Variation. None observed.

Type material. Holotype male: On Paw Paw, 33, Collector F. J. Simmonds. ( USNM) . Paratypes (3): 1, On Paw Paw , Paramaribo, Suriname, April 1951, Collector F. J. Simmonds ; 2, Paramaribo, DG Jan. 54, van Dinther. ( USNM) .

Remarks. A distinctive dorsal color pattern distinguishes this species from other taxa of Cryptognatha . It is relatively large in size and most likely a member of the auriculata group, but without male genitalia this cannot be conclusively stated.

Figures

Figures 103–112. Cryptognatha spp. 103–105) Cryptognatha gayle. 103) Habitus. 104) Frons. 105) Penis. 106–109) Cryptognatha della. 106) Habitus. 107) Habitus variation. 108) Frons. 109) Spermathecal capsule. 110–112) Cryptognatha vicki. 110) Habitus. 111) Frons. 112) Spermathecal capsule.