Pentilia kendra Gordon and González, 2019

Gordon, Robert D., F, Guillermo González & Hanley, Guy A., 2019, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XXI: systematic revision of South American Pentilia Mulsant (Cryptognathini), Insecta Mundi 729 (729), pp. 1-27 : 8

6. Pentilia kendra Gordon and González , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.3 mm, width 2.0 mm; dorsal surface with faint microsculpture except head densely alutaceous. Color yellow; pronotum medially brown with lateral 1/4 yellow; elytron brownish yellow with wide, yellow lateral margin, sutural margin narrowly yellow with extremely narrow brown vitta on suture ( Fig. 29 ); venter yellow except pro-, meso-, metasternum black; abdomen brown except lateral 1/4, ventrite 5 yellow. Head punctures not visible in alutaceous sculpture; pronotal punctures small, separated by a diameter or less; elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by less than to twice a diameter, becoming larger, denser toward lateral margin; prosternum with small punctures separated by less than a diameter; mesosternum with punctures coarser than on prosternum, separated by a diameter or less; metasternum with punctures smaller than on mesosternum, separated by 1 to 3 times a diameter, absent in lateral 1/3; abdominal ventrites 1, 2 with coarse punctures separated by less than to twice a diameter; ventrites 3–4 finely, densely punctured medially; ventrite 5 finely, densely punctured. Head with frons parallel sided, 1.2 times as wide as eye, clypeal apex widely emarginate, lateral angle abruptly curved ( Fig. 30 ); eye canthus long, about 3/4 width of eye. Prosternum with lateral carina on each side short, straight, extended from apex of intercoxal process 1/4 distance to apex of prosternum. Epipleuron strongly descending externally. Postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite with median 1/2 curved, extended 3/4 distance to posterior margin of ventrite. Genitalia with basal lobe about as long as paramere, sides gradually narrowed from base to rounded apex; paramere narrow, nearly straight, apex rounded ( Fig. 31, 32 ); penis long, apex broken; basal capsule slender, inner arm short, slightly curved, apically rounded, outer arm as long as inner arm, apex truncate ( Fig. 33 ).

Female. Similar to male except head brown; genitalia with spermathecal capsule slender, ramus slightly widened, cornu curved, apex rounded ( Fig. 34 ).

Variation. Length 2.0 to 2.6 mm, width 1.9 to 2.4 mm. Male pronotum varies from lateral 1/4 to lateral 1/3 yellow, elytron may be almost entirely dirty yellow, but wide yellow margin still evident, suture may be completely, narrowly bordered with brown.

Type material. Holotype male: A. Fry, Sao Paulo ( Brazil), Fry coll. 1905.100. ( BMNH) . Paratypes 15, same data as for holotype. ( BMNH) .

Remarks. This dorsally pale species is sufficiently distinctive in dorsal color pattern to be easily recog- nized. Male genitalia are not particularly distinctive, as is the case for many Pentilia taxa.

Figures

Figures 18–34. Pentilia spp. 18-23) Pentilia nichole. 18) Habitus. 19) Frons. 20) Penis guide ventral. 21) Penis guide lateral. 22) Penis. 23) Spermathecal capsule 24-29) Pentilia jody. 24) Habitus. 25) Frons. 26) Penis guide ventral. 27) Penis guide lateral. 28) Penis. 29-34) Pentilia kendra. 29) Habitus. 30) Frons. 31) Penis guide ventral. 32) Penis guide lateral. 33) Penis. 34) Spermathecal capsule.