Pentilia lora 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 : 13-14

15. Pentilia lora Gordon and González , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.1 mm, width 1.9 mm; dorsal surface shiny, head alutaceous. Color black; head yellow; pronotum yellow; elytron with small, basal yellow macula on humeral angle, diagonally extended from base posteriorly across humeral callus to lateral margin ( Fig. 77 ); venter yellow except meso-, metasternun black. Head punctures apparently absent, not seen in alutaceous sculpture; pronotal punctures small, separated by less than to twice a diameter; elytral punctures as large as on pronotum, separated by less than to 3 times a diameter, becoming larger, denser toward lateral margin; prosternum impunctate; mesosternum with large punctures separated by a diameter or less; metasternum with punctures as large as on mesosternum, separated by less than to twice a diameter in median 2/3, punctures becoming sparse, nearly absent in lateral 1/3; abdominal ventrites 1, 2 impunctate medially; ventrites 3, 4 finely, densely punctured medially; ventrite 5 finely, densely punctured. Head with frons weakly tapered from wide base to antennal insertion, clypeal apex widely emarginate, lateral angle curved ( Fig. 78 ); eye canthus long, about 3/4 width of eye. Prosternum with lateral carina on each side straight, extended from apex of intercoxal process 1/2 distance to apex of prosternum. Epipleuron strongly descending externally. Postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite curved, extended to rear margin of ventrite. Genitalia with basal lobe slightly longer than paramere, sides parallel from base nearly to apex, apex diagonally narrowed to narrowly emarginate apex; paramere slender, slightly curved, apex rounded ( Fig.79, 80 ); penis with basal portion lost, apex, apical portion extremely slender ( Fig. 81 ).

Female. Similar to male except head black with yellowish brown clypeal apex, pronotum completely black; spermathecal capsule unusual, ramus large, spoon shaped, dark brown, cornu wide basally, narrowed toward apex, apex lost ( Fig. 82 ).

Variation. Length 1.9 to 2.2 mm, width 1.8 to 1.9 mm, size of male elytral macula varies slightly from not enclosing humeral callus to completely enclosing it.

Type material. Holotype male; Paramaribo, C. Guiana, Sep. 3, ‘37, K A Bartlett, PR 1949, 37-23363. ( USNM) . Paratypes 24, same data as for holotype. ( USNM).

Remarks. Males of P. lora are identified by the yellow humeral macula, but females can be recognized only by the extremely unusual spermathecal capsule.

Figures

Figures 67–82. Pentilia spp. 67-72) Pentilia elena. 67) Habitus. 68) Frons. 69) Penis guide ventral. 70) Penis guide lateral. 71) Base of penis. 72) Spermathecal capsule. 73-76) Pentilia krystal. 73) Habitus. 74) Frons. 75) Penis guide ventral. 76) Penis guide lateral. 77-82) Pentilia lora. 77) Habitus. 78) Frons. 79) Penis guide ventral. 80) Penis guide lateral. 81) Apical 1/2 of penis. 82) Spermathecal capsule.