Scymnus erwini, Nestor-Arriola & Clark & Niño-Maldonado, 2022

Nestor-Arriola, Jorge I., Clark, Shawn M. & Niño-Maldonado, Santiago, 2022, Taxonomic and Distributional Notes on the Genus Scymnus Kugelann, 1794 (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Mexico, The Coleopterists Bulletin 76 (3), pp. 299-328 : 316-319

Scymnus (Pullus) bryanti Gordon, 1976 Figs. 51–53

Scymnus (Pullus) bryanti Gordon 1976: 263 . Gordon 1985: 278.

Scymnus apicalis Mulsant : Juárez-Monroy 1986: 24 (misidentification).

Diagnosis: Length 1.8 to 2.3 mm; width 1.4 to 1.7 mm. Dorsal color black, except clypeus, lateral margins of pronotum, and apical margin of elytra yellow to orange. Ventral color largely black; legs, antennae, mouthparts and last two ventrites yellow to orange; third and fourth ventrites yellow to orange, with central part black. Male first ventrite with small, triangular, asetose area, located centrally, extending to posterior margin; fifth ventrite emarginate, depressed; sixth ventrite emarginate, depressed, without punctures at central part, with prominent, blunt lateral angles. Male genitalia with lateral alae forming canopy over penis guide in ventral view ( Figs. 51, 52 ).

Material Examined: Nine specimens ( FIC) .

Distribution: North America ( Gordon 1976, 1985). In Mexico, this species has been collected in the states of Morelos, Hidalgo and Tabasco.

New Localities: HIDALGO: (3♂) Huazalingo ( FIC) . TABASCO: (1♂) Villahermosa ( FIC) .

Biology: In Mexico, this species has been collected between 300 and 1,040 m altitude, and in the biomes of deciduous forest, high scrub, and high perennial forest.

Discussion: Juárez-Monroy (1986), in her bachelor’s degree thesis, studied the coccinellid material of the Colección Nacional de Insectos (Instituto de Biología, UNAM). She included the description she used to identify S. apicalis ; however, she did not examine the Mulsant type material, and the male genitalia that she illustrated for the species are easily recognizable as those of S. bryanti .

Scymnus (Pullus) erwini Nestor-Arriola and Niño-Maldonado , new species zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:34DCB5F2-41EC-411A-821D-0CC0D5668C73 Figs. 54–62

Diagnosis: Head dark brown; pronotum black; elytra brownish red. Ventral color black, except mouthparts, antennae and legs yellowish brown. Males with fifth ventrite apically concave, deeply emarginate; sixth ventrite emarginate, depressed at center of apex, with lateral parts conspicuous, acute, with abundant setae. Male genitalia with penis guide fused with lateral alae; lateral alae heavily sclerotized, wide.

Description: Holotype: Male. Length 2.2 mm; width 1.5 mm; body oval-rounded, dorsally convex. Dorsal color largely black; head dark brown; pronotum with apex of anterolateral angles yellowish brown; elytra brownish red, with apex yellowish brown ( Fig. 58 ). Ventral color black, except mouthparts, antennae, legs and ventrites 3–6 yellowish brown. Head punctures large, separated by distance equal to or less than their diameter; each puncture larger than ocular facet. Pronotal punctures larger than head punctures, separated by distance subequal to diameter of pronotal puncture. Elytral punctures as large as pronotal punctures, separated by distance equal to 1.5 times diameter of elytral puncture. Metaventral punctures as large as elytral punctures, separated by distance less than diameter of metaventral puncture. Abdominal punctures smaller than metaventral punctures, separated by distance subequal to diameter of abdominal puncture. Dorsal surface with long, semi-erect, whitish grey pubescence, arranged in “S” shape; each seta longer than scutellar shield. Prosternum with intercoxal carinae reaching anterior margin of prosternum, slightly convergent. Metaventrite with apical spiniform process between metacoxae, half as long as first ventrite ( Fig. 57 ). First ventrite with intercoxal process deeply emarginate at apex for reception of metaventral spiniform process; postcoxal line almost reaching posterior margin of ventrite, curved, with apex reaching anterior margin of ventrite; central part of ventrite slightly depressed. Fifth ventrite with apex concave, very emarginate. Sixth ventrite emarginate, depressed at central part; lateral angles conspicuous, with numerous setae ( Fig. 59 ). Male genitalia with penis guide slightly longer than parameres; ventral process wide, narrowed at apical third, with acute apex; dorsal process wide, shorter than ventral process, blunt at apex; lateral alae of penis guide fused with dorsal process of penis guide, wide, heavily sclerotized ( Figs. 55 , 61 ); parameres long, narrowed at apex ( Figs. 54 , 60 ); penis long, wide, curved in basal half, almost straight in apical half, with membranous projections at apical half, with trifurcate apex wide, with two spine-shaped projections directed towards base of penis; basal capsule of penis large; external arm of capsule with crest at external angle ( Figs. 56 , 62 ).

Female: Similar to male but without abdominal characters as described above. Metaventral spiniform process very small, rather inconspicuous.

Variation: Length 2.2 to 2.3 mm; width 1.5 to 1.7 mm. The elytral color varies from brownish red to dark brown to almost black in some specimens. The metaventral spiniform process is red in one specimen.

Holotype: “Mpio. Huazalingo, Otecoch, cons-sole, cuadrante 3, muestra 2, 31 de mayo de 2010, I. Hernández y L. Ramírez ” ( FIC) (1♂).

Paratypes: HIDALGO: “ Chapulhuacan , sta. María, 25-III-2011, col. S. NiÑo-Maldonado ” ( FIC) (1♂) ; “ Huazalingo , Camino Real a Cheatipan, 30- IV-2007, col. S. NiÑo Maldonado, 7-1” ( FIC) (1♂) ; “ Huazalingo , Puente Cheatipan, 27-XII-2006, col. S. NiÑo Maldonado, 3-7” ( FIC) (1♂) ; “ Huazalingo , Tlamamala, Cuapexo, 28-VI-2007, col. S. NiÑo Maldonado, 10-8” ( FIC) (1♂) ; “ Mpio. Huazalingo , cons-sole., cuadrante 3-muestra 3, 20 de enero de 2010, I. Hernández y L. Ramírez ” ( FIC) (1♀) ; “ Mpio. Huazalingo , San Juán, pert. Sole., cuadrante 3-muestra 4, 22 de febrero de 2010, I. Hernández y L. Ramírez ” ( FIC) (1♂) ; “ Mpio. Huazalingo , San Juán, pert. Sole, cuadrante 4-muestra 1, 22 de febrero de 2010, I. Hernández y L. Ramírez ” ( FIC) (1♀) ; “ Mpio. Huazalingo , San Pedro, pert. Sole., cuadrante 2-muestra 2, 21 de diciembre de 2009, I. Hernández y L. Ramírez ” ( FIC) (1♂) . MICHOACÁN: “ San Nicolas , Simipao, 26/04/1991, Jezabel Báez S.” ( FIC) (1♀) . OAXACA: “ Chiltepec , cafetal, 29-III-1997, trampas amarillas, col. Covarrubias ” ( FIC) (♂) . TAMAULIPAS: “ Víctoria , CaÑón de la Peregrina, selva, 11-III-2011, sitio 1, col. S. NiÑo Maldonado ” ( FIC) (1♀) . VERACRUZ: “ Xalapa , carr. Xalapa- Coatepec, 19.514819N, 96.931755W, 1346 msnm, 31-III-2016, col. J. I. Nestor-Arriola, redeo sobre hierba, det. J. I. Nestor-Arriola 2020, cat. CIUM cocc-0093” ( CIUM) (1♂) .

Etymology: This species is named in remembrance of the renowned coleopterist Terry Erwin (1940–2020).

Biology: This species has been collected on Coffea sp. ( Rubiaceae ) and in the biome of high perennial forest.

Discussion: This species is easily identifiable by the reddish coloration, and the metaventral spine-like process is unique among Scymnus species. The male genitalia, with the penis guide fused with the heavily sclerotized lateral alae, and with the robust penis with a spiny, trifurcate apex, are very different from all the other species described for the genus.

Figures

Figs. 51–56. Scymnus spp., male genitalia (figures are not to same scale). S. bryanti: 51) Tegmen, lateral view; 52) Tegmen, dorsal view; 53) Penis. S. erwini, new species: 54) Tegmen, lateral view; 55) Tegmen, ventral view; 56) Penis.

Figs. 57–62. Scymnus (Pullus) erwini, new species. 57) Metaventral spiniform process; 58) Dorsal habitus; 59) Abdomen; 60) Tegmen, lateral view; 61) Tegmen, ventral view; 62) Penis. Scale bar for 57–59: 2.0 mm; for 60–62: 1.0 mm.