Neaporia cassandra Gordon and Hanley, 2017

Gordon, Robert D. & Hanley, Guy A., 2017, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XVII: systematic revision of Western Hemisphere Cephaloscymnini (Coccinellinae) with description of a cryptic new genus and species of Coccidulini (Coccinellinae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (601), pp. 1-158 : 28-29

20. Neaporia cassandra Gordon and Hanley , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 1.4 mm, width 0.9 mm; body elongate oval, elytron with lateral margin slightly rounded, wider than pronotal base, widest at middle of elytra. Dorsal surface entirely shiny, lacking microsculpture. Color black ( Fig. 154 ); head with apical ½ of frons reddish yellow; mouthparts yellow except apical 1/4 of apical maxillary palpomere dark brown; antenna yellow; legs dark yellow; apical 2 abdominal ventrites yellowish brown. Head punctures large, separated by a diameter or less; pronotal punctures about as large as on head, separated by a diameter or less; elytral punctures slightly larger than on pronotum, separated by a diameter or less; prosternal, mesosternal punctures large, separated by less than a diameter; metasternum with large punctures in anterior 1/3, posterior 2/ 3 with punctures small, sparse; punctures on abdominal ventrites 1–2 large, separated by less than twice a diameter, punctures on remaining ventrites small, separated by about a diameter. Head not densely pubescent with eye as wide as frons measured at vertex ( Fig. 155 ); eye canthus short; apical maxillary palpomere long, narrowed to apex in apical 1/3. Pronotum widest at middle, reflexed lateral margin narrow, equal in width from base to apex. Epipleuron flat, wide in basal ½, as wide as pronotal hypomeron. Prosternum wider than long, as long as mesosternum, apical margin slightly arcuate, male anterolateral projection small, nearly invisible, setose. Postcoxal line on ventrite 1 short, evenly rounded, extended slightly more than ½ distance to apical margin of ventrite. Apex of ventrite 5 truncate medially. Genitalia with basal lobe slightly longer than paramere, slender, sides parallel from base nearly to apex, apical 1/6 narrowed to emarginate apex; paramere narrow from base nearly to apex, apex bluntly rounded, dorsal margin not serrate ( Fig. 156, 157 ); sipho long, slender, extreme apex nearly filamentous ( Fig. 158 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype male; COSTA RICA: Heredia, est. Biol. La Selva , 50–150m 10 o 26'N 84 o 01'W, Proy. Alas, INBio–OET. ( USNM).

Remarks. Neaporia cassandra resembles several other black species of Neaporia , but males may be distinguished by the apical ½ of frons being reddish yellow.

Figures

Figures 149–161. Neaporia spp. 149–153) Neaporia viridiscens 149) Habitus. 150) Frons. 151) Phallobase ventral. 152) Phallobase lateral. 153) Sipho. 154–158) Neaporia cassandra 154) Habitus. 155) Frons. 156) Phallobase ventral. 157) Phallobase lateral. 158) Sipho. 159–161) Neaporia leah 159) Habitus. 160) Frons. 161) Phallobase lateral.