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.