Cyrea pseudospinalis Canepari and Gordon, 2016

Canepari, Claudio, Gordon, Robert D. & Hanley, Guy A., 2016, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XVII: Systematic revision of the genera Cyrea Gordon and Canepari and Tiphysa Mulsant (Hyperaspidinae: Brachiacanthini), Insecta Mundi 2016 (486), pp. 1-180 : 123-124

111. Cyrea pseudospinalis Canepari and Gordon , new species

Hyperaspis spinalis: Gordon, 1987:27 (in part).

Description. Male, length 3.4 mm, width 2.7 mm; body oval, convex. Color yellow except scutellum with narrow brown border; elytron with suture narrowly dark brown from posterior to scutellum to apex, dark brown area briefly widened on disc ( Fig. 620 ); ventral surface with head, prosternum, meso-, and metaventrite black, abdominal ventrites 1-4 dark brown medially, remainder of abdomen yellow. Head punctures large, separated by less than to 3 times a diameter, each puncture as large as 4 eye facets; pronotal punctures as large as on head, separated by 1 to 3 times a diameter; elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by less than to 3 times a diameter; metaventral punctures much larger than on pronotum, smaller medially, becoming larger and nearly contiguous toward lateral margin. Clypeus abruptly, strongly emarginate medially, margin lateral to emargination angled posteriorly, lateral angle abruptly rounded, surface with sparse, long pubescence. Eye canthus as long as about 6 eye facets, angled forward, abruptly rounded apically, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, sides rounded, basal and anterior angles abruptly rounded, basal margin without bordering line. Epipleuron wide, weakly descending externally, weakly grooved, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia narrowly oblique, outer margin smooth; sponda shallow. Carinae on prosternal process distinct, narrowly separated at apex, convergent at about 1/2 length of prosternum. Metaventrite with median setal tuft. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite rounded, extended to apical margin of ventrite at middle, then broadly forward to lateral 1/5 of ventrite; ventrites 1-4 with sparse, long pubescence, punctures sparse medially becoming dense laterally; 5th ventrite weakly depressed medially in apical 1/2, apical margin weakly emarginate medially, surface densely punctate; 6th ventrite short, narrow, not depressed in apical 1/2, apical margin weakly emarginate, not densely pubescent, with distinct angular, lateral projection, surface smooth, glabrous. Apical tergite finely, densely punctured. Genitalia with basal lobe shorter than paramere, asymmetrical, wide, apically split; paramere weakly Psc, wide ( Fig. 621, 622 ); sipho robust,, strongly curved, without obvious lateral alae, basal capsule large, inner arm short, wide, unevenly truncate apically outer arm longer than inner arm, with small accessory piece, basal border deeply emarginate ( Fig. 623, 624 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype male labeled “ TYPE (blue paper)/ Caracas (green paper, handwritten)/ TYPE / A/ LECTOTYPE Hyperaspis spinalis Muls 1853 , Gordon 1987.” ( UMZC).

Etymology: This species is named for the strong superficial similarity to C. spinalis .

Geographical distribution. Venezuela

Remarks. This species superficially resembles C. spinalis , but that species has a large pronotal spot, strongly descending outer epipleural margin, and lacks apparent prosternal carinae. The deeply emarginate clypeal apex is an unusual character and immediately distinguishes C. pseudospinalis . Male genitalia of the two species are also extremely dissimilar.

The specimen described above is actually a paralectotype of C. spinalis Mulsant incorrectly designated as the lectotype of that species by Gordon (1987). Mulsant (1853) stated that his type material came from Bolivia and Brazil, no mention was made of a specimen from Caracas, Venezuela. Therefore the BMNH specimen of C. spinalis from Brazil is here designated the lectotype of that species, and the UMZC paralectotype is described as the holotype of C. pseudospinalis , n. sp.

Figures

Figures 608-624. Cyrea spp. 608-613) Cyrea courtney. 608) Habitus. 609) Phallobase ventral. 610) Phallobase lateral. 611) Sipho. 612) Enlarged siphonal apex. 613) Female genitalia. 614-619) Cyrea marian. 614) Habitus. 615) Protibia. 616) Phallobase ventral. 617) Phallobase lateral. 618) Sipho. 619) Enlarged siphonal apex. 620-624) Cyrea pseudospinalis. 620) Habitus. 621) Phallobase ventral. 622) Phallobase lateral. 623) Sipho. 624) Enlarged siphonal apex.