Brachiacantha debbie Gordon and Canepari, 2014

Gordon, Robert D., Canepari, Claudio & Hanley, Guy A., 2014, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XVI: systematic revision of Brachiacantha Dejean (Coccinellinae: Hyperaspidini), Insecta Mundi 2014 (390), pp. 1-76 : 40-41

21. Brachiacantha debbie Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.6 mm, width 1.8 mm; body oval, convex. Dorsal surface with head and pronotum alutaceous, elytron weakly alutaceous, weakly shiny. Color yellow except pronotum with large, oval mediobasal macula extended 4/5 distance to anterior pronotal margin, macula not apically indented with yellow, small, rounded brown spot on each side laterad of median macula; elytron black with 5 large, yellow spots, scutellar and humeral spots narrowly connected along basal margin, scutellar and apical spots narrowly connected to oval discal spot ( Fig. 175 ); ventral surface with head, prosternum, meso- and metaventrites black; abdomen dark brown. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less, each puncture about as large as an eye facet; pronotal punctures slightly larger than head punctures, separated by a diameter or less, elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by about a diameter; metaventral punctures as large as on elytron, separated by about a diameter. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, lateral angle rounded, surface with sparse, long pubescence. Eye canthus about 5 eye facets long, angled forward, apically rounded, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal and anterior angles abrupt, lateral margin weakly rounded, basal margin without trace of bordering line medially. Epipleuron narrow, grooved, not descending externally, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia widely flanged, flange about 1/2 width of remainder of protibia, outer margin arcuate, smooth, basal tooth large, length about 1/3 width of tibia at base, sponda not extended beyond protibial flange. Carinae on prosternal process narrowly separated at apex, parallel toward base, joined at basal 1/6 of prosternum. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite without setal tuft. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite flattened along posterior ventrite margin, extended forward apically, ventrite with sparse, long pubescence and small, dense punctures; ventrites 2–6 pubescent throughout, punctures fine, dense; ventrite 3 without cusp on each side of middle; 5th ventrite slightly depressed in median 1/3, apex broadly, weakly emarginate; 6th ventrite depressed medially, apex broadly emarginate. Apical tergite densely punctured, apex emarginate. Genitalia with basal lobe much longer than paramere, slender, symmetrical, sides parallel from base to truncate apex; paramere short, weakly Psc, slender, same width throughout, apex rounded ( Fig. 176, 177 ); sipho robust, strongly curved in basal 1/2, with lateral alae posterior to apex, basal capsule lightly sclerotized, inner arm short, narrow, apex oblique, outer arm wider and longer than inner arm, with small accessory piece, basal border distinctly emarginate ( Fig. 178, 179 ).

Female. Female head entirely black, pronotum entirely black except anterolateral angle broadly yellow. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule long, slender, basal 1/4 wider than remainder of capsule, apex acute; bursa with 3 distinct arms, apical strut large, flattened at apex, widened from base to nearly truncate apex ( Fig. 180 ).

Variation. Length 2.4 to 2.8 mm, width 1.6 to 2.0 mm. Male pronotum with mediobasal macula varying from that described above to larger, extended 5/6 distance to anterior pronotal margin, and nearly reaching lateral pronotal margin., female head entirely black or with small, median reddish yellow spot at base of frons, elytron with scutellar, discal, and apical spots sometimes narrowly, feebly connected.

Type material. Holotype male; Argentina, Isla Los Cisnes. Parana Delta. v-xi 1920, H.E. Box, Brit. Mus. 1921-260., Hyperaspis flavoguttata Muls (handwritten). ( BMNH) . Paratypes; 16, 1, Argentina, prov. Buenos Aires, Pque Pereyra Iraola, La Plata, nov 1976, leg. JE. Barriga, Coleccion J.E. Barriga Chile 131476 ( JEBC) ; 15, ( Argentina) Bs As (Buenos Aires), Tigre (numerous dates), Daguerre ( USNM) .

Remarks. Both male and female genitalia of Brachiacantha debbie are distinctive within this genus, although the male genitalia are somewhat similar to several other species. The male pronotal color pattern with a large, oval, mediobasal macula not indented with yellow on anterior border is found in few other species and is useful in distinguishing B. debbie .

Figures

Figures 175–191. 175–180. Brachiacantha debbie. 175) Habitus. 176) Phallobase ventral. 177) Phallobase lateral. 178) Sipho. 179) Enlarged siphonal apex. 180) Female genitalia. 181–186. Brachiacantha monica. 181) Habitus. 182) Phallobase ventral. 183) Phallobase lateral. 184) Sipho. 185) Enlarged siphonal apex. 186) Female genitalia. 187–191. Brachiacantha parva. 187) Habitus. 188) Phallobase ventral. 189) Phallobase lateral. 180) Sipho. 191) Enlarged siphonal apex.