Sticholotis bipunctata (Gorham)

Tomaszewska, Wioletta & Łączyński, Piotr, 2010, A contribution to Sticholotis Crotch from Myanmar (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Sticholotidini), Zootaxa 2658 (1), pp. 51-68 : 54

Sticholotis bipunctata (Gorham)

( Figs. 1 , 6–18 )

Orcus bipunctatus Gorham, 1895: 689 .

Sticholotis bipunctata: Łączyṅski & Tomaszewska, 2009: 609 .

Diagnosis. This species is similar to S. dohrni , but is easily distinguished by having two, black spots on each elytron, the elytra covered with uniform punctures, and the venter of prothorax without antennal grooves.

Redescription. Male. Length 3.0 mm; TL/EW = 1.3; PL/PW = 0.5; EL/EW = 0.95; GD/TL = 0.5.

Body ( Fig. 1 ) rounded, strongly convex; pronotal margins very narrow, hardly visible from above; elytral margins narrowly explanate, entirely visible from above. Head and pronotum dark reddish brown; labrum, ventral mouthparts and antennae yellowish brown. Scutellum black. Elytra predominantly reddish brown with black stripe along suture from about mid length of elytra running continuously along apex and lateral margins (except for marginal bead reddish brown); each elytron additionally with two moderately large black round spots, one in mid length of basal margin (touching margin) and second on disk slightly beyond half length of elytron. Punctures on pronotum 0.5–1.5 diameters apart, moderately coarse and deep; punctures on elytra slightly sparser and shallower than those on pronotum, 1.0–2.5 diameters apart; surfaces between elytral and pronotal punctures polished and shiny; dorsum apparently glabrous. Ventral surface dark reddish brown with thoracic ventrites and abdominal ventrite I infuscate. Legs with dark brown coxae, gradually slightly lighter towards tarsi, which are yellowish.

Head flat medially, punctate, covered with rather dense and moderately long setae. Clypeus weakly arcuate anteriorly, scarcely reflexed along anterior margin. Eyes moderately large, coarsely faceted, dorsally separated by about 3.25 times width of eye; interocular distance nearly 0.6 times head width; inner margins of eyes slightly rounded, convergent anteriorly. Maxillary terminal palpomere ( Figs. 7, 8 ) about 2.25 times longer than wide, subparallel along basal 2/3 of its length, strongly and obliquely truncate apically; labial terminal palpomere narrowed and acuminate, distinctly narrower than penultimate palpomere. Antenna ( Fig. 10 ) 11-segmented with narrow 3-segmented club.

Prothorax about 0.93 times basal width of elytra; pronotum with groove extending along basal margin, gradually disappearing as it approaches hind angles; pronotal hypomeron and prosternum smooth; anterior lobe of prosternum distinctly bordered with anterior edge straight; prosternal process ( Fig. 9 ) subtruncate at apex, with distinct lateral carinae, rather finely and sparsely punctate; punctures with moderately long setae. Mesoventral intercoxal process ( Fig. 6 ) about 1.15 times mesocoxal diameter. Metaventrite with complete discrimen, moderately coarsely and sparsely punctate; postcoxal lines curved and complete. Elytral epipleuron ( Fig. 6 ) broad with maximum width at metaventrite, narrowing posteriorly but complete to apex, without distinct foveae. Wings well-developed.

Abdomen ( Figs. 11 , 12 ) with 5 ventrites; ventrite I along midline about 3.75 times longer than ventrite II; postcoxal line of first ventrite curved posteriorly and laterally, closely paralleling posterior margin, incomplete laterally; postcoxal disk microreticulate and very sparsely punctate ( Fig. 13 ); ventrite V triangularly produced posteriorly. Abdominal segment VIII with sternite deeply emarginate medially ( Fig. 14 ). Male genital segment ( Fig. 15 ) with sternite round-oval, apophysis absent.

Male genitalia as in Figs. 16, 17, 18 . Tegminal basal piece with distinct strut and additional, dorsal strutlike projection of nearly the same length; parameres long and thin, densely setose along at least distal half of their length; penis with large basal capsule.

Female not known.

Material examined. Types. Lectotype (here designated), male: “ Bhamo Birmania, Fea VIII 1886 / Gorham type/ Typus / bipunctatus Gorh. / O. bipunctatus Gorh. typus!/ Syntypus, Orcus bipunctatus Gorham, 1895 / Museo Civico di Genova ” ( MCSN).

Note. The designation of the lectotype for O. bipunctatus Gorham, 1895 , is made to fix the taxonomic status of this species. Two syntypes of O. bipunctatus represent two distinct species, easily distinguished externally and by male genitalia. The syntype with two black spots on each elytron, perfectly matching original diagnosis, has been chosen here as the lectotype of O. bipunctatus . The other syntype with four black spots on each elytron will be designated as the neotype of S. dohrni later in this paper.

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. Habitus, dorsal view; 1) Sticholotis bipunctata (Gorham); 2) Sticholotis quadriguttata (Gorham); 3) Sticholotis discoidea (Gorham); 4) Sticholotis dohrni Weise; 5) Sticholotis carinica (Gorham).

FIGURES 6–11. Sticholotis bipunctata (Gorham); 6) ventral view (except head and prothorax); 7) head, ventral; 8) mouthparts, ventral; 9) prosternal process; 10) antenna; 11) abdomen, ventral.

FIGURES 12–18. Sticholotis bipunctata (Gorham); 6) abdomen, ventral; 13) abdominal postcoxal line; 14) abdominal segment VIII, male, ventral; 15) male genital segment, ventral; 16) aedeagus, lateral; 17) aedeagus, inner; 18) tip of penis.