Sticholotis gibbula Weise

Vandenberg, Natalia J., 2011, A revision of the genus Stictobura Crotch and description of a new species of Sticholotis Crotch (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Sticholotidinae), Zootaxa 3031, pp. 1-13 : 8-9

Sticholotis gibbula Weise , stat. rev.

( Figs. 8–10 )

Sticholotis (Apterolotis) gibbula Weise, 1908: 226 (Lectotype female, BMNH). Stictobura gibbula: Sicard, 1911: 385 .— Korschefsky, 1931: 211.

The syntype female of this species (BMNH, examined) indeed belongs to Sticholotis (stat. rev.) and is very small, unlike other members of Stictobura . It is not clear why Sicard (1911) and subsequently Korschefsky (1931) chose to place it under Stictobura . The syntype from BMNH is designated here as lectotype (lectotype designation) and briefly redescribed below.

Redescription. Length: 1.60 mm; width: 1 mm. TL/TW: 1.21; EL/EW: 0.96; PL/PW: 0.46. Form short oval, dorsum strongly convex ( Fig. 8 ) and dumpy, with a prominent, hump-backed outline ( Fig. 10 ). Dorsum and ventral side yellow except scutellum, edges of elytra and epipleura darker reddish brown, elytra with an ill-defined stria marked by darkly pigmented dots on either side of sutural line, antenna with flagellomeres darker brownish in posterior half. Head ( Fig. 9 ) with clypeal margin shallowly emarginate, pubescence silvery white. Eyes small, coarsely faceted, posteriorly strongly divergent, with an orbital carina, interocular distance ca. 3.2x as wide as eye; punctures separated by 2–5 diameters, interspaces with strong reticulate microsculpture. Antennal insertions exposed, frons emarginate around antennal insertions. Antenna 11-segmented, with a distinct club. Pronotum transverse; basal margin strongly arcuate, with submarginal line; lateral margins nearly linear, with short scattered hairs; anterior margin deeply trapezoidally emarginate around head; lateral and anterior margins with fine bead; punctures on pronotum smaller than those on head, shallow, widely separated, interspaces with reticulate microsculpture. Elytra with punctures larger, closer and denser than those on head and pronotum, separated by 2–4 diameters, interspaces smooth, shiny. Prosternal process obscured by forelegs. Abdomen with five visible ventrites; abdominal postcoxal line incomplete, curved posterolaterally, joining posterior margin of ventrite 1; ventrites 2–4 subequal; ventrite 5 elongate, tapering, posteriorly arcuate. Legs with cryptotetramerous tarsi; tarsal claws narrow, sickle-shaped, basally slightly swollen, lacking a distinct basal tooth. Genitalia not dissected.

Specimen examined: Lectotype of gibbula , female (designated here): “Type (circular Red bordered Label)/ Madura, S. India / Sticholotis gibbula m (in Weise’s handwriting)/Type (rectangular orange label)/ Madura” ( BMNH).

Distribution. India: Tamil Nadu.

Note. Weise (1908) did not discuss variation within the species, nor indicate the number of specimens examined.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 11. Stictobura spp.: 1. Stictobura pallideguttata (Mulsant); 2 – 6. S. semipolita Sicard; 7. S. melanaria (Weise); 8 – 10. Sticholotis gibbula Weise: 8. Dorsal view; 9. Frontal view; 10. Lateral view; 11. Sticholotis buruensis (Korschefsky): Frontal view.