Murmidius ovalis (Beck, 1817)

Jałoszyński, Paweł & Ślipiński, Adam, 2022, Revision of the family Murmidiidae (Coleoptera: Coccinelloidea), Zootaxa 5109 (1), pp. 1-102 : 25-26

Murmidius ovalis species group

Body elongate oval, weakly convex; anterior clypeal margin microserrate; pronotum with lateral margins weakly convergent anterad; lateral pronotal impressions present; sublateral pronotal impressions present (may be indistinct in some specimens); distance between mesocoxae shorter than between meso- and metacoxa, and lateral regions of metaventrite between metaventral femoral line and metacoxa elongate, covered with large foveate punctures; area between mesocoxa and lateral carina of mesoventral plate not microreticulate; antennal club weakly elongate, at most 1.5 × as long as broad; tarsomeres 1–3 with short, inconspicuous setae; elytra with distinct rows of punctures; hind wings functional.

Three species, of which one is cosmopolitan, one Australian, and one SE Asian, relatively easily distinguishable by external characters, except for some specimens of the most variable M. ovalis , especially unusually small adults, which may require examination of the aedeagus to confirm identification.

Key to species of Murmidius ovalis group

1

Body strongly, conspicuously elongate ( Fig. 74 ); mesoventral plate with complete submarginal carina ( Fig. 78 )............................................................................ M. tydeus Hinton [W Malaysia, Singapore]

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2

- Body oval, not conspicuously elongate ( Figs 59 , 67 ); mesoventral plate with submarginal carina developed only on sides, wide median region lacking carina ( Figs 63 , 71 )................................................................. 2 Sublateral pronotal impressions weakly developed and anteriorly not connected by transverse impression ( Figs 67–68 ); median portion of anterior pronotal margin not thickened ( Figs 67–68 ); aedeagus stout, with median strut much shorter than tegmen ( Fig. 72 ), and penis in lateral view ~10 × as long as broad ( Fig. 73 )..................... M. ovalis (Beck) [cosmopolitan] Sublateral pronotal impressions strongly developed and anteriorly connected by transverse impression ( Figs 59 ); median portion of anterior pronotal margin thickened ( Fig. 59 ); aedeagus conspicuously slender, with median strut nearly as long as tegmen ( Fig. 64 ), and penis in lateral view ~20 × as long as broad ( Fig. 66 )................. M. australicus sp. n. [ Australia]

Figures

FIGURES 74–80. Morphological structures of Murmidius tydeus Hinton. Body in dorsal (74–75), ventral (76) and lateral (77) views; pterothorax in ventral view (78); apical portion of penis (79) and aedeagus (80).

FIGURES 59–66. Morphological structures of Murmidius australicus sp. n. Body in dorsal (59–60), ventral (61) and lateral (62) views; pterothorax in ventral view (63); aedeagus (64), isolated tegmen (65) and penis (66).

FIGURES 67–73. Morphological structures of Murmidius ovalis (Beck). Body in dorsal (67–68), ventral (69) and lateral (70) views; pterothorax in ventral view (71); and aedeagus (72–73).