Prodilis Mulsant, 1850

Gordon, Robert D. & Hanley, Guy A., 2017, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XVII: systematic revision of Western Hemisphere Cephaloscymnini (Coccinellinae) with description of a cryptic new genus and species of Coccidulini (Coccinellinae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (601), pp. 1-158 : 51-52

Prodilis Mulsant

Prodilis Mulsant 1850: 898 ; Crotch 1874: 276; Weise 1904: 363 ( Neaporia placed as a synonym of Prodilis ); Korschefsky 1931: 109; Blackwelder 1945: 444. Type species. Prodilis pallidifrons Mulsant, 1850 , by monotypy.

Scymnus (Volgus) Mulsant 1853: 147 : Korschefsky 1931: 116. NEW SYNONYM. Type species. Scymnus (Polius) volgus Mulsant 1853 , by monotypy.

Prodiloides Weise 1922: 36 ; Korschefsky 1931: 110. NEW SYNONYM. Type species. Prodiloides bipunctata Weise 1922 , by monotypy

Aneaporia Casey 1908: 407 ; Korschefsky 1931: 108. Type species. Neaporia plagioderina Gorham 1897 , by monotypy.

Description. Cephaloscymnini with body form widely oval to narrowly oval, widest at middle of elytra. Frons wide, inner margins of eyes parallel or nearly so, usually about twice width of an eye; apex of frons extended beyond antennal insertion usually by about width of basal antennal article except 4 species with elongate frons extended by about 3 times width of basal antennal article; male clypeus and anterior portion of frons usually pale yellow or yellowish white, not densely pubescent (Fig. 329); female head without maculation. Apical maxillary palpomere widened from base to apex ( Fig. 306, 307 ). Pronotum long, with anterior margin moderately excavated for reception of head, weakly projected forward laterally to about apical 4/5 of eye, pronotum without surface groove (Fig. 315). Prothoracic hypomeron with or without fossa. Epipleuron usually wide, sometimes flat, sometimes with outer margin weakly or strongly descending, occasionally with feeble depressions for reception of femoral apices ( P. sabrina type). Male pro–, meso– and metasterna flat or rounded, rarely medially depressed; prosternum not widely expanded to conceal mouthparts or sometimes expanded to completely conceal mouthparts, prosternal process with base truncate or rounded, process wide, long, lateral carina present on each side adjacent to procoxa; male prosternal process without modified setae. Male metasternum without pit medially adjacent to metepisternum. Tarsal claw without basal angulation. Apex of male 5th ventrite arcuate.

Remarks. Polius Mulsant (1853) is monotypic and was described as a subgenus of Scymnus Kugelann. It is a member of Cephaloscymnini here placed as a synonym of Prodilis . It differs from typical Prodilis by an epipleuron often slightly descending externally. However, this is not consistent because many Polius volgus specimens have an absolutely flat epipleuron. Casey (1908) considered those specimens with a descending epipleuron to belong to Aneaporia , which was considered a subgenus of Prodilis by Korschefsky (1931). Prodiloides Weise is here considered a synonym of Prodilis because the principal defining character, a prosternum long in front, concealing mouthparts in typical Prodiloides and short, not concealing mouthparts in Prodilis fails when many species are examined. All degrees of variation between the two extremes become apparent, hence they are synonymous.

Four species of Prodilis have frontally extended clypeus/frons similar to that found in Neaporia longifrons . See remarks under P. Monique . Species in text are arranged according to male genital structure but are not given any grouping titles. Genitalia vary from basal lobe slender, usually shorter than paramere, apically emarginate; basal lobe oval, apically acute; basal lobe usually longer than paramere, apically variable; basal lobe short, usually less than ½ length of paramere. Variations of these types occur throughout.

Figures

Figures 303–314. Neaporia and Prodilis spp. 303, 304) Neaporia maculata 303) Habitus. 304) Frons. 305–307) Neaporia sp. 305) Apical maxillary article. Prodilis sp. 306) Apical maxillary article. Prodilis sp. 307) Apical maxillary article. 308–314) Succinctonotum frosti 308) Habitus. 309) Basal abdominal ventrites. 310) Frons. 311) Phallobase ventral. 312) Phallobase lateral. 314) Spermathecal capsule. 314) Female.