Dilatitibialis gravabilis (Brèthes) Canepari, Claudio, Gordon, Robert D. & Hanley, Guy A., 2013

Canepari, Claudio, Gordon, Robert D. & Hanley, Guy A., 2013, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XV: systematic revision of Dilatitibialis Duverger (Coccidulinae; Hyperaspidini), Insecta Mundi 2013 (312), pp. 1-91 : 26-27

16. Dilatitibialis gravabilis (Brèthes) , new combination

Hyperaspis gravabilis Brèthes, 1925a: 12 ; Korschefsky 1931: 190; Blackwelder 1945: 447.

Description. Male. Length 2.4 mm, width 1.8 mm; body rounded, slightly elongate, convex. Dorsal surface shiny, lacking alutaceous sculpture. Color black except pronotum with large, irregular, yellow anterolateral angle, apex with median 1/5 yellow with deep, slender, yellow emargination of median black area; elytron with 6 yellow spots arranged in rows of 2, 3, plus an apical spot, median spot on disc small, irregularly oval, mediolateral spot strongly projected inward, apical spot irregularly transverse, apical border emarginate ( Fig. 86 ); ventral surface with head, prosternum, meso- and metaventrites black; abdomen with basal 3 ventrites dark brown medially, lateral margins and ventrites 4-6 brownish yellow to entirely yellow. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less, each puncture as large as 2 eye facets; pronotal punctures slightly larger than head punctures, separated by a diameter or less; elytral punctures as large as on pronotum, separated by 1-2 times a diameter; metaventral punctures fine, sparse medially, separated by less than a diameter toward lateral margin. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, almost truncate, lateral angle rounded, surface with sparse, long pubescence. Eye canthus about 6 eye facets long, angled forward, apically rounded, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal and anterior angles abrupt, lateral margin slightly rounded, basal margin without trace of bordering line. Epipleuron narrow, grooved, not descending externally, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia weakly flanged, flange narrower than remainder of protibia, outer margin straight, smooth, sponda distinctly extended beyond protibial flange. Carinae on prosternal process narrowly separated at apex, convergent toward base, joined at basal 1/3 with single carina extended to basal margin of prosternum. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite without setal tuft. Abdomen with primary pores laterally between ventrites 4-5 large, extended under apical 1/3 of 4th ventrite; postcoxal line rounded, not flattened along posterior ventrite margin, extended forward, ventrite with sparse, long pubescence and large, dense punctures medially; ventrites 2-4 pubescent throughout, punctures large medially, small, dense, becoming denser toward lateral margin; 5th ventrite coarsely, densely punctured in basal 1/3, apical 2/3 depressed, densely, finely punctured, depressed by primary pore laterally, without tubercle on each side of middle, apical margin broadly, weakly emarginate; 6th ventrite short, narrow, depressed medially, apical margin broadly emarginate, sparsely pubescent on each side of median depression, lateral angle abruptly rounded, surface feebly punctured. Apical tergite finely, densely punctured, pubescent, apex weakly rounded. Genitalia with basal lobe slightly shorter than paramere, asymmetrical, narrowed from base to apex, apex obliquely truncate, sinuate in lateral view; paramere slender, strongly Psc, apex with small, ventral projection, dorsal margin broadly rounded ( Fig. 87, 88 ); sipho robust, strongly curved in basal 1/2, basal capsule large, inner arm wide, sides weakly narrowed, apex slightly emarginate between small lateral projections, outer arm as wide as and slightly longer than inner arm, with accessory piece, basal border broadly, shallowly emarginate ( Fig. 89, 90 ).

Female. Similar to male except head with clypeus and narrow border next to eye black, pronotum with black area extended to apical margin medially, without median yellow emargination. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule short, wide basally, narrowed to nearly acute apex of cornu; bursal cap narrowly oval, with 3 arms, apical strut long, slender, apex slightly flattened in lateral view ( Fig. 91 ).

Variation. Length 2.4 to 2.8 mm, width 1.8 to 2.4 mm. Elytron often with humeral and mediolateral spots narrowly connected along lateral margin of elytron, spot size subject to minor variation in shape.

Type locality. Brazil, Alto da Serra, Sao Paulo.

Type depository. BMNH (lectotype here designated).

Geographical distribution. Brazil.

Specimens examined. 12. Brazil. Biol. Boracea, Salesopolis, SP; Espiritu Santo; Rio de Janeiro; Serra do Caraca, Minas Gerais; Vila Monte Verde, Minas Gerais. ( BMNH) ( CNC) ( DZUP) ( MZSP) ( ZMHB).

Remarks. This species has a unique dorsal color pattern with 6 yellow spots on a black background, and the mediolateral spot projected inward. A pattern with 5 yellow spots on each elytron is relatively common, but D. gravabilis has an extra spot present medially on the discal area of each elytron. See comparative remarks concerning male genitalia under D. lillian .

A female type in the BMNH labeled “Type (orange bordered circle)/type (handwritten)/Alto da Serra, Sao Paulo, Brazil. G. E. Bryant. 29.II.1912 / Syntype (blue bordered circle)/ Hyperaspis gravabilis Brethes (handwritten).” is designated as the lectotype. A second male specimen, bearing identical labels except an orange bordered “Type” label, is designated a paralectotype.

Figures

Figures 86-101. 86-91) Dilatitibialis gravabilis. 86) Habitus. 87) Phallobase ventral. 88) Phallobase lateral. 89) Enlarged siphonal apex. 90) Sipho. 91) Female genitalia. 92-96) Dilatitibialis lillian. 92) Habitus. 93) Phallobase ventral. 94) Phallobase lateral. 95) Sipho. 96) Enlarged siphonal apex. 97-101) Dilatitibialis tropicalis. 97) Habitus. 98) Phallobase ventral. 99) Phallobase lateral. 100) Sipho. 101) Enlarged siphonal apex.