Exoplectra misahualli, Szawaryn & Czerwiński, 2022

Szawaryn, Karol & Czerwiński, Tomasz, 2022, New Coccinellidae (Coleoptera, Coccinelloidea) from Napo Province in Ecuador, European Journal of Taxonomy 845, pp. 30-65 : 48-50

Exoplectra misahualli sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:963F957D-ACB7-4E42-B36B-64D4878E9435

Figs 5J–L , 8

Diagnosis

Exoplectra misahualli sp. nov. is very similar to other red species of Exoplectra and it can be reliably distinguished by male genitalia only. Up to now no Exoplectra species have been known from Ecuador; however, similarly colored species were reported from neighboring countries, e.g., E. angustifrons Weise, 1895 , E. coccinea (Fabricius, 1801) , E. ruberrima Erichson, 1847 . Both, E. angustifrons and E. ruberrima have different shape of male genitalia. The type locality of E. coccinea is French Guiana ( Costa et al. 2008), thus its occurrence in Andes is probably indicated erroneously. Exoplectra misahualli sp. nov. externally is also similar to numerous undescribed (five in Peru and one in Ecuador) species presented on the webpage of Guillermo González ( González 2007, 2015b); however, all of them differ in the structure of male genitalia. The newly described species can be identified by equal length of penis guide and parameres, parameres very flat in lateral view ( Fig. 8H ) and distinctly expanded laterally ( Fig. 8G ), penis guide with apex upturned and rounded ( Fig. 8I ), and penis tip with small thorn-like projection ( Fig. 8E ).

Etymology

The specific epithet is derived from the name of the type locality, Puerto Misahuallí.

Material examined

Holotype ECUADOR • ♂; “ Napo prov., Puerto Misahuallí (2 km S), 439m, 01°02′S / 77°39′W, 8 XII 2009, leg. R. Ruta”; MNHW.

Description

BODY. Length 4.50 mm; TL/EW = 1.12; PL/PW = 0.50; EL/EW = 1.00. Body oval ( Fig. 5J ), strongly convex ( Fig. 5K ), winged; elytra and epipleuron dark red, antennae, head, prothorax, meso- and metaepisterna, meso- and metaepimera, legs except meso- and metacoxae and most of abdomen light brown; labrum, last segment of maxillary palps, meso- and metaventrite and abdominal process of first ventrite dark brown. Dorsum with moderately long and uniform pubescence, not forming pattern on elytra.

HEAD. Head partially covered by pronotum ( Fig. 5L ); ventral antennal grooves deep, distinctly circular bent towards outer margin of eye. Eyes dorsally with inner orbits parallel; ocular canthus distinct, long, reaching beyond half width of an eye; interocular distance about 0.50 × as wide as head across eyes; interfacetal setae absent. Antenna 0.50 × as long as head capsule width, composed of 11 antennomeres; scape enlarged, distinctly roundly projected anteriorly; pedicel narrower than scape, barrel-shaped, about the same length as length of antennomeres 3–5 combined, antennomere 3 × as long as wide; antennal club consisting of four antennomeres; antennomeres 8–10 wider than long, terminal segment distinctly elongate, rounded apically.Anterior clypeal margin distinctly emarginate with anterolateral lobes roundly projected. Labrum truncate at apex. Mandible bidentate at apex. Maxillary cardo transverse with outer angle reaching slightly outside of mouth cavity; terminal palpomere securiform. Submentum transverse; mentum sub-trapezoidal with anterolateral lobes projecting forwards, anterior edge emarginate with few long hairs laterally, ventral surface smooth; prementum transverse; labial palps separated by distance about equal to width of palpiger; apical palpomere as long and as broad as penultimate one.

PROTHORAX. Pronotum ( Fig. 5L ) with anterior corners rounded, distinctly produced anteriorly, not swollen with regular border; anterior and posterior margin without border; lateral margin with entire border. Prothoracic hypomeron smooth; prosternal process with sides parallel, with apex truncate, its surface with lateral carinae incomplete, reaching at most its base; prosternum in front of coxa about 0.30 × as long as coxal longitudinal diameter at the same position, anterior margin straight, with visible border; procoxal cavity distinctly transverse with lateral slit, without visible bordering line.

PTEROTHORAX. Mesoventrite with anterior edge straight with complete raised border; mesoventral process at median width of coxa about 0.75 × as broad as corresponding coxal diameter; meso-metaventral articulation with suture visible; junction straight. Scutellar shield triangular; surface punctate and setose. Elytra with sides rounded; with lateral margins slightly flattened and fading only in their apices; humeral angles absent; surface with single size punctures; elytral epipleuron wide, about 4.0 × as wide as corresponding metaepisternum, incomplete apically, with shallow foveae for reception of femora, inner margin with border line slightly sinusoidal, fading before base of elytron. Metaventrite with discrimen visible; metaventral postcoxal lines joined at middle, laterally complete, straight.

LEGS. Legs with trochanters angularly produced; femora relatively large, excavated to receive tibiae, tibiae with large, sharply angulate outer teeth, excavated to receive the tarsi, femoral apices of mid and hind leg with single spur; tarsi with four tarsomeres, tarsal claws of all legs appendiculate.

ABDOMEN. Abdomen with five ventrites ( Fig. 8A ); ventrite 1, 1.5 × as long as ventrite 2; abdominal postcoxal lines separate medially, incomplete, posteriorly reaching hind edge of ventrite 1; ventrites 1–3 in inner surface with hind edges with large, sclerotized lobes ( Fig. 8B ); hind margin of ventrite 5 emarginate and densely covered with long hairs; tergite VIII truncate apically; sternite VIII deeply emarginate, with long hairs on hind angles ( Fig. 8C ).

MALE TERMINALIA AND GENITALIA. Sternite IX ( Fig. 8F ) with additional sclerite at base of apodeme divided into three lobes; apodeme rod-like; tergite X short, transverse. Parameres, well developed, expanded laterally ( Fig. 8G ), as long as penis guide, with inner surface covered with long setae ( Fig. 8H ) and apices with little setae ( Fig. 8J ); penis guide symmetrical, elongate, lateral sides parallel, apex in lateral view outwardly curved and rounded ( Fig. 8I ), without additional processes; tegminal strut broad. Penis capsule ( Fig. 8D ) with outer arm broadened, short, inner arm well developed, elongate; penis tip slightly curved, with small sharp projection ( Fig. 8E ).

FEMALE GENITALIA. Not studied.

Figures

Fig. 5. Habitus. A–C. Eupalea borowieci sp. nov., ♂, holotype (MNHW). A. Dorsal view. B. Lateral view. C. Frontal view. D–F. Psyllobora marshalli Crotch, 1874, sex (MNHW). D. Dorsal view. E. Lateral view. F. Frontal view. G–I. Chnoodes yanayacu sp. nov., ♂, holotype (MNHW). G. Dorsal view. H. Lateral view. I. Frontal view. J–L. Exoplectra misahualli sp. nov., ♂, holotype (MNHW). J. Dorsal view. K. Lateral view. L. Frontal view.

Fig. 8. Exoplectra misahualli sp. nov., ♂, holotype (MNHW). A. Abdomen. B. Inner surface of abdomen. C. Segment VIII, ventral view. D. Penis, lateral view. E. Penis tip, lateral view. F. Segments IX and X, dorsal view. G. Tegmen, inner view. H. Tegmen, lateral view. I. Penis guide apex, lateral view. J. Paramere apex, inner. view.