Brachiacantha danielle Gordon and Canepari, 2014

Gordon, Robert D., Canepari, Claudio & Hanley, Guy A., 2014, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XVI: systematic revision of Brachiacantha Dejean (Coccinellinae: Hyperaspidini), Insecta Mundi 2014 (390), pp. 1-76 : 51-52

42. Brachiacantha danielle Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.3 mm, width 1.6 mm; body elongate oval, convex. Dorsal surface with head alutaceous, dull, pronotum weakly alutaceous, shiny, elytron smooth, shiny. Color black except head yellow, pronotum yellow with large, wide mediobasal macula extended 4/5 distance to anterior pronotal margin, macula not indented with yellow on apex, anterolateral angle of macula broadly emarginate with yellow; elytron dark brown with 5 small, yellow spots, humeral spot triangular, discal spot on apical declivity slightly obliquely oval, mediolateral spot projected inward, apical spot transversely oval ( Fig. 241 ); ventral surface with antenna, mouthparts, legs yellow; abdomen brown. Head punctures small, separated by about a diameter, each puncture slightly larger than an eye facet; pronotal punctures slightly larger than head punctures, separated by a diameter or less, elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by 1 to 2 times a diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytron, separated by about a diameter. Clypeus truncate apically, 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 weakly rounded, basal margin without trace of bordering line medially. Epipleuron narrow, grooved, not descending externally, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia widely flanged, flange less than width of remainder of protibia, outer margin straight, smooth, basal tooth short, length about 1/5 width of tibia at base, sponda not extended beyond protibial flange. Carinae on prosternal process narrowly separated at apex, convergent toward base, joined just anterior to middle of prosternum. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite without setal tuft. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite flattened along posterior ventrite margin, extended forward apically, ventrite with sparse, long pubescence and small, dense punctures; ventrites 2–6 pubescent throughout, punctures fine, dense; ventrite 3 without cusp on each side of middle; 5th ventrite depressed medially, apex broadly, weakly emarginate; 6th ventrite depressed medially, apex broadly emarginate. Apical tergite densely punctured, apex emarginate. Genitalia with basal lobe slightly shorter than paramere, symmetrical, sides parallel in basal 7/8, widened in apical 1/8, sides angled to acutely rounded apex, dorsal surface with arcuate carina on each side of middle; paramere Psc, wide, curved from base to rounded apex ( Fig. 242, 243 ); sipho robust, strongly bent in basal 1/2, without visible lateral alae, basal capsule lightly sclerotized, inner arm short, slender, apex rounded, outer arm wider and longer than inner arm, with small accessory piece, basal border broadly, shallowly emarginate ( Fig. 244, 245 ).

Female. Similar to male except head black with reddish yellow spot at base of frons, pronotum with basomedian macula nearly reaching anterior pronotal margin, lateral 1/6 of pronotum yellow. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule short, wide, narrowed from base to anterior 2/3, apical 1/3 slightly widened with apical beak ( Fig. 246 ).

Variation. Length 2.0 to 2.6, width 1.3 to 1.7 mm.

Type material. Holotype male; Argentina, prov. Córdoba , dpto. Calamuchita, El Sauce, oct 1976, leg. M. Viana, Coleccion J.E. Barriga, Chile 116929. ( JEBC) . Paratypes, 7; 5, same data as holotype ( JEBC) ; 2, Argentina, prov. Córdoba , dpto. Calamuchita, El Sauce, oct 1971, leg. M. Viana, Coleccion J.E. Barriga, Chile 101838 ( JEBC) .

Remarks. This species is similar in color pattern to several other Brachiacantha species , including B. bahiensis . It is distinct from all by the male genitalia having an arcuate carina on each side of the middle of the basal lobe. That character is very similar to the single carina noted for B. bahiensis .

Figures

Figures 230–246. 230–236. Brachiacantha bahiensis. 230) Habitus. 231) Phallobase ventral. 232) Phallobase lateral. 233) Sipho. 234) Enlarged siphonal apex lateral. 235) Enlarged siphonal apex dorsal. 236) Female genitalia. 237–240. Brachiacantha pseudoarrowi. 237) Habitus. 238) Phallobase ventral. 239) Phallobase lateral. 240) Sipho. 241–246. Brachiacantha danielle. 241) Habitus. 242) Phallobase ventral. 243) Phallobase lateral. 244) Sipho. 245) Enlarged siphonal apex. 246) Female genitalia.