Brachiacantha joanne 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 : 19-20

10. Brachiacantha joanne Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.6 mm, width 1.8 mm; body elongate oval, convex. Dorsal surface with head alutaceous, dull, pronotum weakly alutaceous, somewhat shiny, elytron smooth, shiny. Color yellow except pronotum with large, black basomedian macula extended slightly more than 1/2 distance to anterior pronotal margin, apex of macula deeply emarginate with yellow, lateral border of macula irregularly semicircular; elytron black with 4 large, yellow areas, lateral margin with yellow macula extended from humeral angle past apical declivity, scutellar spot round, discal spot elongate oval, apical spot transversely oval ( Fig. 51 ); ventral surface with head, prosternum, meso- and metaventrites black; abdomen yellowish brown. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less, each puncture as large as an eye facet; pronotal punctures larger than on head, separated by less than to 2 times a diameter, elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by 1 to 2 times a diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytron, separated by less than to a diameter. Clypeus emarginate apically, lateral angle rounded, surface with sparse, long pubescence. Eye canthus about 5 eye facets long, straight, apically rounded, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal and anterior angles abrupt, lateral margin weakly rounded, basal margin with trace of bordering line medially. Epipleuron narrow, grooved, not descending externally, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia narrowly flanged, flange slightly narrower than remainder of protibia, outer margin curved, smooth, basal tooth small, triangular, about 1/6 width of tibia at base, sponda slightly extended beyond protibial flange. Carinae on prosternal process narrowly separated at apex, weakly convergent toward base, not joined, ended at 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 at apex, 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 in median 1/3, apex shallowly emarginate; 6th ventrite medially depressed, apex deeply emarginate. Apical tergite finely, densely punctured, apex weakly emarginate. Genitalia with basal lobe slightly longer than paramere, slender, symmetrical, sides convergent in basal 2/3, abruptly widened in apical 1/3, apex triangular with sides angled toward apex of basal lobe; paramere slightly Psc, slender, bent outward anterior to base, upper margin slightly sinuate, flattened in median 3/4, apex rounded ( Fig. 52, 53 ); sipho robust, strongly curved in basal 1/2, without visible lateral alae, basal capsule lightly sclerotized, inner arm short, narrow, apex rounded, outer arm wider and longer than inner arm, with faint accessory piece, basal border not emarginate ( Fig. 54, 55 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype male; Argentina, Prov. Salta, 3 km W Cabra Corral Dam , 30.I.1982, H & A Howden. ( USNM).

Remarks. This species is similar in external appearance to several other Brachiacantha species , and male genitalia must be examined for correct identification. Externally B. joanne is similar to B. groendali because of the deeply emarginate basomedian macula on the male pronotum. The male genitalia are not typical of the sellata group in that the apex of the basal lobe is triangular rather than lunulate. The paramere of the male genitalia is nearly identical to that of B. jamie , in spite of dissimilarities in basal lobe structure.

Figures

Figures 51–68. 51–55. Brachiacantha joanne. 51) Habitus.52) Phallobase ventral.53) Phallobase lateral. 54) Sipho. 55) Enlarged siphonal apex. 56–62. Brachiacantha juanita. 56) Habitus. 57) Phallobase ventral. 58) Phallobase lateral. 59) Sipho. 60) Enlarged siphonal apex lateral. 61) Enlarged siphonal apex dorsal. 62) Female genitalia. 63–68. Brachiacantha anita. 63) Habitus. 64) Phallobase ventral. 65) Phallobase lateral. 66) Sipho. 67) Enlarged siphonal apex. 68) Female genitalia.