Serratitibia kathy Gordon and Canepari, 2013

Gordon, Robert D., Canepari, Claudio & Hanley, Guy A., 2013, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XII: New name for Cyra Mulsant, review of Brachiacanthini genera, and systematic revision of Cleothera Mulsant, Hinda Mulsant and Serratitibia Gordon and Canepari, new genus, Insecta Mundi 2013 (278), pp. 1-150 : 79

56. Serratitibia kathy Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Female holotype. Length 2.6 mm, width 2.1 mm; body rounded, convex. Dorsal surface slightly alutaceous, feebly shiny. Color black; head with vertex and clypeus dark brown; pronotum with lateral 1/4 yellow in apical 1/2; elytron black with 7 small, yellow spots arranged in 3 rows of 2 spots each, plus apical spot ( Fig. 344 ); ventral surface reddish brown except legs yellow; abdomen paler reddish brown. Head punctures small, separated by diameter or less, each puncture as large as 1–2 eye facets; pronotal punctures equal in size to head punctures, separated by diameter or less; elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by diameter or less; punctures on metaventrite large, separated by diameter or less medially, becoming larger laterally. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, nearly truncate, lateral angle rounded. Eye canthus about 5 eye facets long, angled forward, apically rounded, brown. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, lateral margin straight, basal angle broadly rounded, anterior angle abruptly rounded, basal margin with trace of bordering line. Epipleuron narrow, weakly grooved, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia with flange as wide as remainder of tibia, arcuate, outer margin with about 8 small teeth in basal 1/2, sponda raised above protibial border. Abdomen with primary pores laterally between ventrites 4–5 small, extended under apical 1/4 of ventrite 4; postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite angled to apical margin, rounded along margin, extended anteriorly; ventrites with sparse, long pubescence, basal 3 ventrites with coarse punctures separated by diameter or less, ventrites 4–6 with fine, dense punctures. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule long, slender, weakly curved medially, cornu enlarged; bursal cap somewhat triangular, with 2 arms, apical strut short, apical 1/2 strongly widened, spatulate in lateral view ( Fig. 345 ).

Male. Unknown.

Variation. Unknown.

Type material. Female holotype; Bolivia, Prov. La Paz, Cumbre Alto Beni, 7–15.iv.2004, vicinity of Caranavi , 1685 m, 14 o 40’19"S, 67 o 29’35"W, malaise traps, leg. S.D. Gaimari 7 M. Hauser ( CSCA). Paratype ; 1, same data as holotype ( CSCA) .

Remarks. Serratitibia kathy is unusual in having each elytron with 7 yellow spots. That number of spots is shared only with S. regularis , and these species are very similar. It is possible they may be conspecific, but are maintained as separate species because S. regularis has the elytral spots slightly larger, female genitalia have a cornu with a short, apically rounded projection, and a Peruvian type locality. If more specimens become available for examination it may become necessary to synonymize these 2 names.

Figures

Figures 341–347. 341–343) Serratitibia brethesi. 341) Habitus. 342) Proleg. 343) Female genitalia. 344–345) Serratitibia kathy. 344) Habitus. 345) Female genitalia. 346–347) Serratitibia irene. 346) Habitus. 347) Female genitalia.