Serratitibia ambigua (Mulsant) Gordon & Canepari & Hanley, 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 : 82-83

61. Serratitibia ambigua (Mulsant) , new combination

Cleothera ambigua Mulsant, 1850: 596 .

Hyperaspis ambigua: Crotch 1874: 213 ; Korschefsky 1931: 184; Blackwelder 1945: 446; Gordon 1987: 27.

Description. Female. Length 4.9 mm, width 3.7 mm; body elongate, oval, convex. Dorsal surface shiny, lacking alutaceous sculpture. Color reddish brown; head yellowish brown; pronotum with lateral 1/4 yellow; elytron with 6 small, mostly round yellow spots, scutellar, humeral, median in apical 1/2, sutural at apical declivity, lateral margin at apical declivity, apical ( Fig. 354 ). Head punctures large, separated by less than diameter, each puncture as large as 1–2 eye facets; pronotal punctures smaller than head punctures, separated by about diameter; elytral punctures smaller than on pronotum, separated by 1–2 times diameter; metaventral punctures slightly larger than on elytra, separated by 1–2 times diameter medially, slightly larger laterally. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, lateral angle abruptly rounded. Eye canthus about 5 eye facets long, slightly angled forward, apically rounded, reddish brown. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal angle broadly rounded, anterior angle abruptly rounded, lateral margin straight, basal margin with trace of bordering line. Epipleuron narrow, deeply grooved, outer margin descending, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibial flange wider than remainder of protibia, outer margin arcuate, with 10–12 teeth throughout, teeth large medially, small laterally, sponda extended beyond protibial border ( Fig. 355 ). Carinae on prosternal process widely separated at apex, convergent, joined at basal 1/6 of prosternum, connected to base by short stem. Postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite angled to posterior ventrite margin, flattened along margin, apex extended forward; without primary pores between ventrites 4–5. Abdominal ventrites 1–6 with short, sparse, indistinct pubescence, punctures on basal 3 ventrites large medially, separated by diameter or less, becoming smaller and dense laterally, ventrites 3–6 more densely, finely punctured throughout. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule long, slender, curved in basal 1/2, cornu not enlarged; bursal cap rounded, with 3 arms, inner arm faint, apical strut short, wide, apical 1/2 spatulate ( Fig. 356 ).

Male. Similar to male except abdominal ventrite 5 depressed medially in apical 1/2, apical border weakly emarginate medially, lateral angle of emargination with small tubercle bearing tuft of dense setae; 6th ventrite narrow, deeply depressed medially, depression glabrous, without median tubercle, apical margin shallowly emarginate, angle on each side of emargination bearing tuft of setae. Apical tergite short, narrow, apex feebly emarginate, surface densely, finely punctured. Genitalia with basal lobe as long as paramere, sides parallel, apex curved; paramere Unm type, widened apically, apex slightly rounded, nearly truncate; sipho robust, curved in basal 1/2, basal capsule small, inner arm short, wide, rectangular, outer arm wide, longer than inner arm, with accessory piece, basal border deeply emarginate.

Variation. Length 4.8–5.0 mm, width 3.6–3.7 mm.

Type locality. Cayenne ( French Guiana).

Type depository. MNHL (lectotype here designated).

Geographical distribution. French Guiana, Guyana.

Specimens examined. 4. French Guiana (lectotype); “Cayenne;” Guyana, road to Coralie , Pk 9. ( CMNH) ( MNHL) .

Remarks. Serratitibia ambigua is one of the most distinctive species in the genus because of the large size, elytron with 6 yellow spots, and background color of the entire body reddish brown.

Mulsant (1850) stated that the type was in the Dejean collection (MNHL). A single female specimen in that collection labeled “Cayenne, Lacordaire” is here designated as the lectotype. A single specimen in the Crotch collection (UMZC) is designated a paralectotype.

Figures

Figures 354–362. 354–356) Serratitibia ambigua. 354) Habitus. 355) Proleg. 356) Female genitalia. 357–358) Serratitibia psylloboroides. 357) Habitus. 358) Female genitalia. 359–362) Serratitibia joeli. 359) Habitus. 360) Phallobase, ventral. 361) Enlarged siphonal apex and complete sipho. 362) Female genitalia.