Serratitibia kathleen 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 : 48-49

23. Serratitibia kathleen Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.7 mm, width 2.2 mm; body oval, convex. Dorsal surface shiny, lacking alutaceous sculpture. Color yellow; pronotum with narrow, brown basomedial macula widened at lateral apex, faint trace of median, brown, vertical spot present, disc with brown, “eyebrow” spot on each side of middle; elytron with 6 brown spots, sutural spot short, median, pale brown, angled posteriorly, small, dark brown spot on humeral callus, 2 spots posterior to callus, and 2 spots on apical declivity ( Fig. 179 ); venter of head, prosternum, meso–, metaventrites brownish yellow; abdomen brownish yellow. Head punctures small, separated by less than diameter, 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 less than 3 times diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytra, separated by diameter or less medially, larger laterally. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, lateral angle abruptly rounded. Eye canthus about 6 eye facets long, slightly angled forward, apically rounded, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal angle broadly rounded, anterior angle abruptly rounded, lateral margin rounded, basal margin without trace of bordering line. Epipleuron narrow, deeply grooved, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibial flange as wide as remainder of protibia, outer margin straight, with about 6 small, dull teeth in basal 1/3, sponda extended beyond protibial border. Carinae on prosternal process narrowly separated at apex, weakly convergent, joined at basal 1/6 of prosternum, connected to base by short stem. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite with faint trace of median setal tuft. 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 posterior ventrite margin, rounded along margin, apex extended forward. Abdominal ventrites 1–4 with short, sparse pubescence, punctures on basal 3 ventrites large, separated by less than 2 times diameter, becoming smaller and dense laterally, ventrites 3–5 densely punctured throughout; 5th ventrite 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 rounded, surface densely, finely punctured. Genitalia with basal lobe short, 1/2 length of paramere, narrow, sides convergent, apex obliquely rounded; paramere Unm type, wide, widened apically, apex rounded ( Fig. 180, 181 ); sipho robust, curved in basal 2/3, basal capsule with inner arm short, slender, apex rounded, outer arm 2 times as long as inner arm, wide, slightly widened apically, with accessory piece, basal border broadly, deeply emarginate ( Fig. 182, 183 ).

Female. Similar to male except head with vertex and clypeus reddish brown, pronotal maculae large, expanded over median 1/3 of pronotum. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule slender, curved at apical 1/ 3, cornu enlarged; bursal cap rounded, with 3 arms, inner arm faint, apical strut long, slender, not apically spatulate ( Fig. 184 ).

Variation. Length 2.4–3.0 mm, width 1.9–2.3 mm. Pronotal maculae vary in size and color, from brown to nearly black, spots on elytron usually coalesced in Trinidad specimens, creating an elytron with apparently only 2 irregular spots.

Type material. Holotype male; Venezuela, Aragua, Rancho Grande , 1100m, Feb. 22-23, 1971, H. and A. Howden ( USNM) . Paratypes; 28, 2, same data as holotype ( USNM) ; 1, Venezuela, San Esteban, nr. Puerto Cabello , Dec. 1 to 20, 1939, P. J. Anduze ( USNM) ; 1, Trinidad, Maracas Bay , 61/ 2mi. Post, Aug.13, 1969, H. and A. Howden ( USNM) ; 16, Trinidad, B.W.I., 1903, G.E. Bryant ( BMNH) ; 2, Trinidad, Arauca V, NLH Krauss, 1953 ( USNM) ; 2, Trinidad, Morne Bleu , 2700', Aug. 15, 1969, H. and A. Howden ( USNM) ; 1, Trinidad, Blanchisseuse , Aug. 19, 1969, H. and A. Howden ( USNM) ; 1, Trinidad, Maracas Bay , 61/ 2mi. Post, Aug. 27, 1969, H. and A. Howden ( USNM) ; 1, Trinidad, St. Augustine , IV-1953, NLH Krauss ( USNM) ; 1, Venezuela, Zulia, El Tucuco (45kmSW of Machiques ), 5-6 June 1976, A.S. Menke and D. Vincent ( USNM) .

Remarks. This species is deceivingly variable because specimens with discrete elytral spots present a very different appearance than those with coalesced spots. Only when both forms occur in the same series does it become evident that only one species is involved. It is actually an easily identified taxon once the variation is assimilated. Specimens with coalesced spots are predominant on Trinidad, those with discrete spots are predominant in Venezuela.

Figures

Figures 174–189. 174–178) Serratitibia fraudulenta. 174) Habitus. 175) Phallobase ventral. 176) Enlarged siphonal apex. 177) Sipho. 178) Female genitalia. 179–184) Serratitibia kathleen. 179) Habitus. 180) Phallobase ventral. 181) Phallobase lateral. 182) Enlarged siphonal apex. 183) Sipho. 184) Female genitalia. 185–189) Serratitibia rose. 185) Habitus. 186) Phallobase ventral. 187) Phallobase lateral. 188) Enlarged siphonal apex. 189) Sipho.