Hyperaspis mimica, Gordon & González, 2011

Gordon, Robert D. & González, F. Guillermo, 2011, Additions to the Hyperaspis Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) fauna of South American, descriptions of nine new species, and recognition of Hyperaspis pectoralis Crotch as a valid species, Insecta Mundi 2011 (160), pp. 1-20 : 5

Hyperaspis mimica , new species

( Figure 41-49 )

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.4 mm, width 1.9 mm. Body rounded, convex. Dorsal surface with head densely alutaceous, dull, pronotum slightly alutaceous, weakly shiny, elytron smooth, shiny. Color black except head yellow; pronotum with median black macula extended from base to apex, macula with lateral projection in basal 1/2; elytron black with 4 yellow spots, 1 basal spot at suture, 1 oblique spot on disc, 1 median spot on lateral margin, 1 apical spot ( Fig. 41-44 ); mouthparts, legs yellow; abdomen with median portion of ventrites 1-4 dark brown, lateral 1/4, ventrites 5-6 yellow. Head punctures invisible, hidden in alutaceous sculpture; pronotal punctures small, separated by 1 to 2 times a diameter; elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by 1-3 times a diameter; punctures on metaventrite dense, larger than on elytra, separated by a diameter or less medially, becoming contiguous in lateral 1/2; punctures on median portion of abdominal ventrites 1-3 small, separated by 1 to 4 times a diameter, becoming very fine, difficult to see in lateral 1/3, ventrites 4-6 with punctures very fine, difficult to see. Clypeal apex shallowly emarginate, clypeus and frons joined at abrupt angle. Epipleuron wide, slightly grooved medially, not descending externally, femoral depresssions deep. Antenna with 11 articles ( Fig. 49 ). Protibia narrow, not flanged. Prosternum with intercoxal carinae narrowly separated at apex, weakly convergent toward base, joined before base and connected to base by single stem. Postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite straight in basal 1/3, reaching and joining posterior ventrite margin, slightly recurved apically ( Fig. 45 ). Fifth ventrite broadly, weakly emarginate apically; 6 th ventrite with shallow, narrow, apical emargination. Genitalia with basal lobe 1/2 length of paramere, sinuate, apex obliquely rounded, one margin with large, median projection; paramere short, wide, very slightly narrowed from base to apex, apex rounded ( Fig. 47, 48 ); sipho long, slender, apical 1/2 missing, basal capsule with inner arm long, sinuate, apically beaked, outer arm long, slender, without accessory piece, basal border slightly emarginate ( Fig. 46 ).

Female. Not known.

Type material. Holotype male: Colombia, Cld. (Caldas), Villamaria, 12.II.41, alt. 2000m, Murillo No 5461. ( USNM).

Remarks. Hyperaspis mimica is superficially very similar in appearance to Tenuisvalvae bisquinquepustulata (F.), but that species has a pale yellow humeral spot, giving it a total of five spots on each elytron, and male genitalia with a long, slightly modified basal lobe.

Etymology. The name is from the Latin mimus, meaning to imitate, referring to the close resemblance to T. bisquinquepustulata .

Figures

Figure 41-49. Hyperaspis mimica. 41-44) Habitus views. 45) Abdomen. 46-48) Male genitalia. 46) Sipho (apex lost). 47) Ventral view of phallobase. 48) Trabes. 49) Antenna.