Plotina signatella Wang et Ren

Wang, Xingmin, Ren, Shunxiang & Chen, Xiaosheng, 2011, The genus Plotina Lewis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), with descriptions of four new species from China, Zootaxa 2801, pp. 57-68 : 64-65

Plotina signatella Wang et Ren , sp. nov.

(Figs. 30–32, 56–59)

Diagnosis. This species is similar to P. versicolor in general appearance and can be distinguished from the latter by the pronotum without any black spots, elytron with 7 black spots arranged in 1–2–2–2 pattern (Fig 30), and male genitalia (Figs. 56–58).

Description. TL: 2.42–2.50mm, TW: 1.75–2.00mm, TH: 0.83–1.21mm, TL/TW: 1.25–1.38; PL/PW: 0.51– 0.52; EL/EW: 1.05–1.09.

Head orange, eyes black. Pronotum orange, with two dark basal spots. Scutellum dark brown. Ground color of elytra orange, with two large white–yellow spots and surrounded by seven dark spots arranged in 1–2–2–2 pattern (Figs. 30-31). Undersides yellow. Legs yellow.

Body medium, broadly oval, moderately convex, shining and glabrous (Figs. 30–32). Head comparatively small, width 0.40X elytral width (HW/EW=2.48); punctures on frons large, separated by 0.3–1.0X their diameter, with short golden setae in punctures; eyes small (Fig. 32), broadly oval, widest interocular distance 0.62X width of head. Pronotum 0.67X elytral width (PW/EW=1: 1.50), pronotal punctures moderately large, smaller than those on head, separated by 1.0–3.0X their diameter. Punctures on elytra large, similar to those on head, separated by 0.2– 0.5X their diameter. Surface of pro- and mesosterna smooth and glabrous, without pubescence. Punctures on metasternum moderately large, separated by 0.3–1.0X their diameter, with short setae in punctures.

Male genitalia: Penis long, slender, penis capsule with a distinctly outer process and a long inner one (Fig. 56); penis guide in lateral view stout, subparallel at basal 4/5, then gradually tapering to apex, apex arcuate, pointed, with densely setose at base (Fig. 57); parameres slender, sparsely setose at apex and base, slightly longer than penis guide; penis guide in ventral view stout, oval, apex rounded (Fig. 58).

Female genitalia: Coxites (Fig. 59) elongate, 7X as long as wide, tapering to blunt apices, outer margin subtruncate, inner margin feebly notched medially, each with long terminal setae.

Specimens examined. Holotype. 1 male, China, Hainan: Diaoluoshan, 8.v.2005, Wang XM leg; Paratypes. China, Guangdong: 2 females, Nankunshan, Huizhou, 21.x.2004, Wang XM leg.

Distribution. China (Guangdong, Hainan).

Etymology. The species epithet is in reference to the elytra with many black spots.