Aspidimerus Mulsant, 1850

Huo, Lizhi, Wang, Xingmin, Chen, Xiaosheng & Ren, Shunxiang, 2013, The genus Aspidimerus Mulsant, 1850 (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) from China, with descriptions of two new species, ZooKeys 348, pp. 47-75 : 48-52

Genus Aspidimerus Mulsant, 1850 Figs 1-11

Aspidimerus Mulsant, 1850: 944. Type species: Aspidimerusspencii Mulsant, 1850, by monotypy.

Diagnosis.

Aspidimerus is closely related to Cryptogonus Mulsant. However, it can be easily distinguished from the latter as follows: prosternum T-shaped, evenly convex (Fig. 2), prosternal lines as wide apart as the base of prosternal process; the area between them extremely convex and widening anteriorly to form a chin-band, usually with coarse punctures and long pubescence (Fig. 5); body moderately large (length 2.8-5.0 mm); oblong oval, moderately convex; pronotum with the posterior angles pointed and lateral margin straight (Fig. 1). The prosternal lines of Cryptogonus are not as in Aspidimerus , varying in outline, the area enclosed by them lying at the same level as the rest of prosternum; body small, rounded oval.

Description.

Body moderately large, oblong oval, dorsum moderately convex, finely punctate and pubescent. Head transverse oval, eyes large, finely faceted, entire, narrowly margined and not extending to underside of head (Fig. 1). Antennae small, geniculate, composed of 8 or 9 antennomeres, antennomere 1 large, 2 slightly smaller and subtriangular, the rest together forming a spindle or an elongate oval club (Fig. 3). Terminal maxillary palpomere securiform (Fig. 4). Pronotum transverse, at middle of length twice as wide as long, strongly convex, anterior margin deeply emarginated. Scutellum subtriangular. Elytra oblong oval, moderately convex. Humeral callus rather prominent, obtusely.

Prosternum T-shaped, evenly convex (Fig. 2), prosternal lines as wide apart as the width of the base of the prosternal process, widely divergent; the area between them extremely convex and widening anteriorly to form a chin-band, usually with coarse punctures and long pubescence (Fig. 5). Both sides of prosternum deeply foveate to accommodate apices of front femora (Fig. 2). Mesoventrite transverse, widely emarginated anteriorly, indistinctly punctate and sparsely pubescent. Metaventrite usually finely punctate, with dense pubescence. Elytral epipleuron narrow, incomplete, with clearly delimited cavities to accommodate apices of mid and hind femora. Abdomen with 6 ventrites, the first being dilated posteriorly in an arc at middle, abdominal postcoxal lines incomplete (Fig. 10). Legs with femora broadly expanded, oval, and completely concealing the compressed tibiae (Figs 8-9), tarsi composed of three tarsomeres (Fig. 11).

Male genitalia: Penis curved, with a distinct penis capsule. Penis guide in ventral view flat and broad, apex pointed or truncate. Parameres slender, with sparsely distributed short setae at apex, nearly as long as penis guide. Female genitalia usually with tenth tergite broad, setose, coxites subtriangular or broad. Spermatheca vermiform, nodulus wide, ramus long.

Distribution.

Burma, China, India, Laos, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam.

Key to species of Aspidimerus Mulsant, 1850

Remarks.

Aspidimerus nigrovittatus Motschulsky, 1866 is not keyed in the present paper, because the description given by Motschulsky (1866) is too simple to diagnose: "Subovatus, convexus, nitidus, sparsim puberulus, pallide flavus, elytris utrinque vitta lata nigra, apice non attinguenda". Additionally, Kapur (1948) declared that its type was not available.