Nephus (Nephus) oblongosignatus Mulsant, 1850 Figs 1, 2

Scymnus oblongosignatus Mulsant, 1850: 960 (original description).

Nephus oblongosignatus: Sicard 1909: 145-146; Weise 1910: 513.

Nephus grinerae Sicard, 1909: 145 (original description); Korschefsky 1931: 152 (synonymy).

Scymnus (Nephus) oblongosignatus: Korschefsky 1931: 152; Chazeau et al. 1974: 273 (systematics).

Nephus (Nephus) oblongosignatus: Poussereau et al. 2018: 130 (systematics).

Diagnosis.

Nephus oblongosignatus is similar to N. voeltzkowi and N. apolonia sp. nov. but differs in the body shape, size and shape of the spots and the pattern of genitalia.

Description.

Male. Length 1.77 mm, width 1.28 mm. Body oval, oblong, with short fine whitish pubescence. Integument of pronotum, scutellar shield and elytra black (Fig. 2A). Elytra with one yellowish oblong spot on each elytron. Pronotum black, antero-lateral border dark brown (Fig. 2A, D). Head dark brown, antennae and mouthparts yellowish (Fig. 2B, D). Meso- and metaventrite light brown. Epipleuron light brown, without excavations to receive femora. Legs with coxae and femora dark brown, tibiae and tarsi light brown (Fig. 2B, C). Abdomen light brown; postcoxal line incomplete (Figs 1M, 2E) and last ventrite emarginated (Fig. 2F).

Genitalia with tegmen, penis guide, phallobase and parameres symmetrical. Spicule long (Fig. 2G). Penis guide shorter than parameres, sharp at apex (Fig. 2H, J). Parameres articulated with phallobase, distant from each other, strongly widened at apex, with long bristles along parameres (Fig. 2H, I). Penis sclerotized, J-shaped, with sharp apex, penis capsule T-shaped and elongated (Fig. 2J, K).

Female. Length 1.79 mm, width 1.34 mm. Similar to male. Genitalia with coxites longer than wide, subtriangular, 3.0 × longer than wide; stylus mamiliform with long bristles (Fig. 2M). Spermatheca with thick walls, slightly arched, not very striated, and marked by one strong constriction in the middle; with sharp base and truncated apex (Fig. 2L).

Material examined.

Reunion Island: First generation from a laboratory rearing (Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique, Université Toulouse III) initiated from field material collected in November 2011 in Manapany-les-Bains, 19 specimens [DZUP].