Cephaloscymnini Gordon, 1985

Gordon, Robert D. & Hanley, Guy A., 2017, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XVII: systematic revision of Western Hemisphere Cephaloscymnini (Coccinellinae) with description of a cryptic new genus and species of Coccidulini (Coccinellinae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (601), pp. 1-158 : 4

Cephaloscymnini Gordon

Cephaloscymnini Gordon 1985: 66

Small Coccinellinae , length 1.1–3.4 mm; body form variable from slender, elongate to large, rounded. Dorsally pubescent. Head prominent, porrect, exposed, deflected ventrally; eye large, narrow, elongate, finely faceted; apex of clypeus truncate, lateral angle abruptly rounded; frons elongate, narrow or wide, anterolateral angle raised around antennal insertion, angle slightly concealing basal antennal article; frontal extension onto eye short, less than ½ width of eye; gena expanded into a grooved shelf anterior to eye for reception of antenna; antenna short, with 9 articles, club with 3 articles; apical article of maxillary palpus large, elongate, usually narrowed at apex in Neaporia , widened from base to apex or sides parallel in other genera, apex obliquely truncate; mandible apically bidentate. Pronotum short, deeply excavated for reception of head; lateral border more or less explanate, anterolateral angle explanate, produced forward. Prosternum pronounced, sometimes developed medially to conceal mouthparts in repose; prosternal process usually large, extended basally except Succinctonotum with prosternum not well developed. Prothoracic hypomeron without fossa except some Prodilis species with large fossae. Epipleuron narrow or wide, not foveate for reception of femoral apices except some Prodilis taxa with feeble depressions. Meso–, metasterna usually wide, strongly developed, rarely reduced in size. Legs simple, unmodified. Abdomen with 5 visible ventrites; postcoxal line on basal ventrite complete, of Scymnus (Pullus) type. Male genitalia simple, of basic coccinellid type, all structures symmetrical. Female genitalia simple, of standard coccinellid type with curved spermathecal capsule and no apparent accessory gland.

Remarks. All genera may be distinguished by characters listed in key to genera, but Cephaloscymnus and Prodilis are the most difficult. Males of Cephaloscymnus have a small, setiferous pit on lateral ½ of metasternum, males of Prodilis lack this pit as do all other Cephaloscymnini genera. No additional characters have been found to aid in separating these two genera but both are maintained as valid because of the metasternal pit. This leaves females in limbo, but geographical overlap between these genera is rare. Cephaloscymnus has a northern distribution from Mexico to southern United States. Prodilis is primarily a South American genus with some Central American representatives.

Brèthes (1925b) described “ Cephaloscymnus ” from Chile. Attempts to examine the holotype have failed because it cannot be found either in Chile or in the BMNH. The original description does not seem to describe a member of Cephaloscymnini at all, rather a species belonging to another tribe. In addition, Cephaloscymnini taxa are not presently known to occur in Chile. Therefore C. porteri