Cephaloscymnus Crotch, 1873

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 : 5

Cephaloscymnus Crotch

Cephaloscymnus Crotch 1873: 382 ; Horn 1895: 81; Casey 1899: 160; Korschefsky 1931: 168; Gordon

1970: 66.

Type species. Cephaloscymnus zimmermanni Crotch 1873 , by monotypy

Description. Cephaloscymnini body form comparatively wide, more or less equal in width from apex of pronotum to posterior elytral margin. Frons wide, inner margins of eyes parallel or nearly so, narrowest at frons/vertex margin, apex of frons extended beyond antennal insertion by about width of basal antennal article; frons and clypeus of male head pale in apical ½ to apical 7/8, not densely pubescent (Fig. 14); female head without maculation. Apical maxillary palpomere widened from base to apex. Pronotum short, wide, with anterior margin deeply excavated for reception of head, strongly projected forward laterally to about apical 4/5 of eye, pronotum with weakly perceptible surface groove extended from posterior to eye anteriorly to apical margin adjacent to eye. Prothoracic hypomeron without fossa. Epipleuron narrow, flat. Male pro–, meso– and metasterna flat or rounded, not medially depressed; prosternal process with base not expanded to conceal mouthparts, truncate or weakly rounded, process narrow, short, with moderate sized, sparse punctures, lateral carina present on each side adjacent to procoxa; male prosternal process without anterolateral projection. Male metasternum with round, setiferous pit medially adjacent to metepisternum. Tarsal claw with basal angulation. Apex of male 5th ventrite truncate.

Remarks. Cephaloscymnus is distinguished from its tribal relatives by a combination of wide, nearly parallel sided frons; male ventral surface not excavated medially, metasternum with setiferous lateral pit; prosternum not expanded to conceal mouthparts, with lateral carinae; and tarsal claw basally angulate. Male specimens may be readily distinguished to genus because of the metasternal pit, but female specimens cannot be readily separated from those of Prodilis .

Gordon (1970) treated all then known species of Cephaloscymnus occurring in the United States and Mexico following this with descriptions of two more Mexican species ( Gordon 1974). Those papers form the basis for treatment of Cephaloscymnus here and should be consulted for additional details. Species discovered since 1974 are here discussed and illustrated. Examination of male genitalia is nearly essential for correct identification of most Cephaloscymnus species.