Neaporia longifrons Gordon and Hanley, 2017

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 : 47-48

47. Neaporia longifrons Gordon and Hanley , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 1.4 mm, width 0.9 mm; body elongate, slender, elytron with side straight, wider than pronotal base, widest at middle of elytra. Dorsal surface entirely shiny. Color black; head yellow except vertex with indistinct yellowish brown macula ( Fig. 296 ); pronotum with narrow yellow border on lateral and anterior margins, medially dark brown, lateral 1/3 yellowish brown; scutellum yellow; elytron with lateral border and 2 maculae yellow, anterior macula small, rectangular, on anterolateral angle including humeral callus, posterior macula large, occupying apical declivity from lateral margin to suture, anterior border of macula irregular ( Fig. 294 ); antenna, epipleuron, legs yellow; mouthparts yellow except terminal maxillary palpomere dark brown; ventral surface dark brown laterally, light reddish brown medially; abdomen brownish yellow. Head punctures large, separated by a diameter or less; pronotal punctures larger than on head, separated by less than 3 times a diameter; elytral punctures slightly larger than on pronotum, separated by 1 to 3 times a diameter; prosternal, mesosternal punctures small, separated by a diameter or less; metasternum nearly impunctate except some scattered large punctures on lateral margin; punctures on abdominal ventrites nearly absent, some scattered, large punctures present near lateral margin of ventrite 1. Head not densely pubescent, frons widened from vertex to clypeus, extremely long, extended beyond antennal insertion about width of basal 5 antennal articles, eye 1½ times wider than frons measured at vertex; eye canthus short; apical maxillary palpomere long, slender, narrowed to apex in apical 1/3. Pronotum widest at middle, reflexed lateral margin narrow, equal in width from base to apex. Epipleuron flat, narrow, widest in basal ½, as wide as pronotal hypomeron. Prosternum long, narrow, about as long as mesosternum, apical margin medially truncate, without anterolateral projection. Postcoxal line on ventrite 1 long, rounded, extended 3/4 distance to apical margin of ventrite ( Fig. 295 ). Apex of ventrite 5 truncate medially. Genitalia with phallobase long, slender, basal lobe longer than paramere, narrow, slightly tapered from base to narrowly, deeply emarginate apex; paramere straight, slender, narrow in basal 1/3, widened to rounded apex in apical 2/3, without dorsal serrations ( Fig. 297 ); sipho long, slender, apex lost ( Fig. 298 ).

Female. Similar to male except vertex and basal ½ of frons brown, genitalia with spermathecal capsule lost.

Variation. Length 1.3 to 1.4 mm. Pronotum varies from typical to lateral 1/3 of pronotum yellow, elytron may have apical yellow macula reduced to transverse band, apex of elytron black

Type material. Holotype male; N. VENEZUELA: Tray 1, FOG 3.26. iii.1990. Deciduous forest . Talisia sp. , J.G. Davies. Estado Aragua, P. Nac. Henri Pittier, Maracay / Occumare km36, La Trilla 300m. alt., Bristol Univ. Exped. Brit. Mus. Nat. Hist. 1992–6. ( BMNH) . Paratypes; 4, same data as holotype except 3, Tray 16, 23 ; 1, Tray 12, FOG 4.27. iii.1990, Brownea grandiflora . ( BMNH) .

Remarks. Neaporia longifrons is an atypical member of Neaporia because of a long head extended far beyond clypeal insertion and a narrow prosternal process. It is distinguished by those same structures along with a yellow scutellum, a unique dorsal color pattern, and unique male genitalia.

Etymology. Named for the long frons extended well beyond antennal insertion.

Figures

Figures 288–302. Neaporia spp. 288–293) Neaporia daisy 288) Habitus. 289) Basal abdominal ventrite. 290) Frons. 291) Phallobase ventral. 292) Phallobase lateral. 293) Sipho. 294–298) Neaporia longifrons 294) Habitus. 295) Basal abdominal ventrite. 296) Frons. 297) Phallobase lateral. 298) Base of sipho. 299–302) Neaporia arrowi 299) Habitus. 300) Pro and mesosternum. 301) Female genital plates. 302) Female spermathecal capsule.