Neaporia misty 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 : 44-45

43. Neaporia misty Gordon and Hanley , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.1 mm, width 1.7 mm; body elongate oval, elytron with side slightly rounded, wider than pronotal base, widest at middle of elytra. Dorsal surface entirely shiny. Color light brown; head black with bluish tint pronotum medially black with bluish tint, lateral 1/3 yellowish brown; elytron with bluish metallic tint medially, with 2 small, pale yellow maculae, anterior macula at middle of elytron somewhat triangular, posterior macula on apical declivity near suture also somewhat triangular ( Fig. 271 ); antenna, prosternum, epipleuron, legs yellow; mouthparts yellow except apical 1/3 of terminal maxillary palpomere dark brown; ventral surface dark brown; abdomen yellow. Head punctures large, separated by a diameter or less; pronotal punctures slightly smaller than on head, separated by a diameter or less; elytral punctures slightly larger than on pronotum, separated by a diameter or less; prosternal, mesosternal punctures large, separated by a diameter or less; metasternum with large punctures along anterior and lateral borders, punctures on remaining surface absent or small, sparse; punctures on abdominal ventrites 1, 2 large, separated by less than 3 times a diameter, punctures on remaining ventrites small, separated by about a diameter. Head densely pubescent, frons widened from vertex to clypeus, slightly narrower than eye measured at vertex ( Fig. 273 ); eye canthus short; apical maxillary palpomere short, slender, narrowed to apex in apical 1/3. Pronotum widest at middle, reflexed lateral margin wide, equal in width from base to apex. Epipleuron flat, wide in basal ½, as wide as pronotal hypomeron. Prosternum wider than long, slightly longer than mesosternum, apical margin medially emarginate, with large, setose anterolateral projection. Postcoxal line on ventrite 1 long, rounded, extended 3/4 distance to apical margin of ventrite ( Fig. 272 ). Apex of ventrite 5 widely, shallowly emarginate medially. Genitalia with phallobase short, basal lobe shorter than paramere, wide, parallel sided to apex, sinuate in lateral view; paramere straight, wide in basal 3/4, abruptly narrowed to acute apex, with small, acute tooth on dorsal margin before apex, without dorsal serrations in apical ½ ( Fig. 274, 275 ); sipho lost.

Female. Similar to male except head not densely pubescent, female genitalia with spermathecal capsule lost.

Variation. Length 2.1–2.2 mm. Pronotum sometimes entirely yellow, maculae on elytron variable in size, single paratype with anterior and posterior maculae nearly connected.

Type material. Holotype male; VENEZUELA: Miranda, Guatopo NP, El Lucero , 28km N Altagracia, 7–14.VI. 1987, 700m, S. & J. Peck, 3 ravine f.i.t.’s. forest 878–19. ( CMNC) . Paratypes; 3. 2, same data as holotype. ( CMNC) . Paratype; 1, 1100m. Rancho Grande, Aragua, Venezuela , Feb. 22–23, 1971, H. & A. Howden. ( USNM) .

Remarks. Neaporia misty is distinguished by a unique dorsal color pattern and male genitalia. All type specimens are teneral, and are thus difficult to dissect without loss of structures.

Figures

Figures 271–287. Neaporia spp. 271–275) Neaporia misty 271) Habitus. 272) Basal abdominal ventrites. 273) Frons. 274) Phallobase ventral. 275) Phallobase lateral. 276–281) Neaporia mae 276) Habitus. 277) Basal abdominal ventrite. 278) Frons. 279 Phallobase ventral. 280) Phallobase lateral. 281) Sipho. 282–287) Neaporia shelley 282) Habitus. 283) Basal abdominal ventrites. 284) Frons. 285) Phallobase ventral. 286) Phallobase lateral. 287) Base of sipho.