Prodilis blanche 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 : 84-85

39. Prodilis blanche Gordon and Hanley , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.4 mm, width 1.7 mm; body oval, elongate, elytron with side weakly rounded, wider than pronotal base, widest at middle of elytra. Dorsal surface shiny except elytron with trace of microsculpture. Color dark brown ( Fig. 535 ); head with base of frons and vertex black, remainder of head yellow ( Fig. 537 ); pronotum black with lateral border narrowly and anterolateral angle widely reddish yellow; antenna, mouthparts, legs reddish yellow; epipleuron, ventral surface reddish brown; abdomen with basal 2 ventrites yellowish brown, remaining ventrites yellow. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less; pronotal punctures as large as on head, separated by a diameter or less; elytral punctures about as large as on pronotum, separated by a diameter or less; prosternal punctures small, separated by 1 to 2 times a diameter; mesosternal and metasternal punctures large, separated by less than twice a diameter; abdomen with punctures on ventrites 1–3 large, separated by s diameter or less, punctures on remaining ventrites smaller, separated by about a diameter. Head with frons weakly widened from vertex to clypeus, 1.4 times wider than eye measured at vertex; eye canthus short; apical maxillary palpomere short, widened from base to apex. 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, with feeble depressions for reception of femoral apices. Prosternum longer than wide, longer than mesosternum, base produced, broadly, shallowly emarginate medially, lateral carina slender, extended anterior to apex of coxa. Postcoxal line on ventrite 1 short, rounded, extended slightly more than ½ distance to ventrite apex ( Fig. 536 ). Apex of ventrite 5 arcuate. Genitalia with basal lobe longer than paramere, wide, sides nearly parallel in basal 3/4, apical 1/4 rounded to blunt apex, apex not emarginate; paramere straight, slender, equal in width to rounded apex, without marginal serrations ( Fig. 538, 539 ); sipho long, slender, unmodified ( Fig. 540 ).

Female. Similar to male except head entirely brown. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule short, wide in basal ½, slender in apical ½, cornu apically rounded, bursal cap rounded, apical strut slender with apex slightly enlarged.

Variation. None observed.

Type material. Holotype male; ARGENTINA: Chaco, 9.XII.72 Pred Diaspis echinacaeti, C.I.B. C. C. I.E. A7589, Pres by Comm Inst Ent, BM 1975–1. ( BMNH) . Paratype; 1, same data as holotype. ( BMNH) .

Remarks. This is not an easily distinguished species of Prodilis , but the entirely dark brown elytron, closely spaced dorsal punctures, basally emarginate prosternum, and long basal lobe of male genitalia will aid in identification.

Figures

Figures 525–540. Prodilis spp. 525–528) Prodilis sandy 525) Habitus. 526) Basal abdominal ventrites. 527) Frons. 528) Phallobase ventral. 529–534) Prodilis brandi 529) Habitus. 530) Basal abdominal ventrites. 531) Frons. 532) Phallobase ventral. 533) Phallobase lateral. 534) Basal portion of sipho. 535–540) Prodilis blanche 535) Habitus. 536) Basal abdominal ventrites. 537) Frons. 538) Phallobase ventral. 539) Phallobase lateral. 540) Sipho.