Prodilis molly 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 : 81-82

35. Prodilis molly Gordon and Hanley , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.0 mm, width 1.6 mm; body oval, short, somewhat oblong, elytron with side slightly rounded, wider than pronotal base, widest at middle of elytra. Dorsal surface entirely shiny without trace of microsculpture. Color black; head with anterior ½ yellow, apex of yellow area uneven, medially indenting apex of black area ( Fig. 516 ); pronotum black with bluish tint except anterolateral angle narrowly reddish brown; elytron blue ( Fig. 514 ); antenna, legs, mouthparts, legs reddish yellow; ventral surface dark reddish brown; epipleuron paler reddish brown; abdomen brown. Head punctures large, separated by a diameter or less; pronotal punctures as large as on head, separated by a diameter or less; elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by a diameter or less; prosternal, metasternal punctures large, widely separated; metasternal punctures nearly absent except lateral 1/4 with punctures as large as on metasternum, separated by less than a diameter; abdomen with punctures on ventrites 1–3 as large as on metasternum, separated by a diameter or less, punctures on remaining ventrites smaller, separated by about a diameter. Head with frons weakly widened from vertex to clypeus, slightly 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 truncate, lateral carina slender, extended nearly to base of prosternum. Postcoxal line on ventrite 1 long, somewhat angulate, extended 4/5 distance to ventrite apex ( Fig. 515 ). Apex of ventrite 5 arcuate. Genitalia with basal lobe longer than paramere, wide, widest in apical 1/4, lateral margin curved from base to apex, apex slightly emarginate; paramere weakly curved, slender, equal in width to rounded apex, without marginal serrations ( Fig. 517, 518 ); sipho lost.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. None observed.

Type material. Holotype male; Santa Anna , Colombia, Feby 1924, WMMann. ( USNM) . Paratype; 1, same data as holotype. ( USNM) .

Remarks. Prodilis molly is superficially similar to P. pallidifrons but does not belong in the same group of species. It may be recognized by the blue elytron, distinctive male head pattern, and anteriorly expanded prosternal process.

Figures

Figures 508–524. Prodilis spp. 508–513) Prodilis cecilia 508) Habitus. 509) Basal abdominal ventrites. 510) Frons. 511) Phallobase ventral. 512) Phallobase lateral. 513) Basal portion of sipho. 514–518) Prodilis molly 514) Habitus. 515) Basal abdominal ventrite. 516) Frons. 517) Phallobase ventral. 518) Phallobase lateral. 519–524) Prodilis kristi 519) Habitus. 520) Basal abdominal ventrites. 521) Frons. 522) Phallobase ventral. 523) Phallobase lateral. 524) Basal portion of sipho.