Prodilis kristi 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 : 82-83

36. Prodilis kristi Gordon and Hanley , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.5 mm, width 1.7 mm; body oval, elytron with side straight, wider than pronotal base, widest at middle of elytra. Dorsal surface entirely shiny without trace of microsculpture. Color variable; head with base of frons and vertex black, remainder of head yellow ( Fig. 521 ); pronotum medially black with lateral 1/3 yellow; elytron blue ( Fig. 519 ); antenna, mouthparts, legs reddish yellow; ventral surface including epipleuron dark reddish brown; abdomen with basal ventrite brown, ventrite 2 yellow with median 2/3 brown, remainder of abdomen brownish yellow. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less; pronotal punctures larger than on head, separated by less than a diameter; elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by less than a diameter; prosternal, mesosternal punctures large, separated by 1 to 2 times a diameter; metasternal punctures as large as on mesosternum separated by less than a diameter on basal and lateral borders, small, nearly absent medially; abdomen with punctures on ventrites 1–3 large, 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, 1.4 times as wide as eye measured at vertex; eye canthus short; apical maxillary palpomere short, widened from base to apex. Pronotum widest at middle, reflexed lateral margin narrow, equal in width from base to apex. Epipleuron flat, slightly widened in basal ½, as wide as pronotal hypomeron, with feeble depressions for reception of femoral apices. Prosternum longer than wide, longer than mesosternum, anteriorly produced, base broadly, weakly emarginate medially, lateral carina wide, extended anterior to apex of coxa. Postcoxal line on ventrite 1 long, slightly angulate, extended 2/3 distance to ventrite apex ( Fig. 520 ). Apex of ventrite 5 arcuate. Genitalia with basal lobe longer than paramere, wide, widest medially, lateral margin curved from base to abruptly curved apex, apex slightly emarginate; paramere weakly curved, slender, equal in width to rounded apex, without marginal serrations ( Fig. 522, 523 ); sipho long, slender, unmodified, broken in image ( Fig. 524 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variation. None observed.

Type material. Holotype male; BRAZIL: CORCOVADO, Rio Guanabara , X. I.1960, Seabra e Alvarenga. ( DZUP).

Other specimen. A single male BMNH specimen labeled ”2290/Fry RioJano./Fry Coll. 1905.100. is probably also this species. It differs from the holotype by male genitalia with basal lobe slightly wider with lateral margins more arcuate. In all other regards, including densely punctured dorsal surface and prosternal base medially emarginate, it matches the holotype of P. kristi .

Remarks. Prodilis kristi is distinguished by its large size, blue elytron, lateral pronotal margin widely yellow, densely punctured dorsal surface, and prosternal base medially emarginate. This species and P. sandy may be conspecific, see remarks under the latter species.

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.