Prodilis bipunctata (Weise) Gordon & 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 : 87-88

44. Prodilis bipunctata (Weise) , new combination

Prodiloides bipunctata Weise 1922: 36 ; Korschefsky 1931: 110; Blackwelder 1945: 444.

Description. Male. Length 2.4 mm, width 1.7 mm; body oval, elongate, elytron with side slightly rounded, nearly straight, wider than pronotal base, widest at middle of elytra. Dorsal surface except elytron with slight trace of microsculpture. Color dark brown; head yellow except base of frons and vertex black ( Fig. 567 ); pronotum black except narrow lateral margin and anterolateral angle reddish yellow; elytron with yellow macula medially in anterior ½, macula small, diagonally oval ( Fig. 565 ); antenna, mouthparts, legs reddish yellow; venter including epipleuron dark reddish brown; abdomen dark reddish brown except lateral 1/4 of ventrite 5 yellowish brown. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less; pronotal punctures about as large as on head, separated by a diameter or less; elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by less than twice diameter; prosternal punctures large, separated by 1 to 3 times a diameter; mesosternal punctures large, separated by a diameter or less; metasternal punctures small, separated by a diameter or less in lateral 1/4, medially absent or widely scattered; abdomen with punctures on ventrites 1–3 smaller than on mesosternum, separated by a diameter or less, punctures on remaining ventrites smaller, separated by about a diameter. Head with frons slightly widened from vertex to clypeus, 1.5 times width of eye measured at vertex; eye canthus short; apical maxillary palpomere long, widened from base to apex. Pronotum widest behind middle, reflexed lateral margin wide, equal in width from base to apex. Epipleuron flat, narrow in basal ½, as wide as pronotal hypomeron, with feeble depressions for reception of femoral apices. Prosternum longer than wide, apex produced, longer than mesosternum, base strongly arcuate, lateral carina narrow, extended 3/4 distance to base of prosternum). Postcoxal line on ventrite 1 long, rounded, extended 3/4 distance to apex of ventrite ( Fig. 566 ). Apex of ventrite 5 arcuate. Genitalia with basal lobe long, sides arcuate from base to abruptly rounded apex, apex slightly emarginate; paramere slender, straight, parallel sided to rounded apex, without marginal serrations ( Fig. 568, 569 ); sipho long, robust ( Fig. 570 ).

Female. Similar to male except head black. Female genitalia with spermathecal capsule short, bent medially, narrowed at middle, ramus abruptly enlarged anterior to sperm duct, apex of cornu rounded.

Variation. Length 2.0 to 2.4 mm, width 1.4 to 1.7 mm. Elytral macular shape varies from that described above to round; elytral color varies from brown (not thoroughly mature specimens) to black; and color of mesosternum and metasternum varies from brown to black.

Type locality. PARAGUAY: Santa Trinidad.

Type depository. MBR.

Geographical distribution. Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay.

Specimens examined. 11. ARGENTINA: Province Cordoba, Capilla del Norte ; Province Salta, Rosario de Lerma. BOLIVIA: El Beni, Beni Sin .; Sa. Trinidad. BRAZIL: Campinas; Nova Teutonia; Porto Alegre; Sao Carlos; Parana, Londrina; Sao Paulo. PARAGUAY: S. Trinidad. ( BMNH) ( DZUP) ( USNM) .

Remarks. Prodilis bipunctata is recognized by a distinctive dorsal color pattern, an anteriorly expanded prosternum, and southern South American distribution. Weise described this species in his new genus Prodiloides based in part on the expanded prosternum. However, examination of many specimens belonging to “ Prodilis ” reveals that all degrees of prosternal expansion occur from the extreme, as typified by P. bipunctata , to short and apically truncate.

Figures

Figures 559–574. Prodilis spp. 559–564) Prodilis melody 559) Habitus. 560) Basal abdominal ventrites. 561) Frons. 562) Phallobase ventral. 563) Phallobase lateral. 564) Sipho. 565–570) Prodilis bipunctata 565) Habitus. 566) Basal abdominal ventrites. 567) Frons. 568) Phallobase ventral. 569) Phallobase lateral. 570) Sipho. 571– 574) Prodilis compta 571) Habitus. 572) Basal abdominal ventrites. 573) Frons. 574) Phallobase ventral.