Prodilis natasha 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 : 71-72

20. Prodilis natasha Gordon and Hanley , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.0 mm, width 1.4 mm; body elongate oval, elytron with side slightly rounded, nearly straight at middle, wider than pronotal base, widest at middle of elytra. Dorsal surface entirely shiny, without trace of microsculpture. Color black; head yellow except vertex and basal 1/6 of frons black ( Fig. 430 ); pronotum black except anterolateral angle reddish yellow; elytron reddish yellow except basal 1/8 irregularly black and apical declivity black ( Fig. 428 ); antenna, mouthparts, legs, epipleuron yellow; apical ½ of mesosternum red. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less; pronotal punctures as large as on head, separated by a diameter or less; elytral punctures slightly larger than on pronotum, separated by a diameter or less; prosternal, mesosternal, metasternal punctures large, separated by a diameter or less; abdomen with punctures on ventrites 1–3 about as large as on metasternum, separated by a diameter or less, punctures on remaining ventrites smaller, separated by about a diameter. Head with frons from vertex to clypeus nearly parallel sided, 1.4 times as wide as eye measured at vertex; eye canthus short; apical maxillary palpomere short, widened from base to apex. Pronotum widest before middle, reflexed lateral margin narrow, equal in width from base to apex. Epipleuron flat, narrow, as wide as pronotal hypomeron. Prosternum short, as wide as long, slightly longer than mesosternum, base weakly arcuate, lateral carina wide, long, extended nearly to base of prosternum. Postcoxal line on ventrite 1 long, round, extended nearly to ventrite apex ( Fig. 429 ). Apex of ventrite 5 arcuate. Genitalia with basal lobe shorter than paramere, wide, parallel sided to deeply emarginate apex (illustration shows lateral margins crossed at apex, but this is an artifact of glycerin storage); paramere very slender, basal ½ of equal width, apical ½ weakly widened to rounded apex, with marginal serrations, not visible in image ( Fig. 431, 432 ); sipho robust, apical 1/5 sinuate, broken in image ( Fig. 433 ).

Female. Head black, mesosternum entirely black, mesosternum and metasternum not medially depressed. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule lost.

Variation. None observed.

Type material. Holotype male; Panamá: Panamá Pr., Cerro Campania , 850m, 8 o 40'N 79 o 56'W, 30 May ‘70, H. Stockwell. ( USNM) . Paratype; 1, same data as holotype except date 2 Sept. ‘72. ( USNM) .

Remarks. This distinctive little species is characterized by black color essentially relieved only by the largely pale elytron, pale anterolateral pronotal angle, male with apical ½ of mesosternum red, and wide, long prosternal carina.

Figures

Figures 423–439. Prodilis spp. 433–427) Prodilis ada 423) Habitus. 424) Basal abdominal ventrites. 425) Frons. 426) Phallobase ventral. 427) Phallobase lateral. 428– 433) Prodilis natasha 428) Habitus. 429) Basal abdominal ventrites. 430) Frons. 431) Phallobase ventral. 432) Phallobase ventral. 433) Sipho. 424–439) Prodilis susie 434) Habitus. 435) Frons. 436) Phallobase ventral. 437) Phallobase lateral. 438) Sipho. 439) Female spermathecal capsule.