Phaenochilus punctifrons Weise 1895

Giorgi, José Adriano & Vandenberg, Natalia J., 2012, Review of the lady beetle genus Phaenochilus Weise (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Chilocorini) with description of a new species from Thailand that preys on cycad aulacaspis scale, Aulacaspis yasumatsui Takagi (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha:, Zootaxa 3478, pp. 239-255 : 251-252

7. Phaenochilus punctifrons Weise 1895

Phaenochilus punctifrons Weise 1895: 136 (original description); Chapin 1965b: 267, in part (illustration of male genitalia).

Type material: Syntype, female ( MNHB) (digital images of dorsal habitus and SEMs of morphological details taken by P. Laczynski ( MIZW) examined). Type locality: “Insula Banguey.”

Remarks: Both P. metasternalis and P. kashaya have been confused with this species in the past (see the corresponding remarks sections, above). Phaenochilus punctifrons can be distinguished from both of these other species by the less expansive pronotum with the lateral part on each side of the head only weakly prolonged and tightly, evenly rounded apically ( Figs 25, 28, 29), by the roughly semicircular shape of the elytral dorsum in a frontal view ( Fig. 25), and by the nearly symmetrical basal lobe of the male genitalia ( Fig. 11a).

The male genitalia of P. punctifrons were illustrated by Chapin (1965b) based on an individual from Mindanao Island which he recorded as “Mindanao, Kolambugan, C.F.Baker #16609” in his little black notebook, and designated as “X-14” (see also remarks under P. metasternalis , above). This slide could not be located in Chapin’s slide cabinet (USNM), but a second specimen from Mindanao Island labeled “Surigao, Mindanao, Baker” was dissected and found to have matching male genitalia except for the shape of the sipho. When we transferred our new dissection between media of different viscosities, the sipho temporarily assumed an S-shape matching Chapin’s drawing, apparently due to a difference in the hydrostatic pressure on the outside and inside of the siphonal tube. When allowed to equilibrate, the structure resumes the simple curved shape seen in our figure ( Fig. 11c). (See also “Remarks” section for P. monostigma , above.)