Pseudoscymnus Chapin, 1962

Yu, Guoyue, Montgomery, Michael E. & Yao, Defu, 2000, Lady Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) From Chinese Hemlocks Infested With The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Adelges Tsugae Annand (Homoptera: Adelgidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 54 (2), pp. 154-199 : 183-184

Genus Pseudoscymnus Chapin

The genus Pseudoscymnus Chapin is a large coccinellid genus with about 50 known species, mainly from East Asia and Africa. Thirty­one species, excluding the two species described here, have been recorded from China, and many others are under description. It is not practical to compile a key at the present time.

Pseudoscymnus heijia Yu and Montgomery , new species ( Fig. 19)

Description. Male. Length 1.75 mm, width 1.40 mm. Form short, oval with sides arcuate, dorsum moderately convex. Head yellowish brown with subgena and gula dark brown. Pronotum yellowish brown without any spots. Scutellum yellowish brown. Elytron ( Fig. 19n) yellowish brown with reddish brown, oval humeral spot, three black oval spots in row at 1/3 elytral length, distance of inner spot to suture less than its diameter, to middle spot about inner spot diameter, distance between middle and outer spot about 1.5 times middle spot diameter, distance from outer spot to lateral margin about 2 times its diameter; irregular black preapical marking less than its width from apex. Underside of thorax black with pronotal epipleura yellowish brown; abdominal sternites brown. Legs yellowish brown. Interocular distance about 1/2 head width. Innerocular margins arcuate. Frons finely, densely punctate. Clypeus apex very weakly incurvate. Antenna 9­segmented, proportions as illustrated ( Fig. 19l). Maxillary palpus of terminal segment with sides slightly arched, slightly convergent distally, length about 1.3 times width, distal side distinctly oblique. Pronotum punctation similar to head. Elytral punctation slightly coarser, pubescence arranged in S­form. Prosternal carinae narrowly separated, slightly convergent anteriorly. Postcoxal line of first abdominal sternite incomplete, extending about 2/3 sternite length, enclosed area finely punctate, posterior 1/3 smooth. Fifth abdominal sternite hind margin truncate; sixth sternite apex evenly arcuate, with longer setae sublaterally. Genitalia: Sipho ( Fig. 19a) relatively stout, basal 1/2 strongly arcuate; siphonal capsule with long inner process, short outer process; siphonal apex ( Fig. 19i) two­branched with distinct membrane on inner side (two piece membrane in ventral aspect). Tegmen ( Fig. 19b, c) stout; median piece of tegmen contracted near base, converging gradually, then sharply last 1/4, to sharp pointed tip in ventral aspect. Lateral lobes of tegmen distinctly shorter, about 1/3 length of median piece, long setae extend beyond apex of median piece.

Female. Differs little from male externally, except for the strongly arcuate apex of the sixth abdominal segment. Genitalia as illustrated ( Fig. 19h, m).

Variation. Body length 1.65 to 2.15 mm, width 1.20 to 1.60 mm. Pronotum sometimes with two dull spots on disc, or pronotum black with lateral areas and margin of base brown. Scutellum black. Elytra varied in color pattern. The holotype is the palest example. Other patterns are: elytron yellowish brown with a black base not reaching lateral margin, one spot at 1/3 elytral length, preapical marking extending to lateral margin, but not contacting suture ( Fig. 19o); black base larger extending to 2/3 lateral margin, preapical marking extending to lateral margin but not to suture ( Fig. 19p); elytra mostly black except for brown heart­shaped marking at middle, apical 1/6 brown ( Fig 19q).

Distribution. China (Yunnan, Sichuan).

Type Series. Holotype: (Ƌ), Yunnan: Lijiang: Wenbishan (26.8 N, 100.2 E), 20­IV­1997, Yao D. et al. leg. ( BAAF) . Paratypes: (11 total); (1 ♀, same data as holotype); (1 ♀), Sichuan: Baoxing : 14­X­1996 ( BAAF); (the following have same data as holotype except) (1 ex.), (no city) , IV­1996; (1 ♀), 15­X­ 1996; (1 Ƌ), 18­IV­1997, Yu G. leg.; (2 ♀), 13­X­1996 ( CAF); (2 ♀) , 20­IV– 12­V­1997, leg. M. Montgomery ( USNM); (2 Ƌ), Baishuihe , 21­IV­1997, Montgomery M. collected from Keteleeria evelyniana Mast .

Etymology. The specific name refers to the color of the subgena and gula. Chinese word ‘heijia’ means black gula.

Remarks. The male genitalia of this species resemble P. fuscus Yang (1971) and P. truncatulus Yu (1997) . In P. fuscus , the median piece of the male tegmen is relatively short and broad in ventral view, and elytra are brown with a lighter apical margin. In P. truncatulus , the maxillary palpi terminal segments are nearly parallel­sided, and the underside of the head is brown. The darkest example ( Fig. 19q) of the new species resembles P. seboshii (Ohta) (see Miyatake 1957 and Kamiya 1961), but differs from the latter in wider separation of prosternal carinae, a narrower median piece of the tegmen, and a two­branched apex of the sipho.