Brachiacantha robustihamata, Nestor-Arriola & Toledo-Hernández, 2017

Nestor-Arriola, Jorge Ismael & Toledo-Hernández, Víctor Hugo, 2017, New species of Brachiacantha Dejean, 1837 (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from Mexico and Central America, Zootaxa 4365 (1) : -

Brachiacantha robustihamata sp. nov.

( Figs. 17‒20 )

Diagnosis. Four spots on each elytron, including middle-lateral and discal spots joined in an incomplete transverse band. Third ventrite with a small narrow cusp on each side of middle. Apical hook of the basal lobe of the male genitalia large and rounded ( Fig. 18 ).

Description. Holotype: Male: Length 4.5 mm, width 3.2 mm; body oval. Dorsal color black eXcept head yellowish orange; pronotum with anterolateral angles and the anterior border yellowish orange; each elytron with three orange spots: a small humeral spot, an incomplete transverse band in the middle and a subapical spot ( Fig. 17 ). Ventral surface with head, prosternum, metaventrite and abdomen black; mouthparts yellow, antenna yellow. Legs yellow. Head punctures small, separated by one diameter, each puncture slightly larger than an eye facet; pronotal punctures slightly larger than head punctures, separated by one and a half diameters; elytral punctures as large as pronotal punctures, separated by one diameter to two diameters; metaventral punctures larger than on elytra, separated by one diameter. Clypeus not emarginate, curved, lateral angles slightly emarginate. Pronotum narrowed from base to apeX, sides curved. Protibial tooth large, protibia flanged. Prosternal carinae almost as long as half the prosternum, straight, parallel. Epipleuron narrow, emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Abdomen with postcoXal line on basal abdominal ventrite slightly flattened along posterior ventrite margin, ventrite with sparse, short pubescence and dense, small punctures; ventrites 2‒6 pubescent throughout, punctures dense and fine; ventrite 3 with large, straight, narrow cusp on each side of the midline; ventrites 4, 5 and 6 slightly emarginate and depressed. Genitalia with the basal lobe a little shorter than the paramere, asymmetrical, sides almost parallel, with wide curved hook at apeX ( Fig. 18 ); paramere scimitar shaped, wide, curved, long, rounded at apeX with a small tooth on the concave margin and abundant long bristles on the conveX and apical margins, a few short bristles on the apical fourth of the concave margin ( Fig. 19 ); sipho with lateral, short, rounded alae at apeX; siphonal capsule crested, inner arm short and wide, apeX rounded ( Fig. 20 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Unknown.

Distribution. Guatemala and Costa Rica.

Type material. Holotype: GUATEMALA: “ 1 km E. of Ipale , 12-VI-1991, col. J. E. Wappes ” ( USNM) (1♂).

Paratype: COSTA RICA: “ Guanacaste, P. N. Santa Rosa, Serpentina , 200‒300 m, 23-IX-2002, col. W. Flores, L. N. 315200 361200, #72612, manual” ( MNCR) (1♂) .

Type locality. Ipale , Guatemala.

Remarks. The male genitalia are very similar to B. bistripustulata genitalia, but the cusps on the third ventrite of male are narrower in B. robustihamata . The cusps on the third male ventrite of robustihamata are similar in shape to the cusps of B. blaisdelli Nunenmacher , but the apical hook of the male genitalia is bigger and rounder than in blaisdelli .

Etymology. From Latin “robust” and “hamatus”. The name refers size of the apical hook of the basal lobe of male genitalia.

Figures

FIGURES 17‒20. Brachiacantha robustihamata. 17) dorsal habitus; 18) tegmen, concave side vieW; 19) tegmen, lateral vieW; 20) sipho.