Brachiacantha pseudoarrowi Gordon and Canepari, 2014

Gordon, Robert D., Canepari, Claudio & Hanley, Guy A., 2014, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XVI: systematic revision of Brachiacantha Dejean (Coccinellinae: Hyperaspidini), Insecta Mundi 2014 (390), pp. 1-76 : 50-51

41. Brachiacantha pseudoarrowi Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.0 mm, width 1.4 mm; body oval, convex. Dorsal surface with head alutaceous, dull, pronotum weakly alutaceous, slightly shiny, elytron smooth, shiny. Color dark brown except head yellow, pronotum yellow with large, oval, dark brown mediobasal macula extended 3/5 distance to anterior pronotal margin, macula triangularly indented with yellow on apex, anterolateral angle widely emarginate with yellow; elytron dark brown with 5 yellow spots, discal spot on apical declivity oval, mediolateral spot somewhat rectangular, apical spot large, round ( Fig. 237 ); ventral surface with antenna, mouthparts, legs yellow; abdomen yellowish brown. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less, each puncture slightly larger than an eye facet; pronotal punctures slightly larger than head punctures, separated by less than to slightly more than a diameter, elytral punctures slightly larger than on pronotum, separated by less than to 2 times a diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytron, separated by a diameter or less. Clypeus emarginate apically, lateral angle rounded, surface with sparse, long pubescence. Eye canthus about 4 eye facets long, angled forward, apically rounded, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal and anterior angles abrupt, lateral margin weakly rounded, basal margin without trace of bordering line medially. Epipleuron narrow, grooved, not descending externally, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia narrowly flanged, flange less than width of remainder of protibia, outer margin slightly curved, smooth, basal tooth small, length about 1/6 width of tibia at base, sponda not extended beyond protibial flange. Carinae on prosternal process narrowly separated at apex, slightly convergent toward base, joined at base of prosternum. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite without setal tuft. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite flattened along posterior ventrite margin, extended forward apically, ventrite with sparse, long pubescence and small, dense punctures; ventrites 2–6 pubescent throughout, punctures fine, dense; ventrite 3 without cusp on each side of middle; 5th ventrite with apex broadly, weakly emarginate; 6th ventrite depressed medially, apex broadly emarginate. Apical tergite densely punctured, apex emarginate. Genitalia with basal lobe slightly shorter than paramere, wide, symmetrical, sides “pinched” at basal 1/3, apical 2/3 lunulate, apex acute, dorsal surface with large, arcuate, dorsal median keel; paramere short, Psc, wide, narrowed from middle to rounded apex ( Fig. 238, 239 ); sipho robust, strongly bent in basal 1/2, without visible lateral alae, basal capsule lightly sclerotized, inner arm short, straight, apex rounded, outer arm wider and longer than inner arm, with small accessory piece, basal border not emarginate ( Fig. 240 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Length 2.0 to 2.4, width 1.4 to 1.6 mm.

Type material. Holotype male; Brazil, Santarem. ( BMNH) . Paratype; 1, Brazil, Santarem, Acc.No. 2966 ( CMNH) .

Remarks. This small taxon is outwardly similar to many other Brachiacantha species , but the short, wide, basal lobe of the male genitalia is quite different from that of any presently known example of that genus.

The holotype is a syntype of Brachiacantha arrowi labeled “Santarem (blue disc)/ SYNTYPE (blue bordered disc)/Brachyacantha arrowi Brethes (handwritten). Of the 18 syntypes of B. arrowi examined, 15 were true B. arrowi , two were females probably not belonging to that species, and the single male newly described here.

Figures

Figures 230–246. 230–236. Brachiacantha bahiensis. 230) Habitus. 231) Phallobase ventral. 232) Phallobase lateral. 233) Sipho. 234) Enlarged siphonal apex lateral. 235) Enlarged siphonal apex dorsal. 236) Female genitalia. 237–240. Brachiacantha pseudoarrowi. 237) Habitus. 238) Phallobase ventral. 239) Phallobase lateral. 240) Sipho. 241–246. Brachiacantha danielle. 241) Habitus. 242) Phallobase ventral. 243) Phallobase lateral. 244) Sipho. 245) Enlarged siphonal apex. 246) Female genitalia.