Brachiacantha monica 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 : 41-42

32. Brachiacantha monica Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.4 mm, width 1.8 mm; body rounded, slightly elongate, convex. Dorsal surface with head weakly alutaceous, somewhat shiny, pronotum and elytron smooth, shiny. Color black except head yellow; pronotum nearly all black except narrow apical margin and anterolateral angle yellow; elytron with 2 reddish yellow spots, humeral spot large, irregularly rectangular, apical spot small, somewhat rounded ( Fig. 181 ); ventral surface with antenna, mouthparts, prothoracic hypomeron, legs yellow; abdomen with ventrites dark brown. Head punctures small, dense, separated by a diameter or less, each puncture about as large as an eye facet; pronotal punctures larger than head punctures, separated by 1 to 2 times diameter, elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by 1 to 2 times a diameter; metaventral punctures fine, sparse, nearly absent. Clypeus truncate apically, lateral angle rounded, surface with sparse, long pubescence. Eye canthus about 6 eye facets long, curved 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, slightly grooved, not descending externally, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia narrowly flanged, flange narrower than remainder of protibia, outer margin curved, smooth, basal tooth small, about 1/3 width of tibia at base, sponda extended beyond protibial flange, apically rounded. Carinae on prosternal process widely separated at apex, parallel toward base, ended at base of prosternal process, not joined basally. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite without setal tuft. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite slightly flattened along posterior ventrite margin, extended forward at apex, ventrite with sparse, long pubescence and small, sparse punctures, punctures nearly absent; ventrite 2 nearly impunctate medially; ventrites 3–6 pubescent throughout, punctures fine, dense; ventrite 3 without cusp on each side of middle; 5th ventrite deeply depressed in median 1/3, with broadly emarginate apex; 6th ventrite medially depressed, apex broadly emarginate. Apical tergite finely, densely punctured, apex arcuate. Genitalia with basal lobe long, slender, about as long as paramere, symmetrical, sides weakly convergent in basal 7/8, narrowed in apical 1/8, apex truncate; paramere slender from base to apex, weakly curved, slightly Psc ( Fig. 182, 183 ); sipho robust, strongly curved in basal 1/2, with faint lateral alae at apical 7/8, basal capsule strongly sclerotized, inner arm short, obliquely angled, apex narrowly rounded, outer arm wider and longer than inner arm, without accessory piece, basal border broadly, deeply emarginate ( Fig. 184, 185 ).

Female. Similar to male except head black with triangular, yellowish red spot at middle of frons, pronotum entirely black except narrow, anterolateral border yellow. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule short, slender, cornu widened; bursal cap small, oval, with 2 sclerotized arms, apical strut long, widened from base to rounded apex, flattened in lateral view ( Fig. 186 ).

Variation. None observed.

Type material. Holotype male: Bolivia, Dept. Santa Cruz, 3.7 km SSE Buena Vista, 400m, Hotel Flora y Fauna , 1-20.vii.2000, 17 o 29’S 63 o 33’W, malaise, R. Morris, site #4. ( CSCA) . Paratypes; 2, same data as holotype except date 4-12.v. 2000 m, site #2 ( CSCA) .

Remarks. This species is somewhat similar to B. amber and B. parva in male genitalia structure, but is completely dissimilar in external appearance.

Figures

Figures 175–191. 175–180. Brachiacantha debbie. 175) Habitus. 176) Phallobase ventral. 177) Phallobase lateral. 178) Sipho. 179) Enlarged siphonal apex. 180) Female genitalia. 181–186. Brachiacantha monica. 181) Habitus. 182) Phallobase ventral. 183) Phallobase lateral. 184) Sipho. 185) Enlarged siphonal apex. 186) Female genitalia. 187–191. Brachiacantha parva. 187) Habitus. 188) Phallobase ventral. 189) Phallobase lateral. 180) Sipho. 191) Enlarged siphonal apex.