Brachiacantha trimaculata Leng

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 : 45-46

36. Brachiacantha trimaculata Leng

Brachyacantha trimaculata Leng, 1911: 289 , 295; Korschefsky 1931: 207; Blackwelder 1945: 449.

Description. Male. Length 2.6 mm, width 2.0 mm; body oval, convex. Dorsal surface with head and pronotum alutaceous, weakly shiny, elytron smooth, shiny. Color black except pronotum with narrow apical border and anterolateral angle yellow; elytron black with 3 small, pale spots, humeral spot yellow, triangular, mediolateral spot projected onto middle of disc, reddish yellow, apical spot yellow, transversely oval ( Fig. 205 ); venter with antenna, mouthparts, legs yellow; abdomen dark brown. Head punctures large, separated by less than a diameter, each puncture about as large as 2 eye facets; pronotal punctures slightly smaller than head punctures, separated by less than to twice a diameter, elytral punctures as large as on pronotum, separated by 1 to 3 times a diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytron, separated by less than a diameter. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, lateral angle rounded, surface with sparse, long pubescence. Eye canthus about 5 eye facets long, slightly angled forward, apically rounded, brown. 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 straight, smooth, basal tooth small, length about 1/10 width of tibia at base, sponda slightly extended beyond protibial flange. Carinae on prosternal process narrowly separated at apex, slightly convergent toward base, joined at basal 1/3 of prosternum. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite without setal tuft. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite rounded throughout, 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 slightly depressed in median 1/3, apex broadly, weakly emarginate; 6th ventrite depressed medially, apex shallowly emarginate. Apical tergite densely punctured, apex emarginate. Genitalia with basal lobe much longer than paramere, wide, symmetrical, sides parallel in basal 1/2, widened in apical 1/2, rounded to acute apex; paramere short, weakly Psc, slender, same width throughout, apex rounded ( Fig. 206, 207 ); sipho robust, strongly curved in basal 1/2, with lateral alae posterior to apex, basal capsule heavily sclerotized, inner arm short, narrow, apex rounded, outer arm wider and longer than inner arm, with large accessory piece, basal border not emarginate ( Fig. 208–210 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Elytron with pale spots sometimes nearly invisible, mediolateral spot subject to reduction in size, and it often blends in with black background.

Type locality. Sapucay, Paraguay.

Type depository. USNM (holotype).

Geographical distribution. Argentina, Paraguay.

Specimens examined. 8. Argentina. Misiones. Paraguay. Sapucay. ( USNM) ( ZMHB).

Remarks. Brachiacantha trimaculata has distinctive dorsal coloration that will separate it from other Brachiacantha species.

Leng (1911) had a single specimen of this species, the holotype in the USNM collection labeled “Sapucay, Paraguay, March, W.F. Foster.”

Figures

Figures 192–210. 192–198. Brachiacantha amber. 192) Habitus. 193) Protibia. 194) Phallobase ventral. 195) Phallobase lateral. 196) Sipho. 197) Enlarged siphonal apex lateral. 198) Enlarged siphonal apex dorsal. 199–204. Brachiacantha leslie. 199) Habitus. 200) Phallobase ventral. 201) Phallobase lateral. 202) Sipho. 203) Enlarged siphonal apex. 204) Female genitalia. 205–210. Brachiacantha trimaculata. 205) Habitus. 206) Phallobase ventral. 207) Phallobase lateral. 208) Sipho. 209) Enlarged siphonal apex. 210) Enlarged siphonal apex.