Brachiacantha leslie 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 : 44-45

35. Brachiacantha leslie Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.0 mm, width 1.5 mm; body elongate oval, convex. Dorsal surface with head and pronotum slightly alutaceous, shiny, elytron smooth, shiny. Color yellow except pronotum with wide, black basomedian macula extended slightly more than 1/2 distance to anterior pronotal margin, apical border of macula deeply emarginate with yellow, remainder of border somewhat sinuate; elytron black with 5 small, yellow spots, humeral spot triangular, discal spot oval, mediolateral spot irregularly oval, apical spot transversely oval ( Fig. 199 ); ventral surface with head, prosternum, meso- and metaventrites black; abdomen dark brown except lateral 1/3 and ventrites 5–6 yellowish brown. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less, each puncture as large as an eye facet; pronotal punctures larger than head punctures, separated by 1 to 2 times a diameter, elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by 1 to 3 times diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytron, separated by about a diameter. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, lateral angle rounded, surface with sparse, long pubescence. Eye canthus about 6 eye facets long, slightly angled forward, apically rounded, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal and anterior angles abrupt, lateral margin rounded, basal margin without trace of bordering line medially. Epipleuron narrow, not descending externally, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia narrowly flanged, flange about 1/4 as wide as remainder of protibia, outer margin straight, smooth, basal tooth large, spiniform, about 1/2 width of tibia at base, sponda not extended beyond protibial flange. Carinae on prosternal process narrowly separated at apex, parallel, not joined, ended at basal 1/3 of prosternum. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite without setal tuft. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite flattened along apical ventrite margin, curved forward at apex, 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 depressed in median 1/3, apex slightly emarginate; 6th ventrite medially depressed, apex shallowly emarginate. Apical tergite finely, densely punctured, apex weakly emarginate. Genitalia with basal lobe longer than paramere, symmetrical, sides convergent from base to apical 3/4, apical 1/4 narrower, apex weakly triangular, apex abruptly rounded; paramere long, slightly Psc, sides parallel in basal 4/5, apical 1/5 abruptly narrowed to rounded apex, upper 1/3 of paramere more heavily sclerotized than lower 2/3 ( Fig. 200, 201 ); sipho robust, strongly curved in basal 2/3, without visible lateral alae, basal capsule lightly sclerotized, inner arm short, narrow, apex widely, weakly emarginate, outer arm slightly sinuate, wider and longer than inner arm, with large accessory piece, basal border abruptly emarginate ( Fig. 202, 203 ).

Female. Similar to male except head with median yellow spot on vertex and base of frons. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule short, wide, narrowed from base to apex; bursal cap widely oval, with 2 short, sclerotized arms, apical strut short, strongly widened apically ( Fig. 204 ).

Variation. Length 2.0 to 2.6 mm, width 1.5 to 2.0 mm. Male pronotum may have basomedian macula reduced in size, leaving lateral 1/4 of pronotum completely yellow.

Type material. Holotype male; Argentina, Prov. Salta, Cerro San Bernardo, Salta, 11.II.1982, 1450m, H. & A. Howden. ( USNM). Paratypes; 6, 2, same data as holotype ( USNM); 2, Tucuman, R. A., Tucuman 1.50 ( USNM); 1, Argentina, Prov. Salta, Los Laureles, 1450m, 6.II.1982, H. & A. Howden ( USNM); 1, Hist.- Coll. ( Coleoptera ), Nr. 4428, Hyperaspis spec. var.?, Brasil., Sellow, Zool. Mus. Berlin ( ZMHB).

Remarks. Brachiacantha leslie does not have external characters that will distinguish it from similar looking appearing species, but the male genitalia with long, slender basal lobe, and paramere abruptly narrowed in apical 1/5 are characters not found elsewhere.

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.