Brachiacantha anita 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 : 21-22

12. Brachiacantha anita Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.6 mm, width 2.0 mm; body elongate oval, convex. Dorsal surface with head slightly alutaceous, shiny, pronotum and elytron smooth, shiny. Color yellow except pronotum with large, black basomedian macula extended almost 2/3 distance to anterior pronotal border, macula with anterior margin narrowly, deeply emarginate with yellow; elytron black with 5 large, yellow spots arranged in 2 rows plus apical spot, mediolateral spot projected inward, discal spot slightly triangular, apical spot transversely rectangular with apical margin weakly emarginate ( Fig. 63 ); ventral surface with head, prosternum, meso- and metaventrites black; abdomen dark brown, slightly paler toward lateral margin. 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 a diameter or less, elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by less than to slightly more than a diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytron, separated by a diameter or slightly less medially, slightly larger and nearly contiguous toward lateral margin. Clypeus emarginate apically, lateral angle rounded, surface with sparse, long pubescence. Eye canthus about 6 eye facets long, 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, 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, triangular, about 1/8 width of tibia at base, sponda slightly extended beyond protibial flange. Carinae on prosternal process narrowly separated at apex, convergent toward base, joined at basal 1/4 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 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 shallowly emarginate; 6th ventrite medially depressed, apex shallowly emarginate. Apical tergite finely, densely punctured, apex weakly emarginate. Genitalia with basal lobe 3/4 as long as paramere, symmetrical, sides smoothly rounded and narrowed from base to acute apex; paramere slightly Psc, short, slender, slightly widened from base to apex, apex rounded ( Fig. 64, 65 ); sipho robust, strongly curved in basal 1/2, basal capsule heavily sclerotized, inner arm short, wide, apex obliquely angled, slightly bifid, outer arm as wide as and longer than inner arm, with accessory piece, basal border not emarginate ( Fig. 66. 67 ).

Female. Similar to male except head black, median area and base of frons broadly yellow, pronotum with large, black basomedian macula, macula extended to anterior pronotal border, lateral 1/4 of pronotum yellow, elytron with humeral spot reduced, very small. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule long, wide, basal 1/4 enlarged, widened, cornu bulbous; bursal cap narrowly rectangular, with 3 sclerotized arms, apical strut narrowed from base to apex ( Fig. 68 ).

Variation. Length 2.3 to 2.6 mm, width 1.8 to 2.0 mm. Female head color varies from typical to entirely yellow except extreme base of frons and narrow, triangular macula along basal 1/2 of eye black.

Type material. Holotype male; Ecuador, vic. Misahualli , ca 1 o 02’S, 77 o 40’W, X-27 to X-31-2002, coll: E. Fisher, malaise. ( CSCA) . Paratypes; 5, same data as holotype ( CSCA) .

Remarks. The dorsal color pattern is similar to several other species within this genus, but both the male and female genitalia are distinctive, and when taken in combination with the dorsal color pattern, will identify B. anita .

Figures

Figures 51–68. 51–55. Brachiacantha joanne. 51) Habitus.52) Phallobase ventral.53) Phallobase lateral. 54) Sipho. 55) Enlarged siphonal apex. 56–62. Brachiacantha juanita. 56) Habitus. 57) Phallobase ventral. 58) Phallobase lateral. 59) Sipho. 60) Enlarged siphonal apex lateral. 61) Enlarged siphonal apex dorsal. 62) Female genitalia. 63–68. Brachiacantha anita. 63) Habitus. 64) Phallobase ventral. 65) Phallobase lateral. 66) Sipho. 67) Enlarged siphonal apex. 68) Female genitalia.