Brachiacantha darlene 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 : 30-31

21. Brachiacantha darlene Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.5 mm, width 1.8 mm; body oval, convex. Dorsal surface with head alutaceous, dull, pronotum slightly alutaceous, shiny, elytron smooth, shiny. Color yellow except pronotum with narrow, black basomedian macula extended 1/6 distance to apical pronotal margin, anterior border of macula widely emarginate medially, triangular brown spot present medially on each side of middle, spot with posterior margin emarginate; elytron brown with 5 yellow spots, humeral spot narrowly connected to mediolateral spot, discal spot elongate oval ( Fig. 120 ); ventral surface with head, prosternum, meso- and metaventrites, and basal abdominal ventrite brown; abdomen with ventrites 2–6 yellow. 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 as large as on pronotum, separated by 1 to 2 times diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytron, separated by a diameter or less. Clypeus apically emarginate, lateral angle rounded, surface with sparse, long pubescence. Eye canthus about 8 eye facets long, straight, apically rounded, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal and anterior angles abrupt, lateral margin straight, basal margin without trace of bordering line medially. Epipleuron narrow, descending externally, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia narrowly flanged, flange about 1/2 as wide as remainder of protibia, outer margin straight, smooth, without basal tooth, sponda not extended beyond protibial flange ( Fig. 121 ). Carinae on prosternal process narrowly separated at apex, weakly convergent, joined at basal 1/6 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, with prominent cusp on each side of depression, apex slightly emarginate; 6th ventrite medially depressed, apex shallowly emarginate. Apical tergite finely, densely punctured, apex widely emarginate. Genitalia with basal lobe short, slightly more than 1/2 length of paramere, symmetrical, sides straight, apically curved to abruptly rounded apex; paramere Psc, wide, curved, slightly widened from base to weakly rounded apex, lower apical angle slightly produced ( Fig. 122, 123 ); sipho robust, strongly curved in basal 2/3, with lateral alae at apical 1/6, basal capsule lightly sclerotized, inner arm long, wide, narrowed medially, apex bifid, outer arm wider and longer than inner arm, with accessory piece, basal border broadly, shallowly emarginate ( Fig. 124–126 ).

Female. Similar to male except head black with large, median yellow macula, pronotum with basal macula extended anteriorly nearly to pronotal apex, widely, deeply emarginate with yellow medially, the paratypes from Trujillo have all dorsal pale areas reddish yellow, markings on pronotum are pale reddish brown. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule long, slender, basal 1/4 wide, apical 1/4 tapered to acute apex ; bursal cap oval with 3 heavily sclerotized arms, apical strut heavily sclerotized, narrowed from base to slightly enlarged apex ( Fig. 127 ).

Variation. Length 2.0 to 2.7 mm, width 1.6 to 2.0 mm. Pronotal color variable, females sometimes with pronotum entirely brown except lateral 1/4 yellow, males with median spot on each side of middle often brown, triangular, elytron with humeral spot and mediolateral spot connected or discrete. The protibial tooth is usually not present, but a tiny tooth has been observed on a few specimens as indicated in Fig. 121 .

Type material. Holotype male; ( Peru) Pocala (Chamico), 5-6-66, Korytkowski. ( USNM) . Paratypes; 28, 1, same data as holotype ; 1. Bolivia, Lag Palma Sola , Dep. Sta. Cruz, 1923, GL Harrington ( USNM) ; 8, Ecuador, Pich. Pr. 250m, 47km S Sto. Domingo, RioPalenqueStation, 17-25.II.1979, L. Ling USNM ); 1, Ecuador, 700’, RiPalenque , 47km S St. Domingo, Feb. 22-27 1976, H. & A. Howden ( USNM) ; 5, Peru, Lambayeque, Roadside veg. 1 mile S. E. of town., 20.viii.1971., Fertile irrigated region in arid coastal desert, P.S.&H.L. Broomfield, B.M.1971-486. ( BMNH) ; 2, Peru, Piura, 2.5.IX, Quinta Perez, Townsend No 1793, CHTTownsend coll ( USNM) ; 1, Peru, Piura, Oct 29 1941, PA Bery, No. 252 ( USNM) ; 1, Peru, Chiclayo, No 395, So Amer Paras Lab , Date 9-19-42 Host, Berry ( USNM) ; 2, Peru, Piura, May 2-1941, E.J. Hambleton, On cotton ( USNM) ; 1, Peru, ???(illegible), Zarum - Tumbes, 04-XI-??, Leg. I.Miro ( MKRB) ; 1, Peru, ??- Zarumilla - Tumbes, 04-XI-??, Leg. P. Castillo ( MKRB) ; 1, Matapalo - Tumbes, 11-XI-06, Leg. I. Miro ( MKRB) ; 4, ( Peru) Trujillo , 20-III-82, 29-V-82, 20-VI-82 A. Carbajal, UA 583-82 ( MKRB) .

Remarks. Brachiacantha darlene is externally nearly identical to several other Brachiacantha species , but males with bicuspid 5th ventrite distinguish this species. In spite of the unusually modified ventrite, male and female genitalia place this species in the juanita group.

Figures

Figures 108–127. 108–113. Brachiacantha sally. 108) Habitus. 109) Phallobase ventral. 110) Phallobase lateral. 111) Sipho. 112) Siphonal apex. 113) Enlarged siphonal apex. 114–119. Brachiacantha regina. 114) Habitus. 115) Phallobase ventral. 116) Phallobase lateral. 117) Sipho. 118) Siphonal apex dorsal. 119) Enlarged siphonal apex. 120–127. Brachiacantha darlene. 120) Habitus. 121) Protibia. 122) Phallobase ventral. 123) Phallobase lateral. 124) Sipho. 125) Enlarged siphonal apex lateral. 126) Siphonal apex dorsal. 127) Female spermathecal capsule and bursal cap.