Brachiacantha charlotte 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 : 12-13

3. Brachiacantha charlotte Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.8 mm, width 2.3 mm; body rounded, slightly elongate, convex. Dorsal surface smooth, shiny except head faintly alutaceous, shiny. Color black except head yellow; pronotum yellow with small, medially projecting black basomedian macula, macula restricted to basal 1/3 of pronotum; elytron with 5 yellow spots, humeral, mediolateral and apical spot broadly connected by yellow band along lateral margin of elytron, scutellar spot small, round, discal spot obliquely oval ( Fig. 13 ); ventral surface with median 1/5 of prosternum, meso- and metaventrites black; abdomen with ventrites 1–4 dark brown medially, lateral 1/4 to 1/3 brownish yellow, ventrites 5–6 brownish yellow. Head punctures small, dense, separated by less than a diameter, each puncture as large as an eye facet; pronotal punctures larger than head punctures, separated by less than to twice a diameter, elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by 1 to 3 times a diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytron, separated by a diameter or less, becoming coarser and separated by less than a diameter laterally. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, nearly truncate, 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 wide, slightly grooved, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia narrowly flanged, flange narrower than remainder of protibia, outer margin nearly straight, smooth, basal tooth large, less than 1/2 width of tibia at base, sponda extended beyond protibial flange, apically rounded. Carinae on prosternal process widely separated at apex, convergent toward base, joined at basal 1/3 of prosternum. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite with setal tuft. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal ventrite slightly 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 deeply depressed medially in median 1/3, with feebly emarginate apex; 6th ventrite medially depressed, apex arcuate. Apical tergite finely, densely punctured, apex emarginate. Genitalia with basal lobe long, slender, 3/4 as long as paramere, symmetrical, sides weakly curved in basal 7/8, narrowed in apical 1/8, apex truncate; paramere narrowed from wide base to narrow apex, weakly curved, slightly Psc ( Fig. 14, 15 ); sipho robust, strongly curved in basal 1/2, with faint lateral alae at apical 7/8, basal capsule slender, weakly sclerotized, inner arm long, slender, sinuate, apex rounded, outer arm slightly wider and shorter than inner arm, without apparent accessory piece, basal border broadly, shallowly emarginate ( Fig. 16, 17 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Length 2.8 to 3.0 mm. Mediobasal pronotal macula slightly variable in size and width, 2 paratypes from Santarem and Taperina, Brazil, have lateral spots on elytron discrete, not connected.

Type material. Holotype male: Brasil, Icoraci , Belém PA, 3.II.1962, J. Bechyné col., Convênio DZSP- Goeldi ( MZSP) . Paratypes; 3, 1, “ Brazil ” ( CASC) ; 1, Brazil, Para , IPEAN, Belém, XII-1-2-1969, JM & BA Campbell ( CNC) ; 1, Brazil, Santarem , Acc. 2966 ( CMNH) ; 1, Brazil, Taperina, Acc.2966 ( CMNH) .

Remarks. Brachiacantha charlotte has a dorsal color pattern seemingly very different from that of B. buckleyi . However, the male genitalia are nearly identical, as is the ventral coloration. These are considered valid species on the basis of differences in dorsal color pattern, B. charlotte males with distinct setal tuft on basal abdominal ventrite, and ventrite 5 deeply depressed.

Figures

Figures 1–17. 1–6. Brachiacantha bistripustulata. 1) Habitus. 2) Phallobase ventral. 3) Phallobase lateral. 4) Sipho. 5) Enlarged siphonal apex. 6) Female genitalia. 7–12. Brachiacantha buckleyi. 7) Habitus. 8) Phallobase ventral. 9) Phallobase lateral. 10) Sipho. 11) Enlarged siphonal apex. 12) Female spermathecal capsule. 13–17. Brachiacantha charlotte. 13) Habitus. 14) Phallobase ventral. 15) Phallobase lateral. 16) Sipho. 17) Enlarged siphonal apex.