Serratitibia melissa Gordon and Canepari, 2013

Gordon, Robert D., Canepari, Claudio & Hanley, Guy A., 2013, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XII: New name for Cyra Mulsant, review of Brachiacanthini genera, and systematic revision of Cleothera Mulsant, Hinda Mulsant and Serratitibia Gordon and Canepari, new genus, Insecta Mundi 2013 (278), pp. 1-150 : 32-33

8. Serratitibia melissa Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.4 mm, width 1.9 mm; body oval, convex. Dorsal surface shiny, lacking alutaceous sculpture. Color yellow; pronotum with large, black basomedial macula extended 2/3 distance to anterior pronotal margin, anterior margin of macula feebly emarginate with yellow; elytron black with 5 small, yellow spots in rows of 2 each with single apical spot, mediolateral spot rounded, somewhat triangular, apical spot transversely oval, ( Fig. 97 ); venter of head, prosternum yellowish brown, meso–, metaventrites dark brown; abdomen yellowish brown. Head punctures small, separated by less than diameter, each puncture as large as 1 eye facet; pronotal punctures equal in size to head punctures, separated by less than 2 times diameter; elytral punctures as large as on pronotum, separated by 1–3 times diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytra, separated by diameter or less medially, larger laterally. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, lateral angle abruptly rounded. Eye canthus short, about 4 eye facets long, angled forward, apically rounded, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal angle broadly rounded, anterior angle abruptly rounded, lateral margin rounded, basal margin with trace of bordering line. Epipleuron narrow, deeply grooved, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibial flange as wide as remainder of protibia, outer margin straight, with about 8 short, distinct teeth from base to apex, sponda extended beyond protibial border. Carinae on prosternal process narrowly separated at apex, nearly parallel, joined at basal prosternal margin. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite without median setal tuft. Abdomen with primary pores laterally between ventrites 4–5 small, extended under apical 1/8 of ventrite 4; postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite angled to posterior ventrite margin, rounded along margin, apex extended forward. Abdominal ventrites 1–4 with short, sparse pubescence, punctures on basal 3 ventrites large, separated by diameter or less medially, becoming smaller and dense laterally, ventrites 3–5 densely punctured throughout; 5th ventrite depressed medially in apical 1/2, apical border weakly emarginate medially, lateral angle of emargination with small tubercle bearing tuft of dense setae; 6th ventrite narrow, deeply depressed medially, depression glabrous, bearing median tubercle, apical margin shallowly emarginate, angle on each side of emargination with small tubercle bearing tuft of setae. Apical tergite short, narrow, apex feebly emarginate, surface densely, finely punctured. Genitalia with basal lobe nearly as long as paramere, slender, sides weakly convergent, apex obliquely rounded; paramere Unm type, widened apically, apex rounded ( Fig. 98, 99 ); sipho robust, curved in basal 2/3, basal capsule with inner arm short, rectangular, outer arm wide, 2 times as long as inner arm, with small accessory piece, basal border shallowly emarginate ( Fig. 100, 101 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype male; Peru, Tingo Maria , I.1950, H. A. Allard ( USNM).

Remarks. Serratitibia melissa and S. sarah both have a median tubercle on the 6th abdominal ventrite. Serratitibia melissa is further characterized by a short eye canthus only 4 eye facets in length, and very small, nearly invisible primary pores between abdominal ventrites 4–5.

Figures

Figures 91–107. 91–96) Serratitibia sarah. 91) Habitus. 92) Phallobase ventral. 93) Phallobase lateral. 94) Enlarged siphonal apex. 95) Sipho. 96) Female genitalia. 97–101) Serratitibia melissa. 97) habitus. 98) Phallobase ventral). 99) Phallobase lateral. 100) Enlarged siphonal apex. 101) Sipho. 102–107) Serratitibia kimberly. 102) Habitus. 103) Phallobase ventral. 104) Phallobase lateral. 105) Enlarged Siphonal apex. 106) Sipho. 107) Female genitalia.