Hyperaspis divaricata, Gordon & González, 2011

Gordon, Robert D. & González, F. Guillermo, 2011, Additions to the Hyperaspis Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) fauna of South American, descriptions of nine new species, and recognition of Hyperaspis pectoralis Crotch as a valid species, Insecta Mundi 2011 (160), pp. 1-20 : 2-3

Hyperaspis divaricata , new species

( Figure 11-19 )

Description. Male holotype. Length 3.3 mm, width 2.9 mm. Body rounded, convex. Dorsal surface with head strongly alutaceous, dull, pronotum weakly alutaceous, slightly shiny, elytron smooth, shiny. Color black except head yellow; anterior 1/5, lateral 1/4 of pronotum, propleuron yellow; elytron entirely black except for 5 pale spots, small scutellar spot and 3 small spots around lateral margin yellow, large, median spot on apical declivity orange ( Fig. 11-14 ); anterior 1/3 of epipleuron yellow; mouthparts, legs reddish yellow; abdomen yellowish brown except lateral 1/6 yellow. Head punctures small, separated by 3-5 times a diameter; pronotal punctures small, larger than on head, separated by less than to 3 times a diameter; elytral punctures as large as on pronotum, separated by less than to 4 times a diameter; punctures on metaventrite as large as on elytra, widely separated, sparse medially, becoming large and nearly contiguous in lateral 1/4; punctures on basal abdominal ventrite small medially, separated by 1 to 2 times a diameter, becoming fine, more scattered in lateral 1/3, punctures on sternites 2-6 fine, sparse, separated by 1 to 6 times a diameter. Clypeal apex broadly, deeply emarginate, clypeus and frons joined at abrupt angle. Epipleuron wide, grooved medially, strongly descending externally, femoral depressions deep. An- tenna with 11 articles. Protibia wide, distinctly flanged. Prosternum with intercoxal carinae narrowly separated at apex, weakly convergent toward base, joined before base and connected to base by single stem. Postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite broadly arcuate, reaching posterior ventrite margin, rounded 7/8 distance to lateral margin ( Fig. 15 ). Fifth ventrite broadly, weakly emarginate apically; 6 th ventrite with shallow, narrow, apical emargination. Genitalia with basal lobe short, 1/2 length of paramere, apex obliquely truncate apically, one anterior angle rounded, with strong lateral projection in basal 1/2; paramere short, basally wide, tapered to rounded apex ( Fig. 18, 19 ); sipho long, robust, with apical membranous area, basal capsule with inner arm long, straight, wide, outer arm long, abruptly bent, basal border distinctly emarginate ( Fig. 16, 17 ).

Female. Not known.

Type material. Holotype male: Rio Cauaburi , AM (Amazonas), Brasil, 9.XII.1962, J. Bechyné col. ( DZUP).

Remarks. This is a remarkably distinctive species that goes to couplet 39 in the species key of Gordon and Canepari (2008), but has nothing in common with the two species in that couplet. Characters that set H. divaricata apart from all presently known Hyperaspis species are: large size and round, convex form; elytral color pattern with 5 spots, median spot on apical declivity orange; distinctly flanged protibia; and form of male genitalia.

The dorsal habitus is reminiscent of some North American Hyperaspis taxa, particularly H. lateralis Mulsant , which is also a large, multispotted species often with one spot red or orange in color.

Etymology. The species name is from the Latin divaricatus in reference to the distinctive appearance of H. divaricata .

Figures

Figure 11-19. Hyperaspis divaricata. 11-14) Habitus views. 15) Abdomen. 16-19) Male genitalia. 16) Sipho. 17) Enlarged siphonal apex. 18-19) Lateral and ventral views of phallobase.