Plotina muelleri Mader, 1955

Wang, Xingmin, Ren, Shunxiang & Chen, Xiaosheng, 2011, The genus Plotina Lewis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), with descriptions of four new species from China, Zootaxa 2801, pp. 57-68 : 58-60

Plotina muelleri Mader, 1955

( Figs. 1–17 )

Plotina mülleri Mader, 1955a: 73 ; 1955b: 1026.

Plotina muelleri: Miyatake, 1969: 202 ; Pang et Mao, 1979: 24; Kovář, 1995: 61.

Diagnosis. This species can be identified by pronotum with two black basal spots, each elytron with a large elongate middle black spot, and penis capsule with a distinctly outer process and a long inner one and penis guide in ventral view stout, widest at basal 2/5, distinctly narrowed at base, at its widest about 1.65X of basal width.

Description. TL: 3.08–3.78mm, TW: 2.34–2.93mm, TH: 1.49–1.65mm, TL/TW: 1.29–1.32; PL/PW: 0.50– 0.58; EL/EW: 1.07–1.09.

Head yellow brown with eyes silver gray. Pronotum yellow brown, with two black basal spots, lateral portions and anterior corners white–yellow. Scutellum dark brown. Ground color of elytra deep yellow brown, with two large white–yellow spots, and each elytron with four dark spots, spot 1 rounded, placed on humeral callus, spot 2 elongate, on middle of elytra, spots 3 and 4 smaller than 1, arranged transversely at 3/4 elytral length. Underside yellowish brown, except elytral epipleuron yellow.

Body moderately large, broadly oval, moderately convex, shining and glabrous ( Figs. 1–3 ). Head comparatively small, width 0.39X elytral width (HW/EW=2.54); punctures on frons moderately large, separated by 0.3– 0.8X their diameter, with short golden setae in punctures; eyes small, broadly oval, widest interocular distance 0.59X width of head ( Fig. 3 ). Pronotum 0.68X elytral width (PW/EW=1: 1.47), pronotal punctures fine, smaller than those on head, separated by 0.8–2.0X their diameter. Punctures on elytra moderately large, similar to those on pronotum, separated by 1.0–2.0X their diameter. Surface of prosternum with very fine and sparse punctures, with several hairs Mesosternum with sparse, long pubescence. Surface of metasternum glabrous, with moderately large punctures along median sulcus, separated by 2.0–4.0X their diameter, with short setae in punctures, and becoming longer and denser in lateral margins.

Male genitalia: Penis long, slender, penis capsule with a distinctly outer process and a long inner one, apex simple, pointed ( Figs. 12–13 ); penis guide in lateral view slender, subparallel at basal half, then gradually tapering to apex, apex arcuate, pointed ( Fig. 14 ); parameres slender, sparsely setose at apex, slightly longer than penis guide; penis guide in ventral view stout, widest at basal 2/5, distinctly narrowed at base, at its widest 1.65X basal width, apex rounded ( Fig. 15 ).

Female genitalia: Coxites elongate, 5.5X as long as wide, tapering to blunt apices, each with long terminal setae ( Fig. 17 ); spermatheca with a large nodulus and a slender cornu, nodulus 3X as thick as cornu ( Fig. 16 ).

Specimens examined. China. Fujian: 1 male, Sangang, Wuyi, 20.viii.1984, Zhang KC leg. Guangdong: 1 male, 1 female, Nanling, 1.x.2004, Wang XM leg.; 2 males, Dadongshan, Lianzhou, 19.vii.2005, Wang XM leg. Guizhou: 1 female, Xiangshuiyan, Leigongshan, 10.x.2008, Liang JB leg; Dongtang, Maolan, Libo, 15.x.2008, Liang JB leg. Hainan: 1 female, Jianfengling, 26.xi.1981, Li JR leg. Hunan: 3 males, Mangshan, 2.x.2004, Wang XM leg. Sichuan: 1 female, Fengtongzai, Baoxing, 2.x.2008, Wang XM leg.

Distribution. China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Sichuan); Vietnam.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 17. Plotina muelleri Mader (1) dorsal view; (2) lateral view; (3) frontal view; (4) Prothorax, ventral; (5) antenna; (6) mandible; (7) maxilla; (8) labium; (9) abdominal postcoxal line; (10) front leg; (11) hind leg; (12 – 15) male genitalia: (12) penis; (13) apex of penis; (14) tegmen, lateral view; (15) tegmen, ventral view; (16 – 17) female genitalia: (16) spermatheca; (17) ovipositor; Scale bars: Fig. 1 – 3 = 1.0 mm; 4 – 11 = 0.5 mm; 12 – 17 = 0.3 mm.