Prodilis ramona Gordon and Hanley, 2017

Gordon, Robert D. & Hanley, Guy A., 2017, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XVII: systematic revision of Western Hemisphere Cephaloscymnini (Coccinellinae) with description of a cryptic new genus and species of Coccidulini (Coccinellinae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (601), pp. 1-158 : 58-59

2. Prodilis ramona Gordon and Hanley , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.5 mm, width 2.0 mm; body oval, somewhat elongate, elytron with side rounded, wider than pronotal base, widest at middle of elytra. Dorsal surface entirely shiny. Color reddish yellow; head with vertex and base of frons black, remainder of frons yellow; pronotum black, lateral margin narrowly yellow, anterolateral angle broadly yellow; elytron with apical declivity black with bluish tint (Fig. 321); antenna, legs, entire ventral surface including abdomen yellow; mouthparts yellow except apical 1/3 of terminal maxillary palpomere dark brown. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less; pronotal punctures as large as on head, separated by less than a diameter; elytral punctures as large as on pronotum, separated by less than twice a diameter; prosternal, mesosternal punctures larger than on elytron, separated by a diameter or less; metasternal punctures along anterior and lateral borders as large as on mesosternum, punctures on remaining surface as large as on mesosternum, separated by less than 3 times a diameter; abdomen with punctures on ventrites 1–3 as large as on metasternum, punctures on remaining ventrites small, separated by about a diameter. Head with frons widened from vertex to clypeus, nearly twice as wide as eye measured at vertex (Fig. 323); eye canthus short; apical maxillary palpomere long, widened from base to apex. Pronotum widest at middle, reflexed lateral margin narrow, equal in width from base to apex. Epipleuron slightly descending externally, wide in basal ½, as wide as pronotal hypomeron. Prosternum as wide as long, longer than mesosternum, apical margin truncate, lateral carina slender, short, not extended anterior to coxa. Postcoxal line on ventrite 1 long, rounded, extended 2/3 distance to apical margin of ventrite (Fig. 322). Apex of ventrite 5 slightly arcuate. Genitalia with basal lobe longer than paramere, wide, side weakly arcuate, apex slightly emarginate; paramere weakly curved, widest medially, narrowed to rounded apex, without marginal serrations (Fig. 324, 325); sipho long, filamentous at apex (Fig. 326).

Female. Similar to male except head black with apical 2/3 of frons yellow, female genitalia with spermathecal capsule short, wide, basal ½ widest, apical ½ narrower, apex of cornu rounded.

Variation. Length 2.0– 2.6 mm, width 1.5–2.0 mm. Elytral pattern highly variable, ranging from typical to suture entirely, narrowly black, black area expanded in size, leaving only narrow, obliquely transverse pale macula in anterior ½, or with only humeral angle and anteromedian oval spot yellowish red.

Type material. Holotype male; COLOMBIA: Cald (Caldas) 1895m, Salento, July 2, 1939, Murillo No 5163. ( USNM). Paratypes; 29, 11, same data as holotype; 3, Neira, Colombia, Cld (Caldas), 15.II.41, alt. 2025 m, Murillo No 5477; 1, Villa Maria, (Cald), Colombia VII–47, Alt. 2000 m, FL Gallego M, coll 39–5XX7, USNMIns no 176630; 6, Buga, Colombia, Val (Valle del Cauca), 4.11.41, alt. 2025 m, Murillo No 5397; 1, Order: Coleoptera , Coccinellidae . 10–7–78, Colombia, Ciat, Palmira, Hosp: Ph. gossyii, Col: Ana M. Varela, 95–78; 4, Colombia–Valle (Valle del Cauca)–Palmira–CIAT, 15–XII–1991, Pilar Hernandez Ex: Aonidonydu albus, EY–A2–92; 1, COLOMBIA: Cauca Dept., Valle Del Cauca, Buga, 16 May 1973, 1700m., Ginter Ekis; 1, VENEZUELA: Tach (Tachira), Cordero, 1200m, May 22, 1974, N. $A. Howden. ( USNM).

Remarks. Prodilis ramona closely resembles Neaporia irma and other members of the irma group in external appearance, but generic characters place it in Prodilis where it is distinguished by the dorsal color pattern.