Neaporia sonia 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 : 39-40

36. Neaporia sonia Gordon and Hanley , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 1.4 mm, width 1.2 mm; body short, wide, elytron with side rounded, wider than pronotal base, widest anterior to middle of elytra. Dorsal surface entirely shiny, lacking microsculpture. Color black (Fig. 228); head with yellow macula on anterior 2/3, base of macula deeply emarginated by two narrow, black vittae (Fig. 229); pronotum with reflexed lateral margin black, anterior angles brownish black; antenna, legs yellow; mouthparts yellow except apical ½ of maxillary palpus brown; epipleuron yellowish red; ventral surface dark yellowish red except abdomen dark brown. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less; pronotal punctures as large as on head, separated by less than twice a diameter; elytral punctures as large as on pronotum, separated by 1 to 4 times a diameter; prosternal, mesosternal punctures large, separated by less than a diameter; metasternum with large punctures along anterior and lateral borders, punctures on remaining surface absent or small, sparse; punctures on abdominal ventrites 1–3 large, separated by less than three times a diameter, punctures on remaining ventrites small, separated by about a diameter. Head densely pubescent, frons widened from vertex to clypeus, about as wide eye measured at vertex; eye canthus short; apical maxillary palpomere long, narrowed to apex in apical 1/3. Pronotum widest at middle, reflexed lateral margin narrow, equal in width from base to apex. Epipleuron flat, wide in basal ½, as wide as pronotal hypomeron. Prosternum as wide as long, about as long as mesosternum, apical margin arcuate, without anterolateral projection. Postcoxal line on ventrite 1 long, extended nearly to apical margin of ventrite. Apex of ventrite 5 deeply, narrowly emarginate medially. Genitalia with basal lobe shorter than paramere, slender, narrowed from base to deeply emarginate apex; paramere wide, robust, straight, apex widely rounded, dorsal margin without serrations (Fig. 230, 231); sipho slender, apical 1/4 sinuate (Fig. 232).

Female. Similar to male except head without maculation, spermathecal capsule short, narrow at middle, base and apex extremely widened, apex of cornu widely rounded.

Variation. Length 1.4–1.5 mm. Male head with yellow macula variable in shape from typical to deeply, widely emarginate basally, size of elytral punctures variable from small as in holotype to larger, coarser, more closely spaced.

Type material. Holotype male; COSTA RICA: Prov. Heredia, F. La Selva, 3 km S Pto. Viejo , 10 o 26'N 84 o 01'W, 7.vi.1982, H.A. Hespenheide, E/60pine tree. ( USNM) . Paratypes; 20, same data as holotype except many dates listed, Heliocarpus trunk, Balsa trunk,

Remarks. Neaporia sonia has distinctive male genitalia which will identify it with certainty. In addition, the short, wide body appearance and deeply emarginate apex of male 5th abdominal ventrite are useful recognition characters.