Brachiacantha veronica Gordon and Canepari, 2014

Gordon, Robert D., Canepari, Claudio & Hanley, Guy A., 2014, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XVI: systematic revision of Brachiacantha Dejean (Coccinellinae: Hyperaspidini), Insecta Mundi 2014 (390), pp. 1-76 : 31-32

22. Brachiacantha veronica Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 3.2 mm, width 2.5 mm; body elongate oval, convex. Dorsal surface with head and pronotum alutaceous, dull, elytron slightly alutaceous, shiny. Color yellow except pronotum with large, wide, black basomedian macula extended 5/6 distance to apical pronotal margin, anterior border of macula not emarginate, lateral 1/8 of pronotum yellow; elytron black with 5 yellow spots, scutellar spot triangular, humeral spot narrowly connected to mediolateral spot, discal spot obliquely oval, apical spot transversely oval ( Fig. 128 ); ventral surface with head, prosternum, meso- and metaventrites black; abdomen brownish yellow except median 1/3 of basal ventrite brown. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less, each puncture as large as an eye facet; pronotal punctures larger than head punctures, separated by 1 to 2 times diameter, elytral punctures as large as on pronotum, separated by 1 to 2 times a diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytron, separated by less than a diameter. Clypeus apically emarginate, lateral angle rounded, surface with sparse, long pubescence. Eye canthus about 6 eye facets long, angled forward, apically rounded, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal and anterior angles abrupt, lateral margin curved, basal margin without trace of bordering line medially. Epipleuron narrow, slightly descending externally, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia narrowly flanged, flange about as wide as remainder of protibia, outer margin straight, smooth, with distinct basal tooth about as long as 1/5 width of tibia at base, sponda extended beyond protibial flange. Carinae on prosternal process widely separated at apex, weakly convergent, not joined at base, ended at middle of prosternum. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite without setal tuft. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite flattened along apical ventrite margin, curved forward at apex, ventrite with sparse, long pubescence and small, dense punctures; ventrites 2–6 pubescent throughout, punctures fine, dense; ventrite 3 without cusp on each side of middle; 5th ventrite depressed in median 1/3, apex slightly emarginate; 6th ventrite medially depressed, apex shallowly emarginate. Apical tergite finely, densely punctured, apex widely emarginate. Genitalia with basal lobe as long as paramere, symmetrical, sides straight, convergent from base to abruptly rounded apex; paramere Psc, wide, curved, slightly widened from base to rounded apex, lower apical angle slightly produced ( Fig. 129, 130 ); sipho robust, strongly curved in basal 2/3, with lateral alae at apical 1/6, basal capsule lightly sclerotized, inner arm short, wide, apex broadly bifid, outer arm wider and slightly longer than inner arm, with accessory piece, basal border broadly, shallowly emarginate ( Fig. 131–133 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype male; ( Brazil) Sao Paulo, Bras. MRAZ LGT. Mus.Pragense, Korschefsky Collection 1952. ( USNM).

Remarks. Brachiacantha veronica is not readily recognizable on external characters, but the large size along with male genitalia having a long, tapered basal lobe will distinguish it. It does not fit the juanita group well, but is placed in it because of the somewhat similar male genitalia.

Figures

Figures 128–138. 128–133. Brachiacantha veronica. 128) Habitus. 129) Phallobase ventral. 130) Phallobase lateral. 131) Sipho. 132) Siphonal apex dorsal. 133) Enlarged siphonal apex lateral. 134–135. Brachiacantha lauren. 134) Habitus. 135) Female spermathecal capsule. 136–138. Brachiacantha cathy. 136) Habitus. 137) Protibia. 138) Female genitalia.