Brachiacantha eva 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 : 39-40

30. Brachiacantha eva Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.9 mm, width 2.3 mm; body oval, convex. Dorsal surface with head and pronotum weakly alutaceous, slightly shiny, elytron smooth, shiny. Color yellow except pronotum with large basomedian macula extended 3/4 distance to anterior pronotal margin, apex of macula not emarginate with yellow, lateral 1/5 of pronotum yellow; elytron black with median vitta, lateral margin, and apical spot yellow, median vitta irregular, extended from base to apical spot, connected to apical spot, lateral border with vitta extended from humeral angle to apical 5/6, widened at apical declivity where a mediolateral spot would normally be located ( Fig. 168 ); ventral surface with head, prosternum, meso- and metaventrites black, legs with femur brown; abdomen dark brown. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less, each puncture slightly larger than an eye facet; pronotal punctures slightly larger than head punctures, separated by a diameter or less, elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by less than to twice a diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytron, separated by about a diameter. Clypeus truncate apically, lateral angle rounded, surface with sparse, short pubescence. Eye canthus about 4 eye facets long, slightly angled forward, apically rounded, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal and anterior angles abrupt, lateral margin weakly rounded, basal margin without trace of bordering line medially. Epipleuron narrow, grooved, not descending externally, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia narrowly flanged, flange narrower than remainder of protibia, outer margin arcuate, smooth, basal tooth small, length about 1/6 width of tibia at base, sponda not extended beyond protibial flange ( Fig. 169 ). Carinae on prosternal process narrowly separated at apex, convergent toward base, joined at basal 1/6 of prosternum. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite without setal tuft. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite rounded throughout, extended 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 with apex broadly, weakly emarginate; 6th ventrite depressed medially, apex shallowly emarginate. Apical tergite densely punctured, apex emarginate. Genitalia with basal lobe much longer than paramere, penis shaped, slender, symmetrical, sides straight in basal 1/2, apical 1/2 slightly wider than basal 1/2, sides slightly curved to narrowly flattened apex; paramere short, Psc, slender, slightly narrowed from base to rounded apex ( Fig. 170, 171 ); sipho robust, strongly curved in basal 1/2, without visible lateral alae, basal capsule lightly sclerotized, inner arm short, narrow, angled, apex rounded, outer arm curved, wider and longer than inner arm, with large accessory piece, basal border widely emarginate ( Fig. 172, 173 ).

Female. Similar to male except head entirely black with small, yellowish red spot at base of frons in middle, pronotum entirely black except anterolateral angle narrowly yellow. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule short, wide, narrowed from base to apex; bursal cap with 2 lateral arms weakly sclerotized, apical strut short, wide, club shaped ( Fig. 174 ).

Variation. See remarks below.

Type material. Holotype male; (Argentina) Arg. Salta, Cafayate , II-1983, M. I. Viana, ex Coleccion M. Viana ARG 021690 , Coleccion J.E. Barriga, Chile 070983. ( JEBC) . Paratypes; 2, ARGENTINA, prov. Córdoba , depto Calamuchita, El Sauce, oct 1976, leg. M. Viana ( JEBC) .

Other specimens. 6. Argentina, Catamarca prov., 22 km S Palo Labrado; Argentina, prov. Chaco, Resistencia; Argentina, prov. San Luis, Merlot; Argentina, San Pablo. ( JEBC).

Remarks. This species has male genitalia similar to those of B. groendali , and is placed in the same group. The vittate dorsal surface is unique among currently known species of this genus, but specimens listed under “Other specimens” are always lacking the median vitta and sometimes without the lateral vitta. Although differing in dorsal color, both the paratypes and other specimens have identical male genitalia.

Figures

Figures 157–174. 157–160. Brachiacantha clara. 157) Habitus. 158) Phallobase ventral. 159) Phallobase lateral. 160) Sipho. 161–167. Brachiacantha groendali. 161) Habitus. 162) Phallobase lateral. 163) Phallobase ventral. 164) Sipho. 165) Siphonal apex dorsal. 166) Enlarged siphonal apex obliquely lateral. 167) Female genitalia. 168–174. Brachiacantha eva. 168) Habitus. 169) Protibia. 170) Phallobase ventral. 171) Phallobase lateral. 172) Sipho. 173) Enlarged siphonal apex. 174) Female genitalia.