Brachiacantha esther 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 : 16-17

6. Brachiacantha esther Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 3.4 mm, width 2.5 mm; body elongate oval, convex. Dorsal surface with head alutaceous, dull, pronotum, elytron feebly alutaceous, shiny. Color yellow except pronotum with small, short, dark brown mediobasal macula, macula triangularly emarginate with yellow medially, with 2 dark yellow, obliquely oval spots at middle anterior to dark brown macula; elytron dark brown with 5 large, yellow spots arranged in 2 rows plus apical spot, scutellar and humeral spots narrowly connected at base, mediolateral spot not extended to lateral margin, apical spot shortly transverse ( Fig. 31 ); ventral surface with head, prosternum, meso- and metaventrites dark brown; abdomen yellowish 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 less than to about a diameter, elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by 1 to 3 times a diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytron, separated by about a diameter. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, 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 straight, 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 straight, smooth, basal tooth small, about 1/4 width of tibia at base, sponda slightly extended beyond protibial flange. Carinae on prosternal process widely separated at apex, not convergent toward base, not joined, ended at base of prosternum. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite without setal tuft. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite flattened along posterior ventrite margin, 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 slightly depressed in median 1/3, apex slightly emarginate; 6th ventrite medially depressed, apex deeply emarginate. Apical tergite finely, densely punctured, apex arcuate. Genitalia with basal lobe slightly longer than paramere, symmetrical, sides parallel in basal 1/2, wide in apical 1/2, apex slightly lunulate but side nearly flat on each side of median projection; paramere slightly Psc, short, wide basally, narrowed in apical 1/2, apical 1/2 flattened dorsally with setae rising from flattened area, apex rounded ( Fig. 32, 33 ); sipho robust, strongly curved in basal 1/2, without visible lateral alae, with short widened area at apical 1/6, basal capsule heavily sclerotized, inner arm short, apex abruptly rounded, outer arm wider and longer than inner arm, with accessory piece, basal border broadly, shallowly emarginate ( Fig. 34, 35 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variation. One paratype with scutellar and humeral spots discrete, not connected along base.

Type material. Holotype male: DZUP 187832 , CHAPADA, Brasil, 27-X-61, F M Oliveira leg. ( DZUP) . Paratypes: 2, Rio de Jan., Brazil, Acc.No.2966 ( CMNH).

Other specimens. 14. Brazil, Chapada (which “Chapada” is unknown). ( CMNH).

Remarks. Brachiacantha esther has the same dorsal color pattern as several other Brachiacantha species , but within the sellata group it resembles B. pauline . The latter species is small, slender, nearly parallel sided, and has small yellow spots on each elytron. Male genitalia are needed to positively identify either B. esther or B. pauline .

Specimens listed under “Other specimens” differ slightly from the types of B. esther by male genitalia having the apex of the basal lobe slightly more triangular. They are almost certainly the same species, but not designated as paratypes.

Figures

Figures 18–35. 18–23. Brachiacantha sellata. 18) Habitus. 19) Phallobase ventral. 20) Phallobase lateral. 21) Sipho. 22) Enlarged siphonal apex. 23) Female genitalia. 24–30. Brachiacantha bruchi. 24) Habitus. 25) Phallobase ventral. 26) Phallobase lateral. 27) Sipho. 28) Enlarged siphonal apex lateral. 29) Enlarged siphonal apex dorsal. 30) Female genitalia. 31–35. Brachiacantha esther. 31) Habitus. 32) Phallobase ventral. 33) Phallobase lateral. 34) Sipho. 35) Enlarged siphonal apex.