Brachiacantha margaritae (Crotch) Gordon, Robert D., Canepari, Claudio & Hanley, Guy A., 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 : 24-25

15. Brachiacantha margaritae (Crotch) , new combination

Hyperaspis margaritae Crotch, 1874: 219 ; Korschefsky 1931: 192; Blackwelder 1945: 447; Gordon 1987: 27.

Description. Male. Length 2.6 mm, width 2.0 mm; body oval, convex. Dorsal surface with head and pronotum weakly alutaceous, dull, slightly shiny, elytron smooth, shiny. Color yellow except pronotum with short, black basomedian macula extended 1/8 distance to anterior pronotal margin, macula widely emarginate medially, each end triangularly angled forward, small, light brown, comma shaped spot on each side at middle of pronotum; elytron with black border, border narrow on basal, lateral, and apical margins, sutural border wide, widened posterior to scutellum, then gradually narrowed to apex, with 2 large black maculae, anterior macula on humeral callus large, narrowly connected to black basal border, apex of spot narrowly emarginate, spot on apical declivity curved, obliquely transverse ( Fig. 81 ); ventral surface with head, median 1/3 of prosternum, meso- and metaventrites black; abdomen dark brown medially, lateral 1/4 and ventrites 5–6 yellowish brown. Head punctures small, separated by about a diameter, 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 less than to 2 times a diameter; metaventral punctures smaller than on elytron medially, widely spaced, nearly absent, becoming larger, dense in lateral 1/3. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, lateral angle rounded, surface with sparse, long pubescence. Eye canthus about 8 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 with 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, length about 1/10 width of tibia at base, sponda extended beyond protibial flange. Carinae on prosternal process widely separated at apex, convergent toward base, joined at basal 1/3 of prosternum, single carinae extended to prosternal base. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite without setal tuft. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite slightly flattened along posterior ventrite margin, extended forward apically, 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 broadly, weakly emarginate; 6th ventrite depressed medially, apex shallowly emarginate. Apical tergite densely punctured, apex weakly emarginate. Genitalia with basal lobe 4/5 as long as paramere, symmetrical, sides curved from base to rounded apex; paramere Psc, slightly widened from base to apex, apex rounded ( Fig. 82, 83 ); sipho robust, strongly curved in basal 1/2 with lateral alae at apical 1/6, basal capsule lightly sclerotized, inner arm elongate, apex oblique, widely, shallowly emarginate, outer arm slightly wider and longer than inner arm, with small accessory piece, basal border broadly, deeply emarginate ( Fig. 84–86 ).

Female. Similar to male except head black with median, star shaped yellow spot on apical 2/3 of frons, pronotum with median spots black, narrowly connected to lateral projection of basomedian macula. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule long, slender, basal 1/4 enlarged, widened, cornu apically bulbous; bursal cap narrowly triangular, with 3 sclerotized arms, apical strut long, apical 1/3 widened ( Fig. 87 ).

Variation. Length 1.7 to 2.6 mm, width 1.5 to 2.8 mm. Female pronotum sometimes with dark pattern expanded to isolate a yellow spot on each sided of middle. Elytron with anterior and apical spots often narrowly connected, anterior spot sometimes narrowly connected to black sutural border.

Type locality. Colombia, Bogota.

Type depository. UMZC (holotype).

Geographical distribution. Colombia, Venezuela.

Specimens examined. 22. Colombia. “Colomb.”; Antioquia, Amaga ; Cundinamarca, Sasaima ; Cundinamarca, Villeta ; Meta, Restrepo ; Santander, Suaita . Venezuela. Sanare. ( USNM) ( ZMHB) .

Remarks. Brachiacantha margaritae is recognized by the 2 irregular black spots on each elytron. Both male and female genitalia are typical of those in the juanita group, and dorsal color pattern must be relied on for species identification. Specimens from Santander, Colombia, are noticeably larger than those from Cundinamarca, although they have identical color patterns.

Figures

Figures 69–87. 69–74. Brachiacantha hazel. 69) Habitus. 70) Protibia. 71) Phallobase ventral. 72) Phallobase lateral. 73) Sipho. 74) Enlarged siphonal apex. 75–80. Brachiacantha armandi. 75) Habitus. 76) Phallobase ventral. 77) Phallobase lateral. 78) Sipho. 79) Enlarged siphonal apex. 80) Female genitalia. 81–87. Brachiacantha margaritae. 81) Habitus. 82) Phallobase ventral. 83) Phallobase lateral. 84) Sipho. 85) Enlarged siphonal apex lateral. 86) Enlarged siphonal apex dorsal. 87) Female genitalia.