Serratitibia christine Gordon and Canepari, 2013

Gordon, Robert D., Canepari, Claudio & Hanley, Guy A., 2013, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XII: New name for Cyra Mulsant, review of Brachiacanthini genera, and systematic revision of Cleothera Mulsant, Hinda Mulsant and Serratitibia Gordon and Canepari, new genus, Insecta Mundi 2013 (278), pp. 1-150 : 58-59

34. Serratitibia christine Gordon and Canepari , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.3 mm, width 1.8 mm; body oval, convex. Dorsal surface shiny, lacking alutaceous sculpture. Color yellow; pronotum with large, black basomedial macula extended slightly more than 2/3 distance to anterior pronotal margin, apex of macula deeply emarginate with yellow; elytron black with 5 yellow spots arranged in rows of 2 each plus apical spot, mediolateral spot round, apical spot transversely rectangular, apical border slightly emarginate ( Fig. 235 ); venter of head, prosternum, meso–, metaventrites black; abdomen brown. Head punctures small, separated by 1–2 times diameter, each puncture as large as 2 eye facets; pronotal punctures smaller than head punctures, separated by 1–3 times diameter; elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by 2–4 times diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytra, separated by less than diameter medially, larger laterally. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, lateral angle abruptly rounded. Eye canthus about 6 eye facets long, slightly angled forward, apically rounded, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal angle broadly rounded, anterior angle abruptly rounded, lateral margin rounded, basal margin without trace of bordering line. Epipleuron narrow, deeply grooved, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibial flange as wide as remainder of protibia, outer margin nearly straight, with about 8 small teeth throughout, sponda extended beyond protibial border. Carinae on prosternal process narrowly separated at apex, parallel, joined at basal 1/6 of prosternum, connected to base by short stem. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite without median setal tuft. Abdomen with primary pores laterally between ventrites 4–5 large, extended under apical 1/3 of ventrite 4; postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite angled to posterior ventrite margin, rounded along margin, apex extended forward. Abdominal ventrites 1–4 with short, sparse pubescence, punctures on basal 3 ventrites large medially, separated by diameter or less, becoming smaller and dense laterally, ventrites 3–5 densely punctured throughout; 5th ventrite depressed medially in apical 1/2, apical border weakly emarginate medially, lateral angle of emargination with small tubercle bearing tuft of dense setae; 6th ventrite narrow, deeply depressed medially, depression glabrous, with median tubercle, apical margin shallowly emarginate, angle on each side of emargination bearing tuft of setae. Apical tergite short, narrow, apex weakly emarginate, surface densely, finely punctured. Genitalia with basal lobe 3/4 length of paramere, sides convergent, apex rounded; paramere Unm type, wide, widened apically, apex truncate ( Fig. 236, 237 ); sipho robust, curved in basal 2/3, basal capsule with inner arm elongate, slender, apex truncate, outer arm longer than inner arm, slender, with accessory piece, basal border broadly, shallowly emarginate ( Fig. 238, 239 ).

Female. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype male; Bolivia, Prov. La Paz, Cumbre Alto Beni, 7-15.iv.2004, vicinity of Caravani , 1685 m, 15 o 40’19"S, 67 o 29’35"W, malaise traps, leg. S.D. Gaimari and M. Hauser ( CSCA).

Other specimen s. 2. Same data as holotype with additional date “ 15-21.iv.2004.” Female genitalia ( Fig. 240 ). ( CSCA).

Remarks. These specimens are part of a large “series” collected at the same locality in Bolivia. They are nearly identical in overall habitus, but this “series” is actually composed of 4 species, S. janet , S. frances , S. kathy , and S. helen , each having quite different male genitalia and two of them lack abdominal primary pores, placing them in Section II. It was impossible to associate females with males, so only males are described for each taxon.

Serratitibia christine is distinguished from the other species by an elytron with widely spaced punctures separated by 2–4 times the diameter of a puncture, and paramere of male genitalia comparatively slender, moderately widened at apex. A single female with similar elytral punctation, and a single male with similar but slightly different male genitalia are also doubtfully assigned to this species (see Other specimens). In spite of the doubt regarding the correct identity of the female, genitalia are described for that specimen in the hope that it is actually S. christine .

Figures

Figures 235–251. 235–240) Serratitibia christine. 235) Habitus. 236) Phallobase ventral. 237) Phallobase lateral. 238) Enlarged siphonal apex. 239) Sipho. 240) Female genitalia. 241–245) Serratitibia janet. 241) Habitus. 242) Phallobase ventral. 243) Phallobase lateral. 244) Enlarged siphonal apex. 245) Sipho. 246–251) Serratitibia bonnie. 246) Habitus. 247) Phallobase ventral). 248) Phallobase lateral. 249) Enlarged siphonal apex. 250) Sipho. 251) Female genitalia.