Pseudodira carmelitana ( Mulsant, 1853 )

Szawaryn, Karol, 2015, Revision of the Neotropical genus Pseudodira (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Epilachnini), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 55 (1), pp. 203-215 : 207-209

Pseudodira carmelitana ( Mulsant, 1853) stat. restit. & comb. nov.

( Figs 4–7 , 23–27 , 34 )

Rodolia carmelitana Mulsant, 1853: 258 ; CROTCH (1874): 67 (synonymy with Epilachna fraterna ( Mulsant, 1850)) . Mada fraterna (partim): KORSCHEFSKY (1931): 68 (catalogue); BLACKWELDER (1945): 442 (catalogue); JADWISZCZAK

& WĘGRZYNOWICZ (2003): 201 (catalogue).

Type locality. French Guiana, Cayenne.

Type material examined. LECTOTYPE (designated here): ♀, ‘ Rodolia carmelitana / mihi / muls / cayenne // type’ ( MNHN).

Redescription. Length 6.0 mm; TL/EW = 1.07; PL/PW = 0.43; EL/EW = 0.90; EW/PW = 1.91. Body sub-circular ( Figs 6 , 34 ). Elytra chestnut brown; hypomeron, mouthparts and legs piceous, ventral side brown. Pubescence short, dense, yellow. Punctation almost equal in diameter but still distinctly dual, shallow, with smaller punctures fine, larger punctures sparsely distributed.

Head covered with moderately long, scarce pubescence. Antennae with 11 antennomeres; scape about 2.3 times as long as pedicel; pedicel about 1.3 times as long as wide; as long as antennomere III. Antennomere III 2.1 times longer than wide; about 2.0 times as long as IV; antennomeres IV and VI subquadrate, antennomere V longer than antennomere IV, longer than wide; antennomeres VII and VIII transverse. Clypeus not produced anteriorly.

Prosternal process ( Fig. 4 ) 0.30 times as wide as mesoventral process, elongate, about 1.51 times as long as wide; mesoventral process flat, at median length of coxa 0.94 times as broad as corresponding coxal diameter.

Elytral epipleuron 2.6 times as wide as corresponding metaepisternum ( Fig. 6 ).

Abdominal postcoxal lines incomplete laterally, parallel to posterior margin of ventrite 1 ( Fig. 23 ). Female ventrite 5 weakly arcuate; abdominal sternite VIII weakly emarginate apically ( Fig. 24 ).

Female genitalia ( Figs 25, 27 ) with proctiger (TX) truncate at apex, transverse, about 2.8 times as wide as long; coxites suboval, about 1.9 times as wide as long; styli visible. Bursa copulatrix not divided, simple, spermatheca not observed.

Male unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Pseudodira carmelitana can be separated from P. clypealis by having antennae with 11 antennomeres, clypeus not produced, and abdominal postcoxal lines not recurved. This species shares with P. amazona sp. nov. the shape of the abdominal postcoxal lines and the presence of styli, but it is smaller ( P. carmelitana – 6.0 mm, P. amazona – 7.5 mm), sub-circular, uniformly brown, and antennomere V longer than antennomere IV.

Distribution. French Guiana ( Fig. 36 ).

Comments. Rodolia carmelitana was described by MULSANT (1853) from Cayenne in French Guiana, and its type was not examined by following authors. CROTCH (1874) synonymized this species with Epilachna fraterna ( Mulsant, 1850) . GORDON (1975) redescribed Mada fraterna and mentioned that R. carmelitana may be valid based on the description but the type cannot be located thus retained the species in synonymy. I have located and examined the type of R. carmelitana in MNHN and found that it is not conspecific with M. fraterna . Moreover it has the same generic characters as Pseudodira clypealis . Therefore here I remove R. carmelitana from the synonymy with M. fraterna and transfer it to Pseudodira .

MULSANT (1853) did not mention how many specimens he had at his disposal for description of R. carmelitana . Therefore, the only presently known specimen found in MNHN is here designated as a lectotype to stabilize the taxonomic identity of this species.

Figures

Figs 4–7. Pseudodira carmelitana (Mulsant, 1853). 4 – head, prosternum and mesoventrite; 5 – apex of tibia and tarsus; 6 – body, ventral view; 7 – tarsal claw.

Figs 18–32. 18–22 – Pseudodira clypealis Gordon, 1975: 18 – abdomen, female; 19 – abdominal sternite VIII; 20 – female genitalia, dorsal; 21– abdominal tergite VIII, female; 22 – female genitalia, ventral. 23–27 – P. carmelitana (Mulsant, 1853): 23 – abdomen, female; 24 – abdominal sternite VIII; 25 – female genitalia, dorsal; 26 – abdominal tergite VIII, female; 27 – female genitalia, ventral. 28–32 – P. amazona sp. nov.: 28 – abdomen, female; 29 – abdominal sternite VIII; 30 – female genitalia, dorsal; 31– abdominal tergite VIII, female; 32 – female genitalia, ventral.

Figs 33–35. Habitus, dorsal: 33 – Pseudodira amazona sp. nov., holotype; 34 – P. carmelitana (Mulsant, 1853), lectotype; 35 – P. clypealis Gordon, 1975, holotype.

Fig. 36. Map showing distribution of the three Pseudodira species.