Sticholotis buruensis Korschefsky

Vandenberg, Natalia J., 2011, A revision of the genus Stictobura Crotch and description of a new species of Sticholotis Crotch (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Sticholotidinae), Zootaxa 3031, pp. 1-13 : 9

Sticholotis buruensis Korschefsky , n. comb.

( Fig. 11 )

Stictobura buruensis Korschefsky, 1944: 48 (Holotype:?ZMAN).—Miyatake, 1997: 265.

Redescription. Length: 2.2 mm; width: 2.0 mm. Form slightly elongate, globose; dorsum strongly convex. Dorsal and ventral surfaces including appendages yellow ferrugineous, edges of sclerites and elytra narrowly darker reddish amber; six more or less defined rows of elytral striae marked by darkly pigmented dots. Head ( Fig. 11 ) and pronotum with shallowly impressed punctures separated by about a diameter, punctures on pronotum slightly larger than on head, interspaces with reticulate microsculpture on head, much smoother with only trace of reticulation on pronotum; elytra smooth, shiny with extremely shallow punctures separated by 2–4 times a diameter; appearing almost impunctate except at high magnification. Head with fine sparse even decumbent pubescence, each hair separated by about its length; clypeus with apex nearly linear. Eyes small, separated by more than 3 times eye width, coarsely faceted, posteriorly divergent towards temples, with weak orbital carina; ocular canthus triangulate, extending onto eye for distance of about 3 facets. Antennal insertions exposed, frons around antennal insertions emarginate. Antenna with 10 segments, with three-segmented oval club. Terminal segment of maxillary palpus narrowly conical, apex attenuate; membrane of sensory surface appearing as a narrow seam on mesal surface in distal one-fourth, slightly expanded at distal end. Pronotum transverse; basal margin strongly arcuate, with submarginal line; lateral margins nearly linear, with short scattered hairs; anterior margin deeply trapezoidally emarginate around head; lateral and anterior margins with fine bead. Scutellum minute. Elytra lacking distinct humeral calli, appearing glabrous, but with very short, erect, scattered setae visible at high magnification; lateral borders narrowly reflexed. Prosternum lacking carinae, slightly convex, anteriorly arcuate and flanged, tapered to a blunt point posteriorly. Mesoventrite trapezoidal, widest anteriorly, weakly emarginate medially with small cavity on anterior face to receive tip of prosternum. Abdomen with five visible ventrites; abdominal postcoxal line incomplete, curved posterolaterally, joining posterior margin of ventrite 1; ventrites 2–4 short, subequal; ventrite 5 elongate, tapered, posteriorly arcuate, extreme apex obscured by paper mount. Condition of metathoracic wing not assessed. Elytral epipleura slightly narrower than width of mesocoxa, tapered in posterior half of length, complete, with inner carina reaching apex, shallowly foveolate or depressed to receive middle and hind femora. Legs with cryptotetramerous tarsi; tarsal claws narrow, sickle-shaped, basally slightly swollen, lacking a distinct basal tooth. Genitalia not dissected.

Specimen examined. Paratype: “L.J. TOXOPEUS/Buru.Station 17/22-23Oct. ’21 (rectangular white label)/ TYPUS (retangular reddish brown label)/ Korschefsky collection/1952 (rectangular white label)” ( USNM).

Distribution. Known only from the type locality, Buru Island, Indonesia.

Notes. Korchefsky (1944) described this species from two specimens acquired from J. B. Corporaal, Zoologischen Museum, Amsterdam (ZMAN). The holotype was supposedly returned to the Amsterdam museum, but it is not listed in the online database on Coleoptera types from the Orient hosted by ZMAN (2010). The second specimen in the type series was retained in Korschefsky’s private collection which was later acquired by the USNM. The USNM specimen of S. buruensis is presumed to be the paratype. It agrees with the label data in the original description except that Korschefsky’s writeup transposes the L. and the J. (i.e. He wrote “J. L. Toxopeus”) and there appears to be a transcription error in the date which was written as “22—230 et., 1921.” Examination of the USNM specimen confirms our suspicion that the species is not correctly classified in Stictobura , but belongs instead in the genus Sticholotis ( Slipinski, 2004; Wang et al., 2010). Korschefsky stated that this species is closely related to S. gibbula (see preceding entry). Of the Neotropical members of the tribe Sticholotidini, S. buruensis is most similar to members of the genus Nexophallus Gordon (1969) , but differs in having an incomplete postcoxal line and tarsal claw lacking the small basal tooth.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 11. Stictobura spp.: 1. Stictobura pallideguttata (Mulsant); 2 – 6. S. semipolita Sicard; 7. S. melanaria (Weise); 8 – 10. Sticholotis gibbula Weise: 8. Dorsal view; 9. Frontal view; 10. Lateral view; 11. Sticholotis buruensis (Korschefsky): Frontal view.