Plotina versicolor Lewis, 1896

Wang, Xingmin, Ren, Shunxiang & Chen, Xiaosheng, 2011, The genus Plotina Lewis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), with descriptions of four new species from China, Zootaxa 2801, pp. 57-68 : 62-63

Plotina versicolor Lewis, 1896

(Figs. 24–26, 45–49)

Plotina versicolor Lewis, 1896: 35 ; Mader, 1931: 200–201; 1955: 822; Nakane, 1963: 209; Miyatake, 1969: 200 –202; Sasaji, 1971: 66 –68.

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from other Plotina by the pronotum with a large transverse long basal spot and the unique dorsal color pattern (Fig. 24). The male and female genitalia are also diagnostic (Figs. 45–49).

Description. TL: 2.25–2.67mm, TW: 1.67–2.08mm, TH: 0.83–1.17mm, TL/TW: 1.28–1.34; PL/PW: 0.48– 0.50; EL/EW: 1.06–1.08.

Head yellow brown with eyes silver gray. Pronotum yellow brown, with a large transverse long basal spot. Scutellum red brown. Ground color of elytra yellow brown, with two large white–yellow spots at base and apex, and elytra with dark spots arranged as Figs.24-25, humeral spot rounded, relatively large, touching basal margin, central spot longitudinal oval, indistinctly bordered; discal and lateral spots very elongate, discal spot large, lateral spot shorter; preapical spot nearly round, situated on suture; apical spot round and small. Underside yellow brown, meso– and metasterna slightly darker. Legs yellow brown.

Body medium, broadly oval, moderately convex, shining and glabrous (Figs. 24–26). Head comparatively small, width 0.40X elytral width (HW/EW=2.53); punctures on frons large, separated by 0.2–0.5X their diameter; eyes small, widest interocular distance 0.63X width of head (Fig. 26). Pronotum 0.65X elytral width (PW/EW=1: 1.53), pronotal punctures fine, similar to those on head, separated by 0.5–1.0X their diameter. Punctures on elytra slighter larger than those on head, separated by 0.3–1.0X their diameter. Surface of prosternum with very fine and sparse punctures, with several hairs. Mesosternum smooth, with sparse, long pubescence. Punctures on metasternum fine, separated by 2.0–4.0X their diameter, with short setae in punctures.

Male genitalia: Penis long, slender, penis capsule with a short outer process and a long thin inner one, apex simple, pointed (Fig. 45); penis guide in lateral view short and stout, apex pointed (Fig. 46); parameres short, sparsely setose at apex, distinctly longer than penis guide; penis guide in ventral view stout, widest at basal 2/5, slightly narrowed at base, apex rounded (Fig. 47).

Female genitalia: Coxites elongate, 4.0X as long as wide, tapering to blunt apices, outer and inner margins subtruncate, each with several long terminal setae (Fig. 49); spermatheca with a moderately large nodulus and a slen- der cornu, nodulus 2.5X as thick as cornu and about half as long (Fig. 48).

Specimens examined. China. Anhui: 2 males, 3 females, Huangshan, 31.vii.2005, Qin ZQ leg.

Distribution. China (Anhui), Japan.