Brachiacantha nubes Nestor-Arriola, Toledo-Hernandez & Solis, 2021

Nestor-Arriola, Jorge Ismael, Toledo-Hernandez, Victor Hugo, Solis, Angel, Gonzalez, Guillermo & Vetrovec, Jaroslav, 2021, The Brachiacantha Dejean, 1837 (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) of Central America, ZooKeys 1024, pp. 157-196 : 157

Brachiacantha nubes Nestor-Arriola, Toledo-Hernandez & Solis sp. nov. Figures 21-24

Holotype.

Male , pinned, with genitalia in a separate microvial. Original labels: "Est. Santa Elena, Viejo, Santa Elena, Las Nubes, Prov. San José, COSTA RICA, 1210 m, 23-28 Oct. 1995, col. E. Alfaro, L_S_371750_507800, #6385" ( MNCR).

Diagnosis.

Dorsal color pale orange with five black spots on each elytron, pronotum orange with a basal black macula covering more than the half of the pronotum.

Description.

Male holotype. Length 2.4 mm, width 2 mm; body rounded, convex. Dorsal color pale orange except pronotum with large black macula covering more than the half except the lateral and anterior margins and the middle line in the apical half until the center of the pronotal disk; scutellar shield black; each elytron with five black oval spots: sub-humeral spot large, scutellar spot over the elytral suture near the middle of the elytra, mid-lateral spot on the apical half of the elytra, discal spot on the apical half of the elytra, sub-apical spot over the elytral suture (Fig. 21 ). Ventral surface with head, prosternum, metaventrite and abdomen dark brown; legs, mouthparts and antennae yellow. Head punctures small, separated by 1½ their diameter, each puncture as large as an eye facet; pronotal punctures larger than head punctures, separated by 1½× their diameter; elytral punctures as large as head punctures, separated by 1½× their diameter; metaventral punctures larger than pronotal punctures, separated by their diameter. Clypeus emarginated. Prosternal carinae not examined. Protibia not flanged, basal tooth small. Basal abdominal ventrite without setal tuft. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite slightly flattened along posterior ventrite margin; ventrite with sparse, long pubescence and small, dense punctures. Ventrites IV-VI depressed and emarginated (Fig. 22 ). Ventrites II-VI pubescent throughout, punctures fine, dense; third ventrite with a tubercle on each side of central part. Genitalia with penis guide slightly shorter than parameres, symmetrical, sides slightly convergent, slightly wider before apex, apex truncate (Fig. 23 ); parameres curved, wide at base, narrowed to apex, apex acute, setae arising from the apex (Fig. 24 ). Penis not examined.

Female. Unknown.

Variation.

Unknown.

Etymology.

The name refers to the type location.

Type locality.

COSTA RICA, San José: Santa Elena de General Viejo, Las Nubes Biological Reserve Ecocampus ( Faculty of Environmental Studies , York University ), 9°23'08.05"N, 83°36'11.82"W .

Distribution.

Costa Rica.

Discussion.

This species is easily identifiable by its dorsal coloration. The only species it could be confused with is B. lepida ; however, the number and arrangement of elytral spots are different in these species as Brachiacantha nubes has more spots than Brachiacantha lepida .

Figures

Figures 21 - 24. Brachiacantha nubes sp. nov., male 21 Dorsal view 22 Abdomen 23 Tegmen, lateral view 24 Tegmen, concave side view.