Cryptognatha gemellata Mulsant

F, Guillermo González, Hanley, Guy A. & Gordon, Robert D., 2019, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XIX: Overview of Cryptognathini and systematic revision of South American Cryptognatha Mulsant, Insecta Mundi 714 (714), pp. 1-32 : 8-9

3. Cryptognatha gemellata Mulsant

Cryptognatha gemellata Mulsant 1850: 498 ; Crotch 1874: 206; Korschefsky 1931: 219; Blackwelder 1945: 449; Gordon 1971: 183, 1987: 26.

Cryptognatha simillima Sicard 1929: 519 ; Korschefsky 1931: 219; Blackwelder 1945: 449. New synonym.

Description. Male. Length 2.6 mm, width 2.4 mm. Dorsal surface entirely shiny. Color yellow ( Fig. 15 ); pronotum with 7 pale brown spots, 2 on disc, 5 along posterior margin, median spot elongate, spot lateral of middle large, irregular, outer spot small, round; elytron with 3 brown spots and an additional spot on sutural margin on disc narrowly continued to apex, 1 slender, elongate spot medially in anterior 1/2, 1 large humeral spot in anterior 1/2, single large, irregular spot on apical declivity ( Fig. 15 ). Head without punctures; pronotal punctures small, separated by less than a diameter; elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by less than a diameter to twice a diameter; prosternal punctures small, separated by less than a diameter; meso- and metasternal punctures large, separated by a diameter or less on mesosternum, widely separated on median 1/3 of metasternum, lateral 1/3 without punctures; basal abdominal ventrite with coarse punctures separated by about a diameter medially, lateral 1/3 of ventrite and ventrites 2–4 lacking punctation, ventrite 5 with dense, fine punctation. Head with frons parallel-sided, medially depressed, twice as wide as eye, apex truncate medially, lateral 1/8 slightly retracted, angle acute ( Fig. 16 ); eye canthus long, about 1/2 width of eye. Prosternum with lateral carina on each side extended from apex of intercoxal process nearly to midpoint of prosternum. Epipleuron strongly descending externally. Postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite evenly curved, extended 3/4 distance to rear margin of ventrite. Genitalia long, penis guide nearly as long as paramere, parallel-sided with apical 1/8 narrowed to rounded apex; paramere slender, parallel-sided, apex rounded ( Fig. 18, 19 ); penis slender, equal in width throughout, apex acute ( Fig. 20 ).

Female. Similar to male except head weakly depressed, apical 1/2 of frons obscurely brown; genitalia with capsule wide, evenly curved from wide ramus to abruptly rounded apex of cornu ( Fig. 17 ).

Variation. Length 1.8 to 2.7 mm, width 1.5 to 2.0 mm. Elytral spots with tendency to unite, sometimes with anterior 3 spots partially fused or with spots united to form a single large spot. Sometimes sutural spot pale brown.

Type locality. C. gemellata , Mexico? ( Mulsant, 1850, questioned the country of origin.); of C. simillima , Trinidad.

Type material. C. gemellata and C. simillima , PMNH. Not examined.

Geographical distribution. Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Trinidad.

Specimens examined. 31. Widely distributed in Colombia. Brazil. Bonito Province. Peru. Amazonas, Pedro Ruiz; Loreto, Padre Isla. Trinidad. Blanchisseuse; Maracas; Mayaro; Morne Bleu; St. Augustine; Tunapuna.

Remarks. Cryptognatha gemellata has a distinctive color pattern, although spots of that pattern tend to fuse, creating some confusion. This is another species of the auriculata group.

Cryptognatha simillima Sicard was described from Trinidad and considered a synonym of C. gemellata by Chapin (label data), an opinion agreed upon here.

Figures

Figures 1–20. Cryptognatha spp. 1–7) Cryptognatha auriculata. 1) Habitus. 2) Frons. 3) Proleg. 4) Phallobase ventral. 5) Phallobase lateral. 6) Penis. 7) Genital plates. 8–14) Cryptognatha nodiceps. 8) Habitus. 9) Frons. 10) Proleg. 11) Phallobase ventral. 12) Phallobase lateral. 13) Penis. 14) Spermathecal capsule. 15–20) Cryptognatha gemellata. 15) Habitus. 16) Frons. 17) Spermathecal capsule. 18) Phallobase ventral. 19) Phallobase lateral. 20) Penis.