Prodilis volgus Mulsant

Gordon, Robert D. & Hanley, Guy A., 2017, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XVII: systematic revision of Western Hemisphere Cephaloscymnini (Coccinellinae) with description of a cryptic new genus and species of Coccidulini (Coccinellinae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (601), pp. 1-158 : 63

8. Prodilis volgus Mulsant

Prodilis (Polius) volgus Mulsant 1853: 147 .

Scymnus volgus: Crotch 1874: 271 ; Korschesky 1931: 167.

Cephaloscymnus bruchi Weise 1906: 198 ; Korschefsky 1931: 169; Blackwelder 1945; 445. New synonym.

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.0 mm, width 1.6 mm; body oval, elytron with side rounded, wider than pronotal base, widest at middle of elytra. Dorsal surface entirely shiny. Color greenish black ( Fig. 357 ); head reddish yellow with 2 small, brown macula between eyes, not seen in image ( Fig. 359 ); pronotum reddish yellow, central ½ brown; elytral lateral margin reddish brown antenna, mouthparts, legs yellow; prosternum pale reddish yellow; epipleuron, ventral surface dark reddish brown; abdomen with basal ventrite dark brown, remaining ventrites brownish yellow. Head punctures small, separated by less than twice a diameter; pronotal punctures as large as on head, separated by less than 3 times a diameter; elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by 1 to 3 times a diameter; prosternal punctures small, nearly absent; mesosternal punctures larger than on prosternum, separated by less than twice a diameter; metasternal punctures as large as on mesosternum, separated by less than 3 times a diameter; abdomen with punctures on ventrites 1–3 smaller than on metasternum, separated by less than 3 times a diameter, punctures on remaining ventrites smaller, separated by about a diameter. Head with frons slightly widened from vertex to clypeus, slightly wider than eye measured at vertex; eye canthus short; apical maxillary palpomere short, strongly widened from base to apex. Pronotum widest at middle, reflexed lateral margin wide, of equal width from base to apex. Epipleuron descending externally, wide in basal ½, wider than pronotal hypomeron. Prosternum longer than wide, longer than mesosternum, apical margin slightly arcuate, lateral carina wide, extended just anterior to coxa. Postcoxal line on ventrite 1 long, rounded, extended 3/4 distance to apical margin of ventrite ( Fig. 358 ). Apex of ventrite 5 slightly arcuate, nearly truncate. Genitalia with basal lobe slightly longer than paramere, slender, narrowed from base to deeply emarginate apex, apex curved downward; paramere slender, nearly straight, about equal in width from base to acute apex, without marginal serrations ( Fig. 360, 361 ); sipho slender, abruptly bent at apical 1/8 ( Fig. 362 ).

Female. Similar to male except head entirely reddish yellow, genitalia with spermathecal capsule short, pale, basal ½ large slightly larger than anterior ½, cornu not enlarged, apically rounded.

Variation. Length 1.8–2.1 mm, width 1.6 –1.8 mm. Male head sometimes without brown maculae, spacing of elytral punctures varies slightly.

Type locality. VENEZUELA: Caracas.

Type depository. BMNH.

Geographical distribution. Brazil, Venezuela.

Specimens examined. 5. BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro. ( BMNH).

Remarks. Prodilis volgus shares the same type of dorsal color pattern as some other species. Of these, P. erika and P. katrina possess distinctive male genitalia that distinguish them from P. volgus . Prodilis geneva has similar genitalia except that the parameral apex is rounded, not acute, but the most distinctive character is elytral punctation that is coarse, dense, punctures separated by a diameter or less in P. geneva , punctures small, separated by 1 to 3 times a diameter in P. volgus . In addition, P. volgus is slightly smaller than P. geneva . The type of Cephaloscymnus bruchi Weise matches that of P. volgus perfectly and is considered a junior synonym of that species.

Figures

Figures 351–368. Prodilis spp. 351–356) Prodilis claire 351) Habitus. 352) Basal abdominal ventrites. 353) Frons. 354) Phallobase ventral. 355) Phallobase lateral. 356) Sipho. 357–362) Prodilis volgus 357) Habitus. 358) Basal abdominal ventrites. 359) Frons. 360) Phallobase ventral. 361) Phallobase lateral. 362) Sipho. 363–368) Prodilis geneva 363) Habitus. 364) Basal abdominal ventrites. 365) Frons. 366) Phallobase ventral. 367) Phallobase lateral. 368) Sipho.