Cycloneda germainii (Crotch)

González, Guillermo & Vandenberg, Natalia J., 2006, Review of lady beetles in the Cycloneda germainii species complex (Coleoptera; Coccinellidae: Coccinellinae: Coccinellini) with descriptions of new and unusual species from Chile and surrounding countries, Zootaxa 1311, pp. 13-50 : 32-35

Cycloneda germainii (Crotch) new combination

( Figs. 1 D; 3 D; 4 I –L; 6 C; 8 D; 9 E; 10)

Coccinella germainii Crotch 1874: 106 ; Philippi 1887: 173.

Coccinella germaini: Weise 1906: 229 (incorrect subsequent spelling); Bosq 1952: 25 (index); Bréthes 1925: 152; Korschefsky 1932: 510; Blackwelder 1945: 454.

Coccinella germarini: Bosq 1952: 13 (typo).

Coccinellina germainii: Gordon 1987: 12 ; Vandenberg 2002 (transfer to Cycloneda ).

Cycloneda duplaris Berg 1899: 65 ; Bosq 1952: 25 (new synonym).

Coccinella duparis Bosq 1952: 25 (index) (typo).

Coccinella areata ab. duplaris: Korschefsky 1932: 510 ; Blackwelder 1945: 454.

Arrowella albilacus Brèthes 1925: 6 (new synonym).

Coccinella sicardi Brèthes 1925: 152 , in part (misidentification).

Diagnosis: Distinguished from other members of the genus by the combination of antenna composed of 10 antennomeres (Fig. 9 E), pronotum with an even cream­colored anterior and lateral border, and elytron with a pale subapical mark positioned relatively close to the apex ( Figs. 4 I –L). This species has most often been confused with C. sicardi , but can easily be distinguished by any one of the characters given above. Certain aberrations of C. eryngii are nearly indistinguishable in their elytral color pattern (e.g. Figs. 4 E vs. 4 I, 4 H vs. 4 L), but the latter species has 11 antennomeres, the lateral margin of the elytron more arcuate in dorsal view and, in profile ( Fig. 3 E), with the elytron more wedge shaped, broader in basal 1 / 4 than in apical 1 / 4. These two species also can be distinguished by subtle differences in the shape of the basal lobe of the male genitalia ( Fig. 6 C vs. 6 D), particularly in apical ½. Cycloneda germainii appears to be most closely related to C. patagonica but can be separated by the characters discussed in the diagnosis for the latter.

Description (Paralectotype male): Length 3.7 mm, width 2.4 mm. Form ovoid, moderately convex, feebly explanate, lateral margin weakly arcuate, appearing somewhat flattened in basal 2 / 3 beyond arc of humeral angle, apically tapered to blunt point; elytral, pronotal margins narrowly reflexed. Punctation on dorsal surfaces very fine, regular, with each puncture separated by 2.5 –4.0X its diameter; surface between punctures shiny, faintly reticulate on head, pronotum, with only faint trace of reticulation visible on elytron.

Dorsal color pattern as follows: Head cream­colored except for irregular blackish band at base beginning at upper 1 / 4 of eye, pair of small separated blackish spots nearly touching clypeal margin, with vertical row of brown stipples between each spot and base of head; eye dark with hint of silvery reflections; labrum dark brown. Pronotum predominantly black; anterior, lateral margins with even cream­colored band of little more than ½ diameter of eye. Scutellum black. Elytron with ground color ferrugineous yellow orange with deeply incised irregular black figure on disk configured as follows ( Fig. 4 J): base with broadly arcuate emargination; outer border with anteromedial wedge­shaped emargination, apical one fourth with semicircular emargination; inner border with small semielliptical emargination near midline; with semidetached dark brown spot near anterolateral edge of black figure, situated just below humeral bulge; additional narrow diffuse brown mark beginning at suture, following lateral margin less than 1 / 4 its distance; union of dark, light areas irregular, suffused, dark reddish brown; with 4 rounded creamcolored marks occupying medial half of basal emargination, entirely filling 3 posterior emarginations; union of dark, light areas irregular, narrowly ferrugineous, suffused. Each puncture of dorsal surfaces with pinpoint of light brown at center, visible only in areas with light to medium background coloration; double to triple staggered row of punctures at inner margin of sutural band, sparsely scattered row along lateral margin beginning just outside of humeral bulge with more pronounced pigmentation. Anterior, lateral margins of pronotum narrowly transparent to light amber, all margins of elytron dark amber.

Ground color of ventral surfaces dark brown; elytral epipleuron, pronotal hypomeron except for triangular area at inside of base light yellow orange to cream­colored; mesepimeron cream­colored; mouthparts, antenna light amber brown; apex of maxillary palps, last two antennomeres darker brown; leg dark brown, with coxa, tarsus, protibia, apex of meso, metatibiae light reddish brown. Ventral surfaces including appendages clothed in sparse decumbent silvery white pubescence; hairs fine, long.

Eyes finely facetted, separated by 2 ¼X eye diameter; inner orbits nearly parallel in lower half, diverging at upper level. Antenna of 10 antennomeres (Fig. 9 E), combined length slightly greater than distance between eyes; third antennomere elongate, about 1 ½X second, slightly shorter than third and fourth combined. Pronotum convex, lateral margin weakly reflexed at transparent border; pronotal outline with basal margin subsinuate, lateral margin strongly evenly arcuate, anterior margin subtrapezoidally emarginate, median part linear; anterior angles subtriangulate, projecting anteroventrally. Elytron somewhat elongate ( Figs. 4 I –L), in dorsal view with humeral angle rounded, very weakly arcuate beyond to about apical 1 / 3, broadest near middle or just beyond, tapered to rounded apex; outer margin weakly explanate; in lateral view ( Fig. 3 D) unevenly arcuate, dorsally somewhat flattened in anterior 2 / 3, more abruptly declivitous in posterior 1 / 3, of equal breadth at anterior, posterior 1 / 4; epipleuron approximately horizontal, very weakly ascending in anterior 1 / 3, descending near apex, weakly concave in medial half. Prosternum T­shaped, with median third of transverse basal piece convex, gradually becoming explanate in each lateral third; intercoxal process convex with fine superficial median sulcus along most of length. Mesosternum trapezoidal; anterior border approximately linear, with raised margin. Metasternum broad, with postmesocoxal line reaching lateral margin; shallowly transversely rugulose; discrimen present, distinct except for ends. Abdomen shortened semi­oval, broadest in anterior half of second ventrite; posterior margin of ventrites 1–4 linear, of 5 arcuately emarginate, 6 rounded at sides, flattened to very weakly arcuately emarginate at middle; postmetacoxal line of first abdominal ventrite curved posterolaterad, closely paralleling posterior margin for much of length, not attaining lateral margin. Tarsal claw with rectangular basal tooth.

Male genitalia as shown ( Fig. 6 C): basal lobe elongate, roughly parallel­sided in basal half, subapically slightly swollen with greatest width at apical one fourth; apex tapered, slightly attenuate; parameres slender, reaching three quarters distance to apex of basal lobe.

Female: Similar to male except larger on average; head black with irregular creamcolored patch on lower half adjacent to eye, including eye canthus. Abdomen with posterior margin of ventrite 5 linear, exposed portion of ventrite 6 very short, apically rounded. Female genitalia as in figure 8 D.

Variation: Length 3.3–4.3 mm. Elytral color pattern varies as shown ( Figs. 4 I –L).

Type material: Lectotype of C. germainii , designated by Gordon 1987 “ type [blue label]/ type chili, germ.” ( UCCC, specimen examined); 3 paralectotypes of C. germainii , 1 “ PARALECTOTYPE [circular label with blue border]/Cotype [obverse of circular label with yellow border] / Type / Chili / Germainii n.s. Crotch. [blue ink]/Fry Coll, 1905.100./ PARALECTOTYPE, Coccinella germainii Crotch , det. R. G. Booth, 1988,” 1 with same first and last label as preceding and additional labels “ 372 / 372 / Chili [blue circular label]/ 64.25 [on obverse of blue circular label]/ Germainii [Crotch's handwriting in pencil]/ Named by Crotch,” 1 with same first and last label as preceding and additional labels “ 372 / 372 / Chili [blue circular label]/ 64.25 [on obverse of blue circular label]/ Germainii [Crotch's handwriting in pencil]/ Named by Crotch” ( BMNH, specimens examined); lectotype of Cycloneda duplaris Berg , here designated to promote nomenclatural stability “ Typus [red print, red border]/Chub. Cordil., C. Burm. [handwritten]/II, duplaris Berg, 1899 [handwritten, green border]/FICHADO [handwritten, blue ink underlined in red],”( MBR, specimen examined); paralectotype of Cycloneda duplaris Berg , same locality ( MBR, specimen not examined) holotype of Arrowella albilacus Brèthes , “ type [round label]/ type!/Valle del Lago Blanco Patagonia, 1903.319 / Arrowella ? Albilacus Brethes ” ( BMNH, specimen examined)

Prey species: Bosq (1952) reported “ C. Germarini ” [sic] as occurring on “pulgones del duraznero” (=peach aphids) from Patagonia.

Remarks: Cycloneda duplaris ( Fig. 4 K) appears to be nothing more than a less common, dark morph of C. germainii which turns up occasionally in the more southern populations. Brèthes (1925) had two specimens of the dark morph from “Valle del Lago Blanco” Patagonia, one of which he designated as the type of A. albilacus , and the other he listed as an example of Coccinella sicardi . Charles Darwin collected a specimen in Santa Cruz, Patagonia, and additional specimens of the dark morph come from Rio San Julián, Argentina, and Puntas Arenas, Chile. Both Korschefsky (1932) and Blackwelder (1945) incorrectly placed A. albilacus and C. duplaris as aberrations of C. areata (treated here under the replacement name C. sicardi , below). Based on penned annotations in a copy of Crotch (1874) from the Smithsonian Entomology Library, Weise apparently concurred with the placement of C. duplaris under the species C. germainii . However, given the subtle differences that distinguish species in the Cycloneda germainii complex, our placement of C. duplaris in synonymy with C. germainii must be regarded as tentative. Some of the examples of this variety appear ever­so­slightly more elongate than the prevalent morph of C. germainii .

A single female specimen of C. germainii from Baños de Cauquenes ( Fig. 4 L) has a nearly identical elytral color pattern to examples of C. eryngii taken at the same locality ( Fig. 4 H). We do not believe this to be an example of C. eryngii with a reduction in the number of antennomeres, because the body form is that of C. germainii with the standard profile of that species ( Fig. 3 D) and the elytron narrower, less arcuate basally in dorsal view. The possibility remains that this specimen represents yet another undescribed species closely allied to C. germainii .

Summary of data from specimens examined (Map, Fig. 10): CHILE: COQUIMBO: Las Cabras, 1500 m [m.s.n.m], 6–31.I. 1963 (L. E. Pena), 1 specimen; Las Cabras, 16.I. 1956 (Cekalovic), 1 specimen; LIBERTADOR: B. [Baños] de Cauquenes, Rancagua, 1 specimens. BIOBÍO: Ñuble Prov, 1650 m [m.s.n.m], Shangrila, 75 km E. Chillan, 15–16.VII. 1976 (H. F. Howden), 1 specimen; Nuble, Las Trancas, 2.III. 1968 (Flint & Pena), 1 specimen; Pemehue, 1894 (Germain), 6 specimens; Laguna del Laja, Los Barros, 1900 m [m.s.n.m], 1 specimen; Cord [Cordillera] Chillan, 1899 (Germain), 3 specimens; ARAUCANIA: Tolhuaca, Curacautin, Malleco, 15,25. I. 1959 (L.E. Pena), 3 specimens; MAGALLANES: Punta Arenas, 1 specimen. ARGENTINA: RIO NEGRO: 7.II. 1961 (T. Cekalovic); NEUQUEN: San Martin de los Andes, 19.I. 1943 (Berry), 3 specimens; Confluencia de los rios Traful y Limay, 4.II. 1949 (F. Monros); Ao. Aucapan, 7 Km. S. Pilolil, 27.II. 1978 (C. M. &O. S. Flint, Jr.); CHUBUT: Epuyen [locality given as CHILE, Chubut, Epuyeu] 26.VIII. 1962 (A. Kovacs), 2 specimens; Epuyen [locality given as CHILE, Chubut, Epuyeu] 12.XI. 1962 (A. Kovacs), 2 specimens; Chubut Cordil. [La Cordillera de Chubut] II. 1899 (Carlos Burmeister), l specimen [type of duplaris Berg ]; SANTA CRUZ: “Sta. Cruz” (C. Darwin), 1 specimen; Rio San Julián, 21.II. 1980 (Fidalgo Willink, Claps Dominguez), 1 specimen; El Bolson, 3.I. 1959 (A. Kovacs), 1 specimen; Valle del Lago Blanco, 2 specimens. ( AMNH, BMNH, GGPC, MNHN, UCCC, USNM)

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus views of Cycloneda species: A, C. lacrimosa González & Vandenberg, new species, male, paratype (3.0 mm); B, C. disconsolata Vandenberg & González, new species, female, holotype (3.3 mm); C, C. patagonica González & Vandenberg, new species, paratype (3.0 mm); D, C. germainii (Crotch), female, common form (3.5 mm).

FIGURE 3. Morphology of Cycloneda species. Lateral views of bodies (elytral length standardized to facilitate comparison), A – G: A, C. lacrimosa González & Vandenberg, new species, paratype; B, C. disconsolata Vandenberg & González, new species, holotype; C, C. patagonica González & Vandenberg, new species, paratype; D, Cycloneda germainii (Crotch), representative specimen; E, C. eryngii (Mulsant), representative specimen; F, C. sicardi (Brèthes), specimen from Salta; G, C. boliviana (Mulsant), holotype. Pronotal dorsofrontal views, H – L: H, C. lacrimosa González & Vandenberg, new species, paratype; I, C. boliviana (Mulsant), holotype; J, C. sicardi (Brèthes), specimen from El Rincón, Catamarca; K, C. sicardi (Brèthes), specimen from Tacuil, Salta; L, C. sicardi (Brèthes), common aberration in much of range.

FIGURE 4. Elytral color patterns of Cycloneda species, left elytron: A – H, C. eryngii (Mulsant) (A – C, with reduced or broken maculae: A, from Rio Bueno, Valdivia; B, from San Pedro de Atacama; C, from Osorno; D – F, common aberrations; G, with confluent markings from Santiago; H, tricolored aberration from Baños de Cauquenes, Rancagua); I – L, C. germainii (Crotch) (I, with reduced markings from San Martin de los Andes, Neuquen; J, common aberration; K, melanic form, type of C. duplaris Berg; L, form with disconnected maculae, from Baños de Cauquenes, Rancagua); M – N, C. lacrimosa González & Vandenberg, new species, common aberrations; O – P, C. disconsolata Vandenberg & González, new species (O, paratype; P, holotype).