Tiphysa Mulsant, 1850:517

Milléo, Julianne & de Almeida, Lúcia Massutti, 2003, Revision of the Genus Tiphysa Mulsant (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae, Hyperaspidinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 57 (3), pp. 274-280 : 274-279

Tiphysa Mulsant, 1850:517 ; Crotch 1874:210; Chapuis 1876:228, 232–233; Korschef-

sky 1931:208; Blackwelder 1945:449; Gordon 1987:26; Fürsch 1989:6, 20;

1990:4, 17, 62, 63; Duverger 1989:146.

Type-species. Tiphysa plumbea Mulsant, 1850 by monotypy.

Redescription. Body oval, convex ( Figs. 1, 2 ). Eyes finely faceted and glabrous, emarginate near antennal insertions ( Fig. 3 ). Antennal insertions visible. Antennae short, composed of eleven antennomeres; scape twice as long as wide; with slight lateral lobe; pedicel quadrangular; antennomeres 3–8 slender, 9–10 longer; 11 conical ( Fig. 4 ). Clypeus with apical margin arcuate and lateral margins rounded, short and projected ( Fig. 3 ). Labrum rectangular in shape ( Fig. 5 ). Mandible asymmetrical, large and robust, strongly sclerotized; with incisor teeth, apical and subapical, with pointed median molar ( Fig. 6 ). Maxillae sclerotized; palpomere 4 securiform with sides that diverge strongly ( Fig. 7 ). Labium having anterior margin of ligula densely covered with small spines, having ventral median portion of ligula with several long bristles; each labial palp with basal articles shorter, and the last narrower in the distal region. Mentum

1 Contribution n°. 2000, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Parana´.

274

cordiform, with rounded apical projections; prementum truncate, with long bristles in median region between palps ( Fig. 8 ). Pronotum transverse; prosternal carinae convergent and finishing together at base of prosternum; prosternal process with nearly parallel sides ( Fig. 9 ). Metendosternite quadrangular, with straight lateral borders and

276 11) wing; 12) epipleuron; 13) anterior leg; 14) tarsus; 15) abdomen male; 16) abdomen female.

very shallow V-shaped anterior border, with anterior arms nearly straight apically ( Fig. 10 ). Wings with reduced alar venation; first and second anal veins and Ea, Eb and P evident ( Fig. 11 ). Elytra oval with raised humeral callosity and with lateral margin not flattened ( Figs. 1, 2 ); epipleuron with strong excavation to receive apex of medium and posterior femur ( Fig. 12 ). Femur robust and deeply excavated to receive tibia. Anterior tibia thin and strongly excavated to receive tarsus ( Fig. 13 ). Second tarsomere triangular in ventral view; tarsal claw appendiculate ( Fig. 14 ). Abdomen with 278 incomplete post-coxal lines on the first visible sternite; seven visible segments present in the male, six in the female ( Figs. 15, 16 ). Male genitalia: Median lobe asymmetrical, parameres longer than median lobe. Sipho strongly sclerotized, curved. Female genitalia: Spermatheca alantoid; infundibulum present; coxites wide with slender bristles, without stylus.

Type Material. The lectotype and paratype ( Gordon 1987) were studied, and are located at the University Museum of Zoology , Cambridge University, Cambridge, England .

Remarks. The genus Tiphysa was included in the tribe Hyperaspini (¼ Hyperaspidini ) by Duverger (1989) because of the rounded spermatheca and absence of infundibulum, but it was a mistake. We transferred here Tiphysa to Brachiacanthini, together with Brachiacantha Chevrolat in Dejean, 1837, Hinda Mulsant, 1850 and Cyra Mulsant, 1850 . Tiphysa together with the other genera of Brachiacanthini, has integument glabrous; eyes emarginate near antennal insertions; eleven antennomeres; 4° maxillary palpomere securiform; 2° tarsomere triangular; six abdominal segments visible on female and seven in male; spermatheca alantoid and infundibulum present. It differs from Brachiacantha by presence of a sharp spine on

1874 (lectotype).

anterior tibia; and from Hinda by the strongly serrated anterior border of tibia (Almeida and Milléo 1999) and from Cyra by the thin unornamented tibia without ornamentation ( Milléo et al. 1997). Tiphysa is similar to Thalassa Mulsant, 1850 of the tribe Hyperaspidini , in both color and size, but differs from Thalassa in the more rounded body; the absence of emargination of the eyes; shape of anterior tibia; male and female with six abdominal segments; spermatheca globular and absence of infundibulum.

Figures

Figs. 1–8. Tiphysa plumbea Mulsant, 1850. 1) Dorsal view; 2) lateral view; 3) head, frontal view; 4) antenna; 5) labrum; 6) mandibles; 7) maxilla; 8) labium.

Figs. 9–16. Tiphysa plumbea Mulsant, 1850. 9) Prosternal process; 10) metendosternite;