Dilatitibialis carolinae (Crotch) Canepari & Gordon & Hanley, 2013

Canepari, Claudio, Gordon, Robert D. & Hanley, Guy A., 2013, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XV: systematic revision of Dilatitibialis Duverger (Coccidulinae; Hyperaspidini), Insecta Mundi 2013 (312), pp. 1-91 : 24-25

14. Dilatitibialis carolinae (Crotch) , new combination

Hyperaspis carolinae Crotch, 1874: 220 ; Korschefsky 1931: 186; Blackwelder 1945: 446; Gordon 1987: 27. Cleothera boliviana Weise, 1910 a: 52 . (NEW SYNONYM).

Hyperaspis boliviana: Korschefsky 1931: 185 ; Blackwelder 1945: 446.

Description. Male. Length 2.6 mm, width 2.2 mm; body rounded, slightly elongate, convex. Dorsal surface shiny, lacking alutaceous sculpture. Color yellow except pronotum with 5 small, triangular black spots, 2 narrowly separated spots at middle, 1 basal spot at middle anterior to scutellum, and a basal spot on each side of middle; elytron narrowly bordered with brown on sutural, lateral and apical margins, sutural border widened on anterior portion of disc, surface with 6 discrete brown spots ( Fig. 74 ); ventral surface with prosternum, meso- and metaventrites dark brown; abdomen dark brown medially, paler reddish brown in lateral 1/3. Head punctures small, separated by about a diameter, each puncture as large as 1-2 eye facets; pronotal punctures slightly larger than head punctures, separated by less than to twice a diameter; elytral punctures as large as on pronotum, separated by 1-3 times a diameter; metaventral punctures slightly larger than on abdomen medially, separated by about a diameter, larger and separated by less than a diameter toward lateral margin. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, lateral angle rounded, surface with sparse, long pubescence. Eye canthus about 6 eye facets long, angled forward, apically rounded, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal and anterior angles abrupt, lateral margin slightly rounded, basal margin without trace of bordering line. Epipleuron narrow, grooved, slightly descending externally, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia strongly flanged, flange slightly wider than remainder of protibia, outer margin rounded, smooth, sponda not extended beyond protibial flange. Carinae on prosternal process widely separated at apex, convergent toward base, joined at basal 1/3 with single carina extended to basal margin of prosternum. Metaventrite with setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite without setal tuft. Abdomen with primary pores laterally between ventrites 4- 5 large, extended under apical 1/2 of 4th ventrite; postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite rounded, slightly flattened along posterior ventrite margin, weakly extended forward, ventrite with sparse, long pubescence and small, sparse punctures; ventrites 2-4 pubescent throughout, punctures small, dense, becoming denser toward lateral margin; 5th ventrite depressed by primary pore laterally, without tubercle on each side of middle, apical margin broadly emarginate, surface weakly punctate; 6th ventrite short, narrow, not depressed medially, apical margin broadly emarginate, sparsely pubescent on each side of median depression, lateral angle rounded, surface feebly punctured. Apical tergite coarsely, densely punctured, pubescent, apex rounded. Genitalia with basal lobe as long as paramere, sides nearly parallel, slightly narrowed in apical 1/6; paramere Psc, dorsal surface strongly raised, apex with ventral margin slightly projecting apically ( Fig. 75, 76 ); sipho robust, curved in basal 1/2, inner arm slender, uneven, apex obliquely truncate, outer arm wider and slightly longer than inner arm, base weakly emarginate ( Fig. 77, 78 ).

Female. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule long, slender, widened from base to apex, cornu weakly widened at apex; bursal cap narrowly oval, without sclerotized arms, apical strut long, slender, apex flattened in lateral view ( Fig. 79 ).

Variation. Length 2.0 to 2.7 mm, width 1.7 to 2.4 mm. Dorsal spots vary from brown to nearly black, and the pronotum often has a small, additional spot near lateral margin; elytron may have 7 dark spots, the additional spot a result of median lateral spot dividing into 2 parts, elytron may also have the humeral and posterior 3 spots fused, and posterior 2 spots fused, forming 2 irregular, dark brown spots as seen in 3 specimens from AM, Tapuruquara , Brazil .

Type locality. Of carolinae , ( Brazil), Bahia; of boliviana , Bolivia, Mapiri (lectotype here designated). Type depository. Of carolinae, UMZC (lectotype designated by Gordon 1987); of boliviana, ZMHB (lectotype here designated).

Geographical distribution. Brazil, Peru, Trinidad, Venezuela.

Specimens examined. 37. Brazil. “Amazona.”; AM, Tapuruquara ; Corumba ; Faz. Aceiro , Jatai, Goiás ; Marra do Tapirapé , Mato Grosso ; Mato Grosso; Rib. Vaozinho, GO ; Santarem ; Tapuruquara, Rio Negro , AM ; Utiariti, Rio Papagaio , Mt . Peru. Avispos , Dept. Madre de Dios ; Loreto, Almendra , 100m. ; Satipo . Trinidad. “Trinidad.” Venezuela. Territ. Amazonas, Upper Cunucunuma. ( BMNH) ( CMNH) ( DZUP) ( GGC) ( UMZC) ( USNM) ( ZMHB) .

Remarks. This is a widespread, variable species recognized by the unique elytral spot patterns. Specimens from Brazil tend to be smaller on average than those from Peru and Venezuela.

Crotch (1874) described H. carolinae on page 220, then used the same name again on page 223 for species currently placed in Cyra . Harold (1875) provided a replacement name, crotchi, for the homonym on page 223.

Type specimen comparison showed that Cleothera boliviana Weise and Hyperaspis carolinae are conspecific. A male specimen in the ZMHB labeled “Mapiri, Bolivia (green paper, handwritten)/ Cleothera boliviana m. (handwritten)/ SYNTYPUS Cleothera boliviana Weise, 1910 labeled by MNHUB 2004.” is designated the lectotype, and 2 specimens bearing identical labels are designated paralectotypes.

Figures

Figures 67-85. 67-73) Dilatitibialis suzannae. 67) Habitus. 68) protibia. 69) Phallobase ventral. 70) Phallobase lateral. 71) Enlarged siphonal apex. 72) Sipho. 73) Female genitalia. 74-79) Dilatitibialis carolinae. 74) Habitus. 75) Phallobase ventral. 76) Phallobase lateral. 77) Enlarged siphonal apex. 78) Sipho. 79) Female genitalia. 80-85) Dilatitibialis annie. 80) Habitus. 81) protibia. 82) Phallobase ventral. 83) Phallobase lateral. 84) Enlarged siphonal apex. 85) Sipho.