Sticholotis Crotch

Xingmin Wang, Hermes E. Escalona, Shunxiang Ren & Chen Xiaosheng, 2017, Taxonomic review of the ladybird genus Sticholotis from China (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Zootaxa 4326 (1), pp. 1-72 : 5

Sticholotis Crotch

Sticholotis Crotch, 1874: 200 . Type species by original designation, Sticholotis substriata Crotch, 1874 ; Japan. Gymnoscymnus Blackburn, 1892: 241 . Type species by monotypy, Gymnoscymnus quadrimaculatus Blackburn, 1892 . Synonymized by Weise, 1908: 13.

Mesopilo Duverger, 2001: 95 . Type species by monotypy, Mesopilo soufrierensis Duverger, 2001 . Synonymized by Escalona & Ślipiński, 2010: 310.

Diagnosis. Body hemispherical, dorsum convex, shiny and glabrous. Head with supraorbital sulci. Clypeus distinctly emarginate around antennal insertions. Antennae with 10–11 antennomeres and antennal insertions exposed. Terminal maxillary palpomere elongate and conical, obliquely truncate apically ( Fig. 4 ). Terminal labial palpomere narrow and conical. Lateral margins of elytra distinctly expanded. Prosternal intercoxal process broadly quadrate or subpentagonal, narrowing posteriorly and carinate laterally. Epipleuron complete or almost complete. Abdomen with 5 ventrites, postcoxal lines incomplete and approaching posterior margin of ventrite 1.

Description. Eyes small and coarsely faceted, emarginate near antennal insertions ( Fig. 1 ). Antenna composed of 10–11 antennomeres ( Fig. 3 ). Antennal insertions exposed. Terminal maxillary palpomere elongate and conical, obliquely truncate apically ( Fig. 4 ). Terminal labial palpomere narrow and conical, distinctly narrower than penultimate palpomere ( Fig. 6 ).

Pronotum transverse, with complete and fine bordering line extending along basal margin, gradually reducing towards hind angles. Pronotal surface shining and glabrous. Pronotal margins visible from above. Scutellum very small, triangular. Elytra slightly wider at base than pronotum, elytral surface polished. Elytral margins explanate, visible from above. Wings often well-developed.

Prosternum short, prosternal process small, trapezoidal, anterior margin always emarginate, forming support for ventral side of head in repose ( Fig. 2 ). Mesoventral intercoxal process transverse, flat between coxae, anteriorly forming a cavity and receiving tip of prosternal process. Metaventrite with complete discrimen and postcoxal lines. Elytral epipleuron moderately broad with maximum width at metaventrite, narrowing posteriorly but complete or almost complete to apex, usually distinctly foveate to receive femoral tips of hind legs. Abdomen with 5 ventrites ( Fig. 8 ). Abdominal postcoxal lines incomplete laterally, not reaching the hind and lateral margins of ventrite 1. Legs moderately stout, tibiae not angulate along outer edges, apical spurs absent, tarsi 4-segmented ( Figs 9–10 ).

Male genitalia: tegmen symmetrical; tegminal basal piece with distinct strut and additional, dorsal strut-like projection often of nearly the same length; parameres well developed and sparsely setose apically; penis with basal capsule often reduced.

Female genitalia: coxities narrow and elongate; styli small, terminal or often absent; sclerotised spermatheca not observed.

Remarks. Ślipiński (2004) found that the five species of Australian of Sticholotis have antennae with 10 antennomeres and two species, S. culleni Ślipiński 2004 and S. cooloola Ślipiński 2004 , are wingless with a more compact body, this lead him to synonymized Nesolotis and Paranesolotis with Sticholotis . Wang et al. (2010) revalidated Nesolotis and Paranesolotis based on the very narrowly reflexed lateral margins of elytra, the narrow epipleuron distinctly foveate receiving tips of mid and hind femora, the strongly expanded front tibiae, and abdominal postcoxal line with an additional line.

Distribution. Oriental, The Pacific, Australia, Africa, The Antilles (introduced).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 10. Sticholotis punctata Crotch, 1874. (1) frontal view; (2) prothorax; (3) antenna; (4) maxilla; (5) labrum; (6) labium; (7) mandible; (8) abdomen; (9) front leg; (10) hind leg; Scale bars: 0.1 mm.