Cyrea brittany Canepari and Gordon, 2016

Canepari, Claudio, Gordon, Robert D. & Hanley, Guy A., 2016, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XVII: Systematic revision of the genera Cyrea Gordon and Canepari and Tiphysa Mulsant (Hyperaspidinae: Brachiacanthini), Insecta Mundi 2016 (486), pp. 1-180 : 33-34

18. Cyrea brittany Canepari and Gordon , new species

Description. Male holotype. Length 2.6 mm, width 2.2 mm; body rounded, convex. Dorsal surface with head alutaceous, dull, pronotum and elytron smooth, shiny. Color yellow except pronotum with 5 dark brown maculae, basomedian macula short, wide, extended about 1/5 distance to apical pronotal margin, anterior margin of macula sinuate, 1 triangular spot present on each side of middle of pronotum, 1 small, oval spot present medially near lateral pronotal margin; elytron with brown sutural border from scutellum to apex, border widened anterior to middle, 5 brown spots present, humeral spot small, irregularly triangular, discal spot small, elongate, curved, an inside out comma shape, 2 elongate oval spots on apical declivity ( Fig. 96 ); ventral surface with head, anterior and median portions of prosternum, meso- and metaventrites black; abdomen yellow except median 2/3 of ventrites 1-4 dark brown. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less, each puncture as large as an eye facet; pronotal punctures larger than head punctures, separated by less than to about a diameter, elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by less than to about a diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytron, separated by less than a diameter, larger in lateral 2/3. Clypeus 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 curved, basal margin without trace of bordering line medially. Epipleuron wide, grooved, descending externally, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia with narrow oblique angle, outer margin arcuate, smooth, sponda extended beyond angle. Carinae on prosternal process widely separated at apex, convergent, not joined, ended just anterior to middle of prosternum. Metaventrite with setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite with setal tuft. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite flattened along posterior ventrite margin, extended forward at apex, ventrite with sparse, long pubescence and coarse punctures medially, punctures becoming denser laterally; ventrites 2-6 pubescent throughout, punctures fine, sparse medially, becoming denser laterally; 5th ventrite depressed in median 1/3, apex emarginate; 6th ventrite deeply depressed medially, apex shallowly emarginate with lateral angle abruptly rounded. Apical tergite finely, densely punctured, apex weakly emarginate. Genitalia with basal lobe slender, about 3/4 as long as paramere, asymmetrical, sides slightly convergent from base to apex, weakly notched on one side just before apex, apex rounded; paramere Pav, widened from base to obliquely rounded apex, upper margin with shallow, median emargination and large, sclerotized projection, or “ear” slightly posterior to apex ( Fig. 97.98 ); sipho strongly curved in basal 2/3, without visible alae, basal capsule with inner arm long, wide, apex rounded, outer arm about as wide and as long as inner arm, with accessory piece, basal border distinctly emarginate ( Fig. 99, 100 ).

Female. Similar to male except head with small, oval, median brown spot on clypeus and apex of frons. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule short, slender; bursal cap oval, with 2 weakly sclerotized arms, apical strut short, wide, apically curved ( Fig. 101 ).

Variation. Length 2.4 to 3.9 mm, width 2.0 to 2.4 mm. Pronotal and elytral spots slightly variable in size.

Type material. Holotype male; Colombia, Cnd , nr Gacheta, 20.II.42, altitude 1900 m, Murillo No 5509. ( USNM) . Paratypes; 7, 1, same data as holotype ( USNM) ; 3, Colombia, Guasca-Gacheta , Feb 20' 42, Puente Licio ( USNM) ; 1, Colombia, Cnd , Cáqueza, 8-XII-‘40, Murillo No 5436 ( USNM) ; 2, Colombia, Monterredondo , Cundinarca, 16.7, Kolomb., 1400 m, leg. Schneble 1961 ( USNM) .

Geographical distribution. Colombia.

Remarks. This species and C. holly have many similarities in spite of a seemingly wide disparity in distribution. However, C. brittany is distinguished from C. holly by incomplete prosternal carinae that are complete and connected to the basal prosternal margin by a single carina in C. holly . Male genitalia of these two species are nearly identical, and the dorsal color pattern is also very similar.

Figures

Figures 83-101. Cyrea spp. 83-88) Cyrea melanie. 83) Habitus. 84) Proleg. 85) Phallobase ventral. 86) Phallobase lateral. 87) Sipho. 88) Enlarged siphonal apex. 89-95) Cyrea holly. 89) Habitus. 90) Proleg. 91) Phallobase ventral. 92) Phallobase lateral. 93) Sipho. 94) Enlarged siphonal apex. 95) Female genitalia. 96-101) Cyrea brittany. 96) Habitus. 97) Phallobase ventral. 98) Phallobase lateral. 99) Sipho. 100) Enlarged siphonal apex. 101) Female bursal cap, apical strut, and spermathecal capsule.