Rhynchortalia insueta Crotch, 1987

Poorani, J. & Ślipiński, Adam, 2010, A review of Rhynchortalia Crotch (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Ortaliinae), Zootaxa 2423 (1), pp. 25-43 : 38-41

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2423.1.2
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5316512
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03D487A3-FFB7-377D-7DB3-4DB0438FFCED
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Rhynchortalia insueta Crotch
status

Treatment

9. Rhynchortalia insueta Crotch

( Figs. 11 View FIGURES 1–12 , 27 View FIGURES 18–29 , 68–72 View FIGURES 57–76 )

Rhynchortalia insueta Crotch, 1874: 278 (Type locality: Mysol, Waigiou; Lectotype female; UCCC).–Gordon, 1987: 33 (lectotype designation).

R. insulta: Korschefsky, 1931: 109 ; 1932: 625 (misspelt).

Diagnosis: Externally it is somewhat similar to R. riedeli sp. n., but smaller in size and the body outline is narrower with the elytra posteriorly more distinctly narrowed. The hypomeral shelf in the lectotype female of R. insueta approximates the anterior margin of the pronotum but not further anteriorly, while in R. riedeli the shelf clearly extends beyond the anterior margin. This species may also be distinguished by the smaller size and male genitalia ( Figs. 68-72 View FIGURES 57–76 ), particularly the penis with a long, narrowed apex.

Description: Length: 3.0 mm; width: 2.0 mm. Body ( Fig. 11 View FIGURES 1–12 ) oval, elytra narrowed towards apices in apical 1/3; dorsum moderately convex with dense silvery white pubescence. Head and pronotum bright yellow to yellowish brown, scutellum dark brown, elytra brilliant iridescent violet with testaceous apices. Antennae, mouthparts, prosternum, legs and abdomen yellow to yellowish brown, meso– and metaventrites dark brown, mesocoxae, trochanters and femora often infuscate to brown, metacoxae dark brown to black, trochanters and femora often darker brown; ventrite 1 of abdomen medially infuscate, postcoxal lines dark brown.

Head with shallow, fine and dense punctures separated by 1–2 diameters, interspaces weakly reticulate, gradually smoother or obsolete towards clypeal margin; eye with inner margin lenticulate or obtusely divergent below antennal insertion, weakly divergent posteriorly. Pronotum with fine, shallowly impressed punctures separated by 1–2 diameters, interspaces smooth and shiny. Elytra with distinct dual punctures, large punctures diffuse and widely spaced on disc, 2x as large as finer ones, finer punctures separated by 2–3 diameters on interstices, interspaces shiny; lateral sides with several distinctly coarser, denser and deeply impressed, crater–like punctures, lateral margins of elytra appear to be distinctly rough and pitted. Pronotal hypomeral shelf somewhat triangular, posterior margin extending to procoxal cavities, anterior margin barely or not projecting beyond anterior corner of pronotum. Mesoventrite with anterior margin barely emarginate. Abdominal postcoxal lines shallow, complete. Posterior margin of ventrite 5 in male ( Fig. 27 View FIGURES 18–29 ) shallowly emarginate, ventrite 6 with narrow but deep U–shaped notch, appearing two–pronged, heavily fringed with dense pubescence. Male genitalia ( Figs. 68–72 View FIGURES 57–76 ) with parameres much longer and broader than penis guide, penis guide less than 2/3 length of parameres, elongate and progressively narrowed to a conical apex in ventral view ( Fig. 69 View FIGURES 57–76 ); penis ( Fig. 70, 71 View FIGURES 57–76 ) apically long and narrowed.

Specimens Examined: Lectotype female: Type insueta Mysol / Lectotype Rhynchortalia insueta Crotch 1874 Gordon 1987 ( UCCC); Others : Papua New Guinea: New Guinea: NE: Baiyer Riv. Sanct., 1190m, 4– 6.VIII. 1982 / G.A. Samuelson, 1 male ( BPBM); Mt. Lamington, NE Papua, 1300 to 1500 ft., C.T. McNamara, 1 male, 1 female ( SAM); Daradae, nr. Javarere, Musgrove R., 100m? x.2.1958, 1 male / J.L. Gressitt ( BPBM); with same data except Sept. 4.1959 / T.C. Maa, 1 male ( BPBM); New Guinea: Neth., Vogelkop: Fak Fak, S. coast of Bomberai, 10–100m, VI.11.59, 1 female / J.L. Gressitt ( BPBM) .

Distribution: New Guinea.

Notes: This is the type species of the genus and is also the smallest. The male genitalia exhibit some intraspecific variation, i.e. the penis apex in some specimens being more elongate ( Figs. 70, 72 View FIGURES 57–76 ). The species name has been misspelled as ‘ insulta ’ in Korschefsky’s (1931) catalogue and the index ( Korschefsky, 1932: 625).