Synonyms
Microweiseini Leng, 1920: 213.
Diagnosis
Body minute (1-3 mm), moderately convex with head in repose partially withdrawn into prothorax or, rarely, deflexed and fitting closely under prosternum; dorsum usually smooth, sometimes with uniform dorsal vestiture. Head ventrally flattened, often with clypeal and frontal regions prominent anteriorly; clypeus deeply emarginate around exposed antennal insertions, ventral side with short antennal groove accommodating scape and pedicel along inner margin of eye. Mandible small, triangular with single apical tooth and reduced mola, without sclerotised molar teeth; maxillary palp long and geniculate, terminal palpomere elongate and conical; labial palps slender, narrowly separated at base and inserted on distal end of prementum. Antenna 7- to 10-segmented with distinct 1-3-segmented club. Pronotum almost always with distinct line or ridge separating anterior corners from the pronotal disc. Prosternum almost always variously lobed in front of coxa, rarely lobe located below anterior prosternal margin or entirely absent; prosternal process moderately broad, completely separating procoxae. Winged or wingless; wing with greatly reduced venation, never with anal lobe. Elytral punctures irregular, sometimes coarse; epipleuron narrow usually incomplete apically, without cavities; lateral part of elytron without lateral carina. Tarsi 3- or 4-segmented. Abdomen with 5-6 ventrites; ventrite 1 distinctly longer than 2. Postcoxal line at abdominal ventrite 1 incomplete, usually with associated oblique dividing line, pits and pores. Tegmen asymmetrical, parameres short to reduced with one or more setae apically. Ovipositor elongate-triangular, lightly sclerotised and bearing short styli; spermatheca small and well sclerotised.
Distribution and Biology
Pantropical, with most of the species described from New World and South Africa. One genus is known from Australia. Very little is known about the biology of these beetles but all members are apparently scale feeders with diaspidid scales being their main hosts.
Tribe References
Leng, C. W. 1920. Catalogue of the Coleoptera of America, North of Mexico. John D. Sherman, Jr., Mount Vernon, New York. 470 pp.
Gordon, R D. 1977. Classification and phylogeny of the New World Sticholotidinae (Coccinellidae). Coleopterists Bulletin, 31(3): 185-228.
Slipinski, S.A. 2007. Australian Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) their biology and classification. ABRS, Canberra. 286 pp.
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