Synonyms
Scymnomorphus fulvus Slipinski and Tomaszewska, 2005: 382.
Diagnosis
This species is easily distinguished from all known species of Scymnomorphus because of its peculiar glandular openings located at the middle of abdominal ventrite 5 in males.
Description
Length 1.0-1.1 mm. Winged; form elongate oval weakly convex; surfaces distinctly setose with setae mostly erect and pointing in various directions. Yellowish or yellowish-brown; head and pronotum rarely slightly darker than elytra or pronotum with darker markings laterally near base; ventral side testaceous; clypeus, labrum and appendages yellow. Surfaces between punctures highly polished and strongly shiny. Head flat, regularly punctate, punctures 2 diameters apart, each puncture as large as an eye facet and bearing a short curved seta. Clypeus prominent, weakly arcuate anteriorly. Eyes large, coarsely facetted, dorsally separated by about 2-2.5 times width of an eye. Antenna 10-segmented with narrow 2-segmented club. Pronotum widest at base and distinctly narrowing anteriorly; pronotal margins very narrow and hardly visible from above; anterolateral line indistinct, obliterated by coarse punctures, very close to the anterior angle and joining lateral margin. Disc convex, coarsely punctate, punctures as large as those on frons, 2-3 diameters apart, laterally punctures becoming coarser and denser. Scutellum triangular, small, glabrous. Elytron shiny, sparsely and coarsely punctate, punctures dual and mostly in regular rows; large punctures form rows and each puncture bears long and erect seta, with smaller punctures along intervals less regular and bearing short and weakly erect setae. Elytral margins narrow, visible from above at basal 2/3 only. Lateral part with epipleural carina distinctly separated from margin, forming double, thickened border of epipleuron and extending to a level of abdominal ventrite 3. Abdomen: postcoxal line of first ventrite incomplete, not reaching lateral margin.
Male
Abdominal ventrite 5 with admedian glandular openings. Male genitalia: tegmen 1.5 times and median lobe 1.7 times as long as abdomen; trabes as long as basal piece; parameres strongly reduced, each with single moderately long seta at apex.
Female
Not externally different from male except for the abdominal ventrite 5 without admedian gland openings.
Variation
Not observed.
Distribution and Biology
Known from costal areas of central and northern Queensland. Adults have been collected in flight intercept traps. The larva is unknown. Click on map for larger version (use the bowser 'back arrow' to return to this page).
Species References
Slipinski, A, Tomaszewska, W. 2005. Revision of the Australian Coccinellidae (Coleoptera). Part 3. Tribe Sukunahikonini. Australian Journal of Entomology, 44: 369-384.
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