Synonyms
Serangium coxale Weise, 1923: 137.
Diagnosis
The species is characterized by the combination of the black convex dorsal surface, the relatively large eyes, the 9-segmented antennae, the 4-segmented tarsi, the lack of lateral grooves on abdominal ventrite 5 and a single row of setae along the elytral margin. From the externally similar species it can be reliably identified by the male genitalia.
Description
Length 1.5-1.7 mm. Pitch black dorsally, dark reddish brown ventrally; head above and femora brown, tibiae and tarsi dirty yellowish. Winged; body shape hemispherical; pronotal margins with very narrow rim, hardly visible from above; elytra with inconspicuous swelling near humeral edge; elytral margins with narrow rim, visible from above in anterior fifth. Head, pronotal and elytral surface shiny; head virtually impunctate above, finely punctate in front, covered in long sparse setae. Pronotum evenly covered in sparse fine punctures and long sparse setae. Scutellum elongate, triangular, flat, shiny, glabrous. Elytra impunctate with a few long setae in basal fifth and a row of evenly spaced setae along margin. Head with moderately large eyes, separated by 2.0 times eye width; flattened medially. Clypeus flat, long, straight anteriorly. Terminal maxillary palpomere broad, oval, obliquely truncate apically, terminal labial palpomere narrow and aciculate. Antenna 9-segmented, scape expanded apically, club elongate, inner margin concave, apex angular. Prosternum mat, surface weakly furrowed, sparsely setose; mesosternum shiny, impunctate; metasternum shiny, with each a group of fine punctures on either side of the middle in posterior half. Elytral epipleuron yellowish, broad, flat and perpendicular to elytron in anterior half, with some long setae, narrowing to a mere rim in apical half. Anterior margin of profemur almost straight, with small tubercle in the middle. Tarsus 4-segmented. Abdomen: ventrite 1 large, shiny and glabrous, ventrites 2-5 small, mat and bearing a few long setae. Last ventrite not grooved laterally.
Male
Male genitalia as figured.
Female
Externally identical to male.
Variation
Not observed.
Distribution and Biology
North Queensland.
Species References
Slipinski, A. and Burckhardt, D. 2006. Revision of the Australian Coccinellidae (Coccinellidae). Part 5. Tribe Serangiini. Annales Zoologici (Warszawa), 56(1): 37-58.
Weise, J. 1923. Results of Dr. E. Mjöbergís Swedish Scientific Expedition to Australia 1910-1913. 31. Chrysomeliden und Coccinelliden aus Queensland. Arkiv för Zoologi, 15: 1-150.
[ Top ]