Research Article |
Corresponding author: Jorge Ismael Nestor-Arriola ( jorge.nestorarr@uaem.edu.mx ) Academic editor: Janakiraman Poorani
© 2021 Jorge Ismael Nestor-Arriola, Víctor Hugo Toledo-Hernández, Ángel Solís, Guillermo González, Jaroslav Větrovec.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Nestor-Arriola JI, Toledo-Hernández VH, Solís A, González G, Větrovec J (2021) The Brachiacantha Dejean, 1837 (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) of Central America. ZooKeys 1024: 157-196. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1024.56927
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A revision of the Central American species of the genus Brachiacantha was undertaken to update the knowledge of the Central American species of the genus. Material of several collections was reviewed, using original descriptions and keys, and comparing with the type material. Twenty-five species of the genus Brachiacantha were found in Central American material, including nine new species: B. nubes Nestor-Arriola, Toledo-Hernández and Solís, sp. nov., B. dentata Nestor-Arriola, Toledo-Hernández and Solís, sp. nov., B. isthmena Nestor-Arriola, Toledo-Hernández and Solís, sp. nov., B. aurantiapleura Nestor-Arriola, Solís and Toledo-Hernández, sp. nov., B. invertita Nestor-Arriola, Toledo-Hernández and Solís, sp. nov., B. papiliona Nestor-Arriola, Toledo-Hernández and Solís, sp. nov., B. tica Nestor-Arriola, Toledo-Hernández and Solís, sp. nov., B. hexaspina González, Větrovec and Nestor-Arriola, sp. nov., and B. mimica Nestor-Arriola and Toledo-Hernández, sp. nov. Nomenclatural changes include Brachiacantha gorhami (Weise), comb. nov., B. guatemalensis (Gorham), comb. nov., and Brachiacantha duodecimguttata Leng, syn. nov. for B. lepida Mulsant. The male genitalia of the species B. fenestrata Gorhan, B. octostigma Mulsant, B. aperta Weise, and B. cachensis Gorhan are described and illustrated for the first time. New records include B. indubitabilis Crotch and B. bipartita Mulsant (Costa Rica and Guatemala), B. gorhami (Weise) (El Salvador), and B. cachensis Gorham (Panamá). A key to the species is included.
Cusps, holotypes, Hyperaspidini, key, synonyms, tooth
The genus Brachiacantha Dejean, 1837, belongs to the family Coccinellidae, also known as ladybugs, lady beetles, ladybirds or ladybird beetles. The most evident character of the genus is the tooth on the leading edge of the protibia; however, this tooth is variable in size and is very small in some species (
The material of the Brachiacantha species studied comes from several collections. The acronyms used in the text are as follows:
CEAM Colección Entomológica del Colegio de Posgraduados, Campus Montecillo. Texcoco, State, México
USNMNH United States National Museum of Natural History, Washington D. C., USA.
Genitalia of both sexes were dissected by softening the specimens in hot water, removing the abdomen, placing it in a dilute solution of potassium hydroxide until the fat and muscle were dissolved, then rinsing the abdomen and genitalia in clean water and placing the structures in microvials filled with glycerin for later examination.
The anatomy terminology used is based on
The species were assigned to known species groups according to the diagnostic characters described by their authors. The species groups considered as valid are those created by
To abbreviate the information, only new species have a complete list of material reviewed, with assignment of holotypes and paratypes. Reviewed material for known species includes only the number of specimens, locations, and the collections where the material is located. In the cases were the type material of a known species was not reviewed, the method of identification of the species is explained.
Twenty-five species were found, nine of which are new species. The species studied here belong to eight previously described groups and two new groups. Four species could not be identified as members of a group due to the lack of males.
Some species of the groups lepida and dentipes were previously recorded in North America (
1 | Elytra orange or yellow without spots | B. bipartita Mulsant |
– | Elytra with spots or some marks | 2 |
2 | Dorsal color mainly black or dark brown | 3 |
– | Dorsal color mainly yellow, orange, or pale gray | 17 |
3 | Elytra with apex of elytral suture dentiform | B. mimica sp. nov. |
– | Apex of elytral suture not dentiform | 4 |
4 | Elytra black with lateral and apical borders yellow | B. guatemalensis (Gorham) |
– | Each elytron with one to five spots | 5 |
5 | Pronotum with two convergent discal spots, each elytron with five pale spots | B. fenestrata Gorham |
– | Pronotum without discal convergent spots, elytral maculation variable | 6 |
6 | Each elytron with five pale spots | B. octostigma Mulsant |
– | Elytra with different maculation | 7 |
7 | Elytra black with a large orange macula covering lateral margin | B. aurantiapleura sp. nov. |
– | Elytra with different maculation | 8 |
8 | Each elytron with three pale spots: one near the scutellar shield and two near the elytral apex | B. tica sp. nov. |
– | Elytra with different maculation | 9 |
9 | Males with setal tuft on center of first ventrite, male genitalia symmetrical | B. isthmena sp. nov. |
– | Males without setal tuft on center of first ventrite, male genitalia asymmetrical | 10 |
10 | Males without humeral spot and without cusps on third ventrite, male genitalia asymmetrical | B. indubitabilis Crotch |
– | Males with humeral spot. Third ventrite of male with two cusps, male genitalia asymmetrical. | 11 |
11 | Fourth ventrite with cusps | B. barberi Gordon |
– | Fourth ventrite without cusps | 12 |
12 | Penis guide of male genitalia with apical hook | 13 |
– | Penis guide of male genitalia without apical hook | 15 |
13 | Apical hook of the penis guide curved and robust | B. robustihamata Nestor-Arriola and Toledo-Hernández |
– | Apical hook not curved or robust | 14 |
14 | Cusps on third ventrite very conspicuous parameres of male genitalia robust and with a tooth on superior margin | B. dentipes (Fabricius) |
– | Cusps moderately conspicuous, parameres without tooth | B. bistripustulata (Fabricius) |
15 | Elytron black without spots, apical margin of elytron red or orange | B. erythrura Mulsant |
– | Elytron spotted | 16 |
16 | Cusps medium sized | B. subfasciata Mulsant |
– | Cusps large | B. truncata Nestor-Arriola and Toledo-Hernández |
17 | Elytra yellow with pale brown lines | B. aperta Weise |
– | Elytra with black spots | 18 |
18 | Each elytron with a large basal macula | B. papiliona sp. nov. |
– | Elytra without a large basal macula | 19 |
19 | Protibia, mesotibia and metatibia toothed, two spots on each elytron | B. hexaspina sp. nov. |
– | Mesotibia and metatibia without tooth, maculation variable | 20 |
20 | Elytra pale with several elongated black spots, tibial tooth small | B. gorhami (Weise) |
– | Elytral spots rounded, not elongated | 21 |
21 | Pronotum mainly black with only lateral borders, anterior border and middle line until center of the disc pale colored. Each elytron with five black spots | B. nubes sp. nov. |
– | Pronotum variable, if mainly black with several pale colored projections into the basal black macula. Elytra variable | 22 |
22 | Elytra yellow with five black spots on each elytron, pronotum with several black small spots | B. invertita sp. nov. |
– | Each elytron with two black or brown spots, elytral suture black or with a large dark macula | 23 |
23 | Male abdomen with central part of ventrites depressed and with dense, long pubescence | B. cachensis Gorham |
– | Male abdomen without long pubescence | 24 |
24 | Dorsal color mainly yellow, orange or pink, sometimes dark with 12 pale spots; male abdomen without modifications | B. lepida Mulsant |
– | Dorsal color yellow. Male abdomen with acute tooth in middle of first and second ventrites | B. dentata sp. nov. |
Abdomen of male with the third ventrite bicuspid, penis guide of male genitalia asymmetrical (
Brachiacantha barberi
Gordon, 1985: 572.
Material listed in
Length 3.2–3.9 mm. Width 2.6–2.9 mm. Dorsally black with two to three red to orange spots; pronotum mostly black. Third and fourth ventrites bicuspid. Male genitalia asymmetrical, penis guide without apical hook.
From the southeast of the USA to Costa Rica.
This species is similar to B. bistripustulata, but it can be distinguished by its smaller size and the fourth bicuspid ventrite of B. barberi.
Coccinella laevis Thunberg, 1781: 20.
Coccinella bistripustulata Fabricius, 1801: 383.
Brachyacantha bis-tripustulata:
Brachyacantha bistripustulata:
Brachyacantha erythrocephala
Gorham, 1894: 188 (non Coccinella erythrocephala Fabricius).
Brachyacantha decora
Casey, 1899: 119.
Brachyacantha bistripustulata var. guttata
Weise, 1885: 231.
Brachyacantha bistripustulata var. decora: Leng, 1911: 298.
Brachyacantha bistripustulata var. minor
Leng, 1911: 298.
Brachyacantha bistripustulata var. obscura
Leng, 1911: 299.
Brachyacantha bistripustulata var. quichiana Leng, 1911: 298.
Brachyacantha bistripustulata ab. decora:
Brachyacantha bistripustulata ab. minor:
Brachiacantha decora:
Brachiacantha laevis:
Brachiacantha bistripustulata:
496 specimens from Costa Rica: Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia and Puntarenas; El Salvador: Ahuachapán, La Libertad and San Salvador; Guatemala: El Quiché, El Progreso, Frontera, Jutiapa, Chimaltenango, Baja Verapaz, Santa Rosa and Zacapa; Honduras: El Paraíso, Tegucigalpa, Atlántida, Colón, Cortés, Comayagua, Francisco Morazán, La Paz, Olancho and Yoro; Panamá: Oeste, Coclé, Chiquirí and Darien (CEAM,
Length 3.2–5.4 mm. Width 2.4–4 mm. Dorsally black with three to four orange, yellow or red spots on each elytron, spots sometimes fused. Males with pale-yellow head and pronotal anterior border. Third ventrite bicuspid in males, cusps short, wide and with divergent apex. Male genitalia asymmetrical, penis guide with apical hook.
From the South of the USA to Brazil and Peru, including Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic.
This species is very similar to others in the group, but the shape of the male ventral cusps is different in being wider than long, apically divergent and not strongly pronounced, and is usually enough to differentiate it.
Coccinella dentipes
Fabricius, 1801: 381. Oliver 1808: 1051.
Brachyacantha dentipes:
Brachyacantha socialis
Casey, 1899: 119.
Brachyacantha dentipes socialis:
Brachyacantha dentipes americana Leng, 1911: 302.
Brachyacantha dentipes var. separata
Leng, 1911: 301.
Brachyacantha dentipes ab. socialis:
Brachyacantha dentipes ab. separata:
Brachiacantha dentipes:
340 specimens from Costa Rica: Alajuela, San José, Guanacaste, Heredia, Puntarenas, and San José; Honduras: El Paraíso and Olancho (
Length 3–4.5 mm, width 2.1–3.2 mm. Three to four spots on each elytron; the spots may be fused. Third male ventrite with large, subtriangular divergent cusps. Male genitalia with wide parameres with strong tubercle on the concave margin; penis guide with elongated apical hook.
From the south of the USA to Costa Rica, including the Bahamas.
This species is very similar to B. bistripustulata, but the male third ventrite has larger cusps and the male genitalia are more robust in B. dentipes.
Brachyacantha erythrura
Mulsant, 1850: 530.
Material listed in
Length 3.8–3.9 mm, width 2.8–2.9 mm. Dorsally black, head and posterior margin of the elytron red, orange or yellow. Ventral surface light brown to orange. Third ventrite of the male with small cusps. Penis guide of the male genitalia asymmetrical, without apical hook.
México and Central America.
This species can be confused with some specimens of B. quadrillum LeConte, but the third ventrite cusps of B. erythrura are much smaller and the male genitalia lack the apical hook.
Brachiacantha robustihamata Nestor-Arriola & Toledo-Hernández, 2017: 48.
Material listed in
Length 4.5 mm, width 3.2 mm. Oval body. Three spots on each elytron, including an incomplete transversal band. Third ventrite with a small narrow cusp at each side of middle. Apical hook of the penis guide of the male genitalia large and rounded.
Guatemala and Costa Rica.
This species is very similar to B. bistripustulata and other species of the dentipes group. The principal difference is the male genitalia with a robust curved hook and male ventral cusps longer than wide. The cusps in the third ventrite are similar to those of B. blaisdelli Nunenmacher, but the male genitalia of B. robustihamata are distinguished by the curved hook.
Brachyacantha subfasciata
Mulsant, 1850: 527.
Brachiacantha subfasciata
Gordon, 1985: 574.
Material listed in
Length 3.8–5 mm, width 2.8–3.3 mm. Oval body. Dorsally black with one to four spots on each elytron. Third ventrite of male with separated cusps connected by a curved emargination. Male genitalia asymmetrical; penis guide almost truncate, without apical hook.
From the center of the USA to Honduras.
This species is very similar to others of the dentipes group, but the male genitalia are different as they lack the apical hook on the penis guide.
Brachiacantha truncata Nestor-Arriola & Toledo-Hernández, 2017: 45.
Material listed in
Length 3.2–5.3 mm, width 2.5–4.2 mm. Male with four spots on the elytron, females with three spots on the elytron. Males with a triangular, dull apex, cusp at each side of the middle line. Male genitalia with penis guide without apical hook, shorter than the parameres, oblique at apex, almost truncate.
México and Honduras.
The male genitalia with oblique apex and the ventral cusps with blunt apex are enough to distinguish the species from others in the group.
Male genitalia with penis guide asymmetrical, apex obliquely truncate, penis without alae (
Brachyacantha lepida
Mulsant, 1850: 523.
Brachyacantha duodecimguttata Leng, 1911: 289. Syn. nov.
Brachyacantha
12-guttata:
Brachiacantha lepida:
271 specimens from Belize: Orange Walk; Costa Rica: Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Guanacaste, Limón, San José and Puntarenas; Guatemala: Chimaltenango, El Quiche, Guatemala City, Huehuetenango, Suchitepequez and Totonicapan; Honduras: Atlantida; Panamá: Chiriqui (CEAM,
Length 2.3–3.7 mm, width 1.8–2.8 mm. Oval body. Dorsally pale yellow to pinkish orange except pronotum with a multilobed basal macula; each elytron with 4 black spots, one spot in a sub-humeral position, another in the second half of the elytron, a discal spot on the elytral suture, and a subapical spot on the elytral suture (Figs
From southern USA to Panamá.
The small size and coloration are usually enough to distinguish this species from other species of the genus. Some specimens from Guatemala display the darker dorsal coloration that was previously described by
Brachyacantha indubitabilis
Crotch, 1873: 379.
Hyperaspis triplicans
Casey, 1924: 163.
Hyperaspis triplicans microsticta
Casey, 1924: 163.
Brachiacantha indubitabilis
Gordon, 1985: 596.
Costa Rica • 2♀, 6♂; Guanacaste Prov., 20 km N Liberia; 15 Jul 1989; David G. Furth leg. (USNMNH). Guatemala • 1♂; Chicacao; 07 Jul 1949; T. H. Farr leg. (USNMNH).
Length 3.2–3.7 mm, width 2.5–2.8 mm. Dorsally black, pronotum with lateral and anterior margins yellow, orange, or red; each elytron with three orange or red spots, males and females without humeral spots. Males without ventral cusps. Penis guide of male genitalia asymmetrical.
United States of America and México. New record to Costa Rica and Guatemala.
This species shows a color pattern that is very common in species of the dentipes group; however, it can be recognized because it lacks ventral cusps and lacks humeral spots in males.
Penis guide of male genitalia long, slender, apically truncated. Parameres longer than penis guide, very wide at base, narrowed to rounded apex (
Male, pinned, with genitalia in a separate microvial. Original labels: “Est. Santa Elena, Viejo, Santa Elena, Las Nubes, Prov. San José, COSTA RICA, 1210 m, 23–28 Oct. 1995, col. E. Alfaro, L_S_371750_507800, #6385” (
Dorsal color pale orange with five black spots on each elytron, pronotum orange with a basal black macula covering more than the half of the pronotum.
Male holotype. Length 2.4 mm, width 2 mm; body rounded, convex. Dorsal color pale orange except pronotum with large black macula covering more than the half except the lateral and anterior margins and the middle line in the apical half until the center of the pronotal disk; scutellar shield black; each elytron with five black oval spots: sub-humeral spot large, scutellar spot over the elytral suture near the middle of the elytra, mid-lateral spot on the apical half of the elytra, discal spot on the apical half of the elytra, sub-apical spot over the elytral suture (Fig.
Female. Unknown.
Unknown.
The name refers to the type location.
COSTA RICA, San José: Santa Elena de General Viejo, Las Nubes Biological Reserve Ecocampus (Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University), 9°23'08.05"N, 83°36'11.82"W.
Costa Rica.
This species is easily identifiable by its dorsal coloration. The only species it could be confused with is B. lepida; however, the number and arrangement of elytral spots are different in these species as nubes has more spots than lepida.
Brachyacantha fenestrata
Gorham, 1894: 190.
160 specimens from Costa Rica: Alajuela, Guanacaste, Heredia, and Puntarenas; Panamá: Chiquirí (
Dorsally black or dark brown; pronotum with the anterior angles, the anterior margin and two convergent oval spots on the center of the disc, pale yellow; each elytron has five pale spots (Fig.
In some specimens the elytral spots are fused.
Costa Rica and Panamá. The records of México must be confirmed.
This species is easily recognizable by the pronotal pale spots.
Male genitalia with penis guide short, evenly, ovately narrowed from base to apex, apex narrowly rounded, sometimes acute; penis with inner arm of basal capsule apically bifid. Female genitalia with spermathecal capsule long, slender, basal ¼ widened, cornu bulbous or narrowed to acute apex (
Brachyacantha octostigma
Mulsant, 1850: 539.
Guatemala • 2♀; Totonicapan, V. Sta. María; 1850 m; 19 Jun 1973; Ginter Ekis leg. (USNMNH) Panamá • 1♀; V. Chiquiri; 2000–3000 ft; Champion leg. (USNMNH).
Oval body. Elytra black, each elytron with five yellow spots. Male abdomen with several ventrites emarginated and depressed. Male genitalia with penis guide wide, shorter than the parameres, not truncate at apex, symmetrical, sides parallel but convergent at apical ⅓ (Fig.
México and Central America.
The coloration of this species is very similar to that of the ursina group, but the male genitalia are different, with a shorter penis guide with the apex not truncate. The material was identified by comparison with previously identified as B. octostigma by J. Chapin in 1956 (USNMNH), the diagnosis of the male and the male genitalia is based on Mexican specimens of the same series.
Brachyacantha bipartita
Mulsant, 1850: 521.
Brachyacantha westwoodii
Gorham, 1894: 185 (in part).
Brachiacantha bipartita:
Costa Rica • 1♂; San José; 1000–1200 m. a. s. l.; Ago 1980; N. L. H. Krauss leg. (USNMNH). Guatemala • 1♀; Antigua; Oct 1965; L. H. Krauss leg. (USNMNH).
Body oval. Elytron orange. Head pale yellow in males, black in females. Males with pronotum black except lateral and anterior margins pale yellow to yellowish white (Fig.
This species has been collected on coffee plants (Coffea sp.).
Mexico and Central America. New record to Costa Rica and Guatemala.
This species is easily recognizable by the orange elytra without maculation. The only species similar to B. bipartita is B. westwoodii, but B. westwoodii is much larger and has the pronotum almost entirely orange with only a basal black macula (
Brachyacantha aperta
Weise, 1903: 208.
123 specimens from Costa Rica: Limón, Cartago, and Puntarenas (
Color pale yellow or yellowish white. Pronotum with three or four brown spots. Elytron with a brown-colored branched line pattern (Fig.
Costa Rica.
This species is easily recognizable due to its unique coloration.
Male, pinned, with genitalia in a separate microvial. Original labels: “San Lorenzo, R. F. Cord., Guanacaste, COSTA RICA, 1050 m, abril 1991, col. C. Alvarado, L-N 287800_427600” (
Costa Rica • 1♂; Alajuela, P. N. V. Tenorio, V. Rio Roble, Palmital, “arriba la caliza”; 1000–1100 m; 21 June-16 Sep. 2006; J. A. Azofeifa leg.; malaise trap; L_N_296500_426300, #87178 (
Dorsal color pale yellow with brown or black spots, ventrally brown. Males with a sharpened tubercle or tooth on second ventrite and a sharpened tubercle on each side of the center of the third ventrite. Male genitalia with penis guide wide, convergent at apex; parameres wide at base, rounded at apex; penis with a subtriangular projection near the alae.
Male holotype. Length 3.1 mm, width 2.5 mm; body oval, convex. Dorsal color pale yellow except pronotum with a basal, short and wide brown macula, and a small spot on each side of the center of the disc; scutellar shield brown; elytron with three pale brown marks: sub-humeral and sub-apical spots closely oval, sutural vitta over the elytral suture from near the scutellar shield to the elytron apex (Fig.
Female. Unknown. There were several females with the same data as males identified as B. dentata, but it was not possible to differentiate them from females of B. cachensis, a very similar species of the same region. Males of B. cachensis and B. dentata have different sexual characters.
Length 2.6–3.2 mm, width 2–2.5 mm. The pronotal spots can be fused. On some specimens there are two spurs on the third ventrite, but others have only one.
From the Latin dentatus (= toothed). The name refers to the ventral spurs or teeth.
COSTA RICA, Guanacaste: Reserva Forestal Cordillera de Guanacaste, Rio San Lorenzo, 10°36'39.999"N, 84°59'44.9988"W.
Costa Rica.
This species is externally similar to B. cachensis but can be differentiated from it by the dentate ventrites of the male and the male genitalia with the penis guide pointed at apex. It was not possible to distinguish between the females of these species.
Male genitalia with penis guide about as long as parameres, slightly “pinched” laterally at basal ⅓, widened in apical ½, sides rounded to acute apex (
Male, pinned, with genitalia in a separate microvial. Original labels: “COSTA RICA, PUNTARENAS, Monteverde, San Luis, 1000–1400 m, Feb. 1994, col. Z. Fuentes, L N 449250_250850, #2615” (
Costa Rica • 1♀; same data as the holotype; #2771 (
Dorsal color black with the head and the angles of the pronotum yellow in males; both sexes with a large lateral orange macula on each elytron. Dorsal surface with a slightly golden sheen.
Holotype. Male. Length 2.4 mm, width 1.9 mm; body oval-rounded, convex. Dorsal color black except head pale yellow with black clypeus; pronotum with lateral angles and anterior margin pale yellow; elytron with a large oval orange lateral macula, the macula touches the lateral margin and the humeral angle (Fig.
Female. Length 2.5 mm, width 1.9 mm. Similar to male except head, pronotum and basal part of femurs black; abdomen not modified. Genitalia not examined.
The only known variation is shown by the female paratype.
From the Latin word aurantius (= orange) and pleurón (= sides). The name refers to the dorsal color pattern.
COSTA RICA, Puntarenas: Monteverde, San Luis, 10°17'11"N, 84°48'5"W.
Costa Rica.
This species is easily recognizable by its dorsal coloration and the gold sheen on the dorsal surface. The species is very similar to Hyperaspis panzosae Gorham, but the specimen described by Gorham is a female and the author described the specimen having black legs (however, the figure in Gorham’s table has orange legs instead), while the female described here has only the basal half of femurs black; the author did not describe any sheen for H. panzosae, while aurantiapleura has a gold sheen on the dorsal surface. There are several species of Hyperaspis with similar coloration to panzosae like H. excelsa Fall and H. cruenta LeConte, so that without examining the original material there is no evidence to assume panzosae as Brachiacantha instead of Hyperaspis; therefore, we decided to maintain aurantiapleura as a separate species.
Male, pinned, with genitalia in a separate microvial. Original labels: “PANAMÁ, Cerro Campana, 3000’. July 29 1970, H. and A. Howden” (USNMNH).
Costa Rica • 1♂; Limón, Res. Biol. Hitoy Cerere; 100 m; 6–16 May 1992; G. Carballo leg.; L-N 184200_643300 (
Dorsal color black or dark brown; pronotum almost completely yellow; each elytron with three or four yellow spots. Male abdomen with a setal tuft on the first ventrite and several ventrites emarginated and depressed.
Holotype. Male. Length 3 mm, width 2.2 mm, body oval, dorsally convex. Dorsal color black except head pale yellow; pronotum pale yellow with only a basal black macula; each elytron with four yellow spots in humeral, discal, mid-lateral and sub-apical positions (Fig.
Female. Unknown.
Unknown.
The name refers to the Panamá isthmus.
PANAMÁ, Panamá Oeste: Parque Nacional Altos de Campana, Cerro de la Campana, 8°42'49.4"N, 79°57'10.24"W.
Costa Rica and Panamá.
The coloration of the species is similar to that of the dentipes group of species, but B. isthmena lacks the ventral cusps of the male, instead it shows a setal tuft on the first ventrite.
Abdomen of male with the 5th ventrite modified; penis guide of male genitalia symmetrical, apically truncate (
Hyperaspis guatemalensis Gorham, 1894: 200, tab. XI, fig. 10.
Guatemala • 1♂; Yepocapa; 01 May 1948; H. T. Palmat leg. (USNMNH).
Length 3 mm, width 2.4 mm; body rounded, convex. Dorsal color black, pronotum with lateral angles and anterior border yellow, each elytron with an irregular yellow macula covering from the humeral angle to the posterior border (Fig.
Female. Unknown.
Unknown.
Guatemala.
This species is easily identifiable by the dorsal black coloration with elytral and pronotal margins yellow. The specimen examined was identified following the description and illustrations of
Male genitalia with penis guide with sides slightly convergent, almost parallel; apex almost truncate with a triangular projection (Fig.
Male, pinned, with genitalia in a separate microvial. Original labels: “COSTA RICA, PUNTARENAS, A. C. Arenal, Buen Amigo, San Luis, 1000–1350 m, May 1994, col. Z. Fuentes, L N 250850_449250, #2926” (
Costa Rica • 1♂; Cartago, Birrisito; 1400 m; 07 Aug. 1980; D. R. Whitehead leg. (USNMNH). 1♀; Cartago, Turrialba, Tayutic, P. N. Barbilla, Sector Cerro Tigre; 1500–1600 m; 22 June-22 July 2001; W. Arana leg.; malaise trap; L_N_211700_602500, #64679 (
Dorsal color yellow with black spots. Male abdomen with several ventrites depressed and emarginate. Penis guide of male genitalia with an apical triangular projection, penis with long slender alae.
Holotype. Male. Length 3.6 mm, width 2.0 mm; body oval, convex. Dorsal color yellow except pronotum, with a small basal black spot on each side of the disk center, a small black basal spot and a black subquadrate spot on each side at ½ from the lateral margin; scutellar shield black; each elytron with five black spots: scutellar spot slightly oval, sub-humeral spot large and oval, mid-lateral spot at the apical half of the elytron, discal and sub-apical spots rounded, the spots do not touch the elytral margin, the elytral suture or the anterior border (Fig.
Female. Similar to male except abdominal characters. Genitalia not examined.
Males. Length 2.9–3.1 mm, width 2.2–2.7 mm. Females. Length 2.6–3.8 mm, width 2–2.9 mm.
From the Latin inversos (= invert). The name refers to the dorsal color pattern, yellow with five black spots, the inverse of that of many Brachiacantha species (black with five yellow spots).
Costa Rica, Puntarenas: Monteverde, San Luis, 10°17'11"N, 84°48'5"W.
Costa Rica.
This species is easily identifiable by the dorsal coloration, yellow with black spots.
Male genitalia with penis guide “guitar” shaped, parallel sided at basal ⅓, widened at 2/3, apically emarginated; parameres subtriangular, rounded at apex.
Brachyacantha cachensis
Gorham, 1894: 190.
71 specimens from Costa Rica and Panamá (
Dorsal color pale yellow to gray with brown or black spots. Ventrites I-VI depressed and emarginated, ventrites I-III with abundant and longer pubescence in the depressed part. Genitalia with penis guide slightly longer than parameres, symmetrical, basal ⅓ with almost straight sides, abruptly wide at apical 2/3 (Fig.
The basal macula over pronotum can be disrupted, forming a macula over the posterior margin with a pair of small spots at the center of the pronotum. In some specimens the sub-humeral spot is half-moon shaped.
Costa Rica and Panamá. New record to Panamá.
This species is similar to B. dentata, but the males can be differentiated by the lack of a ventral tooth and having the central part of the ventrites depressed with abundant pubescence. Within the groups defined by
Male, pinned, with genitalia in a separate microvial. Original labels: “PANAMÁ: Veraguas, 12.IX.2017, Santa Fé env., Alto de Piedra-Cerro Tute, 08°30.8'N, 81°07.2'W, 850–1360 m, lower montane forest, individual collecting, Fikàček, Seidel and Sekerka, lgt.” (
Costa Rica • 1♀; Alajuela, P. N. V. Tenorio, Rio Robles, Palmital, “arriba la Caliza”; 1000–1100 m; 21 June-16 Sep.; J. A. Azofeifa leg.; malaise trap; LN296500_426300, #87178 (
Dorsal color yellow with two black spots in each elytron. Pro-, meso-, and metatibia with external tooth. Male with ventrites II-V emarginate and depressed, forming a longitudinal fossa on abdomen. Male genitalia with penis guide symmetrical, apically notched, penis with a strong curvature at apical 1/6 toward external side.
Holotype. Male. Length 4 mm, width 2.9 mm; body oval, slightly elongate, convex. Dorsal color yellow except pronotum with two basal, irregular light brown transparent spots, roughly round, diameter approximately 2/5 the length of pronotum; scutellar shield dark brown; elytron with two black spots: humeral spot irregular and slightly subquadrate, sub-apical spot large, twice the size of the humeral spot, subquadrate and with the basal side trilobed, closer to the lateral edge than to the suture; elytral suture and anterior margin black, lateral margin black until apical ⅓ (Fig.
Female. Similar to male except the abdomen characters; ventral surface with head, prosternum, metasternum and abdomen orange; legs, mouthparts, and antennae yellowish orange. Mesotibial basal tooth smaller than protibial tooth; metatibial basal tooth shorter and wider than mesotibial tooth. Genitalia not examined.
Length 3.6 to 4.6 mm. Width 2.8–3 mm.
The name derives from Greek hexa (= six) and Latin spine (= thorn), referring to the six teeth of the tibiae, long and curved like rose thorns.
PANAMÁ, Veraguas: Santa Fé, Alto de Piedra, 08°30.8'N, 81°07.2'W.
Costa Rica and Panamá.
This species is easily identifiable by the pale dorsal coloration and the toothed pro-, meso- and metatibia. The presence of tibial spines on the middle and hind legs is a feature not previously observed in the genus. According to the groups defined by
Species not associated with males.
Female, pinned, with genitalia in a separate microvial. Original labels: “PANAMÁ, Chiquiri. Prov., cont’l Divide trail, 04-VII-1997, col. Wappes and Morris” (USNMNH) (1♀).
Costa Rica • 1♀; Guanacaste, Est. Cacao, SW side Volcan Cacao, 1000–1400 m; 1988–1989; GNP. Biodiv. Survey exped.; malaise trap; 323300_375700 (
Dorsal color pale yellow with black macula. Elytron with part of the elytral suture black, a sub-apical black spot and a large black spot on the anterior margin.
Holotype. Female. Length 3 mm, width 3.6 mm; body oval-rounded; convex. Dorsal color pale yellow except pronotum with the central part black; scutellar shield black; each elytron with three black spots: a macula over the elytral suture, a large oval spot at the center of the second half of the elytron and an irregular macula over the anterior margin of the elytron (Fig.
Male. Unknown.
Unknown.
The name refers to the basal elytral spot in the shape of butterfly wings.
Panamá, Chiriqui: Hornito, 8°44'50"N, 82°13'84"W.
Panamá and Costa Rica.
This species resembles B. hazel
Female, pinned. Original label: “COSTA RICA, PUNTARENAS, Península de Osa, Rancho Quemado, 200 m, Sep. 1992, col. A. Marín, L-S 292500_511000” (
Costa Rica • 1♀; Puntarenas, same data than the holotype; 10 Sep.-10 Oct. 1993 (
Dorsal color black; pronotum anterior angles pale yellow; each elytron with three pale yellow spots, one near the scutellar shield and two near the apex, no humeral or mid-lateral spots. Sponda large and conspicuous.
Holotype. Female. Length 2.3 mm, width 1.7 mm; body oval, convex. Dorsal color black except head pale yellow; pronotum with lateral angles pale yellow; elytron with three pale yellow oval spots: scutellar shield spot small, small discal spot in the apical half of elytra, sub-apical spot large and oval (Fig.
Male. Unknown.
Length 2.1–2.6mm. Width 1.5–1.8 mm.
The species name is a popular name for the inhabitants of Costa Rica.
COSTA RICA, Puntarenas: Península de Osa, Rancho Quemado, 8°40'54.88"N, 83°33'33.81"W.
Costa Rica.
Although having three spots on each elytron is common in several Brachiacantha species, the particular pattern of B. tica, with one spot in the basal half of the elytron and two in the apical half, is not shared with any other species of the genus.
Female, pinned. Original labels: “GUATEMALA, ANTIGUA, 1500–1600 m, 01-VII-1980, col. N. L. H. Krauss” (USNMNH).
Dorsal color black with three pale yellow spots. Protibial tooth small. Apical elytral suture dentiform.
Holotype. Female. Length 2.8 mm, width 2.2 mm; body oval rounded, convex. Dorsal color black except head pale yellow; pronotum with lateral angles and sides yellow; each elytron with three yellow spots in discal, mid-lateral and sub-apical positions (Fig.
Male. Unknown.
Unknown.
The name refers to its similarity to other Brachiacantha species.
GUATEMALA, Sacatepequez: Antigua Guatemala, 14°33'N, 90°44'W.
Guatemala.
This species is very similar to B. bistripustulata and allies, but the pale-colored head and the yellowish ventral color of mimica marks the difference. The apical dentate elytral suture is shared only with B. papiliona.
Coccinella pantherina Gorham, 1892: 161, tab. IX, fig. 9 (non Coccinella pantherina Linnaeus, 1758: 368) (non Coccinella pantherina DeGeer, 1773).
Coccinella gorhami Weise, 1904: 357.
El Salvador • 1♀; Montecristo, 23 km N of Metapan; 2300 m; 10 May 1971; H. F. Howden leg. (USNMNH).
Dorsal color pale yellow except head with brown clypeus and black above the eyes; pronotum with a black macula on the posterior margin and two large convergent subtriangular spots at center; scutellar shield black; each elytron with five black marks: a vitta on the elytral suture extending laterally in the second half of the elytron, an oval spot at the humeral callus, an elongated spot parallel to the sutural margin in the basal half of the elytron, an oval spot at middle and a small spot on the lateral margin in the apical half of the elytron (Fig.
Unknown.
El Salvador and Guatemala. New record to El Salvador.
The material was identified using the descriptions and tables of Gorham. The species was described by Gorham as Coccinella pantherina, but the name was preoccupied by a junior synonym of Adalia bipunctata (Linnaeus, 1758) and a junior synonym of Adalia decempunctata (DeGeer, 1773).
Although Gorham placed the species as a member of the genus Coccinella, he compared it with the species B. lepida, thus indicating the small size of the species. In the last century, several species originally described as Coccinella have been revised and assigned to other genera such as Mulsantina and Cycloneda, but there are still several species which need revision. The specimen examined corresponded to the description and figures of Gorham (1892), but the presence of eye emarginated by the eye canthus, the lack of large abdominal primary pores between fourth and fifth ventrites and the presence of a small tibial tooth identified the species as a member of Brachiacantha. The dorsal coloration is unique among Brachiacantha species but is similar to those of other genera like Dilatitibialis, Serratitibia, and Cyrea. A revision of the original material may be needed to confirm the taxonomic changes.
Twenty-five species of the genus Brachiacantha are found in Central America, including nine new species. Some species such as B. fenestrata, B. cachensis, or B. aperta are easily identifiable without doubt; however, a revision of the original material is pending for the species B. guatemalensis (Gorham), comb. nov. and B. gorhami (Weise), comb. nov. Although it is not advisable to describe species based only on female specimens, the species B. papiliona sp. nov. and B. tica sp. nov. have enough external characters to ensure that they were not previously described. The species B. mimica sp. nov. has a very common dorsal coloration for Brachiacantha and Hyperaspis species, but the apical tooth of the elytral suture has not been described for Coccinellidae species with the exception of B. papiliona.
Our knowledge of the Coccinellidae species in both North America and South America, has changed in the last century; however, Central America is still poorly studied. In this study several new species were discovered by reviewing collections of the United States (USNMNH,
This study was made possible by the financial support of the National Commission of Science and Technology (CONACYT). For allowing access to the collections and facilitating the loan of collection material, we thank Natalia Vandenberg and Elisabeth Roberts (USNM), Paul Skelley (