Vedalia Mulsant 1850
Creators: name: Czerwiński, Tomasz
name: Szawaryn, Karol
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Coccinellidae
Vedalia

description: Genus Vedalia Mulsant, 1850
Vedalia Mulsant 1850: 905.
Type species: Vedalia sieboldii Mulsant, 1850; subsequent designation by Crotch, 1874: 281.
Diagnosis. Based on the following set of characters Vedalia belongs to the tribe Chnoodini: antenna short, composed of 11 antennomeres (9 to11 in other Chnoodini) (Fig. 3a), scape greatly expanded, swollen (Fig. 3a); distinct eye canthus present (Fig. 1d); terminal maxillary palpomere broad, securiform (Fig. 3d); labial palp composed of three palpomeres (Fig. 3b); femora and tibiae broadened (Fig. 2b); tibiae with two apical spurs (Fig. 3g) (in other Chnoodini mostly absent or single, rarely double spurs present in some species of Exoplectra and Chnoodes).
Vedalia can be distinguished from all other genera of Chnoodini by the shape of abdominal postcoxal lines: incomplete, recurved, not reaching hind edge of ventrite 1, while in genera Neorhizobius Crotch, Dioria Mulsant and Sidonis Mulsant they are complete; in Gordonita González, Chnoodes Chevrolat and Exoplectra they reach hind edge of ventrite 1; in Coeliaria Mulsant, Dapolia Mulsant, Incurvus González, Siola Mulsant and some species of Chnoodes and Exoplectra an additional oblique line is present. Vedalia in general appearance resembles the most Chnoodes, Exoplectra and Sidonis. However, it differs from Chnoodes, not only by shape of postcoxal lines, but also by having larger body size, antennae composed with 11 antennomeres with 3-segmented club (most species of Chnoodes have antennae composed with 10 antennomeres with 4-segmented club) and double tibial spurs (in Chnoodes often with single spur or without spurs). From Exoplectra it differs by having simple tibiae, epipleura without foveae for reception of femora, and sexual dimorphism in shape of tarsal claws (angulate tibiae, foveae on epipleurae present and non-dimorphic tarsal claws in Exoplectra). From Sidonis it can be easily separated by having oval body shape, antennae with 11 antennomeres, incomplete postcoxal lines, short and weak grooves on prosternal process, short and adjacent pubescence on dorsum (Sidonis has cordiform body, antennae with 10 antennomeres, complete postcoxal lines, complete carinae on prosternal process, long and erect pubescence on dorsal body surface).
Redescription. TL: 5.0– 6.5 mm; EW: 4.0–5.0 mm. Body oval (Figs 1a, d, e; 2a), moderately convex, winged. Dorsum with single size punctures, punctures on pronotum coarser than on elytra. Pubescence moderately long and uniform, directed anteriorly on pronotum, radially on scutellar shield and posterolaterally on elytra.
Head partially covered by pronotum (Figs 1c, 3c); ventral antennal grooves deep, distinctly circular bent towards outer margin of an eye (Fig. 3d). Eyes dorsally with inner orbits sub-parallel, coarsely facetted; interfacetal setae present, sparse; eye canthus large, reaching half width of an eye (Fig. 1d); interocular distance about 0.6 × head width across eyes. Antenna (Fig. 3a) 0.6 × as long as head capsule width, composed of 11 antennomeres; scape enlarged, distinctly roundly projected anteriorly; pedicel narrower than scape, barrel-shaped, about the same length as width; terminal antennomere enlarged. Antennal insertions partially visible from above. Anterior clypeal margin emarginate with anterolateral lobes roundly projected (Fig. 1d). Labrum truncate at apex. Mandible bidentate at apex (Fig. 3b). Maxilla (Fig. 3b) with cardo transverse; maxillary stipes deeply foveate to accommodate maxillary palp in repose, basistipes with distinct ridge; lacinia elongate, covered with moderately long setae; galea narrow, C-shaped, densely setose apically; maxillary palp composed of 4 palpomeres, palpomere 2 subtriangular, elongate, longer than palpomere 3; terminal palpomere distinctly securiform. Submentum short, transverse; mentum sub-quadrate with sides sub-parallel, anterior edge emarginate with large rounded lobes (Fig. 3b); prementum transverse, anteriorly truncate; labial palps separated by distance about equal to width of palpiger; palp composed of 3 palpomeres, apical palpomere sub-parallel, as long and as broad as penultimate one.
Prothorax. Pronotum (Fig. 3c) with anterior corners rounded, slightly produced anteriorly, not swollen with regular border; anterior and posterior margin without border; lateral margin with entire border. Prothoracic hypomeron smooth (Fig. 3d), densely covered with hairs. Prosternum in front of coxa about 0.3 × as long as coxal longitudinal diameter at the same position; anterior pronotal margin straight, with visible bordering line; notosternal suture visible (Fig. 3b); procoxal cavity distinctly transverse with lateral slit, with complete bordering line close to the cavity; prosternal process narrow, about 0.2 × as wide as corresponding coxal width, with sides parallel and apex rounded, its surface without carinae, with a pair of shallow, longitudinal grooves in apical part (Fig. 3d).
Pterothorax. Mesoventrite (Fig. 3d) transverse, its anterior edge straight with complete raised border; its surface with shallow depression in middle. Mesoventral process (Fig. 3d) in middle about 0.5 × as broad as corresponding coxal diameter; meso-metaventral articulation with suture visible; junction straight. Scutellar shield triangular, large (Fig. 3e), its surface punctate and densely setose. Elytra with sides rounded; lateral margins narrow but visible from above throughout; humeral calli present; surface with single size punctures; elytral epipleuron wide, about 2.0 × as wide as corresponding metepisternum, apically incomplete, not foveate, inner margin with border line reaching level of ventrite 2 (Fig. 2c). Metaventrite with discrimen visible; metaventral postcoxal lines joined at middle forming arcuate line, laterally slightly recurved, complete (Fig. 3f).
Legs. Trochanters roundly produced (Figs 2b; 3f); femora stout, excavated to receive tibiae; tibiae distinctly broadened, with outer margin smooth (Fig. 2b); tibial apices of mid and hind leg with double spurs in both sexes (Fig. 3g). Tarsi with four tarsomeres, pro- and mid-tarsal claws in males cleft (Fig. 3h), hind tarsal claws bifid; in female all tarsal claws bifid (Fig. 3i).
Abdomen (Figs 2d; 4a, b). Abdomen with six ventrites in both sexes (Fig.2d); abdominal postcoxal lines separate medially, incomplete laterally, posteriorly not reaching hind edge of ventrite 1, recurved; hind margin of ventrite 5 straight in male (Fig. 4a), slightly emarginate in female (Fig. 4b); in male ventrite 6 (Fig. 4d) truncate apically, tergite VIII (Fig. 4c) rounded apically; in female ventrite 6 (Fig. 4f) and tergite VIII (Fig. 4e) rounded apically.
Distribution. Mexico.
description: Published as part of Czerwiński, Tomasz & Szawaryn, Karol, 2024, Revision of the Mexican ladybird genus Vedalia Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), pp. 153-164 in Zootaxa 5406 (1) on pages 154-159, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5406.1.8, http://zenodo.org/record/10611481