Sticholotis
Creators: name: Xingmin Wang
name: Hermes E. Escalona
name: Shunxiang Ren
name: Chen Xiaosheng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Coccinellidae
Sticholotis

description: Key to the species of Sticholotis from China
1. Disc of elytra unicolored and without spots (Figs 11–28)...................................................... 2
- Disc of elytra bicolored or unicolored with black or red spots (Figs 29–118)....................................... 7
2. Elytra without dark lateral margins (Figs 11–19)............................................................. 3
- Elytra with dark lateral margins (Figs 20–28) ................................................................ 5
3. Elytron covered by uniform fine punctures (Figs 14–19)....................................................... 4
- Elytron with row of large punctures along sutural and lateral margins (Figs 11–12).................. S. vietnamica Hoàng
4. Body uniformly yellow (Fig 14).............................................. S. simplifulva Wang & Ren sp. nov.
- Body uniformly brown (Fig 17)........................................................... S. hirashimai Sasaji
5. Elytron without dark sutural margin (Figs 23–28)............................................................ 6
- Elytron with dark sutural margin (Fig. 20).................................................. S. carinica (Gorham)
6. Head and pronotum black. Elytron with disc yellow to red and lateral margin black (Figs 23–25)..... S. hoabinhensis Hoàng
- Dorsum uniformly reddish brown (Figs 26–28)................................ S. denticuligera Wang & Ren sp. nov.
7. Elytron brown to black, with yellow to red spots (Figs 29–49).................................................. 8
- Elytron yellow to brown, with black spots (Figs 50–118)..................................................... 17
8. Elytron with an irregularly shaped macula (Fig. 29).......................................................... 9
- Elytron with two rounded spots (Figs 32–49)............................................................... 10
9. Elytra with spots elongate-oval. TL: 2.0– 2.4 mm ............................................... S. bilineata Weise
- Elytra with irregular red patterns (Fig. 29). TL: 2.27 mm ........................... S. flammula Wang & Ren sp. nov.
10. Elytra with anterior spot separated from anterior margin (Figs 32–37)........................................... 11
- Elytra with anterior spot meeting anterior margin (Figs 38–47)................................................. 14
11. Elytron with six longitudinal rows of large punctures......................................... S. confucii (Mulsant)
- Elytron with one longitudinal row of large punctures along the suture or without punctures (Figs 32, 35)............... 12
12. Elytra with red or brown external margins (Figs 32, 35)...................................................... 13
- Elytra without red or brown external margins................................................ S. morimotoi Kamiya
13. Pronotum red, elytron dark brown to black with two red spots (Figs 32–33). Penis long and slender (Fig. 155). TL: 2.24–2.87 mm, TW: 2.08–2.57 mm, TH: 1.05–1.15 mm ................................................. S. formosana Weise
- Pronotum black, elytron black with two dark red spots (Figs 35–36). Penis short and stout (Figs 160–161). TL: 2.27 mm, TW: 2.01 mm, TH: 1.09 mm .............................................................. S. taiwanensis Miyatake
14. Spots on elytra regularly shaped. Parameres slightly shorter than penis guide (Figs 41–49)........................... 15
- Spots on elytra irregularly shaped (Figs 38–40). Parameres distinctly longer than penis guide (Figs 166–167). TL: 2.18–2.27 mm, TW: 1.91–2.11 mm, TH: 1.01–1.05 mm ................................... S. wenchangia Wang & Ren sp. nov.
15. Penis relatively longer and slender (Figs 175, 179). Additional dorsal strut-like projection on tegminal basal piece large, almost same length to strut (Figs 176, 180)...................................................................... 16
- Penis relatively shorter and stouter (Fig. 171). Additional dorsal strut-like projection on tegminal basal piece small, half length of strut (Figs 172). TL: 2.32–2.44 mm, TW: 1.98–2.11 mm, TH: 1.05–1.19 mm ..................... S. petila Yu & Pang
16. Elytral spots medium-sized, the distance between them larger than spot diameters (Figs 44–46). TL: 1.6–2.1mm, TW: 1.3–1.8 mm, TH: 0.9–1.2 mm ..................................................................... S. ruficeps Weise
- Elytral spots very large, the distance between them about 1/3 of one diameter (Figs 47–49). TL: 2.70–2.90 mm, TW: 2.51–2.67 mm, TH: 1.38–1.48 mm ................................................. S. dadugangensis Wang & Ren sp. nov.
17. Elytra with a dark band along anterior and lateral margins (Figs 50–94).......................................... 18
- Elytra without continuous dark band along margins (Figs 95–118).............................................. 33
18. Elytra with large central sutural spot (Figs 50–55)........................................................... 19
- Elytra with large central sutural spot and in addition a pair of rounded spots (Figs 56–94)........................... 20
19. Pronotum yellowish brown (Fig. 50). Parameres distinctly dilated in apical third (Figs 185–186). TL: 2.34 mm, TW: 2.14 mm, TH: 1.35 mm ................................................................ S. dilatata Wang & Ren sp. nov.
- Pronotum dark brown to black (Figs 53–55). Parameres not dilated (Figs 189–190). TL: 2.01–2.37 mm, TW: 1.85–2.11 mm, TH: 1.19–1.35 mm .................................................................... S. cinctipennis Weise
20. Pronotum black or yellow with black spot (Figs 56–67)...................................................... 21
- Pronotum uniformly yellow without spots (Figs 68–94)...................................................... 25
21. Pronotum black (Figs 59–67)........................................................................... 22
- Pronotum yellow with a black spot (Figs 56, 58). TL: 2.24 mm, TW: 2.08 mm, TH: 1.19 mm .................................................................................................. S. illecebrosa Wang & Ren sp. nov.
22. Pronotum and elytra with very narrow yellow lateral margins. (Figs 59–61)...................................... 23
-. Pronotal and elytral lateral margins black (Figs 62–67)....................................................... 24
23. Apex of elytra with large quadrate black spot (Fig. 59) TL: 2.10–2.49 mm, TW: 1.70–2.11 mm, TH: 1.15–1.25 mm ............................................................................................... S. punctata Crotch
- Apex of elytra without spots. TL: 2.0 mm.................................................. S. klapperichi Mader
24. Elytral disc with spots very large and elongate oval (Fig. 62). Elytra covered with uniformly fine punctures (Fig. 62). TL: 2.14–2.21 mm, TW: 1.81–1.91 mm, TH: 1.03–1.05 mm ........................ S. magnopunctata Wang & Ren sp. nov.
- Elytral disc with spots relatively small and rounded (Fig. 65). Elytra covered with uniformly fine punctures and two rows of large punctures along margin of sutural spot (Fig. 65). TL: 2.14 mm, TW: 1.88 mm, TH: 1.15 mm ............................................................................................... S. acutifolia Wang & Ren sp. nov.
25. Anterior elytral spot meeting the margin (Figs 71–94)........................................................ 26
- Anterior elytral spot not touching the basal elytral margin (Fig. 68). TL: 2.11–2.47 mm, TW: 1.88–2.21 mm, TH: 1.15–1.32 mm ......................................................................... S. tortus Wang & Ren sp. nov.
26. Mid area of elytral suture darker but without spots (Figs 71–76)................................................ 27
- Mid area of elytral suture with a black spot (Figs 77–94)..................................................... 28
27. Pronotum yellow (Fig 71, 73). Penis thick and penis guide extremely broad (Figs 219–220). TL: 2.67–2.90 mm, TW: 2.37– 2.54 mm, TH: 1.19–1.38 mm .................................................. S. latissima Wang & Ren sp. nov.
- Pronotum dark red (Fig. 74). Penis short and stout, penis guide thin (Figs 224–225). TL: 2.24–2.97 mm, TW: 2.01–2.57 mm, TH: 1.19–1.62 mm ....................................................... S. maolanensis Wang & Ren sp. nov.
28. Parameres very short, less than 1/2 of penis guide length (Figs 229, 234)......................................... 29
- Parameres long, almost equal to penis guide (Figs 239, 244, 249, 253)........................................... 30
29. Elytron disc and base with large and rounded spots (Fig. 77). Penis very long and slender (Fig. 228). Parameres slender (Figs 229–230). TL: 2.08 mm, TW: 1.81 mm, TH: 1.05 mm ................................ S. tenuis Wang & Ren sp. nov.
- Elytron disc and base with small spots (Fig. 80). Penis short (Fig. 233). Parameres broad (Fig. 234–235). TL: 2.27–2.54 mm, TW: 2.11–2.41 mm, TH: 1.22–1.38 mm ................................................... S. brachyloba sp. nov.
30. Pronotum dark red. Parameres slender (Figs 86–94)......................................................... 31
- Pronotum yellow (Fig. 83). Parameres very broad (Fig. 239). TL: 2.87 mm, TW: 2.60 mm, TH: 1.42 mm ..................................................................................................... S. denticulata Hoàng
31. Elytra with spots on humeral callus sligthly separated from basal margins (Fig. 86). TL: 2.67–2.97 mm, TW: 2.54–2.84 mm, TH: 1.22–1.48 mm ............................................................. S. pengi Wang & Ren sp. nov.
- Elytra with spots on humeral callus that distinctly touch basal margins of elytra (Figs 248, 252)....................... 32
32. Elytron with spots on base and disc larger than sutural spots (Fig. 89). TL: 2.80–2.90 mm, TW: 2.54–2.67 mm, TH: 1.46–1.48 mm ..................................................................... S. wuzhishana Wang & Ren sp. nov.
- Elytron with spots on base and disc distinctly smaller than sutural spots (Fig. 92). TL: 2.44 mm, TW: 2.18 mm, TH: 1.29 mm ....................................................................... S. nanlingensis Wang & Ren sp. nov.
33. Elytron with 4 or less rounded or irregular compact black spots, although additional black streaks may be present on lateral or sutural margins (Figs 95–106)........................................................................... 34
- Elytron with more than 4 rounded or irregular compact black spots (Figs 107–118)................................. 40
34. Elytron with less than 4 black spots...................................................................... 35
- Elytron with 4 black spots (Figs 95–106).................................................................. 36
35. Elytron with 2 large black spots. TL: 1.75–1.9 mm, TW: 1.55–1.6 mm ............................ S. pictipennis Lewis
- Elytron with 3 relatively small black spots, although additional black streaks are present on lateral or sutural margins. TL: 2.4 mm .............................................................................. S. maculata Korschefsky
36. Elytron with spots touching basal margin or suture (Figs 98–106).............................................. 37
- Elytron without spots touching basal margin or suture (Figs 95–96). TL: 2.51–2.93 mm, TW: 2.24–2.60 mm, TH: 1.48–1.71 mm .................................................................... S. octopunctata Wang & Ren sp. nov.
37. Elytral spots not touching suture at basal 2/5. TL: 2.0– 2.26 mm, TW: 1.76–1.82 mm (Yu 1995).......... S. linguiformis Yu
- Elytral spots touching suture at basal 2/5, forming a common sutural spot (Figs 98–106)............................ 38
38. Parameres slightly shorter than or equal to penis guide (Figs 267, 272).......................................... 39
- Parameres very short, about 1/2 of penis guide length (Fig. 262). TL: 2.41–2.80 mm, TW: 2.18–2.47 mm, TH: 1.32–1.48 mm ....................................................................... S. jinpingensis Wang & Ren sp. nov.
39. Penis guide thin and slender, apices of parameres moderately broadening, clavate (Fig. 267). TL: 2.26–2.70 mm, TW: 2.08– 2.44 mm, TH: 1.22–1.52 mm ................................................... S. clavata Wang & Ren sp. nov.
- Penis guide wide and short, apices of parameres not broadening (Fig. 272). TL: 2.31–2.54 mm, TW: 2.08–2.34 mm, TH: 1.35– 1.42 mm ..................................................................... S. crassa Wang & Ren sp. nov.
40. Elytra yellow to yellowish brown, with eleven or twelve black spots (Figs 110–118)................................ 41
- Elytra reddish brown, with two large yellow irregular spots, and sixteen small black spots around their margins (Figs 107– 109). TL: 2.70–2.90 mm, TW: 2.31–2.67 mm, TH: 1.42–1.45 mm ....................... S. taenia Wang & Ren sp. nov.
41. Pronotum with two black spots before base. TL: 3.2 mm, TW: 2.65 mm ···················································· S. undeci- mpunctata Miyatake
- Pronotum without spots (Figs 110–118)................................................................... 42
42. Spots on elytron touching the basal margin and suture (Figs 113–118)........................................... 43
- Spots on elytron not touching the basal margin and suture (Figs 110–112). TL: 2.93–3.13 mm, TW: 2.67–2.80 mm, TH: 1.55– 1.71 mm ................................................................. S. neckiformis Wang & Ren sp. nov.
43. Penis guide very thick at base, apex strongly curved in lateral view, and very wide in ventral view (Figs 287–288). TL: 2.3 4– 2.70 mm, TW: 2.11–2.41 mm, TH: 1.12–1.25 mm .................................... S. obesa Wang & Ren sp. nov.
- Penis guide distinctly thiner than S. obesa, apex not curved, and narrow in ventral view (Figs 292–293). TL: 2.47–3.07 mm, TW: 2.21–2.84 mm, TH: 1.25–1.68 mm ........................................... S. robusta Wang & Ren sp. nov.
description: Published as part of Xingmin Wang, Hermes E. Escalona, Shunxiang Ren & Chen Xiaosheng, 2017, Taxonomic review of the ladybird genus Sticholotis from China (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), pp. 1-72 in Zootaxa 4326 (1) on pages 7-8, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4326.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/999033