Moiradiomus atropos Vandenberg & Hanson, 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Vandenberg, Natalia J.
name: Hanson, Paul E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Coccinellidae
Moiradiomus
Moiradiomus atropos

description: Moiradiomus atropos sp. nov.
(Figs. 17, 18, 27, 31, 42)
Diagnosis. This species is readily distinguished from its congeners by the male genitalia which have the basal lobe distinctly humped in lateral view and apex of parameres obliquely truncate. In addition, the adult form is more slender and apically tapered and the prosternal carinae are weakly convergent, framing an elongate ovoid depression with broadly rounded apex. It is also distinguished by its larval host plant: P. friedrichsthalii Casimir de Condolle, 1869.
Description of holotype (male) (Fig. 17). Length 1.7 mm, width 1.0 mm. Form elongate, oval, tapered apically, weakly convex. Metathoracic wing present. Dorsal surfaces feebly shining, distinctly punctate, pubescent with fimbriate borders. Head, pronotum, appendages including mouthparts, straw yellow, with meso- metacoxae slightly darkened; base of pronotum in front of scutellar shield with light brown transverse mark; scutellar shield light brown; elytron light brown with apex narrowly yellow brown, epipleuron yellow brown, nearly transparent; pubescence shiny, off white. Venter predominantly light brown; prosternum pale yellow; mesepimeron, mesepisternum paler than surrounding sclerites except posterior margin of mesepimeron narrowly darkened; abdomen light brown, lighter, yellower toward apex; tarsal claw, mandibular apex dark reddish amber. Dorsal punctation moderately coarse; punctures separated by approximately 1× diameter, on elytron equal in width to eye facet, finer on head, pronotum. Dorsal pubescence semi erect, moderately dense, evenly distributed, lacking distinct setal pattern; individual setae equal to about 2/3 to 1× length of scutellar shield, arcuate; elytral setae mostly directed posteriorly except directed outwardly at sides of body, posterolaterally near suture. Head large, 0.80× width of pronotum; eye large, finely facetted, with interfacetal setae, weakly notched near antennal insertion by small rounded ocular canthus; inner orbits arcuate, strongly diverging toward vertex, weakly diverging toward clypeus, with minimum separation at slightly below midlength; interocular distance 1.5× width of eye in frontal view. Antenna composed of 10 antennomeres; antennomere 3 elongate, about 2.3× length of antennomere 4; last 4 antennomeres forming gradual club expanding apically from antennomere 7–9; antennomere 10 subrhomboidal, slightly narrower, slightly longer than 9. Maxillary palp with terminal palpomere short, strongly expanded distally; with oblique apex. Pronotum transverse, width 2.0× length, weakly, evenly convex. Elytron in dorsal view with lateral margin weakly arcuate; elytral apices dehiscent. Ventral surfaces pubescent, distinctly punctate, except glabrous, impunctate in posterior 4/5ths of metacoxal plate; punctation coarser, denser on abdomen. Prosternum (Fig. 12) with carinae of intercoxal process extending nearly to apex, weakly convergent, framing elongate ovoid depression with broadly rounded apex. Suture between abdominal ventrites 1 and 2 distinct, linear; 5 th, 6 th ventrite with apex shallowly, roundly emarginate in median ½. Tarsal claw with broad scythe-like inner tooth extending from base to apical 1/3 rd or beyond.
Male genitalia (Fig. 31). Basal lobe in ventral view (Fig. 31b) weakly, unevenly tapered toward oblique apex, with small thorn-like process at distal most point, distinctly shorter than paramere; in lateral view (Fig. 31a) with strong hump, apex flat; paramere elongate, strongly expanded toward obliquely truncated apex, about 2.5× as long as wide, about 2× longer than longest setae. Penis (Fig. 31c) lacking apical flagellum, slender with wedge-shaped capsule.
Female (Fig. 18). Similar to male except pronotum with brown blotch occupying median 2/3; pronotal base with narrow brown margin. 5 th abdominal ventrite with posterior margin truncate; 6 th ventrite with posterior margin arcuate. Tarsal claw with short triangular tooth near base, not extending beyond apical ½.
Variation. Length 1.5–1.7 mm. Individuals vary in the intensity of brown pigmentation on dorsal and ventral surfaces.
Trophic relations. Larvae develop on food bodies of P. friedrichsthalii (Fig. 42).
Etymology. Atropos, proper noun in apposition. Ancient Greek Ἄτρoπoς (Atropos), literally meaning inflexible or not turning, from the Greek a-, (not) + tropos, (to turn). In Greek mythology, one of the three Fates, or Moirae; the cutter of the thread of life, depicted as an old woman.
Type material. Holotype (male) with labels: “ COSTA RICA: Alajuela: Res. Biol. A. Brenes (San Ramon), 900m 16.IV.2014, P. Hanson / ex. Piper friedrichsthalii ” (USNM) and 5 paratypes (4 males, 1 female): 1 with same labels as holotype; 4 with labels: “ COSTA RICA: Alajuela: Res. Biol. A.Brenes, ex. Piper friedrichsthalii, V.2017, E. Chacon ” (3, USNM; 2, MZUCR).
description: Published as part of Vandenberg, Natalia J. & Hanson, Paul E., 2019, Overview of the lady beetle tribe Diomini (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and description of a new phytophagous, silk-spinning genus from Costa Rica that induces food bodies on leaves of Piper (Piperaceae), pp. 255-285 in Zootaxa 4554 (1) on pages 276-277, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4554.1.9, http://zenodo.org/record/2623565