Rhynchortalia similis Poorani & Ślipiński 2010, sp. n.
Creators: name: Poorani, J.
name: Ślipiński, Adam
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Coccinellidae
Rhynchortalia
Rhynchortalia similis

description: 7. Rhynchortalia similis sp. n.   
(Figs. 8, 24, 50–52)  
 Diagnosis: This species closely resembles R. purpurea in having a distinctly less rostrate head, but can be distinguished from it by the finely punctate pronotum with more broadly rounded anterolateral corners, apically broader elytra, and male genitalia (Figs. 50–52) which have apically broader, distinctly rounded parameres in lateral view and a shorter penis guide in ventral view.   
 Description: Length: 2.5–3.0 mm; width: 4.0–5.0 mm. Body (Fig. 8) elongate oval, moderately convex with silvery white pubescence. Head and pronotum yellowish to reddish brown; elytra iridescent green or bluish green or aeneous with testaceous apices. Antennae, mouthparts, prosternum, legs, and abdomen yellowish brown, meso– and metaventrites, middle of abdominal sternite 1 and postcoxal lines dark brown to black, epipleura dark with iridescent hues as on dorsum, metacoxae black, occasionally metathoracic legs with coxae, trochanters and femora darker brown, middle of abdominal ventrite 1 and 2 infuscate or darker reddish brown.   
 Head less distinctly rostrate in contrast to other Rhynchortalia species; clypeus broad; labrum more strongly transverse; head finely punctate mainly around sides of eyes, obsolete towards clypeal margin, widely separated on frons, interspaces more or less smooth, shiny; inner margins of eyes with short, conical emargination below antennal insertions; interocular distance>2x eye width. Pronotum densely punctate, punctures fine, shallowly impressed, separated by 2–3 diameters on disc, deeper, dense on sides and anterolateral corners, separated by 0.5–1 diameters, interspaces distinctly reticulate on sides and posterior half, obsolete towards anterior margin. Elytral punctures fine on disc, separated by 1–3 diameters, lateral 1/3 of elytra with dual punctation, coarse punctures 2–3x as large as those on disc, somewhat irregular, shallowly impressed, but more numerous towards lateral margins. Pronotal hypomeral shelf prominent in dorsal view, triangular, lobe–like, medially depressed or foveate, anterior projection thickened, parabolic, and extending beyond anterior margin of pronotum. Anterior margin of mesoventrite scarcely emarginate medially. Abdominal ventrite 1 with shallow, but distinct, complete postcoxal lines. Posterior margin of ventrite 5 (Fig. 24) shallowly emarginate, ventrite 6 slightly more deeply emarginate, heavily fringed with elongate pubescence in male; weakly arcuate and conical, respectively, in female. Male genitalia (Figs. 50–52) with parameres apically rounded in lateral view (Fig. 50), penis guide ~2/3 as long as parameres; penis (Fig. 52) as illustrated. Specimens Examined: Holotype, male: Papua: Fly R., Olsobip, 400m, 600m, VIII.69/ J. Sedlacek (BPBM); Paratypes: New Guinea, NE: Chimbu valley, 1800m, 16.V.1963 / J. Sedlacek, 1 male (BPBM); Wau, 1200–1300m, 22.x.1965 / J. Sedlacek, 1 female; 7.V.63, J. Sedlacek, 1 male (BMNH); Wau, 1200m, 9.ix.1972 / Callicorpa longifolia/ Mena, 1 male (BPBM); Wau, Morobe dist., 1090m, 25.I.1963 / J. Sedlacek, 1 female; 1250m, 4.II.1963 / J. Sedlacek, 1 female (BPBM); NE Papua, Mt. Lamington, 1300- 1500ft, C.T. McNamara, 1 female; New Guinea, Hudewa, Rev. L. Wagner, 1 female; Wareo, Rev. L. Wagner, 1 female (SAM).   
 Etymology: The specific epithet refers to its close similarity to another species, R. purpurea.   
 Distribution: New Guinea; Irian Jaya.
description: Published as part of Poorani, J. & Ślipiński, Adam, 2010, A review of Rhynchortalia Crotch (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Ortaliinae), pp. 25-43 in Zootaxa 2423 (1) on pages 37-38, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2423.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/5309131