Hyperaspis esmeraldas Gordon & González 2011, new species

Hyperaspis esmeraldas, new species

(Figure 81-93)

Description. Male. Length 2.5 mm, width 2.3 mm. Body rounded, convex. Dorsal surface with head alutaceous, dull, pronotum slightly alutaceous, weakly shiny, elytron smooth, shiny. Color black except head yellow; pronotum with median black macula extended 4/5 distance from base to apex, apical margin of macula curved; elytron with large, yellow macula in basal 3/4 (Fig. 81-84); venter with hypomeron, antenna, mouthparts, mesepimeron, legs yellow; abdomen yellow except basal 4 ventrites dark brown medially. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less; pronotal punctures larger than on head, separated by less than to a diameter; elytral punctures as large as on pronotum, separated by less than to twice a diameter; punctures on metaventrite larger than on elytra, sparse medially, separated by a diameter or less in lateral 1/2; punctures on median portion of abdominal ventrites 1-3 large, separated by a diameter or less medially, becoming fine, dense in lateral 1/3, ventrites 4-6 finely, densely punctured throughout. Clypeal apex deeply emarginate, clypeus and frons joined at abrupt angle. Epipleuron wide, nearly flat, femoral depressions deep. Antenna with 11 articles. Protibia narrow, not flanged. Prosternum with intercoxal carinae widely separated at apex, convergent toward base, joined just before prosternal base, connected to base by single stem. Postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite straight in basal 1/3, curved to posterior ventrite margin, and recurved nearly to lateral margin (Fig. 86). Fifth ventrite broadly, weakly emarginate apically; 6 th ventrite with broad, shallow, apical emargination. Genitalia with basal lobe short, wide, 1/2 length of paramere, sinuate, apex bluntly acute, one margin with large, wide, median projection; paramere short, wide, widest at middle, apex rounded (Fig. 89-91); trabes shorter than phallobase, apex not bent laterally; sipho slender, curved in basal 2/3, apex bifid, basal capsule with inner arm nearly absent outer arm short, wide, without accessory piece, basal border broadly, weakly emarginate (Fig. 87, 88).

Female. Similar to male except anterior pronotal margin and head black. Genitalia with genital plates strongly transverse (Fig. 92), beak on basal unit short, nearly as wide as basal unit (Fig. 93).

Variation. Length 2.5 to 2.6 mm. There are two color forms of H. esmeraldas, the typical as in Fig. 81- 84, and another with elytral spots reduced as in Fig. 85.

Type material. Holotype male: Ecuador, Esmeraldas Prov., La Independencia, S of Quinindé, 12.ii.2005, E. Tapia (JMH 8172), J.H. Martin BMNH(E) 2005-47. on Annona sp. (BMNH). Paratypes, 5; Peru, Tumbes, Laterral B-Corrales, 25.V.2010, Jathropa auma: Pseudococcidae, Tetranychidae 004-01. (BMNH) (ULMP) (USMP).

Remarks. Hyperaspis esmeraldas has a dorsal color pattern similar to that of H howdeni Gordon and Canepari, H. chocoi Gordon and Canepari, and H. istmina Gordon and Canepari, couplet 19 in Gordon and Canepari (2008). Genitalia distinguish it from the former two species, both of which have nearly straight basal lobes with reduced lateral projections. It is distinguished from H. istmina by smaller size, reduced macula on each elytron, and intercoxal carinae widely separated at apex.

Etymology. The species is named for Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador, where the holotype was collected. The name is used as a noun in apposition.