34. Neaporia laboulbenii (Mulsant), new combination

Scymnus laboulbenii Mulsant 1850: 992; Korschefsky 1931: 160; Gordon 1987: 32 (stated to be a member of Prodilis).

Description. Male. Length 2.0 mm, width 1.4 mm; body short, wide, appearing oblong, elytron with side slightly rounded, wider than pronotal base, widest anterior to middle of elytra. Dorsal surface entirely shiny, lacking microsculpture. Color black; head brownish red with irregular brown macula between eyes; pronotum dark brown with lateral 1/3 reddish yellow; elytron with 3 yellow macula, anterior macula wide at humeral angle, obliquely, narrowly extended inward across humeral callus, median macula on apical declivity narrowly sinuate, extended from lateral margin to suture, apical macula apex triangular, extended from near lateral margin to suture (Fig. 219); antenna, epipleuron, legs yellow; mouthparts yellow except apex of terminal maxillary palpomere brown; ventral surface reddish brown except abdomen yellowish brown. Head punctures small, separated by a diameter or less; pronotal punctures as large as on head, separated by less than twice a diameter; elytral punctures as large as on pronotum, separated by less than twice a diameter; prosternal, mesosternal punctures large, separated by about a diameter; metasternum with large punctures along anterior and lateral borders, punctures on remaining surface smaller, sparse; punctures on abdominal ventrites 1, 2 large, separated by less than three times a diameter, punctures on remaining ventrites small, separated by about a diameter. Head densely pubescent, frons parallel sided, not widened from vertex to clypeus, 1 ½ times width of eye measured at vertex (Fig. 220); eye canthus short; apical maxillary palpomere long, narrowed to apex in apical 1/3. Pronotum widest anterior to middle, reflexed lateral margin wide, equal in width from base to apex. Epipleuron flat, wide in basal ½, as wide as pronotal hypomeron. Prosternum long, longer than wide, longer than mesosternum, apical margin strongly arcuate, at least partly concealing mouthparts, without anterolateral projection. Postcoxal line on ventrite 1 long, extended slightly more than ½ distance to apical margin of ventrite. Apex of ventrite 5 arcuate medially. Genitalia with basal lobe slightly longer than paramere, slender, slightly narrowed from base to broadly emarginate apex; paramere straight, slender, sides nearly parallel, apex bluntly rounded, dorsal margin without serrations (Fig. 221, 222); sipho robust, short, apex appearing truncate (Fig. 223).

Female. Similar to male except spermathecal capsule short, basal ½ widened, narrow at middle, cornu unmodified, apically rounded.

Variation. Length 1.9–2.0 mm, width 1.4–1.5 mm. Pronotal color pattern varies from median dark area occupying most of surface to present on only median 1/3, elytron color pattern variable in size of yellow maculae, anterior macula sometimes divided into two parts, macula at apical declivity sometimes divided into two parts.

Type locality. Brazil.

Type depository. UMCZ.

Geographical distribution. Brazil?, Colombia, Panama, Venezuela.

Specimens examined. 8. COLUMBIA: N.de S. (Norte de Santander), 3km. N. Chinacaota. PANAMA: Paraiso, CZ (Canal Zone). VENEZUELA: Mts. N. Petare. (BMNH) (USNM).

Remarks. This species has a unique dorsal color pattern that, combined with an almost oblong shape and distinctive male genitalia, serve to separate it from other Neaporia species. Mulsant (1850) stated the type locality as “ Bresil,” but the female type specimen from the Crotch collection (UMCZ) is labeled “Bogota.” No specimens have been seen from Brazil so it is possible that Mulsant misstated the type locality or that it was mislabeled. A distribution ranging from Panama to Colombia and Venezuela is common, therefore this species probably does not occur in Brazil.