Sticholotidini

Sticholotis culleni, from CSIRO.

Belongs within: Coccinellidae.

The Sticholotidini are a heterogeneous, circumtropical group of ladybird beetles that generally have apically geniculate maxillary palps with a narrowed, pointed terminal segment, a relatively broad prosternum between the coxae, and a five-segmented abdomen (Ślipiński 2007).

Characters (from Ślipiński 2007): Body moderately convex, usually glabrous. Head with antennal insertions usually exposed, very rarely with antennal grooves ventrally along inner margins of eyes. Antenna ten- or eleven-segmented with one- to four-segmented club. Pronotum without line or ridge separating anterior corners from pronotal disc. Prosternum broad between coxae, usually with marginal lines or carinae. Tarsi four-segmented with claws usually simple or thickened at base. Tibial spurs absent. Abdomen with five ventrites; ventrites 1 and 5 longer than 2 and 3 combined. Abdominal postcoxal line incomplete. Male genitalia with tegmen symmetrical, parameres long with one or more setae apically; penis sclerotised, simple with T-shaped capsule. Larva (where known): Length 2–4 mm; body broadly fusiform, sometimes broader with lateral setose processes; cuticle of thorax and abdomen finely granulate and densely pubescent. Head weakly transverse with frontal arms joined at base, lyriform, strongly divergent anteriorly; epicranial stem absent; median endocarina absent. Antenna comprising three distinct, sclerotised segments; segment 3 long. Mandible triangular with double apex and weakly projected molar area. Maxillary mala slender and distinctly narrowing apically with well developed stylus. Maxillary palps three-segmented, much longer than mala; labial palps two-segmented. Thoracic tergites with sclerotised plates on thorax bearing simple setae. Legs short and slender; apex of tibiotarsus with multiple clubbed setae; claw with or without distinct basal tooth. Abdomen with defence gland openings on segments 1–8, with single setae only. Pupa with urogomphi.

<==Sticholotidini S07
    |--Pharoscymnus S07
    |--Jauravia S07
    |--Sulcolotis S07
    |--Neotina S07
    |--Nesina S07
    |--Chaetolotis Ślipiński 2004 S07
    |    `--*C. amy Ślipiński 2004 S07
    `--Sticholotis Crotch 1874 [incl. Gymnoscymnus Blackburn 1892] S07
         |--*S. substriata Crotch 1874 S07
         |--S. cooloola Ślipiński 2004 S07
         |--S. culleni Ślipiński 2004 S07
         |--S. quadrimaculatus (Blackburn 1892) [=*Gymnoscymnus quadrimaculatus; incl. G. explanatus Blackburn 1895] S07
         |--S. redimita Weise 1923 S07
         `--S. tozer Ślipiński 2004 S07

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[S07] Ślipiński, A. 2007. Australian Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): Their biology and classification. Australian Biological Resources Study: Canberra.