RhynchortaliaCrotch
Updated September 2007.

Synonyms
Rhynchortalia Crotch, 1874: 278. TS: Rhynchortalia insueta Crotch, 1874 Crotch, 1874.

Diagnosis
Rhynchortalia is at once distinguished from all other Coccidulini by its bicoloured body, hypognathous and somewhat rostrate head bearing huge eyes, projected procoxae, peculiar metaventral postcoxal lines, long legs and bifid claws in both sexes.

Description
Length 4.0-5.0 mm; head dorsally not covered by pronotum; body oval and weakly convex; winged; dorsum uniformly hairy. Elytra black or blue with yellowish apices, often with metallic tint; head and pronotum yellow or brown. Head narrowing anteriorly with elongate labrum giving a rostrate appearance; eyes very large, finely facetted, not emarginate. Antenna 11-segmented; slender, slightly shorter than head capsule antennomere 3 elongate; antennal club 3-segmented, very weak. Maxillary palps somewhat geniculate, terminal palpomere long, parallel or weakly narrowing apically. Prosternum short in front of coxae, straight; prosternal process very narrow, prominent between conical procoxae, without distinct carinae. Anterior margin of mesoventrite arcuate medially. Metaventral postcoxal lines very far from coxae and not recurved. Elytral epipleuron broad, incomplete apically, not foveate. Legs long, tibiae without apical spurs; claws bifid in both sexes. Abdominal postcoxal line apparently absent, closely associated with cavity edge. Male terminalia. Parameres and phallobase symmetrical; penis guide symmetrical. Parameres articulated with phallobase. Penis long and coiled, consisting of single sclerite; basal capsule distinct and T-shaped. Apodeme of male sternum 9 very narrow and rod-like. Female terminalia. Coxities rod-like, heavily sclerotised; styli strongly reduced and hardly visible; infundibulum absent; sperm duct simple, uniform in diameter. Spermatheca distinctly curved with cornu and basal ramus and nodulus; spermathecal accessory gland distinctly separated from sperm duct.

Distribution and Biology
This small genus is principally distributed in New Guinea and adjacent islands with single, undescribed species known from Queensland (Iron Range). Biology is unknown.

Genus References
Crotch, G R. 1874. A Revision of the Coleopterous Family Coccinellidae. E. W. Janson, London. xv + 311 pp.

Slipinski, S.A. 2007. Australian Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) their biology and classification. ABRS, Canberra. 286 pp.

[ Top ]