Serangium nitidumSlipinski and Burckhardt
last updated September 2007

Synonyms
Serangium nitidum Slipinski and Burckhardt, 2006: 46.

Diagnosis
This species is characterized by the combination of the black convex dorsal surface, the relatively large eyes and the double row of setae along the elytral margin. From externally similar species it can be reliably identified based on male genitalia.

Description
Length 1.5-1.7 mm. Pitch black dorsally and ventrally; femora brown, tibiae and tarsi dirty yellowish. Winged; body shape hemispherical; pronotal margins visible from above, pronotum bearing a fine rim anteriorly, laterally and posteriorly; elytra with inconspicuous swelling near humeral edge; elytral margins with narrow rim, visible from above in anterior half. Head, pronotal and elytral surface very shiny; head virtually impunctate, covered in long sparse setae. Pronotum sparsely covered in fine punctures and long sparse setae. Scutellum elongate, triangular, flat, shiny, glabrous. Elytra impunctate with a few long setae in basal third and two rows of setae along margin. Head with moderately large eyes, separated by 2.2 times eye width; flattened medially. Clypeus flat, long, straight anteriorly. Terminal maxillary palpomere broad, oval, obliquely truncate apically, terminal labial palpomere narrow and aciculate. Antenna 9-segmented, scape expanded apically, club elongate, inner margin concave, apex angular. Prosternum mat, surface weakly furrowed, sparsely setose; mesosternum shiny, impunctate; metasternum shiny, impunctate, with fine sparse setae. Elytral epipleuron yellowish, broad, flat and perpendicular to elytron in anterior half, with some long setae, narrowing to a mere rim in apical half. Anterior margin of profemur weakly angled in apical third. Tarsus 4-segmented. Abdomen: ventrite 1 large, shiny with a few setae, ventrites 2-5 small, mat and bearing a few long setae. Last ventrite not grooved laterally.

Male
Male genitalia as figured.

Female
Externally identical to male.

Variation
Not observed.

distribution map for the speciesDistribution and Biology
New South Wales and Queensland.

Species References
Slipinski, A. and Burckhardt, D. 2006. Revision of the Australian Coccinellidae (Coccinellidae). Part 5. Tribe Serangiini. Annales Zoologici (Warszawa), 56(1): 37-58.

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