Synonyms
Telsimia abdita Slipinski, Pang and Pope, 2005: 246.
Diagnosis
This species is easily distinguished from all other Australian Telsimia having borders of postcoxal plates of first abdominal ventrite not recurved externally.
Description
Length 1.4-1.7 mm. Oval, convex, broadest shortly before middle; entirely black above; underside and legs also pitchy-black throughout. Head between eyes strongly widened from base of clypeus to vertex, width across vertex as great as or greater than median length; frontal punctures as large as eye facets, separated by 1-2 diameters, intervals smooth, setae in punctures sparse, appressed. Pronotum slightly more than twice as broad at base as median length; anterior border arcuate medially, anterior angles sharply formed; punctures of both disc and margins similar in size to those of frons, but often separated by more than 2 diameters, intervals smooth, pubescence suberect, mostly forwardly directed and with all setae of the same length. Elytra slightly longer than greatest combined breadth; external margins not or very slightly explanate to borders; punctures of disc and margins of similar size and spacing, slightly larger than those of pronotum and often separated by 2 diameters or more, but appearing larger in oblique lighting; intervals smooth, pubescence suberect, forming a whorled pattern. Prosternum with intercoxal process 0.5 times as broad at apex as hind border of mesoventrite, punctures small, sparse, setiferous; mesoventrite sparsely and finely punctured, hind border angled medially; metasternum also sparsely punctured, except anterolaterally, without median discrimen. Abdomen with postcoxal plates of 1st ventrite not recurved, punctures between coxae small and sparse, but larger than those of metasternum;
Male
Abdominal ventrite 5 in midline as long as ventrites 2-4 together, apical border lightly and briefly notched medially.Legs with tarsal claws bifid. Male genitalia as illustrated.
Female
Identical to male, but with 5th abdominal ventrite arcuate apically, not emarginate, and with tarsal claws of all legs appendiculate.
Variation
Not observed.
Distribution and Biology
The few specimens so far seen cover a very broad geographical range from north Queensland, New South Wales to South Australia. Biology and larvae unknown.
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Species References
Slipinski, A., H. Pang, R. Pope, 2005. Revision of the Australian Coccinellidae (Coleoptera). Part 4. Tribe telsimiini. Annales Zoologici (Warszawa), 55: 243-269.
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