Laccophilus pictus insignis Sharp 1882

Laccophilus pictus insignis Sharp Laccophilus insignis Sharp, 1882a, p. 290. Type: male (?), British Museum (Natural History), Texas. Horn, 1883, p. 277; Zimmermann, 1910, p. 20; Leng, 1920, p. 77; Blackwelder, 1944, p. 74; Leech, 1948, p. 401.
DIAGNOSIS. — The black and yellow elytral pattern with a yellow zig-zag, subbasal band separates insignis from all other North American Laccophilus.
NOMENCLATURAL NOTES. — There has been some confusion of insignis with other races of pictus, but not with other species.
VARIATION. — Unlike pictus and coccinelloides, insignis females are smaller than males (Table 10, fig. 14). In all five locality samples the lengths of males exceeded that of females. The difference is about 0.07 mm. The WP/EL ratio appears to be slightly higher for males. The elytral pattern appears to be fairly uniform throughout the range, and there is no sexual difference. Intergrades between pictus and insignis from near Papantla, Veracruz, showed all degrees of pattern variation between typical pictus and insignis, but were close to the mean of insignis in size. — L. p. insignis ranges from west Texas to central Veracruz mainly on the eastern slope of the Sierra Madre Oriental (fig. 13). It is one of the most common Laccophilus in the hill country of central Texas (Blanco County, for example). It is usually taken between 500 to 3000 feet in stream pools. It prefers granitic gravelly bottomed pools which frequently occur in oak woodland in the northern part of the range and in tropical deciduous or tropical evergreen forest in the southern part. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. — KANSAS. Sedgwick County. Derby, 1 2, vii. 15.58, JRZ (NMSU). OKLAHOMA. Greer County. Mangum, 1, ix.9.— (USNM). TEXAS. Blanco County. Cypress Mill(s), 1, iv.2.— ; 2, ix.10.88; Round Mountain, 1, —.—.26, H. S. Bolier; 1 (USNM); 2 3 , 1 2 (ANSP); 5 3, 1 2 (MCZ). Shovel Mtn., vi.— .26; 1, —.—.29; 2 (USNM); 1 (CNL); 18 3, 27 2, ix.— .— , F. G. Schaupp (AMNH); 3 3 (MCZ). Burnet County. Marble Falls, 1, iii.14.59, E. O. Morrison (TAM). County, 2 (USNM). Colorado County. Columbus, 3 3 , 4 2 (CARR). Coryell County. Fort Hood, 1, vi.5.55; 1, vii. 19.55; 3, vii.30.55, Matthews (CNL). Falls County. Reagan (Wells?), 4, iii.6.36, J. G. Needham (CNL) . Gillespie County. Fredericksburg, 5, vi.22.55, W. W. Boyle (CNL). Hays County. Dripping Springs, 3, viii.9.42, W. S. Ross & E. S. Ross (CAS). Kendall County. Comfort, 1 3 (CARR). Kerr County. Kerrville, 3, x.8.05; 5, vi.19.07, F. C. Pratt (USNM); 2, vi.21.42, E. S. Ross (CAS). Llano County. Llano, 2 3,49, iv.25.63, George Child (NMSU). Sutton County. Sonora, Dry Devil's River, 5, xi.5.49, O. Bryant (CAS). Travis County. Austin, 3, vi.28.33; 5 (USNM). Lake Austin, 1 9 , iv.3.53, J. E. Gillespie (AMNH). Uvalde County. Sabinal, 1, vi.19.10, F. C. Pratt (USNM). Uvalde, 3, v. 21. 33 (TAM). Val Verde County. Del Rio, 13,12, vii. 23.24 (MCZ). Zapata County. 1, ii.26.36, J. G. Needham (CNL). Dubious record. El Paso County. El Paso, 4 3,52 MEXICO. — COAHUILA. Ramos Arizpe, 13,2 2, vii.7.63, JRZ (NMSU). NUEVO LEON. Allende, 1 3, vii.8.63, JRZ (NMSU). Sabinas Hidalgo, 1 3, xii. 16.40, F. N. Young (AMNH). Sta. Catarina, Huasteca Can., 1 3, vii.7.63, JRZ (NMSU). SAN LUIS POTOSI. Agua Zarca (N. Platinito), 7 3,3 2, iii.25.63; Antiguo Morelos, 3 2, iii.23.63, JRZ (NMSU). Cuidad del Maiz, 15 m. E., 1 2, xi. 19.48, H. B. Leech. El Salto, 5 2, iii.25.63, Guaymuchil (N. Naranjo), 3 3, 11 2, iii.25.63; Jitalpa, 9 3,5 2, iii.23.63, JRZ (NMSU). Palitla, 5 m. N. of Tamazunchale, 3 3,8 2, xii.22.48, H. B. Leech. Valles, 29 m. N., 1 3, viii. 19.54, F. N. Young (AMNH). TAMAULIPAS. Antiguo Morelos, 3 m. N., 1 3, 5 2, iii.26.63; 6 2, El Limon, 1 3, 2 2, iii.24.63; Llera, 1 3,5 2, iii.23.63; Mante, 1 2, iii.23.63; Nuevo Morelos, 5 3, 9 9, iii.25.63; Ocampo, 6 3, 8 2, iii.24.63, JRZ (NMSU). San Jose, 2 3, iv.— .10 (USNM). Victoria, 3 3,2 2, xii. 10.— , F. C. Bishop (USNM).
L. p. pictus x L. p. insignis VERACRUZ. Papantla, 18 km. E., 37 8 , 31 9, ix.9.64, JRZ (NMSU). Laccophilus vacaensis Young is the most recently described Laccophilus in North America. It was described from a single locality on Key Vaca, Florida (1953). Specimens from other localities have long been present in the material from several museums; but due to its similar appearance in color, pattern, size, and shape to L. proximus, it was not recognized as distinct. It has a wide distribution and may be present in every one of the states along the southern tier of the United States, as well as occurring over much of Mexico and all the way to Costa Rica. It appears related to L. tarsalis Sharp, a South American species. There are three geographical races in North America. The most widely distributed is v. vacaensis, which has a perplexing distribution and may prove to be composed of more than one race when more is known about it. L. v. chihuahuae occurs from southcentral Texas to southeastern Arizona. L. v. thermophilus is distributed around the Gulf of California. As yet, no intergrades are known between the races; but so few specimens have been taken from the possible intergrade areas that it cannot be concluded they do not intergrade. Apparently, all three races occur in southeastern Arizona; and it is possible that there is a circular overlap without intergradation in that region. This species appears to be most closely related to L. spangleri with which it must be considered sympatric in southern Mexico and Central America; but the collections are, unfortunately, so scattered that this is also an open question.
DESCRIPTION. — Medium (length, 4.0 to 5.3 mm; width, 2.2 to 3.0 mm), brown, irrorated species; metacoxal file absent; prosternal process short; forklike ovipositor. COLOR. Head: generally pale brownish-yellow, but often with reddish tinge especially on the occiput between the eyes; appendages also yellow. Pronotum: generally the same as the head, but with darker brown areas of varying intensity at the anterior margin between the eyes and at the apex. Elytra: irrorated pattern variable and discussed under subspecies; epipleura pale anteriorly, but may darken posteriorly. Tergite VIII: pale yellowishbrown. Venter: variable from light brownish-yellow to light brown and light reddish-brown; metacoxal plates and hind legs usually darker than rest of venter. Genitalia: variable from light reddish-yellow brown to dark reddish-brown. ANATOMY. Microreticulation: faintly double on the vertex of the head but most cellules irregularly elongate; pronotum with some cellules double, but most single and irregularly elongate; single on elytral disc and more deeply impressed
in females (pebbled). Head: supraclypeal seam arching slightly upward away from the margin. Pronotum: WH/PW, 0.66 to 0.67; LP/PW, 0.39 to 0.40. Elytra: slightly truncated; crease lying just above the female epipleuron and extending in a straight line posteriorly to just beyond half the length of the elytra; epipleura with prominent flanges in all females of chihuahuae and thermophilus but only rarely in v. vacaensis. Venter: prosternal process with welldefined median crest; postcoxal processes laterally projecting posterior to the midline; last abdominal segment of female not truncated, but subtriangular with a rounded ventral median crest and a marginate groove on either side and with scattered setigerous punctures; male last segment not clearly truncated, but appearing so in some specimens due to flexing on either side of the asymmetrical median crest; slightly produced at apex, with scattered setigerous punctures; hind margin of male fifth visible segment with creases or protuberances on either side of midline, the left more prominent than the right. Legs: male proand mesotarsi swollen laterally as well as enlarged in a dorsoventral plane; fifth tarsal segments on both pair of front legs more than twice as long as corresponding fourth; palettes easily visible at 20 power magnification; profemoral marginal setae (10 on male; 7 to 8 on female). Genitalia: oval plate with produced acuminate tip with ventral crest extending anteriorly with slight curve to the left nearly to front of plate; prominent raised lines on either side; aedeagus bent near base and subapically, relatively straight between; ovipositor with about nine pair of spaced, rakelike teeth.