Kanakaptera, Heiss, 2011

Heiss, E., 2011, New genera and species of Carventinae from New Caledonia (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aradidae), Zootaxa 2792 (1), pp. 22-32 : 23-26

Kanakaptera new genus

Type species: Kanakaptera laticeps n. sp.

Diagnosis. Apterous: body ovate, surface of charcoal colouration with a bronze tinge, smooth and submat to glabrous; head with angularly expanded postocular lobes; pronotum with conspicuous anterolateral projections; tergal disk with sinuate transverse sutures delimiting mtg III–VI.

Description. Head: Wider than long, genae projecting over elongate clypeus; antenniferous lobes wide and blunt; antennae thin, shorter than width of head; eyes granular inserted in head, postocular lobes largely expanded, dentate anteriorly, truncate or angulate posteriorly, rostrum arising from an open atrium, rostral groove with carinate margins, shorter than head.

Pronotum: Strongly transverse, about 3.7–4.5x as wide as long, anterolateral angles with dilated projections; anterior and lateral margins carinate, disk with deep furrows separating the sclerites, posterior margin convex, separated from mesonotum by a distinct furrow.

Mesonotum: As wide as pronotum without its lateral expansions, lateral margins slightly convex, posterior margin straight at middle, sinuate laterally, following furrow which separates it from metanotum; surface smooth with ill defined furrows.

Metanotum: Fused to mtg I+II, their fusion lines partly obscured; lateral margins constricted posteriorly, posterior margin straight; surface smooth with ill defined shallow callosities, medially depressed on mtgI+II.

Abdomen: Tergal plate consisting of fused mtg III–VI with convex lateral margins, surface smooth slightly raised along midline, sutures delimiting mediotergites distinct; deltg I+II fused and anteriorly expanded to a triangular sclerite reaching pronotum; deltg III–VII distinctly separated by sutures, their surface smooth, apodemal impressions marked by round dots, lateral margins bicarinate.

Venter: Pro- meso- and metasternum fused to each other and to fused sternites I+II; prosternum with a median ridge with a longitudinal groove; surface of meso- and metasternum flat and smooth, that of following sternites smooth and glabrous, the pleural portion is rugose; spiracles II–IV lateral and visible from above, V–VI close to lateral margin but not visible from above, VII and VIII lateral and visible.

Legs: Unarmed and slender, claws with thin curved pseudopulvilli.

Etymology. Referring to the Kanaks, the native inhabitants of New Caledonia and the apterous condition of the species.

Discussion. This genus is strikingly different from other apterous Carventinae known to date from New Caledonia by its habitus, head structure, and position of spiracles. It resembles most closely the genus Lissaptera ( Usinger & Matsuda 1959) , sharing the same position of spiracles and the smooth surface; however, the shape of the head and pronotum and the fusion lines of thorax are different.

Kanakaptera laticeps n. sp.

(Fig.1–5, photo 1,2,3,7)

Material examined. Holotype ♂: New Caledonia, S-Prov./ road Nouméa – Yaté, 220m / ca. 20km NE Nouméa / 24 XI 2009 lg. Schuh (9) / 22°12’24’’ S, 166°40’45.6’’ E // Holotype ♂ / Kanakaptera n.gen. / laticeps n. sp. / des. E. HEISS 2010. Paratypes: 7♂ 5♀ collected with holotype; 1♀ New Caledonia, S-Prov. / Monts Koghis, forest litter / ca. 5km N Nouméa, 550m / 25 XI 2009 Schuh (11A); 1♀ New Caledonia, S-Prov. / parc provincial Rivière Bleue

/ L’houpt géant ca. 350m / 25 XI 2009 Schuh (11A). A ♂ ♀ paratype will be deposited at the Natural History Museum Vienna .

Description. Male, apterous, surface of charcoal colouration with a bronze tinge, surface smooth and submat, pe-angles of deltg III–VII brownish.

Head: Distinctly wider than long (32.5/26); genae produced anteriorly over clypeus their apices rounded and dilated leaving a cleft medially, reaching about ¾ of antennal segment I; antenniferous lobes wide, slightly converging anteriorly with rounded apices, notched before eyes; antennae short, width of head 1.12 x as wide as length of antennae (32.5/29), segment I club-shaped, thickest and longest, II and III thin and of equal length, IV fusiform with pilose apex; length of segments I/II/III/IV = 9.5/6/6/7.5; granular oval eyes inserted in head; postocular lobes wide, slightly notched behind eyes then forming large lateral tooth and converging to rectangular posterior projection separated from collar by a deep notch; surface of head with irregular rugosities. Rostral atrium open, rostral groove shorter than head with carinate margins, closed posteriorly.

Pronotum: More than 4x as wide as long (46/11); anterolateral angles expanded into subrectangular sclerites projecting anteriorly and laterally (photo 7), disk with a median sclerite reaching from anterior to posterior margin with a longitudinal groove at middle and lateral flat callosities which are delimited by deep furrows; anterior and lateral margins carinate, posterior margin convex separated from mesonotum by a deep furrow.

Mesonotum: Median sclerite with longitudinal groove at middle, anterolaterally delimited by ill defined sutures; lateral sclerites forming rounded callosities; posterior margin straight at middle, then inclined anteriorly to short rounded sutures reaching lateral margins; meso- and metanotum separated by a deep furrow.

Metanotum: Fused to mtg I+II with a short median suture between mesonotum and mtg I and a longer one between mtgI and II this not reaching the posteriorly converging lateral margin; surface smooth, median sulcus developed, mtgI+II with a shallow depression medially; posterior margin straight.

PHOTOS 1–9. 1,2,3,7 — Kanakaptera laticeps n.gen.,n. sp.; 1— holotype male dorsal view; 2—female dorsal view; 3— paratype female ventral view: 4,8— Kanakaptera montdoa n.gen.,n. sp. paratype female dorsal view; 5— Kanakaptera heimiana n.gen.,n. sp. holotype male dorsal view; 6,9— Kanakaptera carininota n.gen.,n. sp. holotype male dorsal view; 7,8,9—detail of head and pronotum.

Abdomen: Tergal plate with distinctly separated mtg III–VI, slightly raised medially to scent gland on suture mtg III–IV; apodemal impressions small placed in center of flat roundish depressions; deltg I+II fused, triangularly expanded anteriorly reaching pronotum; deltg III–VII separated by sutures, pe-angles slightly produced, lateral margins formed by 2 parallel longitudinal carinae; disk of deltg III–VII smooth with small apodemal impressions; tergite VII raised medially. Venter with spiracles II–IV lateral and visible from above, V–VI close to lateral margin but not visible from above, VII and VIII lateral and visible.

Legs: Slender and unarmed, trochanters fused to femora, their fusion line distinct.

Genitalic structures: Pygophore pyriform, sloping posteriorly, surface rugose; paratergites VIII cylindrical reaching ½ of pygophore; parameres as fig. 1–5.

Female: Generally as male but of larger size, body more rounded laterally; postocular lobes wider exceeding laterally the outer margin of eyes; mtg VII trapezoidal and transversely rugose posteriorly, its pe-angles roundedly projecting posteriorly these smaller than the rounded lobes of tergite VIII, these about as long as the triangular tergites IX+X.

Measurements. Holotype ♂: Length 6.0mm; length / width of mesonotum 11.5/44; width of abdomen across tergite III 65; paratypes ♀: length 6.8, 7.15mm; w/l of head 36/29, 37/30; length of antennal segments I/II/III/IV = 10/7/7/8, 10.5/7/7/8; ratio width of head / length of antennae 1.12, 1.14; l/w pronotum 11.5/53, 12/54; l/w mesonotum 12.5/46, 13/49; w abdomen 77, 85.

Etymology. Referring to the posterolaterally expanded postocular lobes of head.

Distribution. Recorded to date from 3 localities in Southern Province.