Nannogermalus herczeki, Kóbor, 2023

Kóbor, Péter, 2023, The New Caledonian endemic geocorine bug genus, Nannogermalus is not monotypic anymore (Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea: Geocoridae), Zootaxa 5382 (1), pp. 43-54 : 45-47

Nannogermalus herczeki sp. nov.

Figures 13 , 14

Type material. Holotype: m ( USMB): “ NEW CALEDONIA (S) / 22° 10.5’ S 166° 45.8’ E / Bois du Sud 160 m / 23. 12. 2006 at light / leg. R. Dobosz // 5915/8097 / coll. Upper Silesian Museum / ( USBM) Bytom, Poland”.

Description. Colouration. Head mostly ochraceous with base of vertex, surroundings of ocelli, dorsal part of ocular sulcus infused with brown. Compound eyes and ocelli colourless; base of ocelli with irregular reddish spot. Antennae ochraceous with apex of antennomere IV somewhat darker in hue. Labiomeres ochraceous. Thorax. Pronotum mostly ochraceous, punctuation variably ochraceous or brownish. A brownish median longitudinal band extending from anterior to posterior margin, between callosities. Pronotal callosities dark brownish. Scutellum brownish with median trifurcate carina darker in hue than the rest of scutellum; basal angles with small, rounded ochraceous spots. Clavus ochraceous with apex pale brownish. Corium ochraceous infused with pale brown along punctures; apical margin finely reddish near exocorium and with dark brownish spot at apex of clavus. Membrane hyaline. Thoracic pleurites and sternites pale brownish except ochraceous supracoxal lobes, peritreme and posterior margins of pro- and metepimeron. Legs mostly ochraceous, metafemora with irregular brownish subapical spot dorsally. Abdomen. Tergites with irregular brownish spots submedially, genital plate brownish. Abdominal sternites uniformly ochraceous.

Structure. Head pentagonal with eyes slightly stylate; vertex conspicuously declivent; integument rugose with decumbent pubescence and few punctures at middle of vertex. Eye stalks slightly erect; ocular sulcus complete, well-defined. Head length to width: 1: 2.41. Ocelli situated near ocular sulcus, distance of ocelli subequal to compound eye-ocellus distance, ratio: 1: 1.05. Ratio of antennomeres: 1: 2.79: 2.36: 3:12. Ratio of labiomeres: 1: 1.11: 1: 0.86. Thorax. Integument of thoracic dorsum covered densely with fine decumbent pubescence. Pronotum campanulate with lateral margins slightly constricted medially and posterior margin slightly convex medially; ratio of pronotum length to width: 1: 1.56. Punctuation of pronotum relatively dense medially and sparser laterally, between callosities and humeral angles; callosities, humeral angles, and posterior margin narrowly impunctate. Scutellum with trifurcate carina narrow, elevated; ratio of scutellum length to eidth: 1: 1.25. Integument of scutellum deeply punctate except trifurcate carina. Clavus of hemelytron with margins subparallel, claval commissure minute, but distinct; length of claval commissure to length of scutellum: 1: 3.0. Scutellar margin with punctures in apical half, corial margin punctate at entire length. Corium deeply punctate along Cu and with a S-shaped row of puncutres near R-M. Exocorium widening from basal third of length apically. Membrane surpassing well the apex of abdomen, with slightly visible, simplified venation. Thoracic tergites and pleurites densely punctate except supracoxal lobes, surroundings of peritreme and metepimeron. Abdomen. Integument of abdomen with fine, decumbent pubescence. Posterior margins of abdominal tergites III–V armed with minute tubrecles. Sutures of abdominal tergites IV/V and V/VI moderately curved, apices rounded.

Measurements (holotype, in mm). Total body length: 3.26; head length: 0.41; head width: 0.99; distance of ocelli: 0.32; length of antennomeres I–IV: 0.14, 0.39, 0.33, 0.45; length of labiomeres I–IV: 0.28, 0.31, 0.28, 0.24; pronotum length: 0.81; pronotum width: 1.26; scutellum length: 0.51; scutellum width: 0.64; length of claval commissure: 0.17.

Differential diagnosis. Besides the characteristic pattern of the pronotum and scutellum, the species can be easily distinguished by its narrow, evenly elevated trifurcate carina of scutellum (the trifurcate carina slightly constricted medially in N. webbi ; is interrupted by punctures basally in N. marmoratus ; and the trifurcate carina of N. pallgergelyi flared basally, flattening towards the apex). Furthermore, the species can be distinguished from N. webbi and N. marmoratus based on the tuberculate margin of abdominal tergites III–V.

Etymology. Patronym. Species is named in honour of the work of Professor Aleksander Herczek (University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland) for his contribution to knowledge of both fossil and recent plant bugs ( Heteroptera : Miridae ).

Distribution. The holotype was collected near Forêt Cachée Nature reserve in the southern part of Grande Terre, New Caledonia.

Figures

FIGURES 10–13. Morphological characteristics of Nannogermalus species: 10. head of N. pallgergelyi, 11. pronotum of N. webbi, 12. tuberculate margin of abdominal tergites in N. pallgergelyi, 13. tarsal claw and appendages in N. pallgergelyi (images not to scale).

FIGURES 14–15. Distribution map of Nannogermalus species (14; coordinates for N. webbi are rough estimates based on literature data) and habitat photo of N. pallgergelyi sp. nov. (15).