Calisiomorpha herczeki, Heiss, 2023

Heiss, Ernst, 2023, Calisiomorpha herczeki sp. nov. in Cretaceous Burmese amber (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aradidae), Zootaxa 5382 (1), pp. 39-42 : 40-41

Calisiomorpha herczeki sp. nov.

( Figs 1–4 )

Holotype. Male specimen in an oval piece of dark honey-coloured Burmese amber (16 x 16 mm), legs and antennae nearly complete, ventral side with head and prosternum obscured by impurities. It is designated as holotype and labelled accordingly.

Diagnosis. The new species is the second one tentatively assigned to the genus Calisiomorpha . It shares its basic characters but differs from yuripopovi by larger size (5.1 vs 3.8 mm), head longer than wide (shorter); longer antennae, ratio length of antennae / width of head 1.08 (0.93); pronotum more stout 2.42 times as wide as long (more transverse 2.94 times), longer scutellum 1.33 times as long as width (shorter 1.23 times); lateral connexival expansions shorter and more triangular (longer, conical tubercles).

Description. Head: Slightly longer than wide across eyes (1.1 / 0.95); clypeus egg-shaped enlarged apically reaching apex of antennal segment II, surface granulate and medially depressed; antenniferous lobes long, slightly twisted, apex rounded; antennae 1.08 times as long as width of head, segment I cylindrical, II longer and thicker, tapering towards base, III shortest, IV fusiform and longest, apex pilose; length of antennal segments I / II / III / IV = 0.25 / 0.30 / 0.15 / 0.325; eyes globular, lightly stylate and laterally produced; postocular lobes straightly converging posteriorly to constricted collar; vertex with longitudinal rows of tubercles, depressed between and laterally, carinate along the eyes; rostrum arising from an open atrium, as long as head, rostral groove wide.

Pronotum: 2.42 times as wide as long (0.65 / 1.57), ring-like collar carinate and raised; expanded paranota wide, lateral margins slightly sinuate and bent upward, converging anteriorly, its border crenulate; disk with strongly elevated granulate lateral carinae delimiting the paranota followed on inner side by a less prominent sublateral carina; disk anterior to sublateral carinae with ovate callosities, these separated medially by a deep sulcus; posterior margin carinate and concave.

Scutellum: Longer than wide (1.0 / 0.75), basal and lateral margins carinate, apex rounded; disk with a median carina, which is bifurcate anteriorly, depressed laterad.

Hemelytra: Triangular clavus between scutellum and corium distinct, the latter shorter than scutellum; exocorium delimited by a raised carinate vein, then laterally expanded and bent upward; only a small vestige of a transparent membrane is preserved, which might indicate a subbrachypterous status but may also be a remnant of broken membranes of a macropterous morph.

Abdomen: Of oval outline, connexival plates subrectangular, plain and separated by sutures; tergal plate comprising mediotergites III–VI each with (1+1) oval depressions, surface with flat granulation; anterior margin of deltgs V–VII with an additional small triangular sclerite separated by sutures; lateral margin of connexival edge of deltg III and deltg VII with a dorsal and vltg III and vltg VII with a ventral row of three, deltgs IV, V, VI and vltgs IV, V, VI with four tooth–like flat lateral expansions, the dorsal ones of smaller size and bent upward, der ventral ones are larger and flat; tergite VIII dorsally strongly transverse with four conical posteriorly directed tubercles, ventral side cup-shaped for the reception of the pygophore, which is concealed by tergite VII but seems accessable through a transverse caudal opening of tergite VIII.

Venter: Pro-, meso- and metasternum flat at middle, separated by transverse sutures; fused sternites II+III anterolaterally constricted and roundly expanded anteriorly between metacoxae; lamellate exocorium is visible and exposed laterad of meso- and metasternum; subrectangular outline of vltgs III–VII and sutures separating them as of dorsal side; no metathoracic scent gland structures and no spiracles discernible with certainty.

Legs: Femora fused to trochanters, moderately incrassate, surface granulate; tibiae cylindrical shorter than femora, tarsi two-segmented with distinct pulvilli.

Measurements. Length 5.1 mm; length of antennae 1.025 mm; width of corium at posterior angles of exocorium 1.25 mm; width of abdomen across tergite V 2.25 mm.

Etymology. It is a great pleasure to dedicate this unique amber taxon to my friend and eminent palaeontologist Aleksander Herczek (University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland), honouring and sharing his 70th birthday.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Calisiomorpha herczeki sp. nov. 1. Dorsal view; 2. Head and thorax, dorsal view; 3. Abdomen, dorsal view; 4. Abdomen ventral view. Abbreviations: bif = bifurcate carina; car = lateral carina; cly = egg-shaped clypeus; exo = exocorium; par = paranotum; pyg = pygophore?; sc = separated sclerite; sty = stylate eye; TVIII = tergum VIII; vltg VII = ventral laterotergite VII. Scale bars = 1mm Fig. 1; 0.5mm Figs 2–4.