Dichelops australis Grazia & Klein

Klein, Joana Tartari, Barcellos, Aline, Grazia, Jocélia & Redaelli, Luiza Rodrigues, 2012, Contributions to the knowledge of Dichelops (Dichelops) with the description of a new species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae: Carpocorini), Zootaxa 3157, pp. 61-68 : 62-66

Dichelops australis Grazia & Klein sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 , 3 , 5, 7, 11 , 14‒16 , 18 , 20 )

Etymology. The name is related to geographic distribution of the species (southern South America).

Type material. Holotype ♂, labelled: [ BRAZIL, Rio Grande do Sul], Eldorado do Sul , RS, 09.VI.2010, J.T. Klein col. ( MCNZ) . Paratypes: 13, BRAZIL, São Paulo, Campinas , VI.1940, 4098 L.O.T.M. ( UFRG); 23, Cachoeirinha, IRGA, 17.VII.1985, Albuquerque col. ( UFRG); 4 ♂ (one without pygophore), 1♀, ARGENTINA [Santa Fe], El Sombrerito, 11.IX.1969, R Trujillo, col. A. A. Pirán; 1♀ (without abdomen), same data, Inst. Pat. Vegetal ( MACN).

Description. Ovoid, medium-sized (10‒11 mm) species. Dorsal color castaneous, lighter castaneous ventrally, coarse, dark castaneous to black punctures (fig. 1).

Head slightly wider than long. Juga clearly surpassing clypeus, lateral margins slightly sinuous, convergent and acute apically. Coarse punctures regularly distributed, except laterad the eyes. Proportion of antennal segments: I<II<III<IV. Rostrum slightly surpassing metacoxae. First rostral segment entirely contained between bucculae. Proportion of rostral segments: I<II>III>IV. Bucculae truncate, slightly projected posteriorly. Ventral surface with coarse, sparsely distributed punctures.

Pronotum. Anterolateral margins crenulated. Humeri slightly projected, not spinose, truncate and with three crenulations (fig. 3). Surface of the disk densely and coarsely punctuate, except on a narrow, irregular and subcallous stripe across humeri.

Scutellum. Surface uniformly punctuate; punctures smaller apically. Black foveae small.

Hemelytra. Anterior third of corium with a narrow, yellowish outer margin. Punctures as on scutellum. Corium attaining the anterior half of sixth tergite. Membrane hyaline, with six dark longitudinal veins.

Ventral surface of thorax light castaneous; punctures reddish to dark castaneous, darker and denser on ventral surface of prothorax and on lateral areas of metapleuron. Venter yellowish to light castaneous; punctures mostly thinner than those on thorax. A median, dark castaneous stripe extending longitudinally from the third to seventh segment. Spiracles black. Connexivum light castaneous, with a small dark spot at outer anterolateral angle. Posterolateral angles acute.

Legs light castaneous, with dark castaneous punctures, denser on apical half of femora.

Male genitalia. Pygophore subquadrate; genital cup moderately exposed dorsally (fig 5). Dorsal rim sinuate, median third truncate and projected over proctiger. Superior processes of dorsal rim conspicuous, acute. Posterolateral angles slightly projected, sinuate, with dense and convergent bristle tufts. Ventral rim concave in the middle (fig. 7). Parameres elongated, directed towards the superior processes of dorsal rim (fig. 11). Head of paramere as long as the base. Phallus (figs. 14‒16): phallotheca cylindrical, with a pair of dorsal processes as long as conjunctiva; processus conjunctivae present, digitiform, directed ventrad. Processus vesicae present (figs. 3‒5), in spite of the mention in Grazia (1978) that this process was lacking in the subgenus Dichelops . Actually, this structure is present in all species of this subgenus, embracing the ductus seminis distalis and sometimes obscuring it.

Measurements (n=8). Body length 11.27±0.23 (11.0–11.6); abdominal width 7.1±0.18 (6.80–7.40); head length 2.02±0.27 (1.4–2.20), width 2.52±0.10 (2.40–2.60 length of antennal segments: I 0.95±0.10 (0.80–1.0), II 1.15±0.10 (1.0–1.20), III 1.20±0.80 (1.60–1.60), IV 1.30±0.87 (1.60–1.80); pronotum length 2.60±0.15 (2.40– 2.80), width 4.39±0.27 (3.90–4.65); scutellum length 4.70±0.18 (4.60–5.0), width 4.47±0.21 (4.20–4.80).

Female genitalia. Gonocoxites 8 almost triangular, posterior margins moderately sinuous, sutural margins slightly divergent at posterior angle. Tumid areas of gonocoxites 8 occupying ¾ of each plate, composing a semicircle together. Laterotergites 9 slightly angulate at apex, clearly surpassing the transversal band linking laterotergites 8. Surface along outer lateral margins of laterotergites 9 darker. Apices of laterotergites 8 acute, but not spinose (fig. 18). Anterior margin of gonocoxites 9 sinuous. Chitinellipsen elliptical. Ductus receptaculi before vesicular area a little longer than the ductus after vesicular area. Capsula seminalis rounded, with three processes of variable length. Annular flanges convergent (fig. 20).

Measurements (n=3). Body length 10.8; abdominal width 7.0; head length 2.13±0.11 (2.0–2.20), width 2.53±0.11 (2.40–2.60); length of antennal segments: lacking; pronotum length 2.60±0.0, width 6.46±0.23 (6.20– 6.60); scutellum length 4.66±0.11 (4.60–4.80), width 4.40±0.0.

Additional material examined. Dichelops bicolor Grazia, 1978 : BRAZIL, Mato Grosso, Juína , IX.01. 1978, K.S. Brown Jr. col., 33 (without pygophore) ( ZUEC 2546 , 2547 , 2548 ). PERU, Satipo , II.1944, P. Paprzych col. 13 (paratype, without pygophore).

Paratypes of Dichelops avilapiresi Distant, 1889 : BRAZIL, Rio de Janeiro, X.1943, Hamacker col. ( MCNZ), 1♀; BRAZIL, Santa Catarina, Pinhal, XII.1948, A. Maller col. Frank Johnson Donor ( MCNZ), 13 (without pygophore). Additional specimens: BRAZIL, São Paulo, Santo André, II.20. 1962, L. Stowbunenko col. 1♀; Americana , XI.11. 1976, W.A. Lacerda col. 13 (without pygophore), Paraná, Pinhão , VII.1992, Skuk, G. col. 1♀.

Paratypes of Dichelops pradoi Grazia, 1978 : BRAZIL, São Paulo, Araçatuba, Rio Jacarecatinga , X.1961, Lane & Rabello col. ( MZSP), 13 (without pygophore); BRAZIL, Goiás, Aragarças, XI.1965, Alvarenga col. ( MZSP), 1♀ (without abdomen); BRAZIL, Mato Grosso, Corumbá, Serra do Urucum , 29.XI.1960, K. Lenko col. ( MZSP) 1♀ (without abdomen).

Comments. Dichelops australis sp. nov. is very similar in general shape and size to D. avilapiresi and D. pradoi . From D. avilapiresi it can be distinguished by the dorsal color, entirely castaneous in the new species, and with reddish stripes on the juga and pronotum in D. avilapiresi , and small differences at the humeri. They also differ by the shape of parameres – thinner and somehow twisted in D. avilapiresi . D. australis sp. nov. differs from D. pradoi by the black spots on the outer anterolateral angles of the sternites, and the ventral rim of pygophore is rectilinear, without a mesial notch. The male genitalia of D. australis sp. nov. are quite similar to those of D. bicolor . However, the former can be easily distinguished from the latter by the truncate, not spinose, humeri. Females of these species differ in the extension of the gonocoxites’ tumescences. In D. bicolor and D. pradoi , each of these tumescences (1 per gonocoxite) extends over the inner half of each plate, over the inner 2/ 3 in D. avilapiresi , and over the inner ¾ in D. australis sp. nov. In D. bicolor and D. pradoi , these tumescences extend over the inner half of each plate, over the inner 2/ 3 in D. avilapiresi , and over the inner ¾ in D. australis sp. nov.

Distribution. Central and southern Brazil and eastern Argentina, which corresponds to Pampeana and Paranense biogeographic provinces ( Morrone, 2006).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dichelops (Dichelops) australis sp. nov. (Scale = 2 mm).

FIGURE 20. Dichelops australis sp. nov. Female, laterotergites, gonapophyses and gonocoxites of ninth segment, and ectodermical genital ducts, ventral view (aaf, anterior annular flange; ch, chitinellipsen; cs, capsula seminalis; dr, ductus receptaculi; g 9, gonapophyses 9; gc 9, gonocoxites 9; la 9, laterotergite 9; paf, posterior annular flange; pi, pars intermedialis; tvi, thickening of vaginal intima; va, vesicular area; X, proctiger) (Scale = 1 mm).

FIGURES 2 ‒ 4. Pronotum, dorsal view: 2, Dichelops avilapiresi; 3, Dichelops australis sp. nov.; 4, Dichelops bicolor (Scale = 2 mm).

FIGURES 5 ‒ 13. 5, Dichelops australis sp. nov., male, pygophore dorsal view; 6 ‒ 9, ventral rim of pygophore: 6, Dichelops avilapiresi; 7, Dichelops australis sp. nov.; 8, Dichelops bicolor; 9, Dichelops pradoi; 10 ‒ 13, left paramere, dorsal view: 10, D. avilapiresi; 11, D. australis sp. nov.; 12, D. bicolor; 13, D. pradoi (dr, dorsal rim; pa, paramere; spdr, superior process of dorsal rim; vr, ventral rim; X, proctiger) (Scales: figs. 5 ‒ 9 = 1 mm; 10 ‒ 13 = 0.5 mm).

FIGURES 14 ‒ 16. Dichelops australis sp. nov. Male, phallus, respectively dorsal, ventral and lateral views (cj, conjunctiva; ph, phallotheca; prph, processus phallothecae; prv, processus vesicae) (Scale = 0.5 mm).

FIGURES 17 ‒ 19. Females, genital plates, ventral view: 14, D. avilapiresi; 15, D. australis sp. nov.; 16, D. bicolor (gc 8, gonocoxite 8; la 8, laterotergite 8; la 9, laterotergite 9; VII, seventh urosternite; X, proctiger) (Scale = 1 mm).