Neomacrocoris vuga Sites, 2012

Mbogho, Aaron Y. & Sites, Robert W., 2013, Naucoridae Leach, 1815 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) of Tanzania, African Invertebrates 54 (2), pp. 513-513 : 538-540

Neomacrocoris vuga Sites, 2012

Figs 6 , 14 , 27 , 30

Neomacrocoris vuga: Sites in Sites & Mbogho 2012: 34–37 .

Diagnosis: Neomacrocoris vuga is large and ovate ( Fig. 27 ) as is N. karimii , but can be distinguished by the male genitalia. Specifically, the apex of the phallosoma is strongly and sharply hooked to the left ( Fig. 14 ). The female subgenital plate is broad and has a strong mid-lateral projection before narrowing to the distal spatulate process ( Fig. 6 ). Holotype (examined): TANZANIA: Tanga Region: river from Soni to Mombo, 2 km E of Vuga Junction, 4°52.040'S 38°20.906'E, 460 m, 14.viii.2010, R.W. Sites & A. Mbogho, grassy overhangs in rocky stream, L-1253 (UMC; ♂).

Paratypes (examined): same data as holotype ( UMC; 1♂, 2♀); river from Soni to Mombo, Karense, 1 km E of Soni, 4°50.284'S 38°22.355'E, 1051 m, 14.viii.2010, R.W. Sites & A. Mbogho, vegetated overhangs and undercuts, L-1254 ( UMC, USNM, NHMW; 1♂, 4♀) .

Material examined: TANZANIA: Tanga Region: W. Usambara Mts , 4°44'S 38°22'E, 5100 ft, 10.viii. 1996, P. Cresswell, creek ( CMNH; 1♀) .

Extralimital material examined: KENYA: Museum Leiden, Taita Hills , Wusi ; no jk 143, 29.XI.1974, ca 850 m, J. Krikken & A. L. van Berge Henegouwen, 3 o 27’S- 38 o 21’E / rivulet in cult. area ( RMNH; 1♂); Museum Leiden, E. le Moult, Kenya Nairobi, Ngong-Forest, Br. O, Afrika ( RMNH; 1♂, 2♀) .

Distribution: This species is known in Tanzania from the Usambara Mountains and just north in Kenya from the Taita Hills and Nairobi.

Discussion: This is a newly described species ( Sites & Mbogho 2012) and was first found during these collections. This species occurred syntopically with N. parviceps at the type locality and was collected in dense, submerged vegetation along the margins of a small stream. We collected nine adults and many immatures at the type locality and another site further upstream. This species is superficially similar to N. karimii , which is known from the same general area of the Usambara Mountains in Tanzania, and N. vaneyeni from western Democratic Republic of Congo.

Species of possible occurrence in Tanzania

Because of longstanding difficulty with identifications and insufficient collecting,

distributions of species of Naucoridae throughout Africa are poorly documented. Most species are known from only a few widely disjunct records. Although our sampling was extensive, it remains that additional species might occur in Tanzania that we did not collect. Given below is a list of species known from neighbouring countries that might also occur in Tanzania:

Aneurocoris marlieri Poisson, 1960 . This species was described from the north-westernmost point of Lake Tanganyika at Kivu , Uvira in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Poisson 1960 c). The species has not been recorded other than from the type series of one male and one female.

Laccocoris chinai Poisson, 1949 . This species is widely distributed and known from Ethiopia, Parc National Albert in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Africa (Linnavuori 1987).

Laccocoris salina Poisson, 1940 . This species is known from Salines de Mwashia, Katanga in southern Democratic Republic of the Congo (Poisson 1940).

Macrocoris convexus Montandon, 1897 . This species is similar in appearance to M. laticollis . It is known from Uganda and Democratic Republic of the Congo ( Poisson 1959).

Naucoris fuscipennis Schaum, 1853 . The only known record of this species is the type specimen from Mozambique in the MNB.

Naucoris kenyalis Poisson, 1949 . This insect was described as a subspecies of N. obscuratus but was elevated to the species rank by Linnavuori (1971). It is known from Kenya and Democratic Republic of the Congo (Poisson 1949).

Neomacrocoris katangae Poisson, 1966 . This species is known only by the type specimen from Katanga in southern Democratic Republic of the Congo (Poisson 1966; Sites & Mbogho 2012).

Neomacrocoris ndugai Poisson, 1955 . This species is very similar to N. handlirschi and can be distinguished from it only by male genitalia. It is known only by the type specimen from Nduga, Rwanda (Poisson 1955, Sites & Mbogho 2012).

Neomacrocoris schaeferi Sites, 2012 . This species is known only by the type specimen from Namanve Swamp in southern Uganda ( Sites & Mbogho 2012). RWS visited Namanve Swamp in August 2013 (L-1636); the swamp has been destroyed for commercial interests to the point that less than 1 % of the swamp remains. No specimens of Neomacrocoris were collected in the small tract of remaining swamp; thus, the species might be extirpated from its type locality.

Figures

Figs 5–8. (5, 6) Terminal abdominal sterna of female including subgenital plates of (5) Neomacrocoris usambaricus and (6) Neomacrocoris vuga; (7, 8) lateral view of pronotum of (7) Neomacrocoris handlirschi and(8) Neomacrocorisparviceps.(Reproduced from Sites& Mbogho (2012), with permission by Magnolia Press.)

Figs 9–14. Male genitalia: (9) Macrocoris flavicollis, (10) Naucoris obscuratus, (11) Neomacrocoris karimii, (12) Neomacrocoris bondelaufa, (13) Neomacrocoris parviceps, (14) Neomacrocoris vuga. Abbreviations: LP – left paramere, RP – right paramere, ph – phallosoma, ve – vesica. (Figs 11–14 are reproduced from Sites & Mbogho (2012), with permission by Magnolia Press.)

Figs 23–29. (23) Neomacrocoris parviceps parviceps, (24) Neomacrocoris parviceps ocellatus, (25) Neomacrocoris usambaricus, (26) Neomacrocoris bondelaufa, (27) Neomacrocoris vuga, (28) Neomacrocoris handlirschi, (29)Neomacrocoris karimii.Sizes areproportionate among figures.(Figs 24–30 reproduced from Sites & Mbogho (2012), with permission by Magnolia Press.)

Fig.30.Distribution maps of13 speciesof Naucoridae known from Tanzania.Notincluded is Neomacrocoris usambaricus, which was recorded from West Usambara. (Map for N. bondelaufa and N. vuga is reproduced from Sites & Mbogho (2012), with permission by Magnolia Press.)