Noteolethaeus Woodward et Slater, 1962

Zámbó, András, Kovács, Szilvia & Kondorosy, Előd, 2019, Taxonomic Notes On The Genus Noteolethaeus With Three New Species From Madagascar (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Rhyparochromidae), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 65 (3), pp. 253-268 : 255-256

Noteolethaeus Woodward et Slater, 1962

Noteolethaeus Woodward et Slater, 1962: 57 . Type species: N. armstrongi Woodward et Slat- er, 1962: 58, by original designation.

Noteolethaeus: SLATER (1964 a) : 837 (catalogue); O’DONNELL (1991): 463 (male genitalia)

Sweetolethaeus Slater, 1972: 156 . Type species: S. macchiaensis Slater, 1972: 158 , by original designation. Downgraded to subgenus here.

Sweetolethaeus: O’DONNELL (1991) : 465 (male genitalia); SLATER & O’DONNELL (1995): 101 (catalogue)

Redescription. Body oval, overall with punctation of various density and strength. Head pentagonal, convex, densely punctate, with head trichobothria and pair of iridescent spots on vertex as characteristic to all Eastern Hemisphere Lethaeini . Mandibular plates with keel reaching clypeus. Compound eyes rather small, adjacent to anterolateral angles of pronotum. Ocelli at level of posterior margin of eyes, closer to eye than to each other. Antenniferous tubercle very short, parallel; scape surpassing tip of head about one-third of its length, only slightly thicker than other segments. Pedicel longest, other antennal segments subequal in length; scape and pedicel rather terete, basi- and distiflagella more or less fusiform. Pronotum (sub)quadrate, anterior collar missing, sometimes with a vestigial V-like medial furrow on anterior lobe. Transverse impression weak or missing. Posterior margin of pronotum concave, lateral margin mostly slightly concave (sometimes straight), well developed, laminate but narrower than thickness of pedicel. Anterolateral pronotal trichobothrium variable (see in discussion). Scutellum triangular, with fine short keels from basilateral angles toward middle, but not reaching middle. Clavus with four entire rows of punctures, sometimes with some additional punctures or both medial rows partly united. Corium with rows of punctures along veins R+M and Cu and with irregular punctures between them, innermost row mostly duplicated in posterior part; lateral and apical margins convex, more evenly in brachypterous specimens. Membrane without transverse veins. Profemora moderately incrassate with 2–4 tiny but thick subapical spines and 1 or 2 long slender setae, metafemora with a single subapical spine; tibiae with long erect stiff setae (protibiae only on inner side). Ostiolar peritreme short, curving posteriad. Evaporative area reaching laterad about 2/3 of metapleuron. Abdomen with fine coriaceous rugosity and sparse superficial punctures (except N. armstrongi Woodward et Slater, 1962 with dense punctures), trichobothria, spiracles and sutures as typical in Lethaeini . Last segments without any tooth or other specific modification. Pygophore simple, paramere with short inner projection and long straight outer projection.

Discussion. When describing Sweetolethaeus, SLATER (1972) pointed out that it is “quite closely related to Noteolethaeus ” but the two genera can readily be differentiated (the features will be discussed below at Sweetolethaeus ). The new species described from Madagascar in the present paper, however, are transitional between Sweetolethaeus and Noteolethaeus , thus obscuring the limit of the two genera. Consequently, all species are recognized as congeneric, but Sweetolethaeus is maintained as a subgenus of Noteolethaeus .

The presence of anterolateral trichobothria on the pronotum is an important character of Lethaeini , however, they are missing in some species of certain genera, e.g., Neolethaeus Distant, 1909 (WOODWARD 1968) or Aristaenetus Distant, 1901 ( KONDOROSY et al. 2019). WOODWARD and SLATER (1968) did not describe this character in Noteolethaeus , but it was clearly figured on the habitus drawing of N. armstrongi . SLATER (1972) used the absence of the trichobothria in Sweetolethaeus termiticolus as a diagnostic character to differentiate this species from other members of Sweetolethaeus ; Dawid Jacobs (pers. comm.) confirmed that the accessible type specimens of this species, deposited in the South African National Collection of Insects (Pretoria), indeed lack anterolateral trichobothria. We studied a specimen of N. leeui and found no trichobothrium on its pronotum (the original description of this species does not mention this character); however, the trichobothrium can break off easily, and the dense punctation of the pronotum of N. leeui does not allow us to exclude its eventual presence. To our present knowledge this character is variable within the genus.

SLATER (1972) described Sweetolethaeus termiticolus from termite nests. He gave no etymology but the name was evidently given in allusion of its special microhabitat, meaning “dwelling with termites”. Latin epithets containing the suffix -cola are either substantives (to be treated as they were nouns in apposition, in the same way for all genders), or adjectives (ending to be changed to agree in gender with the generic name, but declined in First Declension). Following HARBACH (2018) we recognize termiticolus as intentionally proposed as an adjective, therefore its ending to be changed; accordingly Sweetolethaeus termiticolus is used in its original form.