Germalus ashlocki, Kóbor, 2020

Kóbor, Péter, 2020, An overview of the big-eyed bug fauna of French Polynesia (Heteroptera Lygaeoidea: Geocoridae), Zootaxa 4743 (3), pp. 359-370 : 362-363

Germalus ashlocki new species

(Figure 2B)

Material studied. Holotype: “ Society Islands / TAHITI 1493 m / Mt Marau / 20 Aug. 1977 // Weinmannia / Sp. // [red triangular label without writing] // Germalus / tahitiensis / n. sp. / #6 / Det. P. D. Ashlock 1977” Paratypes: “ Society Islands / TAHITI 1493 m / Mt Marau / 29 June 1977 // Weinmann / Sp. // P. D. Ashlock /collector // Ashlock Col’n / Bequest” (7 ♀, 4 ♂, 3 nymphs SEMC) ; “ Society Islands / TAHITI 1493 m / Mt Marau / 19 Aug. 1977 // Weinmannia / Sp. // P. D. Ashlock /collector // Ashlock Col’n / Bequest” (2 ♀, 1 ♂ SEMC) ; “ Society Islands / TAHITI 1493 m / Mt Marau / 20 Aug. 1977 // Germalus tahitiensis / Asclock, ms. [h.w. Ashlock] / Det. P. D. Ashlock - 1988. // Ashlock Col’n / Bequest” (1 ♂ SEMC) ; “ Society Islands / TAHITI 1493 m / Mt Marau / 20 Aug. 1977 // Weinmann / Sp. // Ashlock Col’n / Bequest.” (1 ♀, 3♂ SEMC) ; “ Society Islands / TAHITI 1493 m / Mt Marau / 20 Aug. 1977 // Weinmannia / Sp. // P. D. Ashlock /collector // Ashlock Col’n / Bequest” (2 ♀, 3 ♂, 1 nymph SEMC) ; “ Society Is. , Tahiti, 1480m / Mt. Aorai / 12-IX-1977 / in flight / W. C. Gagne / collector // Ashlock Col’n / Bequest” (2 ♂ SEMC) ; “ Society Is. , Tahiti / Taiarapu, above / Lake Vaiufaufa / 25-IX-1977 // sweeping / ferns – S. L. / Montgomery collector // Ashlock Col’n / Bequest” (1 ♂, 2? SEMC) ; “Ste Amélie? Mt Marau ?/ ??/12/2013/ A vue/ leg. Thibault Ramage ” (2 ♀, 2♂ PCTR); Tahiti / Mt Marau / 2013. 11. 04 / Tamisage, Weinmannia sp./ leg. Thibault Ramage ” (3 ♂ PCTR) ; “ Tahiti / Faaa – Mont Marau / 2017. 08. 27 / A vue / leg. Thibault Ramage ” (1 ♀, 5 ♂ PCTR) .

Description. COLOURATION. Base colour dark ochraceous with decoration and patterns as follows. Head. Vertex with fuscous longitudinal spot medially, surroundings of ocelli infuscate. Eyes reddish. Antennal segments with slight fuscous annulations basally and apically. Mandibular plates infused with reddish hue. Thorax. Thoracic dorsum with dark brownish punctation. Pronotum with rounded brownish spots at middle of callosities and at humeral angles. Scutellum basally brownish, trifurcate carina with irregular reddish spot medially. Hemelytron semi-hyaline with dark brownish punctation and marginated with fuscous apically. Membrane hyaline. Thoracic pleurites and sternites with brownish punctation, meso- and metapleurite with irregular pale reddish spots. Femora with small, rounded brownish maculae. Abdomen. Abdominal dorsum with dark brownish and reddish infuscation similarly as in fig. 2A. Abdominal venter with irregular dark fuscous spots of various extent.

STRUCTURE. Head pentagonal with eyes moderately stylate. Posterior edge of eyes almost touching anterior angles of pronotum. Vertex smooth, shiny. Ocular sulcus complete, well-defined; ocelli situated near sulcus. Ratio of eye-ocellus distance to distance of ocelli: 1: 1.27. Clypeus rounded, exceeding mandibular plates. Antennal segment I shortest, segment II longest, segment III and IV subequal; ratio of antennal segments: 1: 2.75: 2: 1.88. Antenniferous tubercles unarmed, visible in dorsal view. Labial trough open, U-shaped. Labial segment I reaching anterior margin of prosternum, labial segment II subequal to segment I, labial segments III and IV somewhat shorter, sub- equal; ratio of labial segments: 1: 1: 0.89: 0.83. Thorax. Pronotum trapezoidal with lateral margins slightly carinate and concave medially. Anterior edges more rounded than posterior edges. Surface dull with dense punctation except callosities, humeral angles and posterior margin in a narrow band. Median length of pronotum to basal width: 1: 1.5. Sides of scutellum subequal, apex sharply pointed. Scutellum deeply punctate except median trifurcate carina. Basal angles of trifurcate carina interrupted by punctures. Median length of scutellum to basal width: 1: 1.21. Hemelytron macropterous, membrane surpassing apex of abdomen. Clavus of hemelytron parallel sided with claval commissure complete, distinct. Length of claval commissure to median length of scutellum: 1: 1.73. Scutellar margin of clavus with sparse punctures basally, corial margin punctate at almost entire length, punctures fading towards apex. Corium punctate along veins with sparse punctures in apical region. Costal margin gradually widening towards apex, widest at 2/3 of length. Apical margin of corium concavely curved. Thoracic pleurites and sternites deeply punctate except coxae, dorsal margins and peritreme of MTSEA. MTSEA with peritremal surface oblong; vestibular scar gradually closing towards sternite; evaporative area extends to most of metapleurite and reaching mesocoxae, covered with fine punctation. Femora unarmed, tibiae with sparse decumbent pubescence and sparse erect setae apically. Tarsal segment I longest, segment II shortest, segment III somewhat shorter than segment II; ratio of tarsal segments: 1: 0.5: 0.67. Genitalia. Female ovipositor reaching abdominal sternite V; female spermathecal duct long, looped. Male pygophore with lateral processes short, blunt. Male paramere crossing each other in pygophore, forming X-shape. Blade of paramere stout, slightly curved, basally with sparse setae.

MEASUREMENTS (of holotype first, paratypes range in parentheses). Total body length: 3.92 (4.0–4.52); head length: 0.7 (0.73–0.85); head width: 1.45 (1.25–1.45); ocellar distance: 0.45 (0.45–0.50); antennal segments: 0.28–0.50–0.35–n.a. (0.25–0.45–0.40–0.40 – 0.28–0.50–0.43–0.40); labial segments: 0.45–0.50–0.50–0.38 (0.43– 0.45–0.45–0.38 –0.50–0.53–0.53–0.40); pronotum length: 0.85 (0.75–0.88); pronotum width: 1.43 (1.25–1.43); scutellum length: 0.63 (0.65–0.70); scutellum width: 0.70 (0.70–0.43); length of claval commissure: 0.38 (0.38– 0.43).

Diagnosis. The species is similar to G. fuliginosus and G. lateralis in general facies. Compared to G. fuliginosus the most remarkable differences are the pattern of of head and small, rounded maculae of femora: in G. fuliginosus vertex is decorated with three parallel, irregular, fuscous longitudinal stripes, posterior part of eye-stalks irregularly infuscate femora undecorated; in G. ashlocki vertex is decorated with a single median longitudinal stripe, eyesstalks undecorated and femora decorated with small, rounded maculae. G. lateralis differs from both species in incomplete punctation at corial margin of clavus (reaching only up to half of length) and the lack of extended dark brownish decoration of abdominal dorsum.

Etymology. The naming of the species commemorates the work of the late Peter Dunning Ashlock (August 22, 1929 – January 26, 1989), excellent heteropterist (with specific interest on the family Lygaeidae s. l. and the genus Geocoris ) and former chief curator of the Snow Entomological Museum at the University of Kansas.

Distribution. The species is known from the mountain area of Tahiti, Society Islands.

Remarks. Colouration and pattern variable. Base colour can change in hue from ochraceous to almost light brownish or fuscous. Spots at pronotal callosities can be faded or missing occasionally. Extent and strength of reddish spot on scutellar trifurcate carina may vary, but always present.