Vietnamaptera schaeferi, Heiss & Baňař, 2015

Heiss, Ernst & Baňař, Petr, 2015, Vietnamaptera schaeferi sp. nov., a new apterous Carventinae from South China (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aradidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 55 (2), pp. 585-589 : 586-588

Vietnamaptera schaeferi sp. nov.

( Figs 1–2 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♀, ‘ China, Guangdong Prov. / Nanling National Nature Reserve / Dadongshan 18-21 IV 2013 / (border of mixed forest) / 24°56.0’N, 112°42.9’E, 690m / J. Hájek & J. Růžicka leg.’ [printed label] // ‘COL- LECTIO / NATIONAL MUSEUM / PRAHA, CZECH REPUBLIC’ [printed label] // ‘ Holotype ♀ / Vietnamaptera / schaeferi sp.nov. / des.E. HEISS & P. BANAR 2015’ [printed red label] ( NMPC).

Description. Apterous female; colouration black, head, legs and antennae lighter reddish brown; thorax and abdomen with bulbous dorsal elevations, their surface finely granulate; lateral parts smooth, deltg II–VI and tergite VII rugose.

Head. Wider than long (0.975 / 0.775); clypeus shorter than antennal segment I, its apex narrowly rounded and projecting over lateral genae; antenniferous lobes short and blunt; antennae 1.33× as long as width of head (1.3 / 0.975), segment I thickest, strongly bent at base, II thinner and as long as I, III thinnest and longest, IV as long as III and fusiform; length of antennal segments I / II / III / IV = 0.3 / 0.3 / 0.35 / 0.35; eyes oval, inserted in head; postocular lobes roundly converging towards constricted collar; vertex with median longitudinal ridge flanked by 2 (1+1) carinae and ovate depressions laterally. Rostrum arising from slit-like atrium, as long as head, lateral margins of rostral groove carinate.

Pronotum. Pro-, meso-, and metanota and mtg I+II fused but separated by transverse grooves or sutures. About 6× as wide as long (2.5 / 0.4); anterolateral angles rounded and carinate, produced over lateral projections of ring-like collar from which they are separated by deep incisures; lateral margins slightly concave and carinate, posterolateral lobes raised and granulate, their lower edge visible from above; disk anteriorly with a bilobed granular elevation, the two lobes separated by a median longitudinal groove, surface posteriorly depressed, lateral areas rugose.

Mesonotum. About 9× as wide as long (2.7 / 0.3) consisting of large round granulate median elevation, anteriorly declivous and overlapping pronotum; mesonotal elevation confluent with metanotal elevation and extending to posterior margin of the latter; lateral transverse sclerites rugose, raised to granulate ovate lobes laterally.

Mediotergites I+II. Median granulate elevation of mtg I consisting of 2 (1+1) large transverse ovate humps, these fused to smaller rounded median granulate hump of mtg II, fusion line marked by transverse furrow, lateral portions deeply depressed and smooth.

Abdomen. Tergal plate with large rounded granular elevation, this highest on mtg IV; lateral parts smooth and shiny with deep depressions marking apodemes; deltg I+II fused to triangular sclerite anteriorly reaching mesonotum; lateral margins of deltg II–VII doubled by reflexed vltg II–VII visible from above, surface with deep punctures and carinae, posterolateral angles raised and granulate; tergite VII longitudinally raised in middle; spiracles II–VII lateral, placed on reflexed vltg II–VII but hardly visible from above, tergite VIII terminating on thin strongly transverse paratergites VIII.

Venter. Surface of median parts of meso- and metasternum and sternites II–VII smooth and subglabrous, that of prosternum, pleura and vltg II–VII granulate and rugose.

Legs. Slender and unarmed, femora and tibiae straight and cylindrical; claws with thin long pseudopulvilli.

Measurements. Total body length 4.4 mm; width of abdomen across tergite III 3.0 mm; length of antennae 1.3 mm; hight of dorsal elevations including body in lateral view: pronotum 1.1 mm, mesonotum 1.7 mm, metanotum 1.8 mm, mtg I 1.85 mm, mtg II 1.8 mm, mtg IV 1.8 mm, tergite VII 1.0 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Head and abdominal structures of the new species resemble Vietnamaptera secunda and V. tertia respectively, but it differs from both in the outline and fine granulate structure of dorsal elevations, and the extension of smooth depressed lateral parts of mtg I+II and tergal plate ( Figs 5–6 ).

Etymology. It is a pleasure to dedicate this conspicuous species to our friend, the late Carl Schaefer (Storrs, Connecticut, USA), recognizing his contributions to heteropterology and his advice and continuous efforts reviewing articles submitted by the authors for publication.

Habitat. The specimen was collected on a dead branch of the tree, lying on a footpath in a mixed secondary forest and bamboo shrubs. The branch was about 15 cm in diameter and 1 m long, overgrown with tree fungi. A single female of V. schaeferi sp. nov. was colleted (together with other aradids, which have not been identified yet) among the fruiting bodies of fungi (J. Hájek, pers. comm.).

Distribution. China: Guangdong.

Figures

Figs 1–6. Vietnamaptera species. 1 – V. schaeferi sp. nov., holotype female, dorsal habitus. 2–6 – outline of dorsum of thorax and abdomen, lateral view: 2 – V. schaeferi sp. nov.; 3 – V. bogiessa Zhang, Bai, Heiss & Cai, 2010; 4 – V. quarta Bai, Heiss & Cai, 2011; 5 – V. secunda Bai, Heiss & Cai, 2011; 6 – V. tertia Bai, Heiss & Cai, 2011. Abbreviations for dorsal elevations: p = pronotum, ms = mesonotum, mt = metanotum, mtg I = mediotergite I, mtg II = mediotergite II, mtg III+IV = mediotergites III+IV. Scale bar = 1 mm.