Menestheus mcphersoni, Faúndez & Rider, 2018

Faúndez, Eduardo I. & Rider, David A., 2018, Review of the genus Menestheus Stål, 1868 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), Zootaxa 4407 (2), pp. 275-280 : 278-279

Menestheus mcphersoni sp. nov.

Type material. Holotype: Australia, NT, Leila Lagoon , McArthur R. 4km N., 25-IX-1977, leg. G. F. Gross, 1♂ [ SAMC] . Paratypes: Same data as holotype 1♂, 1♀ [SAMC]; Australia, NT, Daly River , leg. H. Wesselman, 2♀♀, 1♂ [ SAMC] ; Australia, Stewart R. Q., leg. W. D. Dood, 1♀ [ SAMC] ; Australia, Qld , Normanton, 4-V-1963, at light, leg. N. B. Tindale, 1♀ [ SAMC] ; Australia, NT, Cape Crawford , 17 to 19-IV-2004, at MV light, woodid, grass, legs. G. Montheith & D. Cook, 1♀ [ QUMC] ; Australia, Cloncurry (3km East), 3-II-1999, leg. A. Ewart, 1♀ [ QUMC] ; Australia, Mornington , 12-V-1963, at light, legs. P. Aitken & N. Tindale, 1♂ [ SAMC].

Description. Head: Elongate (1.44 times longer than wide), dull cream colored with dense concolorous punctures. Eyes small, prominent ( Fig. 3 ). Ocelli small, rounded, located at base of head, behind compound eyes, but not contiguous with pronotum. Paraclypei strongly elongate, strongly acuminate apically ( Fig. 3 ), lateral margins straight. Antennae yellowish, first antennal segment shorter than head and bucculae. Rostrum elongate, yellowish, apex broad, truncate, black, reaching but not surpassing first abdominal segment.

Thorax: Pronotum trapezoid, dull cream colored with dense concolorous punctation, anterior margin strongly concave, cicatrices with several brown dots in mesial angles. Scutellum in shape of isosceles triangle ( Fig. 1 ), scutellar disc elevated, with a weak medial impunctate line, nearly imperceptible in some specimens, basal margin with 4 small, brown foveae. Hemelytra long, usually surpassing apex of abdomen, coria and clavi dull cream colored, covered by dense concolorous punctation, membrane hyaline with numerous longitudinal veins. Thoracic sterna yellowish with a band of distinct light brown punctures along lateral margins. Metapleura and legs as in generic description.

Abdomen: Elongate, dull cream colored dorsally and ventrally; spiracular peritremes light brown. Male genitalia: Pygophore as in generic description, ventral excavation nearly rectangular, dorsal rim well developed as a bilobed structure, also visible from ventral view, parameres rod shaped, each with basal lobe longer than distal lobe, with two well defined tooth on dorsal surface, distal lobe acute apically with a rounded apex ( Fig. 15 ). Female genitalia ( Figs 10 , 12, 13 ): Spermatheca as in generic description, first gonocoxite subtrapezoid, posterior margin slightly concave, second gonocoxite slightly longer than wide, Paratergites VIII fused as a single structure, posterolateral edges slightly convex, posterior edge straight, paratergite IX drop shaped, wider than long.

Measurements (n=12, in mm, female in parentheses): Total length: 14.01 (14.93); pronotum width: 4.58 (4.86); head length: 4.04 (4.17); head width: 2.84 (2.91); scutellum length: 2.86 (2.95); scutellum width: 1.27 (1.61).

Differential diagnosis. Menestheus mcphersoni sp. nov. differs from M. cuneatus in the following characters: in M. mcphersoni , the body is more elongate, 3.07 times longer than wide; whereas in M. cuneatus the body is less elongate, 2.53 times longer than wide ( Figs 1 and 2 ). The dorsal punctation and the scutellar foveae are reduced and nearly concolorous in M. mcphersoni ; whereas these are larger and more conspicuously dark brown in M. cuneatus . The abdominal spiracles are brown in M. mcphersoni ; whereas they are black in M. cuneatus . The shape of the head is more acute and elongate (1.44 times longer than wide), with reduced eyes in M. mcphersoni ; whereas the head is less acute and elongate (1.33 times longer than wide) with eyes less reduced in M. cuneatus ( Figs 3 and 4 ). In the female genitalia, paratergites VIII are less convex in M. mcphersoni than in M. cuneatus ; paratergites IX are wider in M. mcphersoni than in M. cuneatus ; and the first gonocoxae are broader in M. mcphersoni than in M. cuneatus . In the male genitalia, the concave section of the apex of the pygophore is wider in M. mcphersoni than in M. cuneatus ; the lateroposterior processes and the dorsal rim are more developed in M. mcphersoni than in M. cuneatus ; and the parameres of M. mcphersoni are wider in lateral view, with more developed teeth; those of M. cuneatus are more slender in lateral view, with less developed teeth ( Figs 14 and 15 ). Additionally, M. mcphersoni is distributed in the north and western portions of Australia; whereas M. cuneatus is restricted to the eastern part of the country ( Fig. 16 ).

Etymology. We dedicate this species to J. E. McPherson (Southern Illinois University), in recognition to his contributions to the knowledge of the Pentatomidae , and to acknowledge his comments and suggestions on a previous version of this work.

Distribution. Australia: Northern Territory, Queensland (this paper).

Figures

FIGURES12–16. 12. Menestheus mcphersoni sp.nov., spermatheca; 13. M.mcphersoni, spermatheca, pump enlarged;14. M. mcphersoni, left paramere; 15. Menestheus cuneatus Distant,1899, left paramere; 16.Distribution ofthe species of Menestheus (M. mcphersoni in green, M.cuneatus in blue).

FIGURES 3–8. 3. Menestheus mcphersoni sp. nov. head and pronotum; 4. Menestheus cuneatus Distant, 1899, head and pronotum; 5. M. mcphersoni, pygophore, dorsal view; 6. M. cuneatus, pygophore, dorsal view; 7. M. mcphersoni, pygophore, ventral view; 8. M.cuneatus, pygophore, ventral view.

FIGURES 1–2. 1. Menestheus mcphersoni sp. nov., male holotype, habitus; 2. Menestheus cuneatus Distant, 1899, male, habitus.

FIGURES 9–11. 9. Menestheus mcphersoni sp. nov. metapleuron; 10. M. mcphersoni, female genitalia; 11. Menestheus cuneatus Distant, 1899, female genitalia.