Menestheus Stål, 1868

Faúndez, Eduardo I. & Rider, David A., 2018, Review of the genus Menestheus Stål, 1868 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), Zootaxa 4407 (2), pp. 275-280 : 276-277

Menestheus Stål, 1868

Menestheus Stål, 1868: 504 (original description). Type species: Menestheus cuneatus Distant, 1899 , by present fixation (see comments below).

Menestheus: Stål (1876): 51 (keyed); Lethierry & Severin (1893): 109 (catalog); Kirkaldy (1909): 181 (catalog); Distant (1910): 469 (redescription); Gross (1975): 177 (redescription); Cassis & Gross (2001): 450 (catalog).

Redescription. General body features: Elongate body (2.50 to 3.10 times longer than wide, Figs 1, 2 ), dorsal coloration yellowish-cream, dorsal and ventral surface finely and densely punctate.

Head: Elongate, acute (1.3 to 1.4 times longer than wide, Figs 3, 4 ), longer than pronotum, paraclypei considerably longer than clypeus, contiguous anteriorly; eyes prominent, antenniferous tubercles short, each with a small, acute tooth; antennae 5-segmented; bucculae straight ventrally, rounded posteriorly; rostrum 4-segmented, first segment extending beyond bucculae, reaching prosternum, apex of rostrum reaching base of abdomen.

Thorax: Pronotum trapezoid ( Figs 3, 4 ), humeral angles rounded, anterolateral margins with a small rounded projection; scutellum shaped as isosceles triangular, with 4 foveae along base, apical portion narrow, apex rounded. Hemelytra elongate, membrane with several longitudinal veins. Thoracic sterna distinctly sulcate without median keel, prosternal sulcus bordered on each side by a strongly elevated ridge which forms an obtuse flap anteriorly near base of head. Ostiolar peritreme short, auriculate ( Fig. 9 ); evaporatoria rugose, occupying mesial two-thirds of each metapleuron and apical portion of each mesopleuron, ostiolar plate strongly punctate. Legs without spines, superior surface of each tibiae sulcate, tarsi 3-segmented.

Abdomen: Connexival margin straight, each segment unicolored; base of abdomen lacking tubercle or spine; segments IV, V, and VI each with a pair of black or brown dots. Genitalia: Male pygophore ventrally with a truncate excavation ( Figs 5, 6 ), dorsally with two triangular processes on each side ( Figs 7, 8 ), parameres with basal and proximal lobe, basal lobe with small teeth on upper surface ( Figs 14, 15 ). Female spermatheca with a long sclerotized rod, apex bent interiorly, dilation of spermathecal duct ovate, narrow, restricted to a small membranous area around the sclerotized rod ( Fig. 12 ), spermathecal bulb with two digitiform processes on each side ( Fig. 13 ), proximal flange of spermathecal pump round with a conic dilation anteriorly, distal flange of pump circular, subconic posteriorly. Genital plates with first gonocoxae truncate, second gonocoxae trapezoid, paratergites fused as single structure, bilobed, paratergites IX subtriangular ( Figs 10, 11 ).

Comments. Menestheus was originally described based on a misidentified species by Stål (1868) (i.e. Paramenestheus nercivus sensu Stål, 1868 ) ( Bergroth, 1912). That species, Paramenestheus nervicus Dallas, 1851 , is currently correctly placed in the genus Paramenestheus (Faúndez, 2017) . Bergroth (1912) wrote that Stål probably examined a specimen of M. cuneatus or another closely related species, and the current identity of the genus is associated with the concept of M. cuneatus . Therefore, we here establish Paramenestheus nercivus non Dallas, 1851 sensu Stål, 1868 = Menestheus cuneatus Distant, 1899 as type species of Menestheus Stal, 1868 by application of Article 70.3.2 of the ICZN (1999).

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

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