Neomacrocoris ndugai Poisson

Sites, Robert W. & Mbogho, Aaron Y., 2012, Revision of the African genus Neomacrocoris (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Nepomorpha: Naucoridae), Zootaxa 3555, pp. 1-39 : 21-22

Neomacrocoris ndugai Poisson

Figs. 31–33

Neomacrocoris ndugai Poisson 1955 : Ann. Mus. Roy. Congo Belge Terv. 36: 400–402.

Discussion. This species is known from only the type specimen and was considered by Poisson (1955) to be in the N. angusticeps group. It was described from a male measuring 9.25 mm (we remeasured it at 9.52 mm) in length and was distinguished from N. handlirschi and N. angusticeps by the 7th segment lateral lobes with spinules and the pseudostrigil more enlarged. Further, the left medial lobe is without denticles and the lateral gibbosity of the phallosoma is as pronounced as it is in N. handlirschi ( Poisson 1955) . We compared our specimens of N. handlirschi with the type specimen of N. ndugai (housed at RMCA) and slide-mounted 7th (Fig. 33) and 8th terga and aedeagus of the type (housed at USNM). We see no appreciable differences between N. ndugai and N. handlirschi in the features reported by Poisson (1955) . However, the configuration of the apex of the phallosoma (Fig. 32) differs enough that we have opted not to synonymize the two species, although with larger sample sizes we suspect that individual variation might suggest that N. ndugai should become a junior synonym of N. handlirschi .

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from all of its congeners except N. handlirschi by the slightly flattened pronotum and the presence of thick setae sparsely distributed over the surface of the scutellum and hemelytra, including on the clavus and membrane. The condition of the apex of the phallosoma distinguishes N. ndugai from N. handlirschi .

Distribution. The type and only known specimen of N. ndugai is from Nduga, Rwanda.

Published records. RUANDA ( Poisson 1955 ).

Material examined. HOLOTYPUS / RUANDA: Nduga (cheff.), terr. Nyanza, II-1953, P. Basilewsky, Coll. Mus. Congo. / B 54 / R. Poisson det. 1951, Neomacrocoris ndugai n.sp. ( RMCA, 3 body; USNM, slide-mounted abdominal segments 7–8 and aedeagus).