Malagasotingis pandani, Guilbert, 2020

Guilbert, Eric, 2020, New species of Tingidae (Insecta: Heteroptera) from Madagascar, Zootaxa 4759 (3), pp. 391-404 : 399-400

Malagasotingis pandani sp. nov. ( Figs 9 , 10 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3DCBF4F7-8A1A-4674-B285-810DFC73DBDC

Type material. Holotype male; Massif de Namoroka ; 16°24’18.2” S – 45°18’43.7”E; 30-X-2016, E. Guilbert coll. PBZT.

Paratypes, 5 females, 3 males, same data as for holotype (2 males, 2 females in MNHN; 1 male, 3 females in PBZT) .

Diagnosis. Head small with long and slender occipital spines surpassing base of median spine; hemelytra sharply widened at base, the outer margins bent downwards; costal area with seven or eight areolae across widest part.

Description. Body oval, not elongated; shiny; light brown to dusky yellow, two dark spots at the outer margin of hemelytra at first anterior third and at the middle; tarsi dark brown. Female (N=5) body length, 2.72±0.08; width, 1.80±0.03 at hemelytra level; 0.68±0.02 at pronotum level Male (N=4) body length, 2.61±0.09; width, 1.72±0.11 at hemelytra level; 0.64±0.04.

Hear small, oval, strongly declivent; armed with five long and slender cephalic tubercles directed forward; occipital pair almost reaching base of frontal pair; median tubercle reaching half the length of frontal tubercles; post occular plate absent; bucculae four rows of areolae wide, areolae round and tiny, joined in front, slightly surpassing apex of clypeus; antennae long and slender, antennal segment measurements (male + female = 9)I, 0.21±0.02; II, 0.10±0.01; III, 0.68±0.04; VI,0.55±0.2; rostrum long, reaching posterior margin of metasternum.

Pronotum wider than long; punctate; tricarinate; carinae raised, uniseriate, areolae small and round; median carina straight, lateral carinae slightly divergent posteriorly; paranota uniseriate, slightly serrate, areolae short and round, same width as carinae; posterior process short and rounded; rostral sulcus straight and narrow, almost closed behind: legs long and slender; tarsi short and swollen.

Hemelytra sharply enlarged at base, much larger than the abdomen beneath, outer margin serrate, strongly bent downward; costal area large, extending outside the surface of the abdomen beneath, with two swollen parts on outer margin, one on anterior part, and one at half the length, seven to eight areolae wide at widest part, areolae small and round at anterior half, large and polygonal at posterior half; subcostal area narrow, uniseriate, areolae small and round at anterior half and just above external margin of abdomen, with large and subquadrate areolae on posterior half; discoidal area swollen, short, not reaching half the length of hemelytra, seven areolae wide at widest part, areolae smaller anteriorly than posteriorly; sutural area wide, three areolae wide at widest part, areolae large and subquadrate.

Etymology. The name of this species refers to the plant ( Pandanus spp.) on which the specimens were found.

Comments. This species was found on Pandanus species in dry forest in the Namoraka Tsingy formation. It differs from the only other species of this endemic genus, M. ursulae Lis , by the longer occipital spines, converging anteriorly and surpassing forwards the base of the median spine, the paranota slightly wider, including larger areolae opposite to the calli, and the subcostal and discoidal areas are distinctly separated.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Dorsal habitus of Malagasotingis pandani sp. nov.

FIGURE 10. Lateral habitus of Malagasotingis pandani sp. nov.