Germalus ghesquierei Schouteden, 1957

Kóbor, P. & Kondorosy, E., 2017, Revision of Continental African Germalus (Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea: Geocoridae), Zootaxa 4277 (3), pp. 427-434 : 428-429

Germalus ghesquierei Schouteden, 1957

( Figs. 1 , 4 )

Germalus ghesquierei Schouteden 1957 , Ann. Mus. Roy. Congo Belg. Sci. Zool. 8: 58: 254–255 (O.D.)

Redescription. Studied material. Type material. Holotype: “ HOLOTYPUS / ghesquierei [handwritten] // MUSÉE DU CONGO / Rutshuru / 3075 / - 1-1937 / J. Ghesquiére // Germalus ghesquierei / n.sp. / Typi [handwritten label]” (1♂, RMCA)

Colouration. Head ochraceous with brown longitudinal line exceeding from vertex to base of clypeus. Eyes and ocelli reddish. Antennal segments ochraceous, darker in hue. Labial segments ochraceous, III-IV somewhat darker than I & II. Thorax. Pronotum ochraceous covered with dense blackish punctures. Blackish median longitudinal line reaching from anterior to posterior margin and rounded spots at humeral angles. Base of scutellum and punctuation dark brownish; triradiate elevated carina ochraceous. Hemelytra hyaline infuscated with brown at midline. Clavus, veins and punctures of hemielytra and costal margin brownish. Thoracic pleura ochraceous with brownish punctuation. Middle of epistenal region with irregular fuscous spots. Legs ochraceous, unmarked. Abdomen blackish dorsally with ochraceous longitudinal band medially; connexiva ochraceous with fuscous band laterally.

Structure. Head dull, impunctate, pentagonal in dorsal view. Eyes stylate, eye-stalks slightly projected forwards, not touching pronotum. Ocular sulcus complete. Clypeus rounded, exceeding the mandibular plates. Antennal segment I shortest, II longest, III & IV subequal (ratio of antennal segments: 8:23:16:17). Labial segment I reaching prothorax, apex of segment IV reaching metacoxae (labial segment ratio: 16:17:15:12). Thorax. Pronotum slightly carinate, trapezoidal with slight impression medially. Surface dull; densely punctate except collar, pronotal callosities, and humeral angles. Punctures with fine, decumbent setae in the middle. Scutellum width and length equal; surface dull, covered with dense punctuation except triradiate carina. Punctures with fine setae similarly to pronotum. Hemielytra iridescent, setose by punctures as described by pronotum. Clavus with more or less complete row of punctures at scutellar margin, corial margin partly punctate. Punctuation of claval commissure complete. Corial veins more or less completely punctate. Costal area widest in apical third. Membrane without conspicuous venation. Abdomen. Connexiva with fine decumbent pubescence laterally and dorsally and semi-erect setae on genital capsule.

Measurements (Holotype). body length: 5.73; head length: 0.80, -width: 1.60; distance between ocelli: 0.40; antennal segments: 0.32-0.92-0.64-0.68; labial segments: 0.58-0.60-0.54-0.44; pronotum length: 1.24, -width: 1.64; scutellum length: 0.76, -width: 0.76.

Discussion. The dark median line of pronotum and slightly projected eye stalks separate this species from Germalus kinbergi (Stål 1858) . This species resembles to G. banari Kóbor & Kondorosy 2016 , a member of Madagascan fauna, but G. ghesquierei is more slender and differs in the dark pattern of hemelytra as well.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus and labels of Germalus ghesquierei Schouteden, 1957

FIGURE 4. Distribution of Germalus sp. in Africa