Neolethaeus maculacellus, Li, Junlan & Bu, Wenjun, 2006

Li, Junlan & Bu, Wenjun, 2006, Three new species of Neolethaeus Distant (Hemiptera: Lygaeoidea: Rhyparochromidae: Lethaeini) from China, with a key to the Chinese species, Zootaxa 1270, pp. 45-56 : 50-53

Neolethaeus maculacellus sp. n.

( Figs. 3 , 5, 9, 10, 14)

Description. Body of medium size, long, oval, polished. Head with two small triangular iridescent areas near base.

Head black­brown with tylus apically paler, surface rather sparsely punctate, ventral surface of head black­brown, impunctate. Rostrum testaceous, reaching mesocoxae, first segment slightly passing base of head. Antennae black­brown, second segment (except distal end) and distal end of third segment testaceous.

Pronotum trapezoidal, reddish brown with anterior and lateral margins and a short ridge at posterior lateral angle testaceous, calli black­brown, slightly swollen, scattered with several punctures, otherwise surface of pronotum evenly punctate; posterior lobe centrally with a longitudinal ridge, this disappearing in distal half; lateral margin with a narrow, nearly straight carina.

Scutellum black­brown, low large Y­shaped carina testaceous, covered with even punctures which on Y­shaped carina relatively sparser. Hemelytra black­brown, finely punctate. Clavus with two small maculae between inner two rows of punctures and Pcu vein yellow. Corium with veins, costal area, small maculae near middle of claval sutures, at fork of R+M vein, inner angle, middle of apical margin and apical 1/4 of anterior margin yellow. Membrane pale brown with vein brown.

Ventral and pleural surfaces of thorax black­brown, shining, sparsely punctate. Legs black­brown, tibiae and tarsi testaceous, fore femora incrassate, armed with 3–4 setae, apically with 4–5 thorn­like spines, male with hind femora incrassate, below armed with many protuberances.

FIGURE 4–14. 4, 7, 8, 13. Neolethaeus densus sp. n.; Figs. 5, 9, 10, 14. Neolethaeus maculacellus sp. n.; Figs. 6, 11, 12. Neolethaeus distinctus sp n: Figs. 4­6. left parameres; Figs. 7, 9, 11. sperm reservoirs, dorsal view; Figs. 8, 10, 12. sperm reservoirs, lateral view; Figs. 13, 14. opening of genital capsules(scale bars = 0.1mm).

Ventral surface of abdomen black­brown, shining; posterior margin of sternum VII with three pointed processes in male. Paramere (Fig. 5) with blade short, slightly broaden near base, inner projection prominent, outer projection right­angled, shank with flange. Sperm reservoir (Fig.9, 10): vesical seminal duct twisted apically; sleeve fused entirely with vesical seminal duct, arcuate extension with a spurlike projection near base; membranous bulb unknown; wings slender, curving towards vesical seminal duct; holding sclerites V­shaped. Opening of genital capsule (Fig. 14) with posterior margin broadly rounded, lateral margin with a little triangular projection.

Measurements (mm). Length head 1.18(1.13–1.18), width 1.35 (1.33–1.38), interocular space 0.75 (0.75–0.78); Length antennal segments I 0.80(0.75–0.80), II 1.33(1.28–1.33), III 1.0(0.98–1.0), IV 1.03(1.0–1.03). Length pronotum 1.68(1.60–1.68), width anterior pronotal margin 1.25(1.20–1.25), width posterior pronotal margin 2.60(2.55–2.60); Length scutellum 1.38(1.33–1.38) width 1.38(1.33–1.38); Total body length 7.20 (male7.0–7.20, female7.20–7.40) (5 paratypes measured).

Type material. Holotype, male, CHINA, Hainan, Mt. Jianfeng, 21­IV­1985, leg. Leyi Zheng, light trap. Paratype: 1 female, same data as the Holotype; 1 male, CHINA, Guangxi, Shangsi, Nanping, alt. 350m, 10­VI­2000, leg. Chaodong Zhu ( IZAS, dissected); 1 female, CHINA, Guangxi, Napo, Defu, alt. 1350m, 18­VI­2000, leg. Wenzhu Li ( IZAS, photographed); 1 female, CHINA, Hainan, Qionghai, 23­V­1985, leg. Zhiqin Chen, light trap ( IZAS); 1 female, CHINA, Hainan, Mt. Diaoluo, 4­V­1984, leg. Zhiqin Chen, light trap ( IZAS); 1 male, CHINA, Hainan, Mt. Jianfeng, 30­V­1984, leg. Zhiqin Chen ( IZAS, dissected); 1 female, CHINA, Yunnan, River Li, 12­VIII­1979, leg. Jianxin Cui.

Etymology. maculacellus is derived from the Latin word macula, meaning the new species’ corium has small maculae.

Distribution. China (Guangxi, Hainan, Yunan).

Remarks. Neolethaeus maculacellus sp. n. is similar to N. assamensis (Distant) from China and India, and to N. typicus Distant from Burma, in the following characters: head, pronotum, scutellum black­brown, corium brown with small yellow maculae. But in N. assamensis the body is large, 10–12mm; antennae with apical half of third segment yellow; and in N. typicus the body is also larger, 9.5mm; corium with only two small maculae, one at center of corium, another at apical margin; antennae with first segment brown, the second and third testaceous. The new species is also similar to N. tokarensis (Hidaka) from Japan in antennal color and proportion, and amount of spines of fore femora; but in N. tokarensis the corium is brown with a large pale macula at its apical angle.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Neolethaeus maculacellus sp. n.; dorsal views (Paratype). (scale bars = 0.1 mm).