Praetorblissus mexicanus, Peredo, Luis Cervantes & Brailovsky, Harry, 2013

Peredo, Luis Cervantes & Brailovsky, Harry, 2013, First record of Praetorblissus from Mexico (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea: Blissidae), with the description of a new species associated with bamboo, Zootaxa 3683 (2), pp. 197-200 : 197-199

Praetorblissus mexicanus sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–4 )

Diagnosis. Micropterous; general coloration shining black with distinctive yellowish conexiva; four or five spines on fore femora arranged in a single row.

Description ( Figs. 1–2 ). Body flattened dorso-ventrally. General coloration dorsally and ventrally black, polished and shining with punctures restricted to a narrow strip mesally on pronotum and head; head with a few punctures near base of antenna and ventrally; pronotum with punctures along transverse impression and on scutellum and dorsal surface of abdomen. Connexivum and a small area on reduced hemelytra yellow. Antennal segments, coxae, and femora dark brown to black. Rostrum dark castaneous; tibiae and tarsi pale yellowish ochraceous. Eyes brown. Body with a few scattered hairs, mainly along lateral margins.

Head non-declivent; tylus slightly longer than middle of first antennal segment. Eyes set slightly away from anterolateral margin of pronotum. Rostrum slightly passing procoxae. Pronotum arcuate, lateral margins strongly convex and widest near humeral angles; pronotal calli delimited by a series of punctures; transverse impression situated in posterior one-fourth, and delimited by punctures; posterior pronotal margin straight. Scutellum with few scattered punctures and one-third longer than reduced hemelytra. Hemelytra reduced to small scales that leave most of metanotum exposed; visible area of metanotum with rugose appearance.

Pro- and mesopleura shining with rugae. Metathoracic scent gland auricle short and thick, curving anteriorly. Fore femora with four to five large spines arranged in one row; fore tibiae slightly curved; middle and hind femora and tibiae mutic. Male Genitalia. Pygophore as in Fig. 3 ; paramere with a large curving blade, and a short thick shaft, a rounded thumblike outer projection that marks the juncture of the blade and the shaft, and a sharp subbasal inner angle on the inner side ( Fig. 4 ).

Male measurements (n=3): Body length 5.430.2; head length 0.60.05; width across eyes 0.910.04; interocular distance 0.590.01; postocular distance 0.1; antennal segment lengths: I 0.180.0 3, II 0.510.0 1, III 0.42, IV 0.670.02; rostral segment lenghts: I 0.4, II 0.360.0 2, III 0.310.0 1, IV 0.4; pronotum: length 0.90.0 9, width across anterior margin 0.65; width across humeral angles 1.290.05; scutellum: length 0.480.0 2, width 0.740.08; fore leg: femur length 0.990.0 1, tibia length 0.920.0 3, tarsomere lengths: I 0.160.0 1, II 0.08, III 0.160.0 1.

Female unknown.

Etymology. The species name alludes to the country of its occurrence.

Holotype. Male. MEXICO, Oaxaca, San Pedro Yolox, Santa Cruz Tepetotutla, 12 km N of Santa Cruz Tepetotutla, 17 41’712 N, 9632’669 W, 2014m, Pine Forest, on bamboo, 1-IX-2004, L. Cervantes, J. Calonico ( UNAM).

Paratypes. 2 males, same data as holotype ( UNAM, IEXA).

Distribution. Mexico: Oaxaca.

Discussion. Praetorblissus mexicanus is in the group of species with spines on fore femora arranged in only one row, which includes P. gradus and P. w i l c o x a e. Praetorblissus mexicanus as well as P. gradus are micropterous, while in P. wilcoxae only macropterous forms are known; Praetorblissus mexicanus has a general coloration shining black with contrasting yellow connexivum; in P. gradus the general coloration is dark castaneous red brown and not shining, and although the connexivum is also yellowish it is not as contrasting as in P. mexicanus ; in P. gradus the antenna and all the legs are yellowish, while in P. mexicanus the antenna and the femora are black. The parameres of P. mexicanus is like in most of the Blissidae that were described by Slater (!979).

Biology. This species was collected on Chusquea repens L.G. Clark & Londoño , and Praetorblissus brailovskyi was also collected on bamboo. It is probable that all the species of Praetorblissus are associated with this group of plants. All the species in the genus were collected at elevations above 2000 m.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Holotype of Praetorblissus mexicanus sp. nov. 1, dorsal view; 2, lateral view.

FIGURES 3 – 4. Male genitalia of Praetorblissus mexicanus sp. nov. 3, pygophore, dorsal view; 4, paramere, lateral view.