Agathocles flavipes, Salini & Kment, 2021

Salini, S. & Kment, Petr, 2021, The genera Agathocles and Surenus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) tribal reassessment, redescription, new synonyms, and description of two new species, Zootaxa 4958 (1), pp. 510-559 : 529-535

Agathocles flavipes sp. nov.

( Figs 10–11 , 17 , 23 , 31 , 34–35 , 60–87 , 139 )

Type locality. India, Karnataka, Shimoga [13°55′48″N 75°34′05″E] .

Type material. Holotype: ♂ ( ICAR-NBAIR), ‘ INDIA: KARNATAKA / Shimoga / 13.9299° N, 75.5681° E / 06.10.08 / Umeshkumar // Light trap (Sodium Vapour lamp) // NBAII [p] // HOLOTYPUS / AGATHOCLES FLAVIPES / sp. nov. / det. Salini & Kment 2020 [p, red label]’. Holotype is pinned, the detached left hind leg glued on card and dissected male genitalia placed in a plastic microvial with glycerol attached to the same pin; basiflagellum and distiflagellum of both antennae, right fore leg, apical claws of right middle leg, left hind leg, and tarsi of right hind leg lost.

Paratypes (5 ♂ 6 ♀): INDIA: Karnataka : 1 ♂, Mudigere [13°08′11″N, 75°38′25″E], 980 m a.s..l., 14.vi.2003 ; 1 ♂, 10.v.2003, G. P. Rekha lgt. ( UASB) ; 1 ♂, Mudigere , 27.vii.2003, Rakhi lgt. ( UASB); dissected male genitalia placed in a plastic microvial with glycerol attached to the same pin, whole abdomen after extraction of genital capsule glued on card ); 1 ♀, Mudigere , 980 m a.s.l., 17.viii.2003, N. Divya lgt. ( UASB); left hind leg glued on card ); 1 ♀, Thirthahalli [13°42′00″N 75°13′48″E], 17.vi.2011, A. R . V . Kumar lgt., C. A. Viraktamath det. as Surenus sp. ( UASB) ; 1 ♂, Shimoga [13°55′48″N 75°34′05″E], 6.x.2008, Umeshkumar lgt., light trap (Sodium Vapour lamp), NBAII ( ICAR-NBAIR) ; 1 ♂, Bengaluru, Attur [13°06′25″N 77°33′59″E], 17.viii.2017, G. Prabhu lgt., reared from bamboo sprout (left hind leg glued on card) ( ICAR-NBAIR) ; 1 ♀, Shimoga , 6.x.2008, Umeshkumar lgt., light trap (Sodium Vapour lamp), NBAII ( ICAR-NBAIR) ; left hind leg, tarsi of both middle legs, segment IV of both antennae glued on card and whole abdomen and tibiae of left middle leg glued on another card); 1 ♀, Shimoga , 22.v.2011, Nayana lgt., Ex: Sweep Net, NBAII ( ICAR-NBAIR) ; 1 ♀, Shimoga , 4.iv.2008, ID IIK 605, NBAII ( ICAR-NBAIR) . Each bearing the following identification label: ‘ PARATYPUS / AGATHOCLES FLAVIPES / sp. nov. / det. Salini. & Kment 2020 [p, yellow label]’. Maharashtra: 1 ♀, 70 km S of Pune, Wai env. [18°31′00.2″N 73°51′22.5″E], 2.–7.x.2005, J. Bezděklgt. ( NMPC), bearing the following identification label : ‘ PARATYPUS / AGATHOCLES / FLAVIPES / sp. nov. / det. Salini. & Kment 2020 [p, red label]’.

Additional non-type material. INDIA: Andhra Pradesh: 1 ♀, Srisailum [16.07°N, 78.87°E], 434 m a.s.l., 17.ix.2013, T. Vinayaka lgt. ( UASB) . Karnataka: 1 ♀, Kodagu, Ponnampet [12°12′N, 75°54′E], 851 m a.s.l., 11.vii.2011 ( UASB) ; 1 ♀, Mudigere , 19.v.2003 ( UASB) ; 1 ♀, Zonal Agricultural Research Station [13°18′47″N 75°44′13″E], 4.iv.2008, Student [lgt.] ( UASB) ; 1 ♂ 1 ♀, Mudigere ( UASB) ; 1 ♀, Mudigere , R. Manjunath lgt ( UASB) , dissected female genitalia placed in a plastic microvial with glycerol attached to the same pin, abdominal tergites and ventrites glued on card); 1 ♂, Shimoga, Navile [13°55′54″N, 75°34′04″E], 7.ii.2011, ex paddy, B. K. Vinaykumar lgt. ( UASB) ; 1 ♂, Mudigere, G. Chetan lgt. ( UASB) ; 1 ♂, Mudigere , Students [lgt.] ( UASB) ; dissected male genitalia placed in a plastic microvial with glycerol attached to the same pin, right hind leg glued on card); 1 ♂, Mudigere , 980 m a.s.l., 26.vii.2003, Students [lgt.] ( UASB) ; dissected male genitalia placed in a plastic microvial with glycerol attached to the same pin, antennomeres III and IV of left antennae glued on card); 1 ♀, Dandeli [15°14′59″N 74°37′03″E], 29.v.2008, T. Nagaraja lgt .; 1 ♂, no label ( UASB) . Tamil Nadu: 1 ♀, Yelagiri, Javadi Hills [12°34′60″N 78°49′60″E], 16.vi.2016, Sunil Joshi lgt. ( ICAR-NBAIR) .

Description. Colouration. Body above dark brown with minute yellowish callosities. Antennae, labium, legs and basal portion of genital capsule pale yellowish or ochraceous. Membrane fuscous with brownish veins. Body ventrally black, including posterior portion of genital capsule. Round fields surrounding abdominal trichobothria pale yellow.

Integument and vestiture. Body above matt, covered with dense, coarse, round, black punctures; extreme lateral margin of corium with brownish punctures. Pronotum and scutellum with puncture interspaces forming transverse, often broken wrinkles. Body ventrally slightly shining, contrasting to matt evaporatorium. Head ventrally and pleura (except evaporatorium) with dense, coarse, round, black punctures; surface of abdominal ventrites with dense, fine and black punctures, except conexival segments ventrally impunctate. Abdomen ventrally with sparse, semierect, golden brown setae.

Structure. Head ( Figs 10–11 , 64 ) shorter than wide (across eyes), head length to width ratio 0.73. Mandibular plates with lateral margins strongly insinuate in front of eyes above antenniferous tubercle, continually narrowing in front of eyes ( Fig. 10 ), more narrowly rounded anteriorly; nearly meeting in front of clypeus, apex of clypeus narrowly free, leaving V-shaped apical incision in front of clypeus ( Figs 10 , 64 ); lateral margins of mandibular plates apically slightly reflexed upwards.Antennomeres from shortest to longest: I <IIa <IV = III <IIb, but ratios of antennal segments highly variable. Scape (I) surpassing apex of head about half of its length ( Fig. 64 ); basipedicellite (IIa) short, 1.43–1.51× longer than scape, about half length of IIb (length of IIa: IIb ratio: 0.51–0.58×). Labiomeres from shortest to longest: I ≤ IV <III <II. Lenghts of labiomeres (median (minimum–maximum); in mm): Male (n = 5): I—1.00 (0.96–1.10), II—1.55 (1.35–1.64), III—1.37 (1.23–1.52), IV—1.06 (1.02–1.13); females (n = 5): I—0.99 (0.93–1.02), II—1.79 (1.61–1.86), III—1.51 (1.41–1.73), IV—1.04 (1.01–1.09). Labium reaching between mesocoxae or slightly beyond.

Pronotum ( Figs 60, 62 , 64 ). Lateral tooth on anterolateral angles larger, directed laterad. Lateral pronotal margin narrowly reflexed upwards, anteriorly only minutely crenulate. Humeri rectangular to slightly obtusangulate, slightly surpassing laterad over base of corium. Posterior margin straight.

Scutellum ( Figs 60, 62 ). Disc of scutellum convex in prefrenal portion, its postfrenal portion flat, apex narrowly rounded.

Hemelytra ( Figs 60, 62 ). Costal margin of corium only indistinctly insinuated basally.

Thorax. Ostiole large, oval, opening posteriad; peritreme basally narrow; median furrow short and wide, not apparent in apical half of peritreme length ( Fig. 17 ). Metasternum narrow ( Fig. 23 ).

Male genitalia ( Figs 66 , 69–74 , 81–87 ). Genital capsule ( Figs 69–74 ) nearly quadrangular. Ventral rim (vr) shallowly bisinuate, nearly in level with rounded posterolateral projections; ventral rim infolding medially with short, median process, perpendicular to ventral rim ( Figs 71, 74 : mp); superior process of dorsal rim absent. Parameral socket closed, kidney-shaped ( Fig. 74 : ps). Paramere: Apical process (ap) short, hook-like; mesal angle of parameral crown (map) with broad, lobe-like projection of variable shape ( Figs 84–87 ), perpendicular to main axis; basal process foliaceous, rather horizontally positioned, roughly semi-circular, with row of long hairs on its margin; inner side of crown with indistinct fine tooth-like projections; stem short and broad; apodeme expanded, platelike. Proctiger ( Fig. 81 ) broad proximally and gradually narrowed towards distal end, consisting of a sclerotized anal tube and membranous anal segment. Phallus: Articulatory apparatus ( Figs 82‒83 ) sclerotized with nearly Ushaped basal plate (bpt) and roughly T-shaped support bridge complex (sbc), distal end of support bridge complex slightly bilobate with a shallow median concave indentation, dorsal connective (dc) of support bridge complex widened distally into nearly plate-like capitate processes (cp). Phallotheca ( Figs 78–80 : pt) short, barrel-shaped, sclerotized and constricted at both ends, broadest medially, its dorsal wall and ventral wall convex medially; each ventrolateral surface of theca with a small, sclerotized tubercle near its orifice. A pair of dorsal conjunctival processes (dlc), transversely placed, elongate, wing-like in inflated form, their apices ends in hook-like processes; entire outer margin including margins of hook-like apex sclerotized, black, remaining region membranous; median penial plates or processes of aedeagus (pa) fused basally, outer margins broadly and thickly sclerotized, encircling aedeagus, aedeagus (ad) well sclerotized, tube-like, moderately long, slightly curved ventrad ( Fig. 80 ).

Female genitalia ( Figs 31 , 34–35 ). Laterotergite VIII (lt8) subtriangular, its dorsal margin indinstictly angulate ( Fig. 34 ). Laterotergites IX (lt9) widely rounded apically, touching each other medially, segment X mostly obscured ( Figs 31 , 34 ). Valvifers VIII (vf8) quadrant with mesial margins straight, juxtaposed, dorsal margins slightly convex, dorsomesial angles slightly angularly produced ( Figs 31 , 34 ). Valvifers IX (vf9) fused medially with distinct impressed median fusion line, diverging ventrad. Pair of ring sclerites present, drop-shaped ( Fig. 34 : rs). Spermatheca ( Fig. 35 ): dilation long, oval, inflated ( Fig. 35 ), distal invagination (‘sclerotized rod’; Fig. 35 ) broadened distally, subparallel in most of its length, basally straight and slightly constricted; distal flange (df) separated from apical receptacle ( Fig. 35 ); apical receptacle (ar) subglobular ( Fig. 35 ) with five ductules or hook-like projections, one long projection directed proximad, approaching proximal flange (pf), two of them with base fused and apex broadly curved more or less distad, not surpassing distal flange and the remaining two are very short.

Measurements (mm). See Table 2. Holotype (♂): Body length 13.46; head: length 2.31, width (including eyes) 3.22, interocular width 1.83; lengths of antennomeres: I—0.85, IIa—1.22, IIb—2.36, III & IV missing; pronotum: length 3.06, width (across humeri) 7.17; scutellum: length 4.76, width (across basal angles) 4.31; abdomen width (across segment III) 7.33.

Variability. Ratios of length of antennomeres IIa to IV highly variable, arranged from shortest to longest: I <IIa <IV <IIb <III (1 specimen), I <IIa <IV <III <IIb (3 specimens), I <IIa <III <IIb (IV missing; 1 specimen), I <IIa <III = IV <IIb (1 specimen), I <IIa <IIb (III and IV missing; 4 specimens). Examination of dissected male genitalia of various specimens revealed the presence of slight differences in the shape of paramere, namely in the development of mesal angle of the crown, which could be prominent ( Fig. 84 ), slightly angulate ( Fig. 85 ), slightly roundly lobate ( Fig. 86 ) to nearly straight or indistinct ( Fig. 87 ).

Differential diagnosis. See key and Table 3. The species may look similar to the genera Praetextatus and Valescus (as illustrated by Distant 1902), but those differ by scape not reaching apex of head and mesosternum furrowed ( Distant 1902; Zahid 2006).

Etymology. The species name flavipes is composed of the Latin flavus, meaning yellow, and pes, meaning foot, and refers to its pale yellowish legs; noun in apposition.

Bionomics. Specimens of A. flavipes were collected mainly by sweep net on various plants and at light (Sodium vapour lamp). This species is known to feed on bamboo sprouts and also collected from paddy ( Oryza sativa L.) though there is no proof of its development on paddy.

Distribution ( Fig. 139 ). The species is at present known to be restricted to the Western Ghats Mts. and its catchments in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu in south and western India.

Figures

FIGURE 139. Distribution of the Agathocles species. T—type locality;?—doubtful record. Orig. P. Kment.

FIGURES 6–13. Head. 6–8—Agathocles limbatus Stål, 1876: 6—dorsal view, Vietnam: Phia Oac NP (magnification 20×); 7— dorsal view, Thailand: Phu Kradung NP (20×); 8—lateral view, Laos: Phou Pane Mt. (30×). 9—A. normalis (Distant, 1901a), male, dorsal view, Laos: Phou Pane Mt. (23× mm). 10–11—A. flavipes sp. nov., female, dorsal (10, 30×) and ventral (11, 40×) view, India: Maharashtra: 70 km N of Pune. 12–13—A. joceliae sp. nov.: 12—holotype, male, dorsal view, Malaysia: Kelantan (25×); 13—female, ventral view, Malaysia: Kelantan: Kampong Sungai Om (27×). Lettering: at—antenniferous tubercle, bu— buccula, cl—clypeus, la—labium, lr—labrum, mp—mandibular plate, oc—ocellus. Scale bars: 1 mm. Orig. P. Kment.

FIGURES 14–22. External scent efferent system of metathoracic scent gland. 14—Agathocles normalis (Distant, 1901), male, Laos: Phou Pane Mt. (23×). 15—A. joceliae sp. nov., female, Malaysia: Kelantan: Kampong Timor. 16–19—ostiole and peritreme: 16—A. limbatus Stål, 1876 (90×); 17—A. flavipes sp. nov. (100×); 18—A. joceliae sp. nov. (75×); 19—A. normalis (Distant, 1901) (85×). 20—A. joceliae sp. nov., evaporatorium laterally on mesopleuron (75×). 21—A. normalis, metathoracic spiracle (42×). 22—A. limbatus, detail of metathoracic spiracle with reticulate filter processes (320×). Lettering: ev—evaporatorium, mf—median furrow, o—ostiole, pe—peritreme, sms—smooth spot on mesopleuron, sp—spiracle. Scale bars: 1 mm (14, 15, 21), 0.5 mm (16–20), 0.1 mm (22). Orig. P. Kment.

FIGURES 23–28. Morphology of thorax and abdomen. 23–25—metasternum: 23—Agathocles flavipes sp. nov. (50×); 24—A. joceliae sp. nov. (55×); 25—A. limbatus Stål, 1876 (37×). 26–28—A. limbatus: 26—mesosternum (50×); 27—spiracle and trichobothria on abdominal segment VI (170×); 28—apex of abdomen and genital capsule, lateral view (35×). Lettering: cx2— mesocoxa, cx3—metacoxa, gc—genital capsule, la2‒4—labiomere II‒IV; msc—mesosternal carina; mts—metasternum; sp— abdominal spiracle; tr—trichobothrium. Scale bars: 1 mm (23–26, 28), 0.3 mm (27). Orig. P. Kment.

FIGURES 29–32. External female genitalia. 29–30—Agathocles limbatus Stål, 1876 (29—27×); 31—A. flavipes sp. nov.; 32—A. joceliae sp. nov. Lettering: lt8–9—laterotergites VIII–IX, t8—tergite VIII, vf8–9—valvifers VIII–IX, x—segment X. Scale bars: 1 mm. Orig. P. Kment.

FIGURES 33–36. External and internal female genitalia. 33—Agathocles limbatus Stål, 1876; 34–35—A. flavipes sp. nov.; 36—A. joceliae sp. nov. Lettering: ar—apical receptacle, dd—distal duct of spermatheca, df—dorsal flange, dil—spermathecal dilation, div—distal invagination of spermathecal duct, ip—intermediate part, pd—proximal duct of spermatheca, pf—proximal flange, rs—ring sclerite, so—spermathecal opening. Scale bars: 1 mm. Orig. P. Kment (33, 36), Salini (34–35).

FIGURES 60–63. Agathocles flavipes sp. nov., habitus. 60–61—male (60—dorsal view, 61—ventral view); 62–63—female (62—dorsal view, 63—ventral view). Scale bars: 1 mm. Orig. Salini.

FIGURES 64–68. Agathocles flavipes sp. nov. 64—head and pronotum; 65—membrane with longitudinal venation; 66—apex of male abdomen with genital capsule in postero-ventral view; 67—apex of female abdomen with external genitalia in posteroventral view; 68—external scent efferent system. Lettering: pe—peritreme, sc—scape. Scale bars: 1 mm Orig. Salini.

FIGURES 69–80. Male genitalia of Agathocles flavipes sp. nov.: 69–74—genital capsule: 69, 72—dorsal view; 70, 73— ventral view; 71, 74—caudal view. 75–77—paramere (75, 77—lateral views, 76—ventral view). 78–80—penis (78—ventral view, 79—dorsal view, 80—lateral view). Lettering: ad—aedeagus, ap—apical process of paramere, ba—basal apodeme, bp— basal process of paramere, dlc—dorsolateral conjunctival processes, dr—dorsal rim, map—medial angle of parameral crown, mp—medial process of ventral rim, pa—processes of aedeagus, ps—paramere socket, pt—phallotheca, st—stem of paramere, vr—ventral rim. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (Figs 75–80), 0.5 mm (Figs 69–74). Orig. Salini.

FIGURES 81–87. Male genitalia of Agathocles flavipes sp. nov. 81—proctiger; 82–83—articulatory apparatus (82—dorsal view, 83—ventral view). 84–87—paramere, lateral view (arrow showing the variation in the mesal angle). Lettering: as—anal segment; at—anal tube; bpt—basal plate; cp—capitate process; dc—dorsal connective; hi—hinge; ism—intersternal membrane of segments IX‒X; map—medial angle of parameral crown; sbc—support bridge complex. Scale bars: 0.2 mm. Orig. Salini.