Grossander (Oculoander)

Kondorosy, Előd & Fábics, Anita, 2015, New species of Grossander Slater, 1976 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Rhyparochromidae: Drymini) from the Oriental Region, Zootaxa 3904 (1), pp. 95-104 : 96

Grossander (Oculoander) subgen. nov.

( Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 7–11 )

Eyes predominately projecting and stalked or almost stalked; antennal junction far from eyes (distance slightly or not shorter than eye length). Pronotal collar long, robust and well separated from anterior lobe by a deep groove. Hind arm of triradiate keel of scutellum linear, without punctures. Clavus with 3 regular rows of punctures. Fore femora armed with one large and more small teeth.

Type species. Grossander (Oculoander) eylesi , sp. nov.

Discussion. The new subgenus shows similarity to the Palaearctic genus Taphropeltus Stål but among other characters the slender pronotal collar and four claval rows of punctures of Taphropeltus distinguish them. Brentiscerus species have a straight lateral margin on pronotum, widened at transverse impression but the lateral margin of the new taxa is not as widened at transverse impression, which is similar to the species of the other Australian genus Grossander .

The new subgenus resemble some Afrotropical genera as well. Ibexocoris Scudder has conspicuous ventral projections on its head; its head and anterior pronotal lobe are very convex; and its antenna is long (first segment is much longer than head). Bexiocoris Scudder has a slender smooth pronotal collar; its paraclypeal lobes are high and narrow, whereas these are broad and almost horizontal in the new subgenus, Grossander (Oculoander) . Salaciola Bergroth is very diverse, the most similar species is S. stylata Slater. It has a very slender and hardly visible pronotal collar, a sharply angled posterior lateral margin to pronotum (rounded in the new subgenus), and also has high and narrow paraclypeal lobes.

Therefore the only suitable genus for taxonomic placement of the two new species is Grossander Slater, 1976 , both new species differing from the known species only in minor features. However, these differences require the creation of a new subgenus. The main differences are: the stalked or almost stalked and prominently projecting eyes, the long anteocular and postocular part (in Grossander s. str. the eye-antenna distance is at most half of the eye length), the long, robust pronotal collar (which is longer than the diameter of the hind tibiae) and the impunctate narrow hind arm of the triradiate scutellar keel.

Figures

FIGURES 4 – 10. 4 – 6 Pygophores of: 4, Grossander (Oculoander) eylesi paratype; 5, G. (O.) papuanus holotype; 6, Grossander major (picture of Gross 1965). 7 – 10 Parameres of: 7, 8, Grossander (Oculoander) papuanus holotype; 9, 10, G. (O.) eylesi paratype. 7 and 9 dorsal, 8 and 10 ventral view.

FIGURE 11. Distribution area of Grossander (Oculoander) papuanus and G. (O.) eylesi.