Branstettocoris parvulus, Brailovsky, Harry, 2010

Brailovsky, Harry, 2010, A new genus and two new species of Antillocorini (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Rhyparochromidae: Rhyparochrominae) from Mexico and Guatemala, Zootaxa 2717, pp. 62-68 : 64-67

Branstettocoris parvulus sp.nov.

( Figs. 3, 9–10 , 13–14 )

Description. Holotype male. Dorsal color. Head shiny reddish brown; antennal segments I to III shiny chestnut orange, IV yellowish white with apex usually pale brown; pronotum and scutellum dull reddish brown; hemelytra dull chestnut brown with basal third yellowish white; hemelytral membrane brown; connexivum and dorsal abdominal segments shiny reddish brown, with chestnut orange reflections. Ventral color. Ground color shiny reddish brown; rostral segment I pale chestnut orange, II to IV yellowish white (apex of IV brown); coxae shiny chestnut orange; trochanter dark yellow; femur shiny chestnut orange with apex yellowish orange; tibiae yellow with dull brownish orange reflections; tarsi yellowish white. Genital capsule. Conventional and similar to Branstettocoris pinguis described above. Paramere. Figs. 9–10 .

Integument. Head and abdominal sterna shining; remainder of body dull. Pubescence. Dorsal surface densely covered with numerous, suberect, elongate, silver to golden setae; antennal segment I sparsely covered with elongate, to suberect, medium size silver to golden setae; antennal segments II to IV densely covered with numerous, suberect, elongate, and heavy, silver to golden setae; rostral segments I and II almost glabrous, and III and IV densely covered with elongate, suberect, silver setae; head ventrally and thorax sparsely covered with short, reclining, silver setae; abdominal sterna densely covered with long, reclining, silver setae. Legs. Male with femur covered by elongate, erect, and scattered, silver setae; tibiae and tarsi densely covered with medium size, suberect, silver setae. Punctuation. Head dorsally impunctate, except for coarse punctures behind eye, and small punctures on frontal region; anterior lobe of pronotal disk smooth, impunctate, except for two rows of transversal punctures running close to the anterior margin, and two lines of longitudinal punctures running at middle third; pronotal calli almost impunctate; posterior lobe of pronotal disk coarsely punctate; humeral angles impunctate; scutellum, clavus and corium sparsely and deeply punctate. Head ventrally rugose, impunctate, except by small punctures at middle third; prosternon and propleuron coarsely punctate; mesosternon impunctate; mesopleuron coarsely punctate; metasternon impunctate; metapleuron scattered punctate, with one transversal line of deep punctures near posterior margin ( Fig. 3 ); acetabulum leg smooth; abdominal sterna smooth.

Measurements. Head length 0.22; width across eyes 0.41; interocular space 0.25; preocular distance 0.20; antennal segment length I, 0.28, II, 0.30, III, 0.20, IV, 0.30; pronotum length 0.34; width across humeral angles 0.65; scutellar length 0.24; width 0.29; total length of claval commissure 0.41; total length of corium 0.76; total body length 1.74.

Female. Structure and color similar to male holotype, Connexival segments VIII and IX, and dorsal abdominal segments VIII and IX pale chestnut orange; genital plates shiny chestnut orange to shiny reddish brown.

Measurements. Head length 0.29; width across eyes 0.42; interocular space 0.28; preocular distance 0.20; antennal segment length I, 0.28, II, 0.28, III, 0.20, IV, 0.29; pronotum length 0.35; width across humeral angles 0.72; scutellar length 0.34; width 0.33; total length of claval commissure 0.37; total length of corium 0.79; total body length 1.92.

Type. Holotype male, GUATEMALA: Baja Vera, Ranchito El Quetzal, 1750 m, 15°21’443’’N–90°22’123’’W, 20-IX-2008, R. A. Anderson ( UNAM). Paratypes. GUATEMALA: 1 male, 2 females, Baja Vera, Ranchito El Quetzal, 1750 m, 15°21’443’’N–90°22’123’’W, 20-IX-2008, R. A. Anderson ( UNAM). GUATEMALA: 3 hembras, Baja Vera, Biotopo Quetzal, 200–1725 m, 15°21’319’’N–90°21’921’’W, 2-V-2009, LLAMA #WA-B-02-2 ( UNAM).

Diagnosis. Branstettocoris parvulus sp.nov. is closely related to B. pinguis previously described. Both species agree well in most characteristics, and the male genital capsule are similar. The main difference is found in the pubescence of the dorsal surface of the body, and the yellowish white mark of the hemelytra. In B. parvulus the dorsal surface is densely covered with numerous, suberect, elongate, silver to golden setae, and the yellowish white mark of hemelytra restricted to the basal third. In B. pinguis the dorsal surface of the body is sparsely covered with short suberect, silver to golden setae, and the yellowish white basal mark covers two third of hemelytra, and the claval commissural area is pale chestnut orange. The paramere of both species show some differences (see Figs. 7– 10 ). The total length of antennal segment II in B. parvulus is longer (0.29–0.30) than B. pinguis (0.23–0.24).

Biology. Collected from cloud forest sifted leaf litter.

Distribution. Known only from Guatemala.

Etymology. From the Latin “ parvulus ,-a, -um (minute), referring to the small size of this species.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 10. Branstettocoris spp. 1 – 2. B. pinguis sp. nov.: 1. Head and pronotum in dorsal view. 2. Metathoracic scent gland peritreme. 3. B. parvulus sp. nov., metathoracic scent gland peritreme. 4 – 8. B. pinguis sp. nov.: 4. Abdomen in lateral view. 5 – 6. Male genital capsule; 5. Caudal view. 6. Dorsal view. 7 – 8. Paramere. 9 – 10. B. parvulus sp. nov., paramere.

FIGURES 11 – 14. Branstettocoris spp. 11 – 12. B. pinguis sp. nov.: 11 — Habitus, dorsal view. 12 — Habitus, lateral view, paratype male. 13 – 14. B. parvulus sp. nov. 13 — Habitus, dorsal view. 14 — Habitus, lateral view, paratype male.