Dindymus (Dindymus) bifurcatus, Stehlík & Jindra, 2006

Stehlík, Jaroslav L. & Jindra, Zdeněk, 2006, Five new species of the genus Dindymus (Heteroptera: Pyrrhocoridae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) 46, pp. 21-30 : 22-23

Dindymus (Dindymus) bifurcatus sp. nov.

( Figs. 1-3 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♁, ‘ South India, Kerala State, Cardamon Hills, Kallar Valley , 15 km from Munnar , 76°58′E, 10°02′N, 29.-31.V.1994, Z. Kejval & D. Boukal leg.’ ( PPUA) . PARATYPES: ‘ South India, Kerala State, Ponmundi Hill , 30 km NE of Trivandrum, 1.300-1.500 m, 77°06′E, 8°46′N, 28.-30.VI.1999, Z. Kejval & M. Trýzna leg.’, 2 ♁♁ 2 ♀♀ ( ZJPC) ; ‘ NE India, Meghalaya, 1 km E of Tura , 25°30′N, 90°14′E, 500-600 m, 2.- 5.V.2002, M. Trýzna & P. Benda lgt.’, 1 ♀ ( ZJPC) ; ‘ Inde mer., Trichanopoly, Jos. Bubreuil’ [= Tiruchchirappalli, Tamil Nadu State], 1 ♁ 2 ♀♀ ( HNHM) ; ‘ India or., Shembagamur’ [= Sambalpur, Orissa State], 1 ♀ ( HNHM) ; ‘ S. India, Manshola, Tinevelly Distr. ’ [= Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu State], 3800', 4.X.1938, B.M. – C.M. Exped. to South India’ , 1 ♁ 1 ♀ ( BMNH) ; ‘ Travancore Tea Co. ’, no further data [Travancore = Kerala State], 1 ♀; ‘ N. Borneo, Sabah [ Malaysia], Sandokan Distr., Rumidi, R. Labuk , 16.-30.IX.1973, C. Pruett’, 1 ♀ ( BMNH) .

Description. Body mainly red with black ventral parts of head, labium, antennae, legs, mesoscutum (in most cases), sternum (including epicoxal lobes), small round spot on membrane base (could be missing), and spot on base of venter of variable size and indistinct outline, black. Pronotal epipleuron and upper part of posterior pleural flange I red. Membrane grey. Posterior pleural flanges I-III yellowish, this coloration usually restricted only to narrow band on hind margin on posterior flange III and sometimes completely missing (more dominant). Yellow coloration of flanges more pronounced in males than in females.

Body large, wide. Tempus distinctly rounded, almost touching lateral margin of pronotum. Head in front of eyes conspicuously elongate, ventral part of head slightly rounded.Antennomere III spindle-shaped, conspicuously widening basally, somewhat narrowing apically. Labium reaching almost hind margin of ventrite III and sometimes onto ventrite IV. Pronotum wide, hind margin distinctly rounded, lateral margin usually strongly bow-shaped (particularly in females), anterior edges not protruding, rounded, pronotal margins only feebly turned upwards, little separated from pronotal lobe.

Pronotum and scutellum without punctures (one specimen with indistinct punctures laterally on pronotal lobe). Clavus and corium with concolorous and very fine (shallow) punctures.

Genital capsule ( Fig. 3 ). Ventral rim medially unusually horizontally extended with long oval indentation, apices of both parts somewhat concurrent, their outer margins and ventral parts rounded, separated parts of dorsal rim infoldings strongly deepened. Lateral rim on interface with ventral rim somewhat elevated and laterally with deepened depression.

Female genitalia. Valvifer I evenly diverging from its base. Laterotergite IX high. Anal tube narrow, small.

Measurements (mm), given as mean (minimum-maximum). Males. Body length 12.66 (11.93-13.01). Head: width (including eyes) 1.86 (1.73-2.00), interocular width 1.15 (1.05- 1.24). Antenna: antennomere I 2.50 (2.43-2.67), antennomere II 1.72 (1.67-1.78), antennomere III 1.80 (1.67-1.94), antennomere IV 2.3 5 (2.32 -2.38). Pronotum: length 2.19 (2.11- 2.27), width 3.79 (3 62-4.00). Scutellum: length 1.48 (1.46-1.51), width 1.75 (1.73-1.89). Corium: length 6.33 (6.21-6.48), width 2.33 (2.21-2.48).

Females. Body length 14.92 (14.15-15.44). Head: width (including eyes) 2.22 (2.11-2.36), interocular width 1.37 (1.35-1.40). Antenna: antennomere I 2.97 (2.75-3.24), antennomere II 2.01 (1.89-2.16), antennomere III 2.05 (1.94-2.21), antennomere IV 2.68 (2.59-2.86). Pronotum: length 2.82 (2.75-3.08), width 4.71 (4.37-5.43). Scutellum: length 1.75 (1.63-1.89), width 2.16 (1.89-2.48). Corium: length 7.83 (7.29-8.80), width 2.78 (2.65-3.13).

Variability. One specimen from Kerala State ( Fig. 1 ) has distinctly different coloration. The entire antennomere I and the basal half of antennomere II are red, as are the distal parts of the femora and whole tibiae (except apices). The membrane is black except base. Transitional states approaching this coloration can be found, e.g., antennomere I red, particularly often on its base, also the apices of the fore femora or the entire legs sometimes reddish brown instead of black. It is noteworthy that D. lanius Stål, 1863 , and D. grandis Stehlík, 2005 , also show a similar variability in colour.

Differential diagnosis. The new species differs from similar species (of light red colour) on the Indian subcontinent, namely from D. sanguineus (Fabricius, 1794) and D. multidentatus Stehlík, 2005 , by its larger size, wider body, non-concave lateral margins of the pronotum, and by its black epicoxal lobes. In D. bifurcatus sp. nov., the yellow coloration of the posterior pleural flanges is very much reduced (either completely absent or only present as a narrow, indistinct band on the hind margin). In D. sanguineus from China the posterior pleural flanges I and II and the epicoxal lobes I and II are black or partially black but the ventrites are yellow (not red) with irregular black transverse stripes. In contrast to all other species compared, D. bifurcatus sp. nov. has entirely black segment I of the labium (not red with black apex) and a completely different genital capsule. Strongly elongate and deeply incised apex of the capsule is only found in D. mundus Stål, 1863 , from the Philippines. However, this species has, besides other characters, a black pronotum and scutellum, the red corium is darker on its base, the basal half of the last antennal segment and the epicoxal lobes are whitish (as well as the posterior pleural flanges I-III), and antennomeres I and II are red (except apices).

Etymology. The specific epithet is the Latin adjective bifurcatus (= bifurcate), emphasizing the bifurcate shape of male genital capsula.

Distribution. South, south-eastern and north-eastern India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Meghalaya) and Malaysia (North Kalimantan: Sabah).

Figures

Figs. 1-5. 1-3 – Dindymus bifurcatus sp. nov. 1 – paratype, male, colour variation; 2 – paratype female; 3 – genital capsule, dorsal wiew. 4 – D. chinensis sp. nov., holotype male. 5 – D. lanius Stål, 1863, male.