Meschia quadrimaculata Distant, 1910

Gao, Cuiqing & Malipatil, M. B., 2019, Meschia zoui sp. nov., first representative of the family Meschiidae from China (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea), Zootaxa 4603 (1), pp. 172-182 : 173-176

Meschia quadrimaculata Distant, 1910

( Figs. 1–2 )

Meschia quadrimaculata Distant, 1910: 38 (original description); Scudder, 1957: 28 (in key).

Specimens examined. 1 Ƌ, INDIA: Karnataka \ Bangalore : GKVK \ 12°58' N, 77°35' E, 930m \ 06.vi.2016. Light Trap \ Yeshwanth H.M (pr) [VAIC]. 1 ♀, INDIA: Karnataka \ Doddaballapura , 880mt \ 13°20' N, 77°18' E \ 17. ix. 2010. Light trap \ A.N. Reddy (pr) [ VAIC] .

Redescription. Colouration: Head, pronotum and scutellum ochraceous with dense brownish ochraceous punctures. Head with small conical protuberances anterior to juga pale ( Fig. 1d, e ). Clypeus and spots on inner side of ocelli dark brown. Antennae brown with fourth segment excluding base and apex more or less fuscous, and base of first segment yellowish brown ( Fig. 1c ). Pronotum with lateral margin and median longitudinal line pale. Pronotal posterior margin with four vague irregular fuscous or dark spots. Scutellum with basal part of lateral margin and median longitudinal line pale and impunctate. Corium pale ochraceous with ochraceous punctures, and also with black markings on middle of apical margin. Apical angle of corium marking with irregular dark fuscous puncture lines in one of the specimen examined. Membrane hyaline, passing apex of abdomen ( Fig. 1a ). Ground colour of body beneath and legs pale ochraceous. Punctures beneath head concolorous with ground color. Labium golden-orange, with tip blackish brown ( Fig. 1b ). Pleura scattered coarse ochraceous punctures, with a dark lateral line on each pleura. Metathoracic scent gland opening pale ochraceous, with tip fuscous. Punctures on distal upper side of femora dark. Tarsi ochraceous. Clavus dark brown. Median area of base of sterna golden-orange in one of the specimen examined.

Structure and measurements (male specimen measured): Body ( Fig. 1a, b ) length including wings 3.80; maximum width 1.64. Head: length 0.68; width across eyes 1.29; interocular space 0.80; interocellar space 0.41; eyeocellar space 0.16; eye length 0.32; eye width 0.24. Labium extending to middle of abdominal sternum VII, length of segments: 0.64, 0.94, 0.64, 0.60. Labrum length 0.14. Antennae ( Fig. 1c ), length of segments: 0.26, 0.69, 0.52, 0.67. Thorax: pronotal median length 0.85; width at anterior margin 0.83; width at posterior margin 1.50. Anterolateral angle of pronotum without a pointed extension ( Fig. 1d ). Scutellum length 0.69, width 0.87. Length of hemelytron 2.43; length of corium 1.64; length claval commissure 0.21. Clavus punctate in three longitudinal rows, with some scattered irregular punctures between inner two rows of punctures.

Abdomen: Connexiva exposed beyond middle of corium. Outer laterotergites bicolored, with posterolateral areas darker ( Fig. 1a ). Female sterna IV–VII increasingly narrowed medially and moved forward for reception of ovipositor.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 2 ). Dorsal pygophore opening with middle part of lateral margin parallel, with a pair of small, obtuse protuberances; posterior margin of dorsal pygophore opening and cuplike sclerite not fused ( Fig. 2a ); median indentation in posterior margin deep and broadly rounded towards caudal end ( Fig. 2a ); tip of cuplike sclerite slightly narrowed, with median longitudinal ridge from lateral view. Phallus with basal apparatus, ejaculatory reservoir, helicoid process and gonoporal process sclerotized; phallotheca sclerotized, with dorsal area weakly sclerotized (rectangle highlighted area in Fig. 2d ); phallotheca and conjunctiva without any processes; vesica with a lateral membranous lobe ( Fig. 2c ); ejaculatory reservoir well developed, with a pear-shaped body and a pair of broad wings ( Fig. 2c ); gonoporal process twisted about 2.5 times ( Fig. 2b ); secondary gonopore as in Fig. 2b . Paramere with dorsal lobe pointed and ventral lobe obtuse; middle part of blade not obviously broadened ( Fig. 2e, h ).

Distribution. India: East Bengal ( Distant, 1910); Karnataka.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Meschia quadrimaculata, male. a, habitus, dorsal view; b, same, ventral view; c, left antenna, ventral view; d, head, dorsal view; e, head, ventral view.

FIGURE 2. Meschia quadrimaculata, male, genitalia. a, pygophore, dorsal view; b, phallus, dorsal view; c–d, parts of phallus, enlarged; e–h, left paramere, four different aspects. Abbreviations: ba, basal apparatus; bl, blade; bo, body; c, conjunctiva; cs, cuplike sclerite; dl, dorsal lobe of paramere; ds, ductus seminis; ej, ejaculatory reservoir; gp, gonoporal process; hp, helicoid process; id, indentation; lm, lateral magin of dorsal pygophore opening; mcp, median conical protuberance; ml, membranous lobe; ph, phallotheca; sg, secondary gonopore; w, wing; ve, vesica; vl, ventral lobe of paramere. Rectangle highlighted area indicates weakly sclerotized area of phallotheca.