Sulawesimetopus, Herczek, Aleksander, Gorczyca, Jacek & Taszakowski, Artur, 2018

Herczek, Aleksander, Gorczyca, Jacek & Taszakowski, Artur, 2018, Sulawesimetopushenryi, a new genus and species of Isometopinae (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae) from Sulawesi, ZooKeys 796, pp. 147-161 : 148-150

Genus Sulawesimetopus gen. n.

Type species.

Sulawesimetopus henryi sp. n.

Diagnosis.

Dorsum densely and deeply punctuate, with uniformly distributed dark-brown, semierect long setae. Head vertical, flattened in front, almost as high as pronotal disc, covering very narrow collar and very poorly marked calli (partly). Front and lateral parts of head strongly wrinkled and deeply punctuate, lateral edges of head with long, protruding setae (Fig. 2A). Eyes large, nearly at same level as vertex, producing concavity behind it. Fovea antennalis removed from ventral eye margin (Fig. 1 A–C). Antennal segments I and II of almost same thickness, III and IV thinner. All segments except 1st with white, adjacent setae of diameter not exceeding segment thickness (Fig. 2B). Labium reaching second abdominal segment. Pronotum with very weakly marked calli, narrow but distinct collar, narrow lateral carina and slightly convex posterior margin. Mesoscutum very narrow, scutellum strongly tumid, sunken basomedially (Fig. 1A, B). Exocorium, pro-, meso- and metapleuron densely and deeply punctuate. Mesofemora with five, metafemora with 6 trichobotria (Fig. 9 A–D). All tarsi two-segmented with second segments longer than 1st, incompletely divided (Fig. 5). Claws without subapical tooth (Fig. 6 A). Ostiolar peritreme occupying entire lower part of metepisternum and apical part of metafemur (Fig. 8B). Aedeagus delicate, endosoma sacciform and membranous, weakly sclerotized inside (Fig. 7D). Left paramere scythe-shaped, sensory lobe with several long setae; apical process elongated, expanded at middle with several tiny spikes; right paramere short, with knee-shaped sensory lobe, hypophysis with several tiny spikes (Fig. 7B, C).

Etymology.

Name combines Sulawesi (the type locality) with part of the generic name Isometopus , the type genus of the subfamily.

Remarks.

Herczek (1993) established Gigantometopini , one of four tribes belonging to Isometopinae. At that time, only one genus and species had been described: Gigantometopus rossi Schwartz & Schuh, 1990. This species is the largest known isometopine (6.98 mm). Distinctive features of this tribe include the size of body, distinct calli separated by a deep incision, a strongly swollen scutellum, a well-marked 1A on the clavus, 5 and 6 meso- and metafemoral trichobothria, 3-segmented tarsi and claws without a subapical tooth. Gigantometopus schuhi from Borneo, described by Akingbohungbe in 2012, is significantly smaller than G. rossi , but other features allow it to be placed in this genus. We agree with Akingbohungbe’s (2012) opinion that the large size is peculiar to the nominotypical species but not to the genus. Additionally, the genus Astroscopometopus , described by Yasunaga and Hayashi (2002), has features similar to those of Gigantometopus Schwartz and Schuh, 1990 and Isometopidea Poppius, 1913. Also Sulawesimetopus resembles the genera Gigatometopus and Isometopidea , but differs from them in several basic features including deep and densely punctured dorsum and thorax pleurites, pronotum with slightly convex posterior margin and narrow lateral carina, extremely reduced calli, and the lack of a middle fossa. Other differences include a very narrow (or lack of) mesoscutum and an indistinct division of the 2nd and 3rd tarsomeres. In addition, Sulawesimetopus differs from Isometopidea Poppius by the shape of the head, placement of fovea antennalis, shorter claval commissure and shorter cuneus. These species, however, share numerous femoral trichobothria. Such a combination of characters allows the new genus and species to be assigned to Gigantometopini . However, as has been done by Yasunaga et al. (2016), it is necessary to revise the suprageneric classification of the Isometopinae.