Aradus andancensis, Marchal, Lorene, Guilbert, Eric, Brisac, Patrick & Nel, Andre, 2011

Marchal, Lorene, Guilbert, Eric, Brisac, Patrick & Nel, Andre, 2011, A new record and a new species of Aradidae fossils (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), Zootaxa 2832, pp. 56-62 : 57-59

Aradus andancensis sp. n.

( Figs. 1a –d)

Description. Female. Macropterous. Length 17 mm, width 9 mm. Body large and ovate. Connexivum yellowish, lighter than head and pronotum. Femora dark brown, tibiae and tarsi yellowish or clear brown.

Head distinctly longer than wide (ratio length/width of infraocular space 33/20). Eyes not preserved. Clypeus large, rounded at apex, reaching 1/5 of antennal segment II.

Antenniferous tubercles in an acute and short spine, smaller than first antennal segment (or not completely preserved). Margins of head parallel. Antennae long, robust, about 1.5 times as long as head and 1.75 times as long as head width. Both antennae damaged, and precise junction between antennal segments hard to determine precisely; but traces of four segments identifiable. First antennal segment large; second the longest, cylindrical; third antennal segment slightly smaller and narrower, yellow except at base of segment. Fourth segment incomplete on each antennae but traces indicate minimal length and colour brown. Length of antennal segments approximately (in mm) 1; 4.3; 3.6; 0.9. Postocular lobes straight. Rostrum longer than head.

Pronotum about 1.8 times as wide as long (length measured on side of pronotum: the fossil is broken in middle part and different structures are superposed, rendering observation difficult, and we cannot see where the pronotum really ends). Lateral margins rounded and dentate, the denticulation seems to extend all along the side of the pronotum (best seen on the right side). Scutellum not distinguishable.

Hemelytra basal lateral expansion of corium rounded, then narrowed posteriorly. Apex of corium not visible. Hemelytra reaching base of seventh abdominal segment. A part of the left membraneous hind wing is exposed on the left connexivum.

Abdomen ovate, egg-shaped. About 1.3 times as long as wide, fourth segment widest. Suture between connexival plates well distinct; lateral margins rounded and protruded, seventh one elongated and extended posteriorly, slightly exceeding middle of paratergites. Paratergites triangular and blunt, about as long as large and lighter on internal margin.

Genital segments with a pair of valvula (or maybe more than one pair joined) clearly visible. Ninth segment triangular, about 1.2 times wider than long.

Legs long and slender. Femora dark and fusiform. Tibiae lighter and cylindrical, with robust hairs at apex (protibial comb apparently present). Tarsi two-segmented, with curved claws; pulvilli not visible (absent or not preserved).

Measurements (in mm). Total length 17.7; head length 2.6; infraocular space 1.7; antennae at least 5.15 (fourth segment incomplete on each antenna but traces show it minimal length); pronotum width 5.2; length along lateral margin 2.8; abdomen maximal width 9.5 and length 12.3.

Material. Holotype, macropterous female, MNHN.F.A33748, coll. Patrick Brisac, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.

Type strata. Late Miocene, - 8.0 to - 8.5 Ma, volcano-sedimentary diatom paleolake.

Type locality. Montagne d’Andance, Saint-Bauzile, Ardèche, France.

Etymology. This species is named after the type locality Montagne d’Andance.

Comments. This specimens belongs unmistakeably to the genus Aradus , according to the following diagnostic characters: a rostrum longer than head, antennae with first segment robust and shorter than clypeus, second or third the longer (the second in this species) ( Usinger & Matsuda 1959; Heiss & Pericart 2007). Moreover, the third antennal segment seems to be clearer than other antennal segments. Bicoloured antennae with similar pattern occur in several recent species, i.e. a third antennal segment with a yellow apex more or less extensive like in Aradus versicolor Herrich-Schaeffer, 1835 , Aradus betulae (Linnaeus, 1758) or Aradus annulicornis Fabricius, 1803 ( Heiss & Pericart 2007) .

This species differs from all others described fossils currently attributed to Aradus , i.e. A. antediluvianus Heer, 1853 , A. creticus Kormilev & Popov, 1986 , A. nicholasi Popov, 1989 , A. frater Popov, 1978 , A. frateroides Heiss, 1998 , A. popovi Heiss, 1998 , A. weitschati , A. kotashevichi , A. velteni , A. voigti , A. damzeni , A. balticus Heiss, 2002 , A. goellnerae , A. lativentris Heiss, 2002 , A. assimilis , A. consimilis , and A. superstes Germar & Berendt, 1856 , and A. madagascariensis Bervoets, 1909 by the larger size, more than 10 mm long; the more protruding and rounded lateral margins of connexival plates; the protruding and long eyes; and the extended anterolateral angles of pronotum.