Paraheraeus, Dellapé & Melo & Henry, 2016

Dellapé, Pablo M., Melo, María C. & Henry, Thomas J., 2016, A phylogenetic revision of the true bug genus Heraeus (Hemiptera: Rhyparochromidae: Myodochini), with the description of two new genera and 30 new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 177 (1), pp. 29-134 : 120

PARAHERAEUS GEN. NOV.

Type species

Heraeus eximius Distant, 1882 . HERE DESIGNAT- ED.

Diagnosis

Postocular region elongate, longer than interocellar distance, subequal to interocular distance. Juga rounded. Mesepimeron emergent. Evaporative area extensive. Clavus with three complete rows of punctures and a fourth incomplete row on distal two-thirds between median and internal row. Procoxa with a spine. Protrochanters without spines. Aedeagus unspined, vesica with two slightly sclerotized lobes, and processus gonopori long and slender.

Description

Relatively large and elongate.

Head: Elongate, vertex convex, preocular region longer than postocular. Postocular region elongate, longer than interocellar distance, subequal to interocular distance. Juga rounded. Buccular juncture V-shaped, near insertion of labium. Eyes relatively small, not surpassing the dorsal margin of head in lateral view.

Thorax: Anterior pronotal lobe almost impunctate, except on collar delimited posteriorly by a sulcus and with a row of punctures; sulci and posterior pronotal lobe punctate. Mesepimeron emergent. Evaporative area extensive, covering a thin fringe on mesopleura and approximately half of metapleural area. Clavus with three complete rows of punctures and a fourth incomplete row on distal two-thirds between median and internal row. Procoxa with a spine in both sexes. Protibia straight and without spines. Profemur incrassate, elon- gate, with two rows of spines. Protrochanters without spines. Mesofemur without spines.

Abdomen, male genitalia: Aedeagus unspined, vesica with two slightly sclerotized lobes; processus gonopori long and slender.

Etymology

This new generic name is based on the Greek prefix ‘para’, meaning near, and the generic name Heraeus , to denote the general similarity of these two taxa. The gender is masculine.

This new genus is created to accommodate Heraeus eximius Distant, 1882 , a species that does not fit into any other known myodochine genus. The relative large size, shiny head, with postocular length subequal to the interocular width, a rounded vertex and bucculae, and the subshiny anterior pronotal lobe, together with the characters from the diagnosis, distinguish Paraheraeus from all other genera.

Paraheraeus eximius runs to the couplet 33 in Harrington’s (1980) key to the Myodochini of the world, and the genera Catenes Distant, 1893 and Heraeus Stål, 1862 . The species of Catenes have a distinctive flattened head and an aedeagus with large spines on conjunctiva ( Dellapé & Melo, 2008). Species of Heraeus have an elongated head, similar to that of P. eximius ; however, the diagnostic pronotal collar in Heraeus species , which narrows dorsally and broadens ventrally to extend forwards beneath the head, is absent in P. eximius .