Edessa viridula

Nascimento, Dariane Amorim Do, Mendonça, Maria Thayane Da Silva & Fernandes, Jose Antonio Marin, 2017, Description of a new group of species of Edessa (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Edessinae), Zootaxa 4254 (1), pp. 136-150 : 137

viridula group

( Figs 1–9 )

Diagnose. Small species (10.4–13.7 mm). Body oval and depressed with dorsal surface distinctly flat; uniformly light green, including corial veins and genital segments, except median ventral abdominal yellow area; punctures dense and concolorous. Antennae green or light brown. Humeral angles rounded and not developed. Evaporatorium with distinct transversal ridges; lateral area contiguous to evaporatorium of the metapleuron wrinkled and punctured. Legs light brown ( Figs 6 , 7 ). Lateral third of abdominal sternites wrinkled. Pygophore with superior process of genital cup vestigial reduced to a line or row of tiny tubercles dark brown or black; paramere robust and short, without distinct laminar or digitiform processes like in other species of Edessa ; ventral rim with a small translucent flap at the bottom of the median excavation.

Head. Mandibular plates curved ventrally. Bucculae rectangular and low receiving first rostral segment. Antennomeres I, II, III, IV and V increasing in length.

Thorax. Disk of pronotum with deep punctures, except smooth cicatrices. Apex of scutellum rounded. Membrane of hemelytrum brown and translucent. Propleuron distinctly punctate. Evaporatorium dull and rugose; peritreme of the ruga type and distinctly raised forming a crest.

Abdomen. Dorsal surface uniformly green. Posterolateral angles of each connexival sclerite barely developed. Distal part of segment VII not projected posteriorly. Both trichobothrium placed laterally to spiracles line. Lateral band between spiracles and margin of the body not wrinkled. Intersegmental areas and pseudosutures furrowed.

Male. Pygophore barrel-shaped, opened dorsoposteriorly. Dorsal rim concave. Posterolateral angles not developed and rounded. Superior process of the genital cup covered by setae. Paramere short and robust, anterior lobe with dark margin ( Figs 1–C ; 2–C). Proctiger cylindrical and rugulose medially; lateral excavation with a dense row of setae. Ventral rim with broad U-shaped median excavation; expansions of the ventral rim tumid, developed and rounded.

Female. Gonocoxites 8 setulose and convex; sutural border V-shaped. Gonapophysis 9 partially exposed. Gonocoxites 9 trapezoidal and setulose. Laterotergites 8 with small basal spiracles. Distal margin of laterotergites 8 almost rounded with a small distal spine. Laterotergites 9 with rounded apex not surpassing the band uniting laterotergites 8. Segment X rectangular.

Comments. Species of the group viridula resemble in many aspects species from the subgenus Aceratodes (part of them revised under the name rufomarginata group– Silva et al., 2006). They are quite similar in body shape, punctuation, and particularly metasternal process. Such process in both groups show the arms of anterior bifurcation compressed laterally and, in some species, low development. But, species belonging to viridula group are smaller, uniformly green with pronotum flat while Aceratodes includes bigger species, darker on dorsal surface than in ventral one with pronotum sloped. The wrinkled lateral area of the body (pleura and abdominal sternites) is also unique to viridula group. Structure of the pygophore is also very distinctive because in viridula group parameres and proctiger are close to the walls, in Aceratodes there is a considerable empty space between parameres and the walls (see Silva et al., 2004, 2006). Internal genitalia from both sexes follow the pattern of the subfamily. Edessinae has a very simple phallus with no significant differences between genera. This group has a phallus pretty similar to Ascra ( Santos et al., 2015) . Female internal genitalia are as conservative in viridula group as in Edessinae . In this case Ascra is an exception because all projections from capsula seminalis are short, not surpassing posterior annular flanges ( Santos et al., 2015, fig. 3), in all other genera at least one projection surpasses the same structure.

Distribution. Brazil and Bolivia.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A – E. Edessa viridula sp. n.: A – C, pygophore in dorsal, ventral and posterior view, respectively; D, genital plates; E, metasternal process. dr—dorsal rim; vr—ventral rim; proc—proctiger; pa – parameres; gc 8 — gonocoxites 8; gc 9 — gonocoxites 9; l – ventral lobes of the paramere; lat 8 — laterotergites 8; lat 9 — laterotergites 9; x- tenth segment. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURE 2. A – D. Edessa exigusternata sp. n.: A – C, pygophore in dorsal, ventral and posterior view, respectively; D, metasternal process. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. A – E. Edessa angusticlada sp. n.: A – C, pygophore in dorsal, ventral and posterior view, respectively; D, genital female; E, metasternal process. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURE 4. A – D. Edessa rugulata sp. n.: A – C, pygophore in dorsal, ventral and posterior view, respectively; D, metasternal process. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURE 5. A – E. Edessa eucnema sp. n.: A – C, pygophore in dorsal, ventral and posterior view, respectively; D, genital female; E, metasternal process. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURE 6. A – F. Dorsal and ventral view: A – B, Edessa viridula sp. n.; C – D, Edessa exigusternata sp. n.; E – F, Edessa angusticlada sp. n.. Scale 5 mm.

FIGURE 7. A – D. Dorsal and ventral view: A – B, Edessa rugulata sp. n.; C – D, Edessa eucnema sp. n.. Scale 5 mm.

FIGURE 8. A – E. Peritreme: A, Edessa viridula sp. n.; B, Edessa exigusternata sp. n.; C, Edessa angusticlada sp. n.; D, Edessa rugulata sp. n.; E, Edessa eucnema sp. n.. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURE 9. Distribution of the species of the viridula group.