Acanthocephala spinosa, Olivera & Dellapé & Melo, 2024

Olivera, Leonela, Dellapé, Pablo M. & Melo, María Cecilia, 2024, Description of eight new species of the genus Acanthocephala Laporte, 1833 from South America (Hemiptera, Coreidae, Acanthocephalinae), Zoosystema 46 (12), pp. 285-318 : 310-312

Acanthocephala spinosa n. sp.

( Figs 24-26 ; 30 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:92F7B357-FD48-4416-9883-28E554440DAD

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype. Colombia • “ ♂ Río Dagua / From WFH / Rosenberg [ USNM]”.

TYPE LOCALITY. — Colombia, Río Dagua.

ETYMOLOGY. — The specific epithet refers to the spine present on the humeral angles of the pronotum of this species.

DISTRIBUTION. — Only known from Colombia ( Fig. 30 ).

DESCRIPTION OF HOLOTYPE ( Fig. 24A, B )

General

Total length 23.37, length of head 2.34.

Head ( Fig. 24C, D )

Dark brown, with two paler areas next to ocelli, posterior margin of eyes with a yellowish fringe, with sparse semierect yellowish setae. Apex of tylus slightly projected upwards, surpassing the dorsal margin of head. Post-tylus depression deep, 1.4 times shorter than interocellar space. Length of tylus 0.79, length of post-tylus depression 0.38. Eyes globose and protuberant, large in relation to the size of the head, in lateral view, surpassing the dorsal margin of head. Width of eye 0.84, ocular distance 2.85, synthlipsis 1.22, ocellar distance 0.96, interocellar space 0.54. Buccula subquadrangular, extending backwards to the anterior third of eye. Scape, pedicel and basiflagellomere dark reddish brown, with abundant semierect dark stiff setae, inner side of scape longitudinally ridged [distiflagellomere absent]. Length of antennal articles: scape 5.75, pedicel 4.50, basiflagellomere, 4.00; width of antennal articles: scape 0.43, pedicel 0.28, basiflagellomere 0.28. Labium dark brown, extending to mesocoxae. Length of labial segments: I 2.16, II 2.11, III 1.60, IV 1.64.

Thorax

Pronotum ( Fig. 24E ): dark reddish brown, with short decumbent yellowish setae, anterior lobe with erect setae; anterior lobe and calli smooth; posterior lobe strongly punctate, anterolateral margins straight, slightly crenulated distally; humeral angles tuberculated, expanded and slightly elevated, ending in a large lateral spine; humeral distance 1.3 times larger than width of abdomen; posterolateral margin tuberculated, tubercles more developed on anterior region; triangular processes short. Width of humeral angles 8.87. Scutellum: black with its apex yellowish; longer than wide, punctate, with sparse semierect yellowish setae; base elevated. Length of scutellum 3.62, width 3.15. Thoracic pleurae: shiny, brown, with scattered semierect yellowish setae; anterior lobe of auricle black, rounded, posterior lobe elongate ( Fig. 25A ); supracoxal area of metapleura slightly incrassate posteriorly. Thoracic sterna: dark brown, with abundant long erect dark setae; mesosternal anterior projection concolorous.

Hemelytra. Clavus and corium black, veins contrastingly orange; with punctures along and next to veins and in the center of the cells, punctures with short yellowish decumbent setae; costal margin smooth; membrane dark brown, glabrous, with veins paler. Length of hemelytra 19.50.

Legs. Dark brown, metatarsi paler. Pro- and mesotrochanters unarmed, metatrochanter with one small ventral setiferous tubercle. Pro- and mesofemora with dark stiff semierect setae all over the surface and erect setae ventrally; dorsal, anterior, and posterior margins unarmed, anterior row of ventral spines ending in a small apical spine, posterior row on profemur reduced. Metafemur at least three times wider than profemur ( Fig. 25B ); dorsal margin with two rows of conical setiferous tubercles; ventral margin with two rows of spines; anterior row with large flat black spines becoming larger at middle and ending in a flat bidentate projection; posterior row with conical tubercles becoming larger to the apex and ending in a smaller flat bidentate projection; anterior margin unarmed; posterior margin with a row of conical setiferous tubercles. Pro- and mesotibiae unarmed. Dorsal expansion of metatibia ( Fig. 25C ) unarmed, gradually enlarging on basal third, from where it slightly narrows to enlarge again to the apex, apical region rounded forming a straight angle with the tibia; ventral margin black, slightly expanded on basal third, bordered with two rows of irregular black conical setiferous tubercles, becoming larger to the apex and crossing on distal third forming only one row. Width of profemur 0.75; length of metafemur 12.50, width 2.35; length of metatibia 13.25, width 2.58.

Abdomen

Length of abdomen 12.50, width 6.87. Terga black, posterior angles of lateral margin of segments II-VII paler. Sterna brown, with scattered short yellowish decumbent setae. Abdominal sternite III expanded forming a slightly developed subtriangular fold ( Fig. 25D ). Area of insertion of trichobothria and surrounding area yellowish, and individualized on sternite III and forming one macula on the other segments; lateral areas with rugosities around spiracles. Spiracles black, surrounding area yellowish.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 26 ). Pygophore ( Fig. 26A, B ): dorsal opening rounded, parandria not developed; dorsal margin on lateral view straight abruptly declivent posteriorly ending in a short rounded process. Parameres ( Fig. 26C ): basal shank narrow, inner margin straight and not expanded, outer margin convex; arm broad, longer than basal shank. Aedeagus as seen in Figure 26D , conjunctival dorsal appendices I subtriangular.

FEMALE

Unknown.

Figures

FIG. 24. — Acanthocephala spinosa n. sp., male holotype: A, dorsal view; B, ventral view; C, head, dorsal view; D, head, lateral view; E, pronotum. Scale bars: A, B, 10 mm; C, D, 1 mm; E, 2 mm.

FIG. 25. — Acanthocephala spinosa n.sp.:A, metathoracic gland and evaporatory area;B, male metafemur;C, male metatibia;D, lateral expansions on abdominal sternite III, ventral view. Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale bars: A, 0.5 mm; B, C, 5 mm; D, 1 mm.

FIG. 26. — Acanthocephala spinosa n. sp., male genitalia:A, pygophore lateral; B, pygophore dorsal;C, right paramere,lateral views;D, aedeagus.Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale bars: A, B, 1 mm; C, D, 0.5 mm.

FIG. 30. — Distributional map of the new species of the genus Acanthocephala Laporte, 1833 described in the present work.