Melucha perampla, Brailovsky, Harry & Barrera, Ernesto, 2014

Brailovsky, Harry & Barrera, Ernesto, 2014, Revisional notes on the genus Melucha (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Coreidae), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 61 (1), pp. 15-22 : 15

Melucha perampla sp. n. Fig. 12

Type material.

Holotype: female, Bolivia, Departamento La Paz, Prov. Sud-Yungas, Puente Villa, 4300', 19-24-V-1989, J. E. Eger (UNAM). Paratypes: 1 female, Paraguay, Cororo, X-1979, M. Viana (UNAM); 3 females, Departamento San Pedro, Cororo, Rio Ypane, 12-XI-1983, G. J. Williner (UNAM).

Description

(female, holotype). Dorsal color. Head yellow; preocular area and two short, diffuse stripes laterally to midline pale brown; antennal segments I to III black, IV yellow; pronotum finely punctate, yellow, pronotal disk with four longitudinal dark brown lines with pigment in the punctures and midline unpigmented; anterolateral spines of pronotum reddish brown; scutellar disk yellow with punctures reddish brown; clavus and corium dark yellow with punctures reddish brown; hemelytral membrane dark amber, veins brown and darker; connexival segments III to V dark brown with anterior third yellow, VI–VII with anterior half yellow and posterior half dark brown, and VIII–– IX yellowish orange; upper border of connexivum anteriorly yellow and posteriorly black; posterolateral spines black; dorsal abdominal segments dark yellow with irregular dark brown marks.

Ventral color. Rostral segments (apex of IV dark brown), legs, anterior and posterior lobe of metathoracic scent gland peritreme and abdominal sterna yellow; hind femur yellow with ventral spines and apical border reddish brown to black; hind tibia yellowish orange, posterior third yellow with dark reddish brown transverse mark near posterior third.

Structure. Body large-sized (above 22.00 mm), robust, almost glabrous.

Head. Antennal segment III dilated; rostrum reaching anterior margin of mesosternum.

Thorax. Pronotal disk declivent; anterolateral borders obliquely straight, armed with 15 or more acute spines; humeral angles prominent, laterally expanded and apically blunt; posterolateral borders nodulose with three or four subacute spines; posterior border smooth, straight; callar region evident.

Legs. Fore and middle femora not incrassate their dorsal surface smooth, ventral surface distally armed; hind femur incrassate its dorsal surface smooth, ventral surface armed with two rows of spines increasing in size distally; fore and middle tibiae sub-cylindrical, unarmed, sulcate; inner and outer surface of hind tibiae markedly dilated; outer surface smooth, inner surface with short tubercles on the border.

Scutellum. Triangular, longer than wide, transversely striate, punctate; apex subacute.

Abdomen. Posterior angle of abdominal segments III to VII armed with short but distinct spine.

Male. Unknown.

Measurements (holotype; mm). Total body length 25.75. Head length 1.90; width across eyes 2.59; interocular space 1.55; interocellar space 0.77; preocular distance 1.38; length of antennal segments: I, 5.77; II, 4.10; III, 4.25; IV, 6.84. Pronotal length 5.74; width across humeral angles 8.76. Scutellar length 3.66; width 3.37. Maximum width of abdomen 9.73.

Differential diagnosis.

Like Melucha phyllocnemis and Melucha quadrivittis , the humeral angles of Melucha perampla sp. n., are prominent, laterally expanded and apically blunt; the pronotal disk has four longitudinal dark brown lines with the midline unpigmented; total body length over 20 mm. Melucha perampla differs by having the antennal segments I to III black, antennal segment III clearly dilated at inner and outer faces and mesopleura and metapleura without black marks. In the other two species the antennal segments I to III are yellowish orange, antennal segment III is almost cylidrical, not dilated and mesopleura and metapleura have reddish brown to black elongate marks. The dorsal surface of the hind femur of Melucha quadrivittis is armed with two rows of black nodules and tubercles (Fig. 8) while in Melucha phyllocnemis and Melucha perampla those are smooth (Figs 9, 12).

Etymology.

Named for the large size of this species, after the Latin adjective "peramplus, -a, -um", meaning very large.

Distribution.

Known from Bolivia and Paraguay.