Chauliops conica, Gao, Cuiqing & Bu, Wenjun, 2009

Gao, Cuiqing & Bu, Wenjun, 2009, Notes on fine structures of Chauliops with descriptions of two new species from China (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Malcidae), Zootaxa 2295, pp. 1-14 : 11-13

Chauliops conica sp. nov.

( Figs. 3 d; 7; 8a, b)

Material. Holotype: male, China, Shaanxi, Foping county, Yueba Natural Reserve, 20–VII–2006, Jingyang Xu leg.. Paratypes: most of paratypes collected from the same place with holotype, but the collecting times and collectors are different as follows: 1 male 3 females, same data as holotype; 1 female, 23–VII–2006; 4 females, 1100 m, 23–VII–2006, Dan Ding leg.; 1 female, 1100 m, 19–VII–2006, Dan Ding leg.; 1 male, 1100 m, 21–VII–2006, Xiaoming Li leg.; 1 female, 1100 m, 24–VII–2006, Xiaoming Li leg.; 2 females, China, Shaanxi, Foping County, 25–VII–2006; 5 males 4 females, China, Shaanxi, Foping County, 25–VII–2006, Dan Ding leg.; 3 males, China, Shaanxi, Feng county, Dasanguan, 1200 m, 3–IX–1999, Chuanren Li leg..

Etymology. Named after its spermatheca, with distinctly conical bulb.

Description. General coloration dark brown to blackish brown, with blackish brown punctures. Head and eyes blackish brown; tylus somewhat lighter in colour, reddish brown; distal area of bucculae lighter in colour. 1st antennal segment blackish brown; 2nd and 3rd antennal segments yellowish brown; 4th segment brown. Labium blackish brown and reaching to anterior margin of hind coxae. Pronotum trapezoidal, declivent anteriorly, with shallow punctures, light brown to brown. Cicatrices black, sinuous, somewhat like transverse “s”; median longitudinal line distinct. Scutellum black, moderately elevate; stem of Y-shaped carina with a longitudinal groove and a few punctures in the groove. Clavus and apical margin of corium blackish brown, area near inner corner of corium with a black spot. Membrane transparent with brown spots. Thoracic pleura blackish brown, shallow punctures, hind margin of thoracic pleura light in colour. Distal 2/3 of femora black, ventral surface of each femur armed with a small spine about 1/3 from their apices. Tibiae yellowish brown, either basal 1/3 of tibiae dark brown and distal 1/3 of tibiae with a dark brown ring, or basal and distal 1/3 of tibiae, especially the hind tibiae, each with a dark brown ring, so stripe-like ( Fig. 8 b); sometimes the distal dark ring on tibiae of foreleg and midleg not obvious. Distal of 3rd tarsal segment dark.

Pygophore convex and with a pointing apically median projection; lateral lobes triangular, pointed medially, anterior area before lateral lobes evidently sunken and more or less sclerotized ( Fig. 7 a). Middle part of paramere not twisted, proximal part of blade a little broader than shank, blade of paramere tapering distally and with rounded apex ( Fig. 7 d). Phallus with helicoid process and one pair of large sclerites on both sides of the ejaculatory reservoir; arcuate extension of ejaculatory reservoir columnar, distal part of arcuate extension a little broader than proximal part; wing sclerites of ejaculatory reservoir broad, triangular ( Fig. 7 c). Spermatheca with a small, elongated, and apparently conical bulb, bulb with both distal and proximal flanges, base of bulb membranous, and duct inserted into this membranous part; spermathecal duct almost uncoiled, its distal end slightly swollen ( Fig. 7 b).

Measurements (mm): Body length 2.72 (2.70–3.00); head length 0.36 (0.35–0.38), width across eyes 0.91 (0.88–0.93); interocular distance 0.55 (0.54–0.60); interocellar distance 0.23 (0.21–0.23); length antennal segments 0.32 (0.32–0.38): 0.40 (0.38–0.43): 0.27 (0.26–0.28): 0.42 (0.40–0.43); length labial segments 0.32: 0.17: 0.17: 0.27; pronotum length 0.82 (0.73–0.94), anterior margin width 0.69 (0.53–0.73), hind margin width 1.15 (0.95–1.30); scutellum length 0.41 (0.33–0.42), width 0.54 (0.48–0.63); distance apex clavus–apex corium 0.46 (0.40–0.49); distance apex corium–apex membrane 0.81 (0.70–0.84). The first measurement represents the holotype, followed by the range in parentheses.

Diagnosis. At first the specimens of C. conica sp. nov. from Shaanxi, China were thought to be C. fallax , because the coloration and size of the new species falls into the range of variation of the Chinese population of C. fallax except for the distal brown rings on tibiae. However, we found differences between these two species, when the pygophore and spermatheca were dissected, which supports C. conica as a distinct new species.

The new species can be separated from C. fallax Scott in having the distal 1/3 of each tibia with a dark brown ring; the spermathecal duct almost uncoiled rather than tightly coiled ( C. fallax Scott ), and an conical rather than a subconical apex ( C. fallax Scott ); the pygophore with a triangular rather than a subquadrate lateral lobes ( C. fallax Scott ); eye larger and eyestalk shorter, not strongly produced anterior-laterally ( C. fallax Scott ); the head relatively wider and the vertex darker in the new species.

C. nigrescens Distant from India differs from the new species in having a body larger (body length 3.10– 3.55 mm in C. nigrescens ) ( Chopra & Rustagi 1982; Sweet & Schaefer 1985); the presence of uniform punctures on the pronotum rather than irregular punctures of the new species; the hind tibia with proximal and distal 1/3 dark brown (no dark rings); posteriorly directed lateral lobe of the male pygophore rather than projecting medially in the new species; paramere with proximal area of blade as broad as shank rather than broader than shank of the new species; the distal area of spermathecal bulb round rather than conical in the new species.

This new species is similar to C. zhengi Xue et Bu in body size, general coloration, but differs from the latter by the distal end of 1/3 of each tibia with a dark brown ring; the 3rd antennal segment is shortest rather than the 1st one; the pronotum is much longer (0.73 vs. 0.47) and not strongly declivent; the bulb of the spermatheca has conical apex rather than the nearly round apex of C. zhengi ; the middle part of the paramere not thin and twisted.

Figures

FIGURE 3. (a) C. horizontalis: foreleg; (b) C. quaternaria sp. nov.: apex of mesotibia; (c) C. horizontalis: tibial comb; (d) C. conica sp. nov.: tibial comb; (e) C. zhengi: pretarsus of midleg; (f) C. quaternaria sp. nov.: pretarsus of hindleg.

FIGURE 7. Chauliops conica sp. nov.: (a) pygophore, dorsal view; (b) spermatheca; (c) aedeagus; (d) paramere. Each scale bar equal 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 8. (a) Chauliops conica sp. nov., dorsal view; (b) Chauliops conica sp. nov., lateral view; (c) Chauliops quaternaria sp. nov., dorsal view; (d) Chauliops fallax Scott, dorsal view; (e) Chauliops bisontula Banks, dorsal view; (f) Chauliops horizontalis Zheng, dorsal view; (g) Chauliops zhengi Xue et Bu, dorsal view. Scale bar equal 1 mm.