Halys sulcata ( Thunberg, 1783 )

Salini, S., 2019, Revision of the genus Halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) with description of a new species from India, Zootaxa 4586 (2), pp. 351-375 : 367-369

Halys sulcata ( Thunberg, 1783)

( Figs 8, 9 )

Cimex sulcatus Thunberg, 1783: 43 . Halys sulcata: Kirkaldy, 1909: 196 . Halys magnus Chopra, 1974: 477 , 479 (syn. Ghauri, 1988: 81). Halys qadrii Abbasi & Ahmad, 1976: 26 –30 (syn. Ghauri, 1988: 81). Halys sulcatus: Ghauri, 1988: 81 . Halys sulcatus: Rider, 2006: 308 . Halys sindilla Memon, Meier & Manan, 2006 , Syn. nov. Halys spinosa Shaikh, Memon & Shah, 2011 , Syn. nov. Halys mulberriensis Memon, Parveen, Ahmad & Shaikh, 2016 , Syn. nov. Halys mulberriences Memon, Parveen, Ahmad & Shaikh, 2016: 977 –979 (lapsus calami) Halys noakoatensis Memon, Parveen, Ahmad & Shah, 2017 , Syn. nov.

Halys naokotensis Memon, Parveen, Ahmad & Shah, 2017: 1304 (lapsus calami) Halys naokotiensis Memon, Parveen, Ahmad & Shah, 2017: 1304, 1305 (lapsus calami)

Colouration. Dorsum including head ochraceous with spots formed by clusters of black punctures; antennae colour variable, usually ochraceous with segments IV and V black, except basal region; scutellar pits black; connexivum concolourous with dorsum, except for black anterior and posterior third of lateral margin of segments; hemelytral membrane light brown with black veins; ventral surface including labium and legs nearly concolourous with or paler than dorsum except for black apical segment of labium, apices of tarsal segments and claws, anterior and posterior angles of abdominal ventrites and spiracular outline.

Integument and vestiture. Dorsum including head covered with dense, irregular dark brown to black punctures, sometimes in clusters. Ventral surface including legs with dark brown to black, coarse, dense punctures. Body glabrous.

Structure. Labium surpassing anterior margin of ventrite VI. Lateral and posterior margins of pronotum nearly straight. Humeri angulate, but not elevated. Disc of pronotum as well as scutellum more or less flat. Other characters as in generic description.

External male genitalia ( Figs 77–90 ). Genital capsule. Quadrangular. Dorsal rim outlined with mat of minute, fine pubescence, widely and shallowly excavated concave, with median, small U-shaped notch, pigmented black. Dorsal rim slightly indented adjacent to caudal lobes; infoldings sclerotized black forming 1+1 kidney shaped, moderately deep impressions on sides of median notch, infoldings with sclerotized 1+1 short, black tooth submedially on sides of median notch ( Fig. 95 ); ventral rim together with infoldings widely and deeply excavated concave medially; infoldings with median region convex, dorsally possessing small, short, spout-like median projection ( Fig. 78 ); 1+1 sclerotized, obliquely straight narrow ridge on sides of median convex region on inner side, reaching caudolateral margin of infoldings; infoldings well developed, lamellate, elevated, laterally reaching adjacent to caudal lobes as small rounded projection ( Fig. 78 ). Paramere roughly C-shaped ( Figs 80–82 ), with expanded lanceolate crown, short stem and expanded plate-like apodeme. Crown with one short, blunt, black, slightly curved, hook-like tooth at caudal apex and another continued as indistinct ridge or narrow black patch medially. Phallus. Articulatory apparatus with basal plates and support bridge complex, dorsal connectives widened into 1+1 roughly quadrangular capitate processes ( Fig. 83 , 99 ). Phallosoma sclerotized, constricted towards both ends, broadest medially and concave dorsally; two pairs of membranous conjunctival processes, dorsal pair elongate and longer than processes of aedeagus, with apex rounded, ventral pair subequal to dorsal pair ( Figs 84–86 ). Processes of aedeagus hard, sclerotized, highly sclerotized and free (not fused), apically narrowly excavated concave ( Fig. 86 ); aedeagus moderately long and broadly curved upwards.

External female genitalia ( Figs 87–90 ). Terminalia. Valvifers VIII roughly quadrangular, with mesal margin slightly concave, inner posterior angles rounded; posterior margin slightly convex to nearly straight. Valvulae VIII with apical (= caudal) margin uniformly rounded ( Fig. 90 ). Valvifers IX single transverse, narrow sclerite with indistinct median fusion line. Laterotergite IX obliquely placed and distinctly shorter than apex of abdomen. Laterotergite VIII broad, elongate and triangular with nearly smooth caudal margin. Spermatheca ( Fig. 87 ) apical receptacle orbicular with two finger-like processes, directed towards flanges.

Differential diagnosis. This species can be recognized by the short, spout-like median process on the infoldings of ventral rim of genital capsule, expanded parameral crown with two tooth, one situated apically and another medially towards ventrolateral margin of crown, quadrangular valvifers VIII with posterior margin nearly straight ( Figs 88, 89 ) and valvulae VIII with caudal margin uniformly rounded ( Table 1 ). The females of this species can be differentiated from H. shaista by the shape of the valvifers IX, which appear to be divided due to the presence of a indistinct median fusion line ( Fig. 88 ), whereas in H. shaista , the valvifers IX is single, continuous sclerite lacking median fusion line ( Fig. 74 ).

Measurements (in mm). Median (minimum–maximum). Males (n=4). Body length 20.36 (19.91–20.63); head length 4.80 (4.56–5.13), head width 3.29 (3.22–3.43), interocular width 1.99 (1.92–2.09), lengths of antennal segments (I) 0.95 (0.87–1.00): (II) 2.17 (2.05–2.27): (III) 2.44 (2.36–2.56): (IV) 2.10 (1.99–2.22): (V) 1.72; lengths of labial segments (I) 2.26 (2.15–2.49): (II) 4.43 (4.18–4.64): (III) 4.19 (3.90–4.35): (IV) 2.53 (1.94–2.89); pronotum length 4.20 (4.15–4.25); pronotum width 9.09 (8.81–9.29); scutellum length 7.55 (7.39–7.69); scutellum width 5.39 (5.19–5.55). Females (n=2). Body length 20.83 (20.73–20.93); head length 5.02 (4.98–5.06), head width 3.41 (3.38–3.43), interocular width 2.07 (2.02–2.11), lengths of antennal segments (I) 0.88 (0.79–0.96): (II) 2.21 (2.17–2.25): (III) 2.38 (2.31–2.44): (IV) 1.92: (V) 1.61; lengths of labial segments (I) 2.16 (2.15–2.16): (II) 3.98 (3.80–4.17): (III) 4.25 (4.18–4.32): (IV) 2.7 (2.61–2.79); pronotum length 4.22 (4.16–4.29); pronotum width 9.21 (9.08–9.33); scutellum length 7.54 (7.51–7.57); scutellum width 5.57 (5.49–5.64).

Material examined. INDIA: New Delhi: 3♂, 2♀, IARI, 13.v.2008, Shama, P., ex mango ; 1♂, IARI, 02.v.2008, Shama, P.

Remarks. This species is restricted to the northern region of India; the only record from southern India is the one by Chopra (1974) from Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) (as H. magnus ), but the determination is questionable and needs verification.

There are quite a few species (see the details below) described from Pakistan by various authors but with no valid characters to prove their distinctness from the already described species, as most of the characters are homoplasious and subject of strong intraspecific variation. Based on the original descriptions of H. sindilla (as H. sindillus ) and H. spinosa (as H. spinosus ) and based on the study of the specimens of H. sulcata , it was found that there are no valid characters to separate them from H. sulcata . The characters listed by Memon et al. (2006) and Shaikh et al. (2011) such as tooth on lateral margin of head, length of paraclypei with respect to tylus, length of antennal segments, length of hemelytra with respect to abdomen, peritreme shape, shape of apical spine and apical margin of parameral crown, the extension of apical margin of paramere with respect to apical spine, shape of inner margin of paramere, shape of valvifers I in females are regarded as miner intraspecific variations. Similarly, H. mulberriensis and H. noakoatensis , are recognized as conspecific and also identical with H. sulcata , based on the original descriptions and illustrations except for the weird characters like “very thin and spine-like” apical portions of dorsal conjunctival processes for H. mulberriensis and the particularly elongate dorsal membranous conjunctival processes with its thin and “sickle-shaped” apical end for H. noakoatensis . This single diagnostic character of the conjunctival processes appears to be merely an artifact, probably a result of an incomplete inflation or subsequent collapse of the conjunctiva. Other characters listed by Memon et al. (2016 & 2017) (length of paraclypei with respect to tylus, shape of inner spine of paramere, number of finger-like processes on spermathecal pump) are regarded merely as minor intraspecific variations. Therefore the following synonymies are proposed: H. sulcata ( Thunberg, 1783) = Halys sindilla Memon, Meier & Manan, 2006 , syn. nov. = Halys spinosa Shaikh, Memon & Shah, 2011 , syn. nov. = Halys mulberriensis Memon, Parveen, Ahmad & Shaikh, 2016 , syn. nov. = Halys noakoatensis Memon, Parveen, Ahmad & Shah, 2017 , syn. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Halys Fabricius, 1803 (dorsal and ventral habitus). 1–2, Halys mudigerensis sp. nov. (male); 3, H. mudigerensis sp. nov. (female without abdomen); 4–5, H. serrigera Westwood, 1837; 6–7, H. shaista Ghauri, 1988; 8–9, H. sulcata (Thunberg, 1783)

FIGURES 77–83. H. sulcata (Thunberg, 1783)—male genitalia. 77, genital capsule (dorsal); 78, genital capsule (ventral); 79, genital capsule (caudal); 80, paramere (dorsal); 81, paramere (ventrolateral); 82, paramere (ventral); 83, articulatory apparatus. Lettering: cp—capitate processes; mp—median process; t—tooth.

FIGURES 84–90. H. sulcata (Thunberg, 1783)—male and female genitalia. 84, phallus (dorsal); 85, phallus (ventral); 86, phallus (lateral); 87, spermatheca; 88, female terminalia (before digestion); 89, female terminalia (after digestion); 90,valvulae VIII.

FIGURES 94–99. FIGURES 94–95. Genital capsule (caudal). 94, H. shaista Ghauri, 1988; 95, H. sulcata (Thunberg, 1783). Lettering: t—tooth; ts—tooth like serrations. FIGURES 96–99. Capitate processes. 96, H. mudigerensis sp. nov.; 97, H. serrigera Westwood, 1837; 98, H. shaista Ghauri, 1988; 99, H. sulcata (Thunberg, 1783)

FIGURES 69–76. H. shaista Ghauri, 1988—male and female genitalia. 69, phallus (dorsal); 70, phallus (ventral); 71–72, phallus (lateral); 73, spermatheca; 74, female terminalia (before digestion); 75, female terminalia (after digestion); 76, valvulae VIII.