Malcus alatus, Wang & Bu, 2020

Wang, Shujing & Bu, Wenjun, 2020, A key to species of genus Malcus Stål, with descriptions of four new species from China (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Malcidae), Zootaxa 4759 (1), pp. 31-48 : 33-34

Malcus alatus sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 , 9, 10 , 17 )

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Description. Head, 1 st antennal segment, collar and posterior lobe of pronotum yellowish brown; 4 th antennal segment dark brown. Pronotal callar region and median line on posterior pronotal lobe reddish brown. Scutellum black with 2 whitish tomentose spots, clavus and whole corium light yellowish brown, corial tubercle dark brown. Membrane light yellowish brown, with little brown spots.

Head with erect hairs, as long as half length of the eye. Labium reaching between the middle coxae. Pronotum conspicuously declivent, anterior part of pronotum with few erect hairs. Anterior half of the posterior lobe of pronotum with a slightly groove, posterior end of midline slightly emergent but the posterior outline flat. Posterolateral pronotal angle extremely strongly developed, laterally with three remarkable finger-like teeth, posterior outline of pronotum in frontal view resembling spreading wings ( Figs. 9 &10 ).

Abdominal laterotergite V slightly expanding outward, triangular, with 3–4 small teeth; laterotergite VI protruding outward, triangular, outermost angle slightly hooked down; laterotergite VII remarkably large, lateral margin tilted down with some small teeth. The first half of posterior margin arch-like, with a small notch in the middle, and some small teeth in the second half ( Fig. 17 ).

Measurements. As shown in Table 1.

Type material. Holotype, ♀, China: Yunnan: Tengchong County, 8.vii.2006, Zhonghua Fan.

Etymology. The specific name, alatus , refers to the posterior outline of its pronotum which in frontal view resembles spreading wings.

Remarks. Large and robust species, with greatly developed prothorax, closely resembles M. dentatus , M. spinosus , M. denticulatus and M. thoracicus , all of them have greatly developed thorax with protruding teeth on the posterolateral tubercles of the pronotum. In M. dentatus , pronotum much narrower and with posteromedial tubercle. In M. spinosus , pronotum with posteromedial tubercle and 1st antennal segment outside with small tubercles; In M. denticulatus , the size of body is much smaller (3.9–4.15mm), posterolateral tubercle outline is semicircle in frontal view. In M. thoracicus , color of body dark brown, pronotum relatively narrow (maximal width of pronotum = 2.10mm). While in M. alatus sp. nov., with the widest pronotum among the species in the genus (maximal width of pronotum = 2.29mm); color of body is pale; pronotum without posteromedial tubercle.

Distribution: China (Yunnan).

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Malcus spp., habitus, dorsal views: 1, M. alatus sp. nov., holotype, female; 2, M. gibbus Zheng, Zou & Hsiao, male; 3, M. bacillus sp. nov., holotype, male; 4, M. bacillus sp. nov., paratype, male. 1 2 4 3 1mm 1mm 1mm 1mm

FIGURES 9–16. Malcus spp., pronotum dorsal and frontal views: 9 & 10, M. alatus sp. nov.; 11 & 12, M. bacillus sp. nov.; 13 & 14, M. planus sp. nov.; 15 & 16, M. externus sp. nov.

FIGURES 17–20. Malcus spp., abdominal laterotergites V, VI & VII, ventral views: 17, M. alatus sp. nov.; 18, M. bacillus sp. nov.; 19, M. planus sp. nov.; 20, M. externus sp. nov.