Sarju farida Ghauri, 1977

Salini, S., Rabbani, M. K. & Singh, Sudhir, 2021, Taxonomic notes on Sarju Ghauri, 1977 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) with description of a new species from India, Zootaxa 4951 (2), pp. 283-303 : 291-296

Sarju farida Ghauri, 1977

( Figs 18–19 , 22–38 , 58–60 )

Sarju farida Ghauri, 1977: 17 , 22–24, figs. 46–50.

Type material: Holotype: ♂, India, Kulu (Kullu, Hmachal Pradesh), 12.vi.1939, deposited in British Museum Natural History ( BMNH), no paratypes.

Colouration. Variable, body above ( Fig. 18 ) ochraceous with irregular black markings (sometimes with greenish reflexions) formed by the congregation of black punctures. Antennae colour variable, usually brown to black, first segment ochraceous except a broad stripe laterally and one short, narrow stripe on ventral side; remaining segments brown to black, segment IV and V mostly black except the basal 1/5 th pale yellow or cream coloured. Humeri black with greenish reflexions, nodule of humeri with minute ochraceous spot. Corium light brown sometimes with reddish tinge, membrane fuscous with veins black, scattered black spots of variable shapes towards apex.

Ventral side ( Fig. 19 ) including head pale ochraceous except the black colouration laterally formed due to punctuation. Labium ochraceous except apex, black. Legs ochraceous except apex black. Tooth on posterolateral angles of ventrites III to VII and apical half of tarsal claws, black.

Integument and vestiture. Body above covered with coarse, dense, round, black punctures, connexivum with fine, dense and conclourous punctures. Ventral side of body including legs with dense, round, black punctures, concentrated towards lateral sides of body, medially with concolourous punctures.

Body glabrous except the following antennae, legs, disc of head and pronotum, humeri, anterolateral margins of propleura and abdominal segments with moderately elongate, golden setae. Male genitalia with genital capsule pilose; ventral side of genital capsule with moderately elongate golden setae on anterior one third and the remaining region on ventral side with short sparse brown setae; outer posterior rim of genital capsule with moderately elongate golden setae; infoldings of ventral rim developed on lateral sides of posterior opening of genital capsule with mat of dense, elongate, thick, black setae. Female genitalia with valvifers VIII possessing small, sparse brown setae, valvifer IX medially with dense tuft of moderately elongate, dark brown thick seate; posterior apex of laterotergite IX with golden brown setae; laterotergite VIII with sparse brown setae.

Redescription. Structure. Head ( Fig. 22 ) as long as wide, dorsal surface of head more or less flattened; lateral margins with two pairs of tooth, first pair subapical to mandibular plates, quadrangular and the second pair in front of compound eyes, minute, triangular or acuminate and located right angle to lateral margins of head; lateral margins of head slightly concave. Mandibular plates straight, slightly covering apex of clypeus, not meeting in front of clypeus, apex of mandibular plates narrowly rounded, nearly equal to clypeus, but not shorter; clypeus open apically. Compound eyes moderate size, rounded and protruding out. Antenniferous tubercles small and well visible from above. Antennae five segmented, slender, first segment slightly swollen, second segment geniculate and slightly thickened apically. Antennal segments from shortest to longest: I<II>III<IV>V. Buculae low, quadrangular anteriorly, partly covering the labial segment I. Labial segment I slightly surpassing bucculae; apex of labium reaching posterior margin of third abdominal segment.

Pronotum ( Fig. 23 ). Anterolateral margins deeply concave, with small tooth-like serrations. Posterolateral margin obliquely straight, posterior margin nearly straight. Humeri short and nodulose. Pronotal disc more or less flat, sometimes with a transverse, indistinct median groove dividing the disc into anterior and posterior half.

Scutellum ( Fig. 18 ) Disc of scutellum more or less flat, sometimes basal half slightly gibbous.

Hemelytra. Clavus elongate and narrowly triangular; corium much surpassing apex of scutellum. Membrane with parallel veins and exceeds apex of abdomen.

Thoracic pleurites and sternum. Mesosternum with narrow, median, longitudinal carina. Peritreme elongate spout-shaped (crescent-shaped) extending slightly beyond middle of metapleuron with well developed evaporatorium ( Fig. 24 ).

Legs. As in genus description.

Pregenital abdomen. Narrower than pronotum across humeri. Connexivum narrow and partially exposed. Posterolateral angles of each ventrite with minute tooth-like process. Abdominal venter convex medially, with shallow median longitudinal groove on abdominal ventor III and IV.

Male genitalia ( Figs 25–33 , 58–60 ). Genital capsule ( Figs 25–27 ) roughly quadrangular, caudal lobes moderately developed. Ventral rim deeply excavated into heart-shaped median concavity and mediolaterally extended into transverse triangular lobe-like projection (tl) directed mesad ( Fig. 26 ); a cup-like sclerite immovably fused with ventral wall of genital capsule, visible as a pair of triangular sclerotized ridge; infoldings of ventral rim strongly produced posteriad and covering 1/3 rd each from lateral sides of caudal opening. Dorsal rim shallowly concave than ventral rim, the dorsolateral margins of dorsal rim arcuately concave and oblique to straight median region of dorsal rim; infoldings of dorsal rim with small, transverse median extension. Paramere ( Figs 28–29 ). Crown broad with apical margin formed as scaly, sclerotized ridge terminate as a blunt and rounded projection; outer margin of main axis of paramere right angle to the sclerotized ridge; stem with a short, apically rounded process towards inner margin, possessing setae; basal apodeme developed into a rounded, laminate disc like structure. Articulatory apparatus ( Fig. 30 ). Basal plate and support bridge complex fused to form subtriangular plate-like structure with saddle shaped capitate process attached through dorsal connectives. Phallus. Phallotheca sclerotised and constricted towards both ends; proximal end slightly twisted ventrad possessing short angular process ventromedially; distal end broader than proximal end; three pairs of conjunctival processes-dorsal pair of conjunctival processes semisclerotised, median conjunctival processes membranous, trilobate or with three lobes, ventral pair moderately elongate, basally fused and gradually narrowing towards apex; processes of aedeagus (=penial lobes) (pa) sclerotized, inwardly directed apically and with angulate inner angles; aedeagus (ae) short and tubular.

Female genitalia ( Figs 34–38 ). Terminalia ( Figs 34, 37 ) Valvifers VIII subtriangular with inner lateral margins (mesial margins) straight, inner posterior angles angular (or sometimes rounded). Valvifers IX nearly trapezoidal. Laterotergite IX elongate finger-like with posterior apex rounded. Laterotergite VIII, triangular. Gynatrium ( Fig. 37 ) with a horse-shoe shaped sclerite surrounding spermathecal opening (sso), ring sclerites (rs) developed into small, roughly circular sclerites (medially transparent) connected to sclerotised base. Spermatheca ( Figs 35–36 ) with distal invagination of spermathecal duct (=sclerotized rod) nearly of uniform width throughout except the slightly broader distal end; intermediate part of spermtheca (=spermthecal pump) short; apical receptacle globose with three finger-like processes ( Fig. 36 ).

Material examined. Himachal Pradesh: 1♂, 1♀, (Mating pair) Nauni, Solan , 17-19.viii.2019, Mahendiran, G .; 2♂, 1♀, Nauni, Solan , 19.viii.2019, Mahendiran, G . Uttarakhand: 1♂, Dehra Dun , 1922, S. K. Pillai ; 1♂, Dehra Dun , v.1913, F. Z. Coll .; 1♂, No label.

Measurements (mm). Males (n = 5); median (minimum–maximum). Body length 13.15 (11.98–13.59); head: length 2.79 (2.68–2.88), width (including eyes) 2.78 (2.63–2.90), interocular width 1.56 (1.49–1.64); lengths of antennal segments: I—0.89 (0.81–0.93), II—2.31 (2.20–2.40), III—1.82 (1.77–1.85), IV—2.57 (2.39–2.66), V—2.38 (2.29–2.55); lengths of labial segments: I—1.33 (1.21–1.49), II—2.22 (2.13–2.30), III—2.04 (1.93–2.10), IV—1.14 (1.04–1.21); pronotum: length 2.78 (2.74–2.86), width (including humeri) 6.19 (5.96–6.38); scutellum: length 4.34 (4.07–4.55), width (at basal angles) 3.66 (3.48–3.92).

Females (n = 2); median (minimum–maximum). Body length 16.41 (15.89–16.92); head: length 3.23 (3.09– 3.36), width (including eyes) 2.91 (2.69–3.13), interocular width 1.76 (1.69–1.82); lengths of antennal segments: I –0.94 (0.88–0.99), II—2.45, III—1.86, IV—2.83, V –2.52; length of labial segments: I –1.37 (1.35–1.38), II—2.36 (2.22–2.5), III—2.29 (2.20–2.38), IV—1.18 (1.10–1.26); pronotum: length 3.20 (3.11–3.29), width (including humeri) 7.45 (7.10–7.79); scutellum: length 5.59 (5.43–5.75), width (at basal angles) 4.35 (4.11–4.58).

Bionomics. Adults were found inhabiting tree barks of Guava ( Psidium guajava L.) and apple ( Malus domestica Borkh. )

Distribution. Himachal Pradesh: ‘ Kulu’ (=Kullu) ( Ghauri 1977), Uttarakhand: Dehradun (new record)

Remarks. This species can be easily differentiated from other species of Sarju by the presence of a distinct but, short angular tooth in front of compound eyes ( Fig. 22 ), located right angle to the main axis of head. The members have small body size as compared to other species of Sarju .

Figures

FIGURES 18–21. 18–19. Sarju farida Ghauri—Habitus. 18, dorsal; 19, ventral. 20–21. Sarju nigricollis (Westwood)—Habitus. 20, dorsal; 21, ventral. Scale: 1 mm.

FIGURES 22–27. Sarju farida Ghauri. 22, head (dorsal); 23, pronotum; 24, external scent efferent system; 25, Genital capsule (dorsal); 26, Genital capsule (ventral); 27, Genital capsule (caudal). Scale: 0.5 mm. Lettering: p—peritreme;tl—triangular lobelike projection.

FIGURES 28–33. Sarju farida Ghauri. 28–29, paramere; 30, articulatory apparatus; 31, phallus (ventral); 32, phallus (dorsal); 33, phallus (lateral). Scale: 0.25 mm. Lettering: cp—capitate process; dcp—dorsal conjunctival processes; mcp—median conjunctival processes; pa—processes of aedeagus; sp—’setose process’ by Ghauri, 1977; vcp—ventral conjunctival processes; vt—ventral tubercle.

FIGURES 34–38. Sarju farida Ghauri. 34, terminalia (dorsal); 35, spermatheca; 36, apical receptacle; 37, terminalia (ventral); 38, valvifers VIII. 34–35: Scale: 0.5 mm; 36–38: Scale: 0.25 mm. Lettering: lt IX—laterotergite IX; lt VIII—laterotergite VIII; rs—ring sclerite; sso—sclerite guarding spermathecal opening; vlf VIII—valvifers VIII.

FIGURES 58–60. Sarju farida Ghauri. 58, phallus (ventral); 59, phallus (dorsal); 60, phallus (lateral). Scale: 0.25 mm. Lettering: dcp—dorsal conjunctival processes; mcp—median conjunctival processes; vcp—ventral conjunctival processes; pa—processes of aedeagus; vt—ventral tubercle.