Ascra vluteum Santos & Fernandes

Santos, Bianca Tamires Silva Dos, Silva, Valeria Juliete Da & Fernandes, Jose Antonio Marin, 2015, Revision of Ascra with proposition of the bifida species group and description of two new species (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Edessinae), Zootaxa 4034 (3), pp. 445-470 : 464-468

Ascra vluteum Santos & Fernandes n. sp.

( Figs. 46−51 , 58 , 65 , 66 )

Etymology. Name refers to the yellow lateral margin and apex of scutellum looking like a V.

Material examined (n: 4). Holotype male. MEXICO. Colima: Manzanillo, 7−12−56, R & K Dreisbach ( USNM).

Paratypes: MEXICO. Zacatecas: ♂ Zacatecas, 19–VII–1976, E. Matuda, Tillandsia (Bromeliaceae) ( UFRG). Oaxaca: ♀ km 164 carretera 131 Oaxaca to Porto Escondido 1800−2000m, Bosque de encino, bosque Mesofilo, 25 a 28–VI–1995, sobre veg., J. Blakaller, A. Perez, A. Soria ( UNAM). ♀ 5 miles South Candelaria Loxicha, 18−19−VII −1974, Clarck, Murray, Ashe, Schaffner ( TAMU).

Measurements: Head length (1.5–1.6); head width (2.5–2.6); pronotal length (4.0–4.1); pronotal width (8.1– 8.2); total length (13.0–13.1); abdominal width (8.4–8.5), length of antennal segments I − (0.5); II − (0.9); III − (1.0); IV − (1.7); V − (2.9).

Diagnosis. Dorsal surface with head, pronotum, scutellum and connexivum green; hemelytron dark brown, clavus and embolium green with distal part brown ( Fig. 58 ). Pronotum and scutellum with large black punctures. Lateral margin of scutellum with wide pale green stripe ( Fig. 58 ). Ventral surface pale green or yellowish with dense dark punctuation on thorax; pseudosutures and intersegmental areas dark brown on abdomen ( Fig. 65 ). Antennae and legs pale green ( Figs. 58 , 65 ).

Head. Mandibular plates rugulose; small black punctures irregularly distributed. Area between eyes with black punctures extending to base of clypeus. Bucculae setose and punctate; ventral margin rounded; enclousing 2/ 3 of first rostral segment. Antennae not punctate or maculate, last two segments darker than first three.

Thorax. Pronotum around cicatrices lighter than surrounding area; large black punctures sparse and irregularly distributed; punctures close to lateral margins dark, more concentrated and small ( Fig. 58 ); anterolateral margins yellow. Large black punctures regularly distributed on anterior and central region of scutellum; lateral margin and distal end with small dense black punctuation regularly distributed including V −shaped pale green area ( Fig. 58 ). Hemelytron densely and uniformly punctate; anterior margin of embolium pale green. Ventral surface with dark small punctures concentrated on posterior margins of each segment; green marks irregularly distributed. Evaporatorium concolorous not punctate, rugose only close to peritreme. Peritreme concolorous and reaching half of the distance between ostiole and lateral margin of the metapleuron. Metasternal process pale green sometimes with a medial suffused green mark; arms slightly curved and divergent ( Figs. 46−47 ), receiving part of the fourth rostral segment; apex of arms rounded. Legs not punctate or maculate.

Abdomen. Dorsal surface dark brown. Each connexival segment with two shallow concavities densely punctate; small rounded medial area and lateral margin impuctate; posterolateral angles of each segment slightly developed with a distal tiny spine. Ventral surface rugulose with a central and two lateral pairs of vittae suffused with green, one of them containing spiracles ( Fig. 65 ). Lateral part with concolorous shallow punctures regularly distributed. Small impressed dark brown dot near each spiracle.

Female genitalia. Gonocoxites 8 setose, convex, lateral side slightly compressed; punctuation dark and dense; distal margin dark and acuminate; sutural margin dark. Laterotergites 8 slightly convex, setose and sparsely punctate; distal margin dark brown and posteriorly projected, apex acute and black, passing laterotergites 9. Gonocoxites 9 setose and impunctate; anterior margin with a small pair of tumid areas overlapping distal margin of gonocoxites 8. Laterotergites 9 setose, not punctate, deeply excavated at basal half and tumid distally; apex acute ( Fig. 48 ) and black.

Male genitalia. Pygophore. Dorsal rim rugose and not punctate, area delimited by superior processes dark brown. Posterolateral angles tumid impunctate or developed ( Figs. 49−50 ). Superior process of genital cup pedunculate, narrow with a tongue-like ventral projection, distal part slightly concave ( Fig. 51 ). Paramere with base globose; dorsally directed process large, triangular, and medially excavated basal process triangular, smaller and laterally curved ( Fig. 51 ). Proctiger with posterior face rugulose and subtriangular; lateral excavation shallow and wide, dorsally delimited by a small carina ( Fig. 51 ). Ventral rim densely punctate, setose and rugose medially; central deep U −shaped excavation narrow leaving visible only the proctiger ( Fig. 50 ); concave, narrow and rugulose, bottom of excavation delimited by a large elevate carina and a more ventral and tiny–almost inconspicuous–carina ( Fig. 50 ). Expansions of ventral rim setose, well-developed and tumid, reaching or surpassing level of posterolateral angles in ventral view ( Figs. 49−50 ).

Comments. This species has the raised part of the dorsal rim shorter than the other species of the group. When comparing Ascra vluteum to A. flavoscutellata and A. cordifera we observed that these species have a yellow margin on the scutellum and dark margin on gonocoxites 8. Also, we found similarities between A. petersii and A. flavoscutellata , which include the following: rounded apex of arms of metasternal process; distal margin of parameres with more than two acute processes; and abdomen with intersegmental areas brown.

Distribution ( Fig. 66 ): MEXICO: Zacatecas, Oaxaca, Colima.

Figures

FIGURE 66. Distribution of the species of the bifida group of Ascra.

FIGURES 46 – 51. Ascra vluteum n. sp. 46 – 47 Metasternal process; 46 — ventral view; 47 — lateral view. 48 — Female, genital plates. 49 – 51 Male, pygophore; 49 — dorsal view; 50 — ventral view; 51 — posterior view. (Scale = 1 mm).

FIGURES 52 – 58. Dorsal view of the species of Ascra. 52 — A. bifida; 53 — A. cordifera; 54 — A. championi; 55 — A. petersii; 56 — A. abdita; 57 — A. flavoscutellata; 58 — A. vluteum. (Scale = 5 mm).

FIGURES 59 – 65. Ventral view of the species of Ascra. 59 — A. bifida; 60 — A. cordifera; 61 — A. championi; 62 — A. petersii; 63 — A. abdita; 64 — A. flavoscutellata; 65 — A. vluteum. (Scale = 5 mm).