Ascra championi (Distant, 1881) Distant, 1881

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 : 456-458

Ascra championi (Distant, 1881) n. comb.

( Figs. 17−24 , 54 , 61 , 66 )

Edessa championi Distant, 1881: 98 ; Lethierry & Severin, 1893: 189; Kirkaldy, 1909: 156.

Lectotype: Male. San Juan, Verapaz, (Alta Verapaz), Guatemala (BMNH). Examined.

Paralectotypes: Two Females. Same data (BMNH). Examined.

Material examined (n: 16). MEXICO. Durango: 7♀ 5 mi. W. Guadalupe Victoria. VII −29−66. P. M. & P. K. Wagner ( TAMU); ♂♀ ( UFRG); ♂ 22 miles NE. Of Durango, Dgo. VIII −12−65. H. Burke & J. Meyer ( TAMU). Zacatecas: ♀♂ 14 mi, N. Luis Moya, 6440. ft. Zac. 26–VII–1959. R. B. Selander & J. C. Schaffner ( TAMU); ♂ Trancosa, Zac. VII −3−61. R & K Dreisbach ( USNM). Jalisco: ♀ Lagos de Moreno, 6150 ft. VII −26−59. R. B. Selander & J. C. Schaffner ( TAMU). Puebla: ♂♀ km 36 Acatzingo, Perota. 13–IX–1989. E. Barrera ( UNAM).

Additional location indicated by Joseph Eger (pers. Comm.). MEXICO. Tlaxacala: Chalpulapan. 2200m, 23– VII–1984, E. C. Welling, coll.

Measurements: Head length (1.5–1.6); head width (2.3–2.5); pronotal length (3.0–3.5); pronotal width (7.2– 8.5); total length (12.0–14.4); abdominal width (7.6–9.0); length of antennal segments I − (0.5−0.6); II − (0.8−1.0); III − (1); IV − (1.5); V − (2.0−2.1).

Diagnosis. Body dorsally dark brownish green on head, pronotum, scutellum and hemelytron; connexivum dark yellow to red. Anterolateral margin of pronotum yellow. Venter dark yellow or red. Body dorsally punctate, punctures black more concentrated on scutellum, hemelytron and connexivum. Ventral surface with black punctures uniformly distributed on abdomen and thorax ( Fig. 61 ), including evaporatorium. Legs and antennae yellow ( Figs. 54 , 61 ).

Head. Mandibular plates and cephalic disc with black punctures uniformly distributed. Clypeus rugulose, with a few sparse punctures. Ventral surface mostly red. Bucculae setose, not punctate, enclosing half of first rostral segment; ventral margin slightly curved. Antennae not punctate or maculate.

Thorax. Pronotum with punctures black, deep, sparse and uniformly distributed ( Fig. 54 ); anterolateral margin yellow with a parallel red stripe. Scutellum dark green with deep and dense punctures ( Fig. 54 ) sometimes producing lines of close punctures; apex tumid, punctate and sometimes lighter than the rest of the scutellum. Hemelytron with punctures uniformly distributed; anterior margin of embolium yellow. Ventral surface with black punctures deep and uniformly distributed ( Fig. 61 ). Peritreme curved and short, reaching less than 1/3 of the distance between ostiole and lateral margin of metapleuron. Metasternal process yellow with red parts ( Fig. 61 ) slightly rugose and setose; arms of the anterior bifurcation laterally flat, slightly divergent ( Figs. 17–18 ). Legs not punctate or maculate.

Abdomen. Dorsal surface dark with punctures sparse and concolorous. Inner part of each segment of connexivum with concolorous punctures and outer with black ones; lateral margin yellow; lateral angles rounded. Ventral surface with punctuation deep and dense in most of the disc but thin and small on lateral sides. Abdominal pseudosutures and intersegmental areas concolorous. Spiracles located on yellow calli.

Female genitalia. Gonocoxites 8 convex, rugose with black punctures; lateral margin flat or slightly concave; distal margin slightly acuminate; sutural margins not contiguous exposing part of gonapophyses. Laterotergites 8 barely convex, reddish, with punctures dark; distal margin slightly acuminated and yellow, apex not developed; spiracle on yellow callus. Gonocoxites 9 yellow with a medial carina, basal margin not tumid only touching gonocoxites 8. Laterotergites 9 setose and partially red; basal half slightly excavated and distal part barely tumid; apex rounded surpassing laterotergites 8 ( Fig. 20 ). Pars intermedialis oval ( Fig. 19 ).

Male genitalia. Pygophore. Dorsal rim partially black with deep punctures on anterior part. Posterolateral angles sparsely punctate on inner and outer sides. Genital cup setose. Superior process of genital cup clavate and slightly concave distally ( Fig. 23 ). Parameres with base large and globose, body narrow and straight ( Fig. 23 ). Proctiger with posterior face subrectangular, medially carinate; lateral excavations delimited by dark carinae. Ventral rim rugose with deep dark punctures uniformly distributed; medial excavation widely open, wall thick, light color, barely convex and not punctate; expansions of ventral rim developed posteroventrally ( Fig. 22 ). Phallus with distal acuminate process developed; vesica oblong ( Fig. 24 ).

Comments. Edessa championi was described by Distant (1881) based on one male and two females from Guatemala, but he did not designate a holotype, thus we are designating the male syntype as the lectotype of the species. Distant considered A. championi and E. conspersa Stål close related to each other; in fact Edessa conspersa is an allied species belonging to privata species group (in preparation). Distant also mentioned that both species are distinguishable by the lateral margin of pronotum more convex; apex of scutellum rugulose and darker in A. championi ; and color and punctuation also distinct between species. Apex of scutellum rugulose probably is a misinterpretation of the lines of deep close punctures. Edessa conspersa can be readily identified by several dark green spots on the ventral side of the body and the loss of the superior process of the genital cup.

Distribution ( Fig. 66 ): MEXICO: Durango, Zacatecas, Jalisco, Tlaxacala, Puebla; GUATEMALA: Alta Verapaz.

Figures

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

FIGURES 17 – 24. Ascra championi Distant, 1881. 17 – 18 Metasternal process; 17 — ventral view; 18 — lateral view. 19 — Female, genital internal. 20 — Female, genital plates. 21 – 23 Male, pygophore; 21 — dorsal view; 22 — ventral view; 23 — posterior view. 24 − Phallus. (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).