Ascra Say, 1832

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 : 446-447

Ascra Say, 1832 new status

Pentatoma (Ascra) Say, 1832: 7, 1891: 303

Edessa ; Stål, 1872: 49; Berg, 1879: 60; Lethierry & Severin, 1893: 188; Edessa (Ascra) Kirkaldy, 1909: 153 ; Banks, 1910: 84; Barber, 1939: 301. Type species: Pentatoma (Ascra) bifida Say, 1832 (holotype by monotypy).

Diagnosis. Medium sized specimens (10−15mm). Body oval ( Figs. 52−65 ). Dorsally darker than ventrally–green to greenish brown dorsally ( Figs. 52−58 ), and pale yellow to brown or reddish ventrally ( Fig. 59−65 ). Body densely punctate with large dark punctures on pronotum and scutellum. First labial segment longer than bucculae. Pronotum conspicuously gibbous; anterolateral margin impressed, straight to gently convex, and yellow or red; humeral angles not developed, concolorous with pronotal disk, and rounded ( Figs. 52−58 ). Arms of metasternal process short, not reaching middle of mesosternum. Posterior angle of abdominal segment VII barely projected. Legs and antennae monochromatic. Pygophore densely punctate at least on distal half of the ventral surface. Female internal genitalia with capsula seminalis armed with three short digitiform projections ( Figs. 11 , 19 ).

Head. Dorsally greenish brown. Margin sinuous. Clypeous and cephalic disk level or slightly above the level of mandibular plates. Antennae in some species punctate or maculate.

Thorax. Dorsal surface with large brown and/or black punctures. Anterolateral angle acute. Anterolateral margin not punctate. Humeral angle rounded ( Figs. 52−58 ) or slightly acute. Embolium with punctures darker, deeper and larger than those in the corial disk. Evaporatorium dull. Peritreme yellow and flageliform. Tarsus claws with black apices.

Abdomen. Dorsal surface brown to dark brown. Connexival segments densely punctate. Spiracles rounded and partially surrounded by a yellow callus.

Female genitalia. Gonocoxites 8 convex, punctate, and posterior margin somewhat rounded. Laterotergites 8 slightly convex; apices surpassing lateral angles of abdominal segment VII and apex of laterotergites 8. Gonocoxites 9 convex and trapezoidal. Laterotergites 9 excavated basally; apices passing segment VII ( Figs. 4 , 12 , 20 , 34 , 41 , 48 ). Thickening of vaginal intima elongate and narrow ( Figs. 3 , 11 , 19 , 33 ). Anterior annular flanges translucid and convergent. Pars intermedialis subcylindrical to globose ( Figs. 3 , 11 , 19 , 33 ). Capsula seminalis globose with two or three short digitiform projections not surpassing posterior annular flanges ( Figs. 3 , 11 , 19 , 33 ).

Male genitalia. Pygophore. Rectangular ( Figs. 5 , 13 , 21 , 42 , 49 ) or trapezoidal ( Fig. 35 ) and yellow to dark brown. Dorsal rim brown to dark brown and usually punctate. Posterolateral angles rounded and punctate. Superior process of genital cup absent (just in some species of privata group) or small, narrow, black, slightly curved, and tumid. Lateral face of proctiger with a tuft of setae on an excavated area. Pygophore densely punctate on distal half or 2/3 of ventral surface.

Comments. Ascra can be identified by a combination of characters that may be primitive within Edessinae , such as dense and large punctures on the thorax and abdomen, and humeral angles rounded not developed. Most of these characteristics are shared with subgenus Aceratodes; both taxa share very short arms of the anterior bifurcation of the metasternal process and short antennae (compared with body length). But Ascra has the pronotal disk tumid instead of level; ventral surface of the pygophore densely punctate (usually in other species of Edessa punctures are distributed in a Y or V pattern even when densely distributed); and females with short digitiform projections of the capsula seminalis not surpassing posterior annular flanges (usually in other edessines these projections surpass annular flanges). Another characteristic, shared by Ascra and Aceratodes is both genera inhabit mainly open environs, natural or human-altered areas. However, Ascra is almost completely restricted to Central America whereas Aceratodes is distributed in South America with only a few species crossing the Panamanian Isthmus. Stål (1872) included in group Ascra the species Edessa punctiventris and E. mexicana , but neither species belong in Ascra and are not considered here. Both are related to the pudibunda species group of Edessa .

Ascra is clearly divisible into two groups of species based on morphological characteristics (basically related with punctuation of body and pygophore). The bifida species group is composed of A. abdita (Distant, 1890) , A. bifida ( Say, 1832) , A. championi (Distant, 1881) , A. cordifera ( Walker, 1868) , A. petersii (Distant, 1881) , A. flavoscutellata Santos & Fernandes n. sp. and A. vluteum Santos & Fernandes n. sp. The privata species group (manuscript in preparation) is composed by A. conspersa ( Stål, 1872) , A. morbosa (Breddin, 1907) , instead and A. privata ( Walker, 1868) and four new species. Herein we discuss only the bifida species group. A key including all species from both groups will be presented in privata group description.

Figures

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).

FIGURES 9 – 16. Ascra cordifera Walker, 1868. 9 – 10 Metasternal process; 9 — ventral view; 10 — lateral view. 11 — Female, genital internal. 12 — Female, genital plates. 13 – 15 Male, pygophore; 13 — dorsal view; 14 — ventral view; 15 — posterior view. 16 – Phallus. (Scale = 1 mm).

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 1 − 8. Ascra bifida (Say, 1832). 1 – 2 Metasternal process; 1 — ventral view; 2 — lateral view. 3 — Female, genital internal. 4 — Female, genital plates. 5 − 7 Male, pygophore; 5 — dorsal view; 6 — ventral view; 7 — posterior view. 8 — Phallus. (aaf—anterior anular flanges; ch— chitinellipsen; cs— capsula seminalis; dre— ductu receptaculi; dr—dorsal rim; gc 8 — gonocoxites 8; gc 9 — gonocoxite 9; la 8, laterotergites 8; la 9 — laterotergites 9; pa—paramere; paf—posterior anular flanges; pc—processes of capsula seminalis; pha— Phallus; pi— pars intermedialis; pla—posterolateral angle; pph—process of Phallus; pvr—projections ventral rim; sp—superior process; tiv—thickening of vaginal intima; vs—vesica; vr—ventral rim; VII—tergite VII; X (female) — abdominal segment X; X (male) — Proctiger. (Scale = 1 mm).

FIGURES 31 – 38. Ascra abdita Distant, 1890. 31 – 32 Metasternal process; 31 — ventral view; 32 — lateral view. 33 — Female, genital internal. 34 — Female, genital plates. 35 – 37 Male, pygophore; 35 — dorsal view; 36 — ventral view; 37 — posterior view. 38 — Phallus. (Scale = 1 mm).

FIGURES 39 – 45. Ascra flavoscutellata n. sp. 39 – 40 Metasternal process; 39 — ventral view; 40 — lateral view. 41 — Female, genital plates. 42 – 44 Male, pygophore; 42 — dorsal view; 43 — ventral view; 44 — posterior view. 45 — Phallus. (Scale = 1 mm).

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).