Xynocoris meridionalis Garbelotto & Campos sp. nov.

(figs. 3A; 5H, K; 8G; 9 F)

Etymology. The epithet refers to the species distribution, the most Southern species in the genus; latin: meridionalis, from the South.

Type-locality. Paraguay, Salto Del Guaira (-24.0500; -54.3500).

Male holotype. PARAGUAY, Canindiyu: Salto Del Guaira, 28–29.X.1989, G. Arrigada, [-24.0500; -54.3500], Alitocoris sp. det. J. E. Eger, 2004, (JEE) Deposited in: AMNH .

Paratypes. BRAZIL, Mato Grosso do Sul: Miranda [Salobra], 1 female, I.1955, Comissão I. O. Cruz, [- 20.2333; -56.3667] (MNRJ 1998) Deposited in: MNRJ ; São Paulo: Piracicaba, 1 female, 12.II.1966, BL Trap, C. A. Triplehorn, [-22.7167; -47.6333] (JEE) Deposited in: USNM; Campinas, 1 female, Foz Rio das Pedras, X.1974, [-22.9000; -47.0833] (UFRG) Deposited in: UFRG ; 1 female, 26.IX.76, B. C. Lopes, [-22.9000; -47.0833] (UFRG) Deposited in: UFRG; Rio Grande do Sul: Viamão, 1 fêmea, 10–11.XII.1979, M. H. Galileo, [-30.0833; -51.0333], col. MCN 13.709, (MCNZ 16/96) Deposited in: MCNZ ; 1 female, 5–6.XI.1979, M. H. Galileo, [-30.0833; - 51.0333], col. MCN 14.087, (MCNZ 16 /96) Deposited in: MCNZ . PARAGUAY, Paraguari: Ybycui, 1 female, 23.XI.1989, G. Arriagada, [-26.0167; -57.0500] (JEE) Deposited in: JEE . ARGENTINA: Entre Ríos: Liebig, 1 female, XI.1987, G. Arriagada, [-32.1333; -58.2667] (JEE) Deposited in: AMNH ; 4 females, Liebig, XII.1996, S. R. Caire, [-32.1333; -58.2667] (JEE) Deposited in: 2♀ — JEE, 1♀ — AMNH, 1♀ — USNM .

Description. Body oval, brown; punctures black; small yellowish spots evenly distributed. Legs light brown, contrasting with body. Antennae four-segmented, second segment of males little widened.

Head with spots mostly on mandibular plates and clypeus; punctures forming wrinkles on mandibular plates. Apices of mandibular plates not touching each other, exceeding clypeus by the ocellar diameter; lateral margins of mandibular plates slightly reflected. Eyes on short peduncle. Anteocular processes little projected, attaining half the eye width. Antennal tubercle covered by anteocular processes. Antennae brown, four-segmented; first segment bearing dorsal longitudinal yellowish spot; proportion of antennal segments: I<II≈III<IV, fourth the longest. Ventrally with 1+1 yellowish carinae posterior to the eyes. Bucculae without anterior tooth. Rostrum yellowish, second segment little surpassing mesocoxae, apex on urosternite V; proportion of rostral segments: I<II>II≈IV.

Pronotum with punctures forming wrinkles posterior to cicatrices; yellowish spots on anterolateral margins and posterior to cicatrices; cicatrices flat to slightly tumid. Anterior angles of pronotum with projections parallel to posterior margins of eyes, exceeding laterally the eye by half the eye diameter. Anterolateral margins concave, reflected, anterior half laterally expanded; posterolateral margins subrectilinear. Scutellum with punctures forming wrinkles on disc; anterior margin with median spot and 1+1 yellowish spots near the fovea. Corium reaching middle of connexival segment VI; spot on apex of radial vein equals the ocellar diameter, sometimes inconspicuous. Hemelytral membrane reaching the apex of abdomen, bearing seven veins. Pleurae with few yellowish spots. Evaporatorium brown to black; peritreme reaching half the width of evaporatorium. Legs light brown contrasting with body color; femora and tibiae with brown circular spots.

Segments of connexivum bearing yellowish brown spot. Abdomen ventrally with shallow punctures on lateral margins and inconspicuous on disc. Yellowish maculae before spiracles present (fig. 8G).

Male. Second antennal segment 1/3 wider than third segment. Measurements (n=1): head length, 1.65; width, 2.05; pronotum length, 2.10; width, 4.65; scutellum length, 3.25; width, 2.80; length of antennal segments: I, 0.55; II, 1.30; III, 1.20; IV, 1.70; length of rostrum segments: I, 1.05; II, 1.75; III, 1.25; IV, 1.20; total length, 8.02; abdominal width, 5.36.

Genitalia. Pygophore. Dorsal rim concave; distance between projections of dorsal rim equals twice the width of each projection; anterior projections bearing a tuft of short setae (fig. 5H). Projections of inferior layer of ventral rim subtriangular, placed laterally to segment X (fig. 5H). Superior layer of ventral rim slightly tumid near median margin of projections of inferior layer, bearing inconspicuous wrinkles (fig. 5H). Median third of ventral rim slightly emarginated forming a shallow, narrow aperture covering the lateral portions of segment X (fig. 5K). Carinae continued from the conical projection of inferior layer inconspicuous (fig. 5K). Segment X wider at base, with inconspicuous boundary between sclerotized and membranous area; lateral margins sinuous; apex bearing short setae (fig. 5H). Parameres with apical angle acute, bearing a tuft of long setae; head not projected over the margin of ventral opening of pygophore (fig. 5K).

Female. Measurements (n=12): head length, 1.55 ± 0.12 (1.33–1.72); width, 2.09 ± 0.08 (1.99–2.29); pronotum length, 2.10 ± 0.11 (1.95–2.34); width, 4.82 ± 0.23 (4.50–5.27); scutellum length, 3.37 ± 0.09 (3.20–3.50); width, 2.77 ± 0.24 (2.34–3.12); length of antennal segments: I, 0.56 ± 0.05 (0.50–0.63); II, 1.28 ± 0.06 (1.18–1.38); III, 1.16 ± 0.05 (1.08–1.25); IV, 1.75 ± 0.08 (1.65–1.85); length of rostrum segments: I, 1.07 ± 0.05 (1.00–1.15); II, 1.86 ± 0.15 (1.55–2.10); III, 1.25 ± 0.08 (1.10–1.35); IV, 1.18 ± 0.06 (1.05–1.25); total length, 8.75 ± 0.74 (7.67–9.89); abdominal width, 5.43 ± 0.19 (5.17–5.81).

Genitalia. Gonocoxites 8 longer than wide; posterior margins sinuous; middle projection over laterotergites 9 surpassing the posterolateral projection over laterotergites 8; disc with middle callus, near posterior margins (fig. 8G). Laterotergites 8 wider than long; middle yellowish spot present in some specimens (fig. 8G). Gonocoxites 9 diamond–shaped; longitudinal suture conspicuous (fig. 8G). Laterotergites 9 not surpassing the band connecting laterotergites 8; sutural angles not touching each other (fig. 8G). Thickening of vaginal intima subrectangular (fig. 9F). Ring sclerites placed close to but not touching the lateral limits of the thickening of gonapophyses 9 (fig. 9F). Ductus receptaculi anterior to vesicular area twice wider the intermediary duct; vesicular area two times longer than pars intermedialis plus capsula seminalis (fig. 9F). Length of tubular portion of ductus receptaculi posterior to the vesicular area equals half the length of vesicular area (fig. 9F). Pars intermedialis cylindrical, two times longer than capsula seminalis, the later bearing apical processes (fig 9F).

Comments. Xynocoris meridionalis sp. nov. (fig. 3A) emerged as part of a polytomy (fig. 1, ‘clade Q’) with the other two species ( X. lucidus sp. nov. and X. cupreus) with four–segmented antennae (Garbelotto et al. 2013, ‘sp. 01’). Diagnostic characters of X. meridionalis sp. nov. are the shape of female genital plates (fig. 8G), with the middle projection over laterotergites 9 surpassing the posterolateral projection over laterotergites 8, and the presence of a tuft of short setae on anterior projections of dorsal rim of pygophore (fig. 5H).