Plagaedessa Almeida & Fernandes gen. n.

Type species: Edessa celsa Distant, 1890 .

Etimology. “Plagae” means striped, referring to the outstanding striped legs of the species within this genus. Gender feminine.

Diagnosis. Medium species (16.0– 18.8 mm). Dorsal surface green on head, pronotum and scutellum; hemelytra with corium dark brown (Figs. 44, 46, 48, 50). Ventral surface yellow with long and narrow light brown stripes present on coxae and intersegmental regions (Figs. 45, 47, 49, 51). Antennae black, except antennomer I with a yellow spot on ventral surface (Fig. 18). Conexivum green with two dark brown spots on both extremities and a big yellow central spot on each segment (Figs. 44, 46, 48, 50). Humeral angles slightly developed and posteriorly projected (Figs. 44–51). Legs yellow with femora and tibiae showing two or three longitudinal black stripes (Figs. 18, 45, 47, 49, 51). Gonapophysis 9 partially sclerotized with a protuberance close to gonocoxites 9 (Figs. 40, 41). Distal part of the DUctUS receptacUli sclerotized and slightly enlarged (Figs. 40, 41). Pygophore with black posterolateral angles well developed (Figs. 23, 25, 28, 30, 33, 35); superior process of genital cup elliptical (Figs. 24, 29, 34); parameres with two divergent projections, one large anteriorly directed and other small laterally directed (Figs. 24, 29, 34).

Head. Triangular, wider than long. Juga grooved medially, longer than tylus and contiguous in front of it, margins yellow; apex of jugae dark and rounded. Bucculae grooved with anterior margin truncate. Rostrum yellow with a black longitudinal stripe. Antennomeres increasing in length from I to V.

Thorax. Pronotum trapezoidal, wider than long; punctures shallow, sparse, concolorous with surface, and uniformly distributed, except on smooth cicatrices; anterolateral margins yellow and sulcate transversely on anterior third; anterolateral angles with small tooth-like projection. Scutellum with shallow concolorous punctures; apex acute and grooved medially. Corium with deep concolorous punctures uniformly distributed; corial veins yellow with medial one branched, forming a "Y" (Figs. 44, 46, 48, 50). Ventral surface with punctures shallow, concolorous, and sparse, restricted to distal part of each segment. Evaporatorium concolorous, rugose, dull, with lateral circular calloused area. Peritreme yellow, ruga-like, reaching ¾ of the distance from ostiole of the scent gland to lateral margin of metapleuron. Metasternal process yellowish to brownish, bifurcated anteriorly with apex rounded (Figs. 27, 32, 37, 39); more elevated anteriorly than posteriorly in lateral view. Tarsal claws black.

Abdomen. Dorsally brown; punctures concolorous with surface, small, shallow, and uniformly distributed. Connexivum exposed with shallow and sparse punctures on dark brown spots; posterolateral angles slightly projected, apex acute and black. Segment VII with narrow black stripe on posterior margin; segment projected, but not exceeding apex of the laterotergites 9 in females (Figs. 26, 31, 36, 38, 42). Spiracles elliptical. Trichobothria in line with spiracles; pseudosutures black.

Male. Pygophore (pyg) trapezoidal in dorsal view (Figs. 23, 28, 33), opened dorsally. Dorsal rim (dr) black and rugose, not extending to posterolateral angles. Posterolateral angles with apex rounded, projected posterolaterally (Figs. 23, 25, 28, 30, 33, 35). Superior process of genital cup (gp) rugose, black; almost contiguous to dorsal rim. Parameres (pa) dark brown, base narrow and grooved. Proctiger (proc) black; lateral face with a strong, densely setose constriction forming a median dorsal carina; posterior face strongly concave (Figs. 24, 29, 34). Ventral rim (vr) black with yellow median excavation; excavation delimitated by somewhat developed expansions, lobes not reaching the level of posterolateral angles in ventral view (Figs. 25, 30, 35). PhallUS (ph) short, twice as long as wide, and slightly conical (Fig. 43); vesica short, distal margin sinuous (Fig. 43).

Female. Gonocoxites 8 (gc8) setose, convex with dark brown margin depressed; punctuation dark, large and shallow; sutural border contiguous; posterior margin rounded and overlapping base of laterotergites 9 (Figs. 26, 31, 36, 38). Gonocoxites 9 (gc9) trapezoidal with posterior region black, large, setose and convex. Laterotergites 8 (la8) with distal margin black, apex acute and setose; punctures sparse and concolorous; clearly surpassing laterotergites 9 and abdominal segment VII (Fig. 42). Laterotergites 9 (la9) triangular; base strongly excavated; apex acute and black, surpassing band uniting laterotergites 8 (Figs. 26, 31, 36, 38, 42). Segment X (X) rectangular and setose. Gonapophysis 9 with distal area partially sclerotized, bearing a small protuberance (tg9) (Figs. 40, 41). DUctUS receptacUli (dr) sclerotized and enlarged after vesicular area (tdr) (Figs. 40, 41). CapSUla SeminaliS (cs) small with long projections surpassing posterior annular flange (paf) (Figs. 40, 41); parS intermeDialiS (pi) mostly sclerotized (Figs. 40, 41).

Discussion. Species belonging to PlagaeDeSSa resemble in general aspect to species of HypoxyS, but several features, especially from the male and female genitalia, show that the two taxa are not closely allied. Species belonging to these taxa share characteristics such as general color of the body, humeral angles acute and slightly projected (Figs. 8, 44, 46, 48, 50) and abdominal segment VII posteriorly developed but not projected beyond the genital plates in females (the last two features were used by Stål (1872) to diagnose HypoxyS) (Figs. 16, 26, 31, 36, 38, 42). Nevertheless, several features separate both taxa: in PlagaeDeSSa the antennae are black with antennomere I showing a yellow spot on ventral surface (uniformly yellow to brown in HypoxyS) (Fig. 18); legs are yellow with femora and tibiae showing two or three longitudinal solid black stripes (never striped in HypoxyS) (Figs. 18, 45, 47, 49, 51); gonapophysis 9 has a partially sclerotized area bearing a tumid protuberance (not found in HypoxyS) (Figs. 40, 41); posterolateral angles of the pygophore well developed and posterolaterally directed, dorsal rim not extending to these angles (angles barely developed, posteriorly directed and dorsal rim almost reaching the angles in HypoxyS) (Figs. 23, 28, 33). Actually, the whole structure of the pygophore of PlagaeDeSSa resembles species of the subgenus EDeSSa, but the latter always have humeral angles conical with apex globose and usually black (Fig. 14). The four species belonging to this new genus are very similar and distinguished only by genitalia.

Distribution (Fig. 52). MEXICO: Veracruz; COSTA RICA: Alajuela, Guanacaste, Limón; PANAMA: Barro Colorado; FRENCH GUIANA: Kourou, Ouanary; BRAZIL: Roraima, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Rondônia; PERU: Loreto; Huánuco; BOLIVIA: La Paz;