Grenadaptera ursulae, Heiss, 2019

Heiss, Ernst, 2019, New genera and species of apterous Carventinae (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Aradidae) Irom Lesser Antilles, Linzer biologische Beiträge 51 (1), pp. 69-82 : 76-77

Grenadaptera ursulae nov.sp. ( Figs. 12-17 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype ♂,labelled: Grenada, Antillen / Grand Etang rain forest / 24.6.96 Heiss // ( CEHI) ; Paratypes. 2♀♀ collected with holotype. They are designated and labelled accordingly .

E t y m o l o g y: It is a pleasure to dedicate this interesting new species to my daughter Ursula, recognizing her understanding for my entomological activities and for sharing her time, interest and company when travelling abroad together.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Head longer than wide (0.875 / 0.8); genae subparallel surpassing clypeus; antenniferous lobes conical with acute apex; antennae less than twice as long as width of head (1.425 / 0.8), segment I thickest and as III longest, II and III thinner, IV fusiform; length of antennal segments I / II / III / IV = 0.45 / 0.25 / 0.45 / 0.275; eyes moderately stalked; postocular lobes with few small setigerous tubercles adjacent to eyes, sinuately converging posteriorly to constricted neck.

Thorax: Pronotum about 3.5 times as long as wide (1.3 / 0.375); lateral margins straight, anterolateral angles subangular, not produced over collar; disk with irregular smooth callosities, lateral margins raised and beset with rows of small setigerous tubercles; mesonotum strongly transverse with oval callosities lateral of smooth subparallel median carinate ridge which extends from pronotum to mtg III; metanotum and mtg I+II fused lateral of median ridge, surface rugose.

Abdomen: Tergal plate wider than long (1.2 / 1.05), medially raised on mtg IV-V; deltg II+III fused, lateral margins beset with small setigerous tubercles; posterolateral angles of deltgV- VII with triangular expansions of dorsally reflexed vltg VI and VII; tergite VII raised medially for the reception of globular pygophore.

Venter: Spiracles II-VII lateral and visible from above; posterolateral angles of vltg VII produced posteriorly with a large glabrous cone like glandular tubercle at apex, which is directed posteriorly and visible from above.

F e m a l e: Basically as male but of larger size and wider abdomen; tergite VII with a transverse carina on posterior margin; ptg VIII shorter than tergite IX.

M e a s u r e m e n t s: Holotype ♂. Body length 3.75; ratio length of antennae / width of head 1.78; width of abdomen across tergite IV 1.825; width of mesonotum 1.5; width of metanotum 1.75; Paratypes. Body length of 2♀♀ 4.65 ̅ 4.75; ratio length of antennae / width of head 1.75, 1.74.

E c o l o g y: Grenada is intensively cultivated by spice and nutmeg plantations and most of the present day forests are secondary, grown after the original tropical vegetation was cut or burned causing the extinction of native soil- and litter fauna. Only few remnants as in the Grand Etang National Park persisted, where a search for apterous Aradidae was successful. This new taxon is the first Aradidae reported to date from Grenada.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Due to the limited range of movement, Grenadaptera ursulae nov.sp. is considered endemic to Grenada.

Additional faunal records

From Martinique following additional records of Aradidae are reported:

Mezira laeviventris (CHAMPION, 1898): 1♂ Martinique / Div ̅ SC1, Morne Rouge, St. Cecile / GPS:704226 ̅ 1632650, Alt 423 / Micro-Hab.: litiẻre ̅ sol, Barber / 7/07/17 (M.Coulis réc.)//; 1♂, 2 L Div. - Cesaise 1 / Fort de France ̅ Morne C ẻsaise / Sol Bois morte / 17/09/17, Alt: 541m / CáV / GPS: 706279 ̅ 1623397 // ; 4♂♂, 5♀♀, 3L Martinique, (M.Coulis réc.) / 341- PDEP4 Saint- Pierre / CảV ̅ 07/03/2019 / Collection CIRAD ̅ Coulis // .

Caribocalisius sp.: Martinique Ravine 332 / GPS: N 14.43342°, W 60.85886° / 06.09.2016 M.Coulis réc. // Deposited in coll. Coulis.

This single female cannot be identified as the description of the two species eventually to be considered: C. elegantulus BERGROTH, 1913 (single female), the only one described from Guadeloupe and C. contubernalis BERGROTH, 1913, which was described from Florida and mentioned also from Guadeloupe (doubtful) were never figured and are not recognizeable from the descriptions. The habitat of the apterous Carventinae is primary and secondary humid rainforest, in contrast to that of the Calisiinae which is a tropical dry deciduous forest on a karstic soil and climatic conditions are very different from the localities Carventinae were collected.

Figures

Figs. 12-17: Grenadaptera ursulae nov.gen. et sp., (12) Holotype ♂; (13) Paratype ♀; (14) Holotype ♂ ventral; (15) ♂ lateral; (16) ♂ terminal sternites; (17) ♂ terminal abdomen lateral. Arrows indicate the position of the pivot like glabrous glandular structures. Scale for Figs. 12-15 = 1mm.