Redeicephala, Davranoglou & Ox, 2016

Davranoglou, Leonidas-Romanos & Ox, Oxford, 2016, Redeicephala taylori, a new genus and species of Reduviidae from New Guinea, with notes on a few morphological features of the Tribelocephalinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 56 (1), pp. 39-50 : 40-44

Redeicephala gen. nov.

Type species. Redeicephala taylori sp. nov, here designated.

Diagnosis. Recognized among Tribelocephalinae by a combination of the following characters: clypeal process short but acute, directed anteriad, not surpassing labrum; maxillary plates strongly elevated, directed anteriad, deeply impressed along their margin; antenniferous tubercle very strongly (even for a tribelocephaline) produced dorsolaterally; eyes medium sized, broadly separated from each other dorsally and ventrally; vertex short and stout, not forming a long ‘neck’; anterior pronotal lobe devoid of processes, humeri of posterior pronotal lobe distinctly elongate triangular; inner discal cell of hemelytron subdivided basally by m-cu crossvein; hypopleurites VII quadrangular, with rounded apex, not completely covering apex of pygophore, giving the posterior margin of the pregenital abdomen a bilobate appearance. Description of macropterous male. Body robust, stout, covered by stiff, adpressed hairs of varying density ( Figs 1–11 ). Legs slender and rather long. Integument and hemelytra moderately sclerotised.

Vestiture. Head uniformly covered by dense, stiff, semierect pubescence much longer and curlier on vertex. Scapus and pedicellus with very short, adpressed pubescence, intermixed with rows of very long, erect and semierect setae ( Fig. 3 ). Labrum, labium and tarsus covered by long, downward facing setae. Prothorax, thoracic sterna and pleura and mesoscutellum covered by dense, adherent, long pubescence. Posterior pronotal lobe and abdomen covered by uniformly dense, bristle-like pubescence. Ventral surface of coxae and trochanters bearing dense, short setae. Femora covered by dense, very short, adherent setae, with lateral rows of slightly longer, semierect setae. Tibiae with similar setation, gradually becoming denser distally. Corium with dense, bristle-like setation, extending to veins R, M and m-cu cross vein.

Structure. Head. Elongate but stout ( Figs 1–4, 6 , 11 ). Anteocular 2.2 times longer than vertex (postocular). Vertex short and distinctly tapered posteriorly, not forming a distinct ‘neck’. Eyes medium sized, reniform, adpressed to head capsule, composed of relatively few facets. Interocular distance about one fourth of width of head across eyes. Ocelli absent. A pair of minute pits in the posterior interocular region ( Figs 3, 6 ) could either represent ocellar rudiments, internal cuticular structures corresponding to an inner apodeme, or simply a glabrous area with no particular morphological significance. Clypeal process projecting anteriorly, acute, not surpassing level of apex of labrum ( Figs 2 , 4 ). Mandibular plates large, broad in dorsal view ( Fig. 3 ). Maxillary plates large, elevated, kidney-shaped, separated from clypeus and mandibular plates by a deeply impressed, narrow suture along their exterior margin ( Fig. 4 ). Labrum slender, triangular. Labium ( Fig. 4 ). Labial segment II (first apparent) the thickest and longest, reaching posterior margin of eyes, distinctly notched ventrally in proximal area. Segment III (second apparent) slightly curved ventrally, barely shorter that segment II, surpassing base of head. Segment IV (third apparent) obsolete, attaining prosternum. Vertex bearing laterally an elongate glabrous area, extending from posterior margin of eyes to base of head ( Fig. 4 : ga). Antenniferous tubercle prominent, strongly diverging laterally ( Figs 3, 6 ). Antenna. Base of scapus notched, scapus the longest and thickest segment, slightly longer than head ( Fig. 3 ). Scapo-pedicellar articulation bent. Pedicellus thin, slightly shorter than scapus. Flagellomeres slender, filiform, of roughly the same length. Basiflagellum and distiflagellum each subdivided into 3 secondary segments.

Prothorax about 1.5 times wider than long, slightly declivent, collar indistinct. Anterior pronotal lobe small, subdivided by a median tergal ridge into two rounded lobes with impressed, wavy sculpture (attachment points for tergocoxal leg muscles). Posterior pronotal lobe wider than long, disc smooth, posterolateral angles (humeri) prominent, triangular, directed slightly posteriad ( Figs 1 , 6 ). Mesoscutellum small, rounded, almost semicircular. Propleuron almost trapeziform in lateral view. Prosternum without process, mesosternum without median longitudinal carina, metasternum with rounded median elevation. Acetabula small, not pronounced, coxae greatly exposed ( Fig. 5 ).

Legs moderately long and straight, coxae globular, as wide as long. Proximal part of metacoxal margin with a minute opening (furcal apophysis). Trochanter small, quadrangular. Femur straight, almost as long as tibia. All tibiae without fossula spongiosa, tibial comb present on fore leg. Tarsus (preserved only in mid tibia) 3-segmented, tarsal claws simple, symmetrical ( Fig. 10 ).

Wings not reaching apex of abdomen, 2.5 times longer than their greatest width ( Figs 1 , 7 ). Corium narrow and short. Veins M, Cu and PCu thick. R reaching middle of hemelytron, m-cu cross vein present ( Fig. 7 ).

Pregenital abdomen wide oval, with a medial longitudinal keel extending from sternite III to posterior margin of sternite VII ( Figs 8–10 ). Connexival margin simple. Sternites III–VII about 6 times wider than hypopleurites. Mediotergites concealed by hemelytra. Epipleurites broad, raised, obscuring proximal portion of hemelytra in lateral view. Glabrous patches corresponding to dorsoventral muscle attachments present on lateral edge of mediotergites. Hypopleurites III–VI relatively narrow, quadrangular, slightly longer than sternites. Hypopleurites VII broad, not fused to each other at apex of pygophore, posterolaterally rounded, giving the abdominal extremity a bifid appearance ( Figs 1 , 7 , 8–9 ).

Etymology. Named after Dávid Rédei (Nankai University, Tianjin, China), my mentor and dear friend. The name is formed by combination of the surname Rédei and Tribelocephala , the type genus of the subfamily Tribelocephalinae . The gender is feminine.

Figures

Figs 1–2. Habitus images of Redeicephala taylori gen. & sp. nov. 1 – dorsal view; 2 – lateral view.

Figs 3–7. Close up habitus images of Redeicephala taylori gen. & sp. nov. 3 – dorsal view of head and thorax, emphasizing antennal setation; 4 – lateral close-up of head; 5 – thorax, lateral view; 6 – head and thorax, dorsal view; 7 – hemelytra and abdomen, dorsal view, with emphasis on wing venation. Abbreviations: m-cu cross vein; ga – glabrous area.

Figs 8–11. Morphological details of Redeicephala taylori gen. & sp. nov. 8 – abdomen, ventral view; 9 – apex of abdomen with pygophore; 10 – thorax, abdomen and mesotarsus; 11 – head and thorax, ventral view.