Vizcayaptera minuta, Heiss, 2018

Heiss, Ernst, 2018, Two new genera and species of flat bugs from the Philippines (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aradidae), Zootaxa 4500 (3), pp. 426-432 : 429

Vizcayaptera minuta sp.nov.

( Figs. 6–7)

Etymology. Refers to the small size of the specimen, from “minutus”>Latin<small.

Type material: Holotype female labelled: Philippines, Prov. Nueva Vizcaya / Quezon Munc. Mount Palali / Base camp / 16.46228, 121.21975 722m / 8.VI.2017 Yellow + Blue Pan Traps / Siler Brachymeles Expedition 4 // ( OMNH 68862 ). The holotype was designated and labelled accordingly.

Description. Head: Longer than wide (0.57/0.52), clypeus short, genae as long as clypeus divergent at apex; antenniferous lobes with acute apex; antennae 2.32 times as long as width of head (1.2/0.52), segment I thickest and longest, II thinner and shortest, III cylindrical, IV fusiform; length of antennal segments I/II/III/IV = 0.37/0.2/ 0.35/0.3; eyes oval inserted in head; postocular lobes with setigerous tubercles straightly converging to constricted neck; vertex carinate; rostrum short and thick arising from an open atrium, half the length of head.

Pronotum: About 1.4 times as wide as long (0.92/0.65), lateral margins anterolaterally converging and rounded; disk with a longitudinal median furrow with around tubercle at base, flanked by smooth ovate plates, laterally rugose; meso- and metanotum separated only laterally of fused median ridge by deep furrows; this ridge is narrow (0.125) along mesonotum, widening (0.25) at metanotum with granulate surface; lateral ovate plates smooth and glabrous, lateral margins granulate; mtg I+II fused to metanotum, separated from mtg III by a deep straight sulcus.

Abdomen: Tergal plate flat and glabrous with usual pattern of apodemal impressions; lateral margins of deltg II–VII straight, mtg VII medially raised and punctured; spiracles II–VII lateral and visible from above; spiracles VIIII lateral on triangular ptg VIII connected by a transverse sclerite;

Venter and legs as generic description.

Measurements: Length 3,35mm; length of antennae 1.22mm; width of abdomen across tergite IV 1.8mm; width tergite VIII 0.62mm.

Discussion. The records of apterous Vizcayaptera gen.nov. and of micropterous Cagayanacoris gen.nov. during broad insect collecting efforts suggest the following. First, that floor litter even in already modified tropical forest patches still can yield hidden diversity that needs to be characterized. Second, focused collecting by a dedicated bark-bug specialist will no doubt not only reveal additional taxa, but also behavioural information that can assess how these bugs disperse, what possibly lead to the evolutionary loss of wings to these bugs, and more. Therefore, fieldwork in the Philippines should continue to keep looking for new species of aradid bugs and will likely add to our growing knowledge of these unique bugs.