Jitka elegans, Kment, 2015

Kment, Petr, 2015, Two new genera of Madagascan Pentatominae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 55 (2), pp. 591-624 : 599-607

Jitka elegans sp. nov.

(Figs 1–5, 9–43, 72–74)

Type locality. Madagascar, Toliara Province, Sakaraha env., Zombitse-Vohibasy National Park , ca. 22°53′S 44°41′E. Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( MNHN), ‘ Sakaraha / Zombitsy / 11/12.IV.56 [p] // INSTITUT / SCIENTIFIQUE / MADAGASCAR [p, greyish label] // MUSEUM PARIS [p] // J [p] // HOLOTYPUS / JITKA / ELEGANS / sp. nov. / det. P. KMENT 2015 [p, red label]’. The holotype is card-mounted, with a pin-hole in pronotum, right antennal segment IV, left antennal segments III and IV, right protarsus, right metatarsal segments II and III, and left hind leg all missing ; the genital capsule is detached and dissected, glued with proctiger and parameres on a separate piece of card, the dissected phallus is placed in a plastic microvial with glycerol, both are attached to the same pin. PARATYPES: 1 ♀, ‘Madagascar Sud-Ouest / Tuléar-Sakaraha / Zombitsy 630m / XII-59 / Raharizonina [p] // MUSEUM PARIS [p] // INSTITUT / SCIENTIFIQUE / MADAGASCAR [p, greyish label] // ♀ [p] // Genus not / in B. M. [hw] / W.E. China det. 196[p]4[hw]’ ( MNHN), pinned ; 1 ♀, ‘Madagascar Sud / dct. Fort-Dauphin, Antanimora 300m / XII-59 / Raharizonina [p] // INSTITUT / SCIENTIFIQUE / MADAGASCAR [p, greyish label] // COLLECTIO / NATIONAL MUSEUM / Praha, Czech Republic [p] // ♀ [p]’ ( NMPC), card-mounted, abdomen detached and dissected, internal female genitalia placed in microvial with glycerol ; 1 J, ‘COLL. MUS. TERVUREN [p, large label, the following two labels glued on it:] // Brit.Mus. / 1965-338 [p] / INSTITUT / SCIENTIFIQUE / MADAGASCAR [p, greyish label] // Sakaraha / Lambomakandro / P. Griveaud [p] // J [p]’ ( MRAC), pinned ; 1 ♀, ‘COLL. MUS. TERVUREN [p, large label, the following two labels glued on it:] // Brit.Mus. / 1965-338 [p] / INSTITUT / SCIENTIFIQUE / MADAGASCAR [p, greyish label] // Genus not / in B. M. [hw] / W.E. China det. 196[p]4[hw]’ // Sakaraha / Lambomakandro / P. Griveaud [p] // ♀ [p]’ ( MRAC), card-mounted, damaged, head detached. All paratypes bear the following identification label: ‘ PARATYPUS / JITKA / ELEGANS / sp. nov. / det. P. KMENT 2015 [p, red label]’. Additional material examined. MADAGASCAR: 1 4 th instar larva, ‘ZOM/ Jan 2013 /02 MADAGASCAR / ZOMBITSE N.P. „Circuit Lobo“ 771m / S22°53′10.9″ E44°42′01.5″ ; 24.i.2013 / sifting litter. Winkler app. Extr.; L.S. / Rahanitriniaina & E.M. Rabotoson lgt. [p] // JITKA / ELEGANS / sp. nov. / P. KMENT det. 2015 [p]’ ( MMBC), glued on a triangular piece of card .

Description of adult. Coloration (Figs 1–3). Head, thorax and abdomen brick red, ventral surface slightly paler; compound eyes black, reddish or with silver luster; antennal segments I and IIa pale reddish with black punctures, remaining segments black except of basal 1/3 of IIb, basal 1/4 of III and basal 2/5 of IV reddish; labium reddish, segments II and III with black stripe ventrally, segment IV more or less black; legs pale reddish with dense black punctures concentrated in middle and apical portions of femora, on entire protibiae, and in basal and apical portions of meso- and metatibiae, giving them black appearance when seen from distance; apices of claws black; spiracles on abdominal ventrites III to VII black. Membrane clear or slightly infumated.

Integument and vestiture. Body covered with small, dense, concolorous to black punctures dorsally (except pronotal calli and narrow callose longitudinal midline extending from posterior portion of vertex to anterior third of scutellum – Fig. 1); punctures on connexivum concolorous, less prominent. Head and thorax ventrally with larger and sparser, mostly brown punctures ( Figs 9, 11 ); abdomen ventrally with smaller and denser, brown to black punctures. Legs with prominent black punctures, nearly regularly distributed on profemur and protibia, concentrated in middle and apical portions of femora and basal and apical portions of tibiae of mid and hind legs, sparse on the remaining portions.

Body, hemelytra, coxae and femora, and outer walls of genital capsule glabrous, only posterior margin of abdominal ventrite VII in females and external female genitalia with short, pale setae; inferior surface of tibiae ( Fig. 19 ) with stout, semierect brownish setae, apically intermingled with few longer and finer setae; tarsi ( Fig. 19 ) densely (segment I) or sparsely (II and III) with short, semierect, brownish setae ventrally. Labium and antennal segments IIb and III with sparse short and fine whitish setae, antennal segment IV with dense whitish microsetae.

Structure. See the generic description.

Measurements (in mm). Males (n = 2; holotype / paratype). Body length 11.69 / 11.69; head: length 2.55 / 2.65, width (including eyes) 2.74 / 2.89, interocular width 1.91 / 2.06; lengths of antennal segments: I – 0.54 / 0.59, IIa – 0.88 / 0.98, IIb – 0.98 / 0.98, III – 1.13 / 1.13, IV – missing; pronotum: length 2.74 / 2.94, width 6.86 / 7.16; scutellum: length 4.41 / 4.61, width 4.31 / 4.41; abdomen: width (across segment IV) 8.14 / 8.43.

Females (n = 3; for body length, all head measurements, and antennal segments I–IIb: n = 2; for antennal segments III and IV: n = 1; minimum–maximum, where three measurements are available than median (minimum–maximum); single value means no span). Body length 12.62–13.08; head: length 2.65, width (including eyes) 2.99, interocular width 2.11; lengths of antennal segments: I – 0.54–0.59, IIa – 0.98–1.03, IIb – 0.98–1.08, III – 1.23, IV – 1.57; pronotum: length 3.04 (2.99–3.19), width 7.75 (7.65–7.84); scutellum: length 4.90 (4.90–5.24), width 4.80 (4.66–5.05); abdomen: width (across segment IV) 8.92 (8.81–9.31).

Intraspecific variation. Specimens examined seem uniform in structure (except for slight differences in measurements) and show only a limited variation in coloration (one specimen having labium, legs and outer margin of connexival segments paler, almost ivory in ground).

Description of 4 th instar larva (Figs 4–5, 39–43). Coloration, integument and vestiture (Figs 4–5). Body pale brown with scattered black spots (especially adjacent to inner margin of eyes, on lateral margins of mandibular plates, on pronotal calli, on lateral margins of thorax, in posterolateral angles of connexival segments, and around median and posterior pair of dorsal abdominal scent glands) and whitish callose spots (especially on thorax and connexiva). Antennal segment I brownish, segment II brownish with three longitudinal black stripes, segment III black. Apical halves of all femora, entire protibiae, and basal portions (widely) and apices (narrowly) of meso- and metatibiae appearing black due to densely distributed large black punctures; remaining parts of legs and labium beige. Pilosity as in the adult.

Structure. Head (Figs 5, 16–17) narrower than in adult, more curved downwards anteriorly, mandibular plates less explanate, surpassing but not meeting in front of clypeus, apex of clypeus free ( Fig. 16 ). Bucculae ( Fig. 17 : bc) very low, labial segment I ( Fig. 17 : lb1) almost fully exposed. Anterior margin of pronotum straight, anterolateral angles obtuse, toothed apically (Fig. 4). Lateral margins of pro- and mesothorax finely serrate. Fore wing pads reaching posterior margin of metathorax. Ostioles of anterior pair of dorso-abdominal scent glands (DAGs) not apparent, without ear-shaped structures or evaporatorium ( Figs 39–40 ), median and posterior pair of DAGs with well developed round ostioles, each accompanied with closing valve, cuticular ridge, scimitar-like ear-shaped structure and surrounded by an evaporatorium of honeycomb-like microsculpture ( Figs 41–43 : o, v, cr, es, ev). Structure of legs (Fig. 5) as in adults except of additional denticles on superior surface of apical (blackened) portions of femora (most prominent on profemora).

Measurements (in mm, n = 1). Body length 6.62; head: length 1.86, width (including eyes) 1.96, interocular width 1.32; lengths of antennal segments: I – 0.39, II – 1.32, III – 0.83, IV – missing; pronotum: length 1.27, width 3.77; abdomen: width (across segment IV) 3.77. Etymology. The species name is the Latin adjective elegans meaning first of all elegant, fine, and handsome. It is given to mark the elegant shape and coloration of the species and also to fit the feminine personal name of the genus.

Collecting circumstances. The single available larva was collected in the Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park, an area covered with low semi-deciduous seasonal forests with a canopy height up to 10 m (see Figs 72–73). The specimen was collected by sifting of litter and a subsequent extraction in the Winkler apparatus (P. Baňař, pers. comm. 2015).

Distribution. Semi-arid area of south and south-western Madagascar (Fig. 74).

Figures

Figs 9–13. Jitka elegans sp. nov. 9 – head, ventral view (magnification 37×). 10 – profemur, ventral view (50×). 11 – meso- and metapleuron with external scent efferent system of the metathoracic scent gland (32×).12 – ostiole and peritreme (160×). 13 – external female genitalia (37×). Abbreviations: ev – evaporatorium, o – ostiole, pes – peritremal surface. Scale bars: 0.2 mm – 12, 0.5 mm – 9–11, 13.

Figs 14–19. Jitka elegans sp. nov. 14–15 – head of adult (14 – dorsal view, 15 – lateral view). 16–17 – head of larva (16 – dorsal view, 17 – lateral view). 18 – meso- and metapleuron with external scent efferent system of the metathoracic scent gland (evaporatorium dotted). 19 – protibia and protarsus (lateral surface in anterior view of the bug). Abbreviations: at – antenniferous tubercle, bc – buccula, ev – evaporatorium, lb1 – labial segment I, lr – labrum, mp – mandibular plate, o – ostiole, pes – peritremal surface, sp – metathoracic spiracle. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figs 39–43. Jitka elegans sp. nov., larval dorso-abdominal scent glands (DAG). 39 – larval abdomen in dorsal view (magnification 32×). 40 – anterior pair of DAG (90×). 41 – median pair of DAG (80×). 42 – detail of median DAG (250×). 43 – detail of posterior DAG (200×). Abbreviations: cr – cuticular ridge, es – ear-shaped structure, ev – evaporatorium, o – ostiole covered by valve. Scale bars: 0.1 mm – 42, 43; 0.5 mm – 40, 41; 1 mm – 39.