Brizica Walker, 1867

WALL, MICHAEL A., 2007, A revision of the Solomonius-group of the stinkbug tribe Halyini (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae), Zootaxa 1539 (1), pp. 1-84 : 28-29

Brizica Walker, 1867

Type species: Brizica : Brizica alacris Walker, 1867 , by monotypy. Neoptolemus : Coctoteris exiguus Distant,

1893, by original designation.

Brizica Walker, 1867: 236 ; Lethierry & Severin, 1893: 99 (L); Distant, 1899: 443 (taxonomic status); Kirkaldy, 1909: 190 (L); Gross, 1976: 255 (Descriptive note, taxonomic status).

Neoptolemus Horváth, 1915: 225 , 243–244. (keyed, species keyed) (syn. nov.); Gross, 1976: 255 (Descriptive note, taxonomic status).

Redescription. Head slightly longer than broad; antennifers stout, acute, visible from above. Distal third of antennal segment I wider than proximal portion; remaining segments terete. Compound eye subglobose; ocelli located posterior to imaginary line between posterior margin of eyes. Pronotum deeply punctuate with collar formed by constriction just behind anterior margin; disc slightly depressed; anterolateral margins sinuate, posterior margin smoothly rounded. Scutellum elongate, triangular with low median raised longitudinal line. Forewings just surpassing abdomen; corium shallowly punctuate. Laterotergites narrowly visible from above. Bucculae parallel-sided. Prosternum sulcate. Mesosternum slightly depressed with median raised carina; posterior margin deeply bilobed. Metasternum deeply sulcate, swollen laterally; posterior margin concave. Metapleuron with circular ostiole of metathoracic scent gland; peritreme parallel-sided, apically rounded; evaporative area covering much of meso- and metapleura; posterior margin straight to slightly curved; posterolateral lobe absent. Profemora armed with row of ventral spines. Posterior margin of abdominal sixth sternite (fifth visible) “V”-shaped; trichobothria paired, transverse, posterior to spiracles.

Color and vestiture. Generally dull straminous to testaceous with black to metallic green punctures and maculations. Head, pronotum, scutellum, and corium covered in short woolly pile. Antennal segments III–V clothed in short pile with interspersed longer stiff bristles.

Males. Pygophore variously modified; proctiger posteriorly lobed with anus subapical, ventral portion of lobe with minute strigil-like files; paramere reduced, fused to interior portions of proctiger; median penile plates distally fused, not elongate; conjunctiva obsolete.

Females. Ninth gonocoxae roughly triangular; secondary thickening of vagina intima elongate, tubular, 2–3X longer than broad, surrounding aperture of spermathecae.

Comments. Species previously described in the genera Neoptolemus and Brizica share a dorsum covered in dense woolly vestiture and ventrally armed profemorae. Furthermore, the variation in male and female genitalia between the two genera is small relative to differences between other genera in the Solomonius -group. Brizica Walker (1867) has priority over Neoptolemus Horváth (1915) .