Sciocoris (Neosciocoris) farsianus, Linnavuori, 2012

Linnavuori, Rauno E., 2012, Studies on Pyrrhocoroidea, Coreoidea and Pentatomoidea of Khuzestan and the adjacent provinces in Iran (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52 (1), pp. 67-88 : 82-84

Sciocoris (Neosciocoris) farsianus sp. nov.

( Figs. 2A–B , 4A–B )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: 1J, IRAN: FARS: Fasa – Mianjangal , 18.–19.vi.2006 . PARATYPES: 2JJ, the same data as holotype. The types will be deposited in the National Museum and Galleries of Wales (Cardiff, United Kingdom).

Description. Male. Colouration ( Figs. 2A–B ). Pale ochraceous with very dense fine blackish puncturing on head, pronotum, scutellum, clavus, and corium. Eyes dark brown. Antennae yellowish, antennomere 4 except base, and antennomere 5 brown. Only extreme lateral margins of pronotum pale with pale punctures, calli marginally impunctate. Extreme basal margin of scutellum black. Veins of membrane hyaline with faint brown spots. Connexivum with brown, medially pale, punctures. Ventral surface of body with dark punctures. Apex of rostrum black. Metasternum and sternite I medially black. Dark puncturing in middle of venter sparser. Femora and tibiae with dark spots.

Structure. Body length 5.1 mm, about 1.71–1.85× as long as broad. Head 1.45× as broad as long, 1.1× as long as middle of pronotum, lateral margins only slightly curved; ocular index 4.6–4.92. Proportions between antennomeres 6:11:8:11:14; antennomere 2 0.21× as long as diatone. Rostrum extending to apex of mesosternum. Pronotum 2.3–2.4× as broad as long, anterior margin shallowly insinuated. Scutellum as broad as long, apically rather broad. Hemelytra extending to apex of abdomen. Male pygophore as in Figs. 4A–B .

Differential diagnosis. Easily distinguished by fine and very dense uniform dark puncturing on head, pronotum, scutellum, clavus, and corium; very narrow pale lateral margins of the pronotum; puncturing on the connexivum; relatively broad scutellum; and the shape of the pygophore. The species is related to S. modestus Horváth, 1903 , in similar dense pattern of the pronotum. Sciocoris modestus ( Figs. 2C–D ) differs in somewhat coarser puncturing on the upper surface; head apically narrower and bases of the genae forming a blunt angle in front of the eyes; lateral margins of the pronotum more curved; scutellum narrower apically; and the dorsal connexivum uniformly punctuated, without pale and dark alternating stripes ( DERJANSCHI & PÉRICART 2006). The male pygophore of S. modestus is figured in Figs. 4C–D .

Habitat. On undergrowth in agricultural research station.

Etymology. Named after the province of Fars.

Distribution. So far known only from Iran: Fars.

Comparative material examined. Sciocoris modestus : J (paralectotype), ALGERIA: Ain Sefra, L. Bleuse (coll. Hungarian National Museum, Budapest, Hungary).

Figures

Fig. 2. A–B – Sciocoris farsianus sp. nov., holotype, male; C–D – Sciocoris modestus Horváth, 1903, paralectotype, male.

Fig.4. Male pygophore in ventral and dorsal aspect:A–B – Sciocoris farsianus sp. nov.; C–D – S. modestus Horváth, 1903; E–F – S. kmenti sp. nov. (Figs. C–D after WAGNER (1965)).