Leotichius schuhi Jung

Jung, Sunghoon, Duwal, Ram Keshari & Lee, Seunghwan, 2013, A new species of Leotichius Distant (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Leptopodidae) from Cambodia, Zootaxa 3637 (1), pp. 97-100 : 97-99

Leotichius schuhi Jung sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Generally recognized by pale brown or brown dorsum and dark brown venter, dark brown annulations on femora and hemelytron, dark coloration of cavities; distinctly raised keel like longitudinal carina of pronotum with sinuous posterior margin; incrassate antennal segments I and II, (bulb like segment I and flattened segment II); incrassate sub-apical region of femora with sub-apical and apical dark annulations; and three distinct veins on the membrane (Fig. 1A–B).

Leotichius schuhi is closely related to L. speluncularum among the congeners, but can be easily distinguished by sinuous posterior margin of pronotum, sub-apical and apical annulations of the metafemora, and shape of the paramere. This new species is also distinguished from L. shiva by its much shorter mesotibiae.

Description of adults. Male (Figs. 1A, 2C). Body moderately sized, oval shaped. COLORATION: Head, ventral side of body entirely dark brown; eyes ventrally dark brown and dorsally dull fuscous with pale lateral margin; pronotum and hemelytron pale brown dorsally with dark brown coloration on scutellum except pale apex, corial margins, and cavities; membrane pale with three strongly dark veins; stalk on head pale, base of tubercles brown with pale apices; antennal segment I pale, segment II pale brown, and segment III and IV brown; all femora pale with dull brown rings sub-apically and apically; tibiae and tarsus pale or pale brown with distal apical region dark colored. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsally, pronotum and hemelytra, and all coxa with equally divided cavities; dorsum provided with flattened, short, shining, stout yellow setae, which is densely distributed on head and sparsely distributed on pronotum and hemelytron, at ventral part of body usually margins of eyes, genae, posterior margin of head, margins of sternum, basal margins of coxa provided with densely distributed white elongated feathery hair-like scales; ventral side fore- and mesofemora with pale short and stout spines, arranged right angled to the femora, distal half of all tibia with two rows of FIGURE 1. Dorsal habitus of Leotichius schuhi sp. nov. A, holotype (male); B, paratype (female); C, 3rd nymph; D, final nymph. Scale bar: 0.5mm.

brown elongated erect spines. STRUCTURE: Head narrow, lateral parts covered by disc of eyes; eyes large, stalked, dorsally kidney shaped and rough, ventrally rounded and smooth; ocelli large and placed above the stalk; pronotum broad and vase shaped, with central longitudinal carina distinctly raised and keel like, lateral margin arched upward, anterior margin of pronotum provided with paired tubercles, lateral pair large and inner pair small; mesoscutum obscure, not visible dorsally, scutellum with distinctly raised central and lateral margins, and apex with swollen bulb like structure; hemelytron anteriorly broad, posteriorly narrow, and membrane with three distinctly colored veins; antennal segment I short and swollen and ovate, segment II short and flattened, segments III and IV thin and elongated; labium reaching apex of procoxae; pro- and mesotibiae comparatively thick, hind tibiae elongated, slender and curved; tarsus two segmented, segment I twice the length of segment II. GENITALIA ( Fig. 2 A–B): Left paramere narrow, elongated, outer marginal line serrated apically ( Fig. 2 A). Right paramere flattened and lateral margins irregular ( Fig. 2 B)

Female (Fig. 1B). Color and texture very similar to male, except white elongated feathery hair like scales comparatively more densely distributed.

Description of nymphs (Fig. 1C–D): General body structure and appendages, color and texture of the nymphs very similar to that of adults, but with following differences: stalked ocelli, and paired tubercles on anterior region of pronotum absent, pronotum short in length, not narrowed anteriorly, calli distinctly raised; wing pads and pronotum dorsally without cavities; scales on the head and dorsum very rare or absent; and ventrally head and sternum without any white feathery scales.

Third instar nymph 1.12 mm in length, rectangular shaped, with short wing pad extending to the abdominal segment I, mesoscutum not visible dorsally, and scutellum not well developed.

Fifth instar nymph 1.56 mm in length, with developed wing pad extending up to 7–8th abdominal segment, mesoscutum obscure, and scutellum with distinct lateral and central raised margin.

Measurements. (3/ Ƥ): (1/ 3): Body length 2.50/ 2.33–2.26; head width across eyes 0.83/ 0.76–0.80; vertex width 0.14/ 0.13–0.14; lengths of antennal segments I–IV: 0.16-, 0.16, 0.27, 0.26/ 0.16–0.17, 0.15–0.16, 0.26–0.27, 0.25–0.26; total length of labium 0.63/ 0.61–0.63; mesal pronotal length 0.74/ 0.72–0.74; basal pronotal width 1.05/ 1.02–1.06; and lengths of metafemur, tibia and tarsus: 1.01, 1.23, 0.68/ 1.01–1.02, 1.26–1.27, 0.66–0.69.

Distribution. Cambodia (northern)

Material examined. Holotype: 13, Phnom Kulen National Mountain Park (13°36´46˝ N 104°06´45˝E; 48 km to the north of the provincial town of Siem Reap; alt. ca. 450 m, Cambodia, 28.i.2011, leg. S. Jung, deposited in Seoul National University. Paratypes: 13, 2Ƥ, same data as holotype. Nymphs: 23, 2Ƥ, same data as holotype (SNU).

Etymology. Named after Dr. Randall T. Schuh in recognition of his extensive knowledge of the Heteroptera.

Biology. A number of specimens (mostly nymphs) were observed co-inhabiting with ant-lions and ants around conical ant-lion pits under dried and shaded sandy conditions on basaltic rocks ( Fig. 3 ). These bugs were very fast and cautious, usually jumping around the conical ant-lion pits. The first author observed several ant corpses left by ant-lions around the conical pits, therefore we assumed that this species fed on those corpses.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Illustrations of key characters of Leotichius schuhi sp. nov. A, left paramere; B, right paramere; C, pronotum. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Habitat of Leotichius schuhi sp. nov. in Cambodia.