Neomacrocoris karimii Poisson

Sites, Robert W. & Mbogho, Aaron Y., 2012, Revision of the African genus Neomacrocoris (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Nepomorpha: Naucoridae), Zootaxa 3555, pp. 1-39 : 16-17

Neomacrocoris karimii Poisson

Figs. 19–22

Neomacrocoris karimii Poisson 1963 : Bull. Inst. Franc. Afr. Noire 25A: 1173, 1189–1191.

Discussion. This species is known from only a single male specimen collected in a small stream over rocks near the route of Muheza to Amani on the road to the Karimi Tea Estate in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania, as was given in the original description. No other account of this species has been published besides its listing in the La Rivers (1971) catalog. During our sampling in Tanzania, we were unable to find this species despite collecting at the type locality and in nearby streams. The substrate of the stream running through the tea plantation is covered heavily with red silt resulting from the agricultural activity, and we found very few insects overall. Elsewhere in the Usambara Mountains, we collected a superficially similar species (see N. vuga below), which we were able to determine as distinct only after examination of the genitalia of N. karimii . The type specimen of N. karimii (Fig. 19) is card-mounted and housed in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle of Paris, but is missing the posterior abdominal segments. Two microscope slides containing the aedeagus (Fig. 20) and 7th (Fig. 21) and 8th segments of this specimen are housed in the Drake Collection in the USNM. Photographs of the holotype, aedeagus, and 7th segment are presented here, thereby reuniting this specimen which currently is being curated in museums on two continents. Poisson (1963) illustrated the body, aedeagus, and 7th and 8th terga. Note that the labels (Figs. 21, 22) have the locality and specific epithet misspelled as “karini” and “karinii”, respectively. The correct spelling is in the original description.

FIGURES 19–22. Neomacrocoris karimii HOLOTYPE (19) habitus, (20) aedeagus of holotype (21) medial lobes of 7th abdominal tergum, with slide label inset, (22) holotype pinned specimen labels. Figs. 20, 21 photographed from Poisson slides at USNM. Sizes are not proportionate among figures.

Poisson (1963) considered N. karimii to be similar to N. vaneyeni , and both are the same length (10.3 mm). Together with N. vuga at 10.9 mm, these three species compose a group of large, ovate species of Neomacrocoris.

Diagnosis. The body is ovate and the male phallosoma is distinct. Because this species is known from only the holotype, the structure of the female subgenital plate is not known.

Published records. TANGANYIKA, monts Usambara (partie sud), ruisselet sur roche, route de Karimi Thea Estates près de la route de Muheza à Amani ( Poisson 1963 ).

Material examined. HOLOTYPE: TANGANYIKA, ruisselet de karini / type /Neomacrocoris karinii Poiss. ( NMHN, 3 body; USNM, slide-mounted abdominal segments 7–8 and aedeagus).