Baranowskiobius, Pablo M. Dellapé, María C. Melo & Thomas J. Henry, 2016

Pablo M. Dellapé, María C. Melo & Thomas J. Henry, 2016, A phylogenetic revision of the true bug genus Heraeus (Hemiptera: Rhyparochromidae: Myodochini), with the description of two new genera and 30 new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 177 (177), pp. 29-134 : 110-111

BARANOWSKIOBIUS GEN. NOV.

Type species: Nabis elegans Walker, 1873a: 144 . HERE DESIGNATED.

Diagnosis

Postocular region elongate, longer than interocellar distance. Jugal ridge present. Mesepimeron emergent. Evaporative area extensive. Clavus with three complete rows of punctures and additional incomplete rows between inner and median row. Procoxa with a spine. Protrochanters without spines. Aedeagus unspined, vesica with two lobes weakly sclerotized laterally; ejaculatory ductus wide; processus gonopori broadened towards apex.

Description

Relatively large and elongate. Pruinose dorsally.

Head: Elongate, vertex rounded. Postocular region elongate, longer than interocellar distance, slightly narrowing, forming a neck. Eyes surpassing dorsal margin of head. Jugal ridge present. Buccular juncture V-shaped, near insertion of labium.

Thorax: Pronotum punctate, more conspicuous on collar and posterior lobe. Mesepimeron emergent. Evaporative area extensive, covering a thin fringe on mesopleura and all of metapleural area, except on dorsal quarter. Clavus with three complete rows of punctures and filled with two additional incomplete rows on distal three-quarters between inner and median rows. Procoxa with a small spine in both sexes. Profemur incrassate, elongate, with spines on apical half arranged in two rows. Protibia straight, with spiniferous tubercles, with or without spines in males. Protrochanter and mesofemur without spines in both sexes. Meso- and metatibiae with spiniform setae.

Abdomen, male genitalia: Aedeagus unspined, vesica with two lobes weakly sclerotized laterally, ejaculatory ductus wide; processus gonopori broadened towards apex.

Etymology

This new genus is named in honor of our friend and colleague Dr Richard Baranowski , who has published numerous important papers on the Lygaeoidea, including the ‘ Lygaeidae of Florida’ (Slater &

Baranowski, 1990 ) and the ‘ Lygaeidae of the West Indies’ ( Baranowski & Slater, 2005). The gender is masculine.

This new genus is created to accommodate Heraeus elegans ( Walker, 1873) and two new species. These are the largest species that previously would have been included in the genus Heraeus , but they lack the characteristic anteriorly protruding collar found on all members of that genus. Their general appearance and the male genitalia, with an unspined aedeagus with two basally sclerotized lobes, resemble species of the Neotropical genus Paisana Dellapé, 2008 , including five species distributed in southern South America (Argentina and Brazil), but the species included in Baranowskiobius gen. nov. are larger and more slender, the juga is angulate, the aedeagus has a wide ejaculatory ductus, and the processus gonopori is broadened towards the apex. As in Paisana , the presence or absence of tubercles or spines on the male protibia and the serrated corial margin are considered intrageneric variation.