Hoffeinsoria Herczek & Popov

Herczek, Aleksander & Popov, Yuri A., 2012, A new peculiar isometopine genus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae) from the Eocene Baltic amber, Zootaxa 3196, pp. 64-68 : 65

Genus Hoffeinsoria Herczek & Popov , gen. nov.

Type species: Hoffeinsoria robusta Herczek & Popov sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Body elongate oval, not less than 4mm in length. Face (clypeus and genae) in front triangular, narrower than width of head, and eyes strongly prominent. Ocelli distinctly separated and set near posterior margin of head. Tylus elongate. Antennal fossae placed on the frons. Scutellum not enlarged, medium sized. Clavus with divergent sides. Claval Commissure very long, slightly longer than combined length of mesoscutum and scutellum.

Comments. This new genus has features clearly distinguished from most known genera of the subfamily Isometopinae . A combination of such characters as: face in front triangular and more narrow than width of head (as in Joceliana from Brazil, Carvalho [1984]), widely separated ocelli setting near posterior margin of the head, placement of antennal fossae on frons (as in Plaumannocoris from Brazil, Carvalho [1947]), and long claval commissure (as in Namaquaropus from South Africa, Akingbohungbe [2004]); all these characteristics also clearly differentiate it from all known genera of tribes Isometopini , Myiommini, and Elektromyiommini (sensu Herczek 1993). Most probably this new genus merits being a separate tribe.

Description. Female: Large species, somewhat greater than 4 mm. Entire dorsum very shiny, densely pubescent with semi-erect black hairs arising from hardly visible punctures.

Head with the large glabrous eyes, from above sub-rectangular to semilunar in outline; ocelli moderately protuberant, setting near the posterior margin of head, separated by about 4.5 width of each, set somewhat near inner side of eyes; eyes very large, touching anterior margin of pronotum and width of eye 1.5x less than vertex width; clypeus quite long and narrow, reaching half of high head; antennal bases (fovea antennalis) set on distinctly above lower level of eyes; antennae slender, dark brown, moderately short, almost twice as short as length; II segment longest; rostrum reaching second abdominal segment. Pronotum distinctly transverse, ca. 2 twice as wide as long, disc moderately convex, shiny, almost impunctate, and covered with semi-erect black hair, collar not developed, calli strongly flattened and hardly distinguished (mainly visible as strongly glabrous patches), posterior margin straight and bordered by long dark hairs; mesoscutum almost 2.5 shorter than scutellum length, distinctly inclined backwards.

Hemelytra wholly impunctate, especially corium; cuneus distinctly separate from corium, membrane with two cells, one of which very small, pale-brown hyaline; membranea strongly declivous, distinctly crumpled, mainly pale yellow and dark brown in periphery; claval commissure very long, slightly longer than combined length of mesoscutum and scutellum and almost 1.5 times longer than scutellum. Legs short, hind femora significantly not reaching apex of abdomen; tarsi 2-segmented, 1st segment almost 1.5x shorter than 2nd one; claws with subapical tooth.

Venter generally black; prosternum, mesepimeron and metasternum black; coxae partly black, or somewhat pale yellow; femora and tibiae partly pale yellow, dorsal side of tibiae and tarsi dark brown. Abdomen very robust, segments 6–9 gradually enlarged.

Etymology. This genus is named after our friends and colleagues Christel and Hans Werner Hoffeins (Hamburg, Germany), who donated these amber inclusions.

Composition. One species: Hoffeinsoria robusta sp. nov.