Nerthra buenoi Todd, 1955

Nieser, Nico, Chen, Ping-ping & Caspers, Max, 2024, Taxonomic notes on toad bug genus Nerthra (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gelastocoridae) with description of a new species from Bonaire and Curaçao, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 64 (1), pp. 33-46 : 36

Nerthra buenoi Todd, 1955

( Figs 9–14 , 16 , 38 )

Nerthra buenoi Todd, 1955: 365 (original description of female). Nerthra buenoi : TODD (1957a): 2 (description of male, distribution).

Material examined. BRAZIL: PARǠ: Capanema, 01°11′45″S, 47°10′W, 17.viii.1959, leg. E.H. Bonn, 1 3 ( NCTN).

Distribution ( Fig. 37 ). This species was described using a single female from ʻBnitp Prov. Pernambuco, Brazil’. This is probably Bonito, a locality somewhat inland of Recife. Later, TODD (1957a) reported two males and two females from Formoso in Goiás, collected during the Machris Expedition. Accompanied with his brief description of the male, TODD (1957a) also presented a very simple outline of the apex of the paramere. Our specimen is from Capanema, Pará, which is 160 km WNW of Belém ( Fig. 37 ).

Comparative notes. Nerthra buenoi and N. raptoria ( Fabricius, 1803) are very similar small toad bugs, which share the widened fore femora. The differences between them are: i) N. buenoi (length 4.2, width 2.6) ( Figs 9‒10 ) is smaller than N. raptoria (length 5.0–5.5, width 3.1–3.4) ( Figs 19‒20 ). iii) in N. buenoi the distal edge ( Fig. 13 ) of the widening of the fore femur has a sharper point than in N. raptoria ( Fig. 21 ). However, this is difficult to evaluate on a single specimen. iii) The parameres of these species are acuminate, in N. buenoi the narrowed tip is long and straight ( Figs 14 , 16 ), whereas in N. raptoria it is short and curved ( Figs 18 , 22, 23 ). However, the apex of the paramere of our specimen from Capanema ( Fig. 16 ) differs from the specimens from Formoso ( Fig. 14 ). More male specimens are needed to evaluate the variation of its paramere.

Figures

Figs 9–14. Nerthra buenoi Todd, 1955, male: 9–10 – habitus (9 – dorsal view, 10 – ventral view); 11 – labels of specimen; 12 – abdominal end with paramere exposed; 13 – right fore leg (ventral view); 14 – paramere (medial view).

Figs 15–18. Nerthra spp., apex of paramere, ventral view: 15 – N. americana (Montandon, 1905); 16 – N. buenoi Todd, 1955; 17 – N. occidua Todd, 1959; 18 – N. raptoria (Fabricius, 1803).

Figs 38–39. Distribution of treated Nerthra species: 38 – N. americana (Montandon, 1905), N. buenoi Todd, 1955 and N. papaceki sp. nov.; 39 – N. occidua Todd, 1959.

Figs 35–37. Nerthra occidua Todd, 1959. 35–36 – female, habitus dorsal view (35 – before cleaning, 36 – cleaned). 37 – apex of paramere (ventral view).

Figs 19–23. Nerthra raptoria (Fabricius, 1803): 19–21 – female: 19 – habitus (dorsal view), 20 – habitus (ventral view); 21 – fore legs (ventral view); 22–23 – male, paramere (22 – ventral view; 23 – apex, dorsal view).