Afromenotes, Kment & Kocorek, 2014

Kment, Petr & Kocorek, Anna, 2014, Afromenotes hirsuta, a new genus and species of Eumenotini from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Dinidoridae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54 (1), pp. 109-131 : 112-114

Afromenotes gen. nov.

Type species. Afromenotes hirsuta sp. nov., by present designation.

Diagnosis. The new genus is closely related to the Oriental genus Eumenotes , sharing a number of peculiar morphological characters (cf. also DURAI 1987, KOCOREK & LIS 2000):

1) Intersegmental sclerites between antennal segments almost invisible, hidden inside segments (Fig. 5).

2) Pronotum almost subquadrate, without collar-like structure behind head ( Figs 1 –3, 6–7).

3) Evaporatorium very small. The evaporatorium is limited to the metapleuron in Afromenotes gen. nov. (Figs 12–14), but it extends to the posterior margin and lateral portion of mesopleuron in Eumenotes (see Figs 16–18). (An evaporatorium restricted to the metapleuron was erroneously reported for Eumenotes by DURAI (1987) and KOCOREK & LIS (2000)).

4) Spiracle on sternite II (¿rst visible abdominal segment) exposed, situated laterally ( Figs 20 –23) (especially when compared with position of spiracles III–VII).

5) Anterior and posterior margin of hypopleurites (= outer laterotergites) and epipleurites (inner laterotergites) placed in line with margins of tergites.

6) Two-segmented tarsi.

7) Absence of tibial tympanal organs (cf. also LIS 2003). This character is shared with Dinidorinae and is most probably plesiomorphic within Dinidoridae .

8) Unpaired trichobothria (due to the waxy crust covering the body of Afromenotes gen. nov. we failed to determine the presence of trichobothria with certainty, though it seems that there are small trichobothria bearing tubercles present exactly in the same position like in Eumenotes ).

However, close comparison of both taxa revealed a number of differences substantiating erection of a new genus to accommodate the new African species, especially in the shape and structure of head, pronotum, scutellum, the external efferent system of the metathoracic scent glands, and pilosity. The distinguishing characters of both genera are presented in Table 2.

Etymology. The generic name is composed of the pre¿x Afro -, referring to the African distribution of the new taxon, and the ending - menotes, derived from the name of the sister genus Eumenotes ; the gender is feminine.

Species included. Monotypic.

Figures

Figs 1í5. General habitus and antennal morphology.1í3, 5 – Afromenotes hirsuta gen.& sp. nov.: 1 – holotype,female (dorsal view); 2í3 – paratype, female (2 – dorsal view, 3 – lateral view); 5 – antenna of the holotype. 4 í Eumenotes obscura Westwood, 1846, female, Malaysia: Tanah Rata..

Figs 20í23. External morphology: 20, 22 – Afromenotes hirsuta gen. & sp. nov., paratype, female; 21, 23 – Eumenotes obscura Westwood, 1846, male, Laos: Namtha. 20–21 – base of corium and connexivum (20 – magni¿cation 100×, 21 – 100×); 22í23 – spiracle on ventrite II (22 í 120×, 23 – 120×). Abbreviation: s – metathoracic spiracle. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (Figs 22, 23), 0.5 mm (Figs 21, 23).