Bathycoelia thalassina ( Herrich-Schäffer, 1844 ),

Nicolas, Vincent, Carapezza, Attilio, Rider, David A. & Kment, Petr, 2024, New records, diagnostics and preliminary checklist of the superfamily Pentatomoidea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from the Comoro Islands, Zootaxa 5481 (1), pp. 1-29 : 8-11

Bathycoelia thalassina ( Herrich-Schäffer, 1844)

( Figs. 4 , 11–18 )

= Bathycoelia cuneifera Bergroth, 1913: 230 . New junior subjective synonym.

Type material examined. Bathycoelia cuneifera . Lectotype (here designated; Figs. 11–16 ): ♀ ( MZHF), ‘Mayotte [hw] // Bathycoelia / cuneifera Bergr. [hw] // Mus.Zool. Helsinki / Loan No / HE [p] 1193 [hw in blue, yellow label] // http://id.luomus.fi/ / GAC.34669 / COMOROS / 12.836 S, 45.151 E [p, white label with QR code] // LECTOTYPUS / BATHYCOELIA / CUNEIFERA / Bergroth, 1893 / des. NICHOLAS et al. 2023 [p, red label] // BATHYCOELIA / THALASSINA / (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1844) / det. Kment-Carapezza 2023 [p]’. The body length of the lectotype is 20.3 mm; it is pinned through scutellum, wings slightly outstretched; left antennomere IV, complete right antenna and right mesotarsomeres II and III missing.

Additional material examined. MAYOTTE: Dziani Karihani, 30.iv.2018, 1♂, V. Nicolas lgt. & det.; Mlima Combani, 14.v.2019, photo, V. Nicolas lgt. & det.; Mlima Choungui , 18.x.2021, photo, V. Nicolas lgt. & det. ( VNBF) .— CAMEROON: 416054, Sangmelima , 7.xii.1987, 1♀, Y. Zvik lgt., A. Carapezza det. 2023 ( TUAI) ; Batanga , ii.1911, 1♀, A. I. Good lgt., D. A. Rider det. ( DARC) ; Efulen , 24.ix.1922, 1♂, H. L. Weber lgt., D. A. Rider det. ( DARC) ; Lolodorf , 31.x.1913, 1♀, A. I. Good lgt., D. A. Rider det. ( DARC) ; Ndan Bog , vii.1993, 1♂, 1♀, P. Moretto lgt., D. A. Rider det. ( DARC) ; Norel Sauaga, N. Dom , 20.–28.ii.1993, 1♂, 1♀, P. Moretto lgt., D. A. Rider det. ( DARC) ; Zilli , x.1993, 1♀, P. Moretto lgt., D. A. Rider det. ( DARC) . CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: 40 km E Bambio , 500 m, 3°60′N 17°12′E, 9.xi.2012, 1♀, J. Halada lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) ; 40 km S Nola , 600 m, 3°23′N 16°10′E, 13.xi.2012, 1♂, J. Halada lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) ; Kemo prov., 45 km N Sibut , 550 m, 3°60′N 17°12′E, 15.iii.2010, 1♀, A. Kudrna jr. lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) . DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: 429740, Salonga National Park , E-Congo camp, xii.2016 – i.2017, 1♀ ( Fig. 18 ), V. Kravchenko & G. Muller lgt., A. Carapezza det. 2023 ( TUAI) . GABON: 160 km NNE Libreville , 650 m, 0°43′N 10°21′E, 25.–27.ii.2012, 1♀, A. Kudrna jr. lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) ; Kinguélé, Monts de Cristal N. P., 230 m, 0°26′25″N 10°16′26″E, 19.–30.xi.2019, 4♂, 3♀, D. Sechi lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) . ETHIOPIA: Sheko Forest , 1.350 m, 7°04′61″N 35°26′34″E, 16.iv.2015, 1♀, at light, A. Carapezza lgt. & det. ( ACPI). GHANA: WACRI, Tafo, 8.ii.1965, 1♂, from cocoa leaves; 6.viii.1965, 1♀ ( Fig. 17 ); Tafo, 27.ix.1965, 1♂, on cocoa, all both N. Lodos lgt. & det., P. Kment revid. ( NMPC); Tafo , 15.ii.1980, 1♀, J. Hama lgt., D. A. Rider det. ( DARC); Tafo, 28.vi.1965, 1♀, Kumar det. ( DARC); Tafo, ix.1978, 3♀, Crig lgt., D. A. Rider det. ( DARC); Tafo, 16.xii.1965, UV trap, 1♀, Kumar det. ( DARC); Tafo, WACRI, xi.1963, BMG, on cocoa, 1♂, D. A. Rider det. ( DARC); Tafo, WACRI, 28.xii.1963, 1♀, D. A. Rider det. ( DARC); Kade, 4.xi.1974, 1♂, D. A. Adabie lgt., D. A. Rider det. ( DARC); Kade, 20.x.1974, 1♂, J. H. Adiamart lgt., D. A. Rider det. ( DARC); Ghana, no specific locality data, 2♂, 3♀, Rider det. ( DARC). GUINEA: Foret ClasÉ de Ziama, Seredou , 230 m, 8°22′92″N 9°18′36″E, 6.vii.2004, 1♂, 2♀, M. Halada lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) . NIGERIA: Goshaka Numfi NP, 25 km SW Serti , 400 m a.s.l., 7°20′N 11°13′E, 9.–13.v.2011, 1♀, J. Halada lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) ; Ibadan , ca. I.–VI.1954, H. S. Clausen, 1♂, H. S. Clausen, D. A. Rider det. ( ZMUC) . REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Pool prov. , 10 km SE Ioni, 650 m, 3°05′40″S 15°12′26″E, 21.x.2016, 1♀, J. Halada lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) ; Sangha prov. , 20 km SW Cabosse, 530 m, 2°00′25″S 13°54′22″E, 2.xi.2016, 1♀, J. Halada lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) ; Sangha prov. , 5 km E SembÉ, 400 m, 1°38′32″S 14°37′08″E, 1.xi.2016, 1♀, J. Halada lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) ; West Cuvette prov., Mbomo west env., 600 m, 0°24′20″S 14°39′26″E, 25.x.2016, 1♂, J. Halada lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) . TANZANIA: pr. Lindi, Litipo Forest Reserve, Tandanagoro vill. env., 100 m a.s.l., 10°12′S 30°30′E, 11.xii.2016, 1♂, 1♀, J. Halada lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) ; pr. Lindi, Ngarama South Forest Reserve , 10 km W of Kiranjerangue, 130 m a.s.l., 9°31′S 39°34′E, 12.xii.2018, 1♀, J. Halada lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) ; pr. Pwani, 25 km SW of Utete, Nyamwage vill. env., 60 m a.s.l., 8°06′S 38°57′E, 14.–15.xii.2016, 2♀, J. Halada lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) ; pr. Ruwuma, 25 km W of Songea, Mato Mondo vill. env., 950 m a.s.l., 10°41′S 35°25′E, 30.xii.2018, 1♀, J. Halada lgt., A. Carapezza det. ( ACPI) .

Biology. This species is known to develop on Theobroma cacao ( Malvaceae ), being a pest of cocoa that causes premature ripening of pods (e.g., Schouteden 1906, Mayné & Ghesquière 1934, Golding 1940, Gerard 1965, Lodos 1967, Owusu-Manu 1976). According to Marchart & Lodos (1969) and Owusu-Manu (1979), larvae and adults of B. thalassina feed on the fruits of Kigelia africana ( Bignoniaceae ), Coccinia barteri , Cucumeropsis edulis [= Melothria sphaerocarpa ] (both Cucurbitaceae ), Rothmannia longiflora , R. whitfieldii ( Rubiaceae ), Citrus × aurantium [bitter orange], C. × latifolia [lime], C. × paradisi [grapefruit], C. × sinensis [orange], C. cinonum [not identified] ( Rutaceae ), Cola acuminata and Theobroma grandiflora ( Malvaceae ). Other plant associations mentioned are Mangifera indica ( Anacardiaceae ), Citrus sp. ( Afreh-Nuamah 1988), Terminalia catappa ( Combretaceae ) ( Mamet 1957), Manihot ( Euphorbiaceae ) ( Mayné & Ghesquière 1934, Leston 1956), Musa [banana] ( Musaceae ) ( Leston 1956) and Cocos nucifera [coconut palm] ( Arecaceae ) (Kirkaldy 1909).

Distribution. Angola ( Anonymus 1984), Cameroon ( Haglund 1894; Karsch 1895; Schouteden 1904, as B. thalasina , 1906, 1943; Lehmann 1922; Leston 1956; Linnavuori 1982a), Central African Republic (new record), Comoros: Mayotte ( Bergroth 1913, as B. cuneifera ; this paper), Democratic Republic of the Congo ( Distant 1901; Schouteden 1909, 1911, 1929; Mayné & Ghesquière 1934), Ethiopia (new record), Gabon ( Distant 1890), Gambia ( Dallas 1851, as Bathycoelia thalassima ), Ghana ( Southwood 1961, Lodos 1967, Owusu-Manu 1977, Nuamah 1982, Afreh-Nuamah 1988), Guinea ( Herrich-Schäffer 1844, as Gastraulax thalassinus ; Villiers 1952a, as Bathicoelia [sic] nigromarginata ; Linnavuori 1974, as B. thalassina f. nigromarginata ), Ivory Coast ( Villiers 1949, as B. nigromarginata ; Schouteden 1964; Linnavuori 1982a), Mauritius ( Mamet 1957), Nigeria (e.g., Stål 1865, 1876; Leston 1952; Gerard 1965; Medler 1980; Linnavuori 1982a), Republic of the Congo ( Villiers 1967, Göllner-Scheiding 2012), São Tomé and Príncipe ( Horváth 1904), Sierra Leone ( Anonymus 1984), Tanzania ( Anonymus 1984, confirmed in this paper), Uganda ( Anonymus 1984).

Considering the distribution pattern of this species in Western and Central Africa, the populations in Comoros and Mauritius may be the result of human introduction with agriculture.

Taxonomy. Bergroth (1913) provided a Latin description of B. cuneifera , accompanied with the following differential diagnosis: ‘Differs from all other species by the striking colour of the connexival segments which have a pale whitish green spot connecting the two black spots, the anterior of which is wedge-shaped, turning its apex forward.’ He further compared the species with B. praelongirostris Bergroth, 1893 , from Seychelles, which has the connexival segments usually unicolorous green without any markings, sometimes with a very narrow, nearly obscure, longitudinal dark brown to reddish brown line along the lateral connexival margins (observed in one female) (D. Rider, pers. observ.). Another important character for distinguishing Bathycoelia species is the structure of the anterolateral angles of the scutellum; Bergroth (1913) described it as follows: ‘Scutellum ad angulos basales foveola nigra et mox pone hanc callo elevato laevi flavo-testaceo instructum. [= Scutellum provided at basal angles with little black fovea and just behind it an elevated, smooth, shining flavo-testaceous callosity.]’ After its description, B. cuneifera has never been mentioned in the literature except Cachan (1952), who merely repeated Bergroth’s original description.

Villiers (1952a: 306) recorded ‘ Bathicoelia [sic] nigromarginat a Bergroth’ from Mt. Nimba, Guinea, without any further comment. Later Linnavuori (1974) gave a detailed description of a female under the name Bathycoelia thalassina f. nigromarginata Bergroth , accompanied by the following statement: ‘The species B. nigromarginata has been recorded by Villiers (1952a, p. 305 [error]). I have not been able to find the original description, and Mrs. G. M. Black has informed me in a latter [sic] that she could not trace it in the lists of the British Museum either. Thus I do not know whether Bergroth really has described the species, or whether B. nigromarginata is only a manuscript name. At any rate B. nigromarginata undoubtedly is only a dark colour variety of the widespread B. thalassina (H.- S.).’ In this point we fully agree with Linnavuori that Bergroth has never described the species B. nigromarginata and the name remains unavailable ( Kment & Carapezza 2017). The history of B. nigromarginata reveals that B. thalassina was apparently unknown to Bergroth, who has never mentioned it in any of his papers and intended to describe it as a new species.

Bergroth (1913) described B. cuneifera based on an unspecified number of female specimens, although the single measurement provided by him does not suggest more than one specimen. Due to this uncertainty, we follow Recommendation 73F of the ICZN (1999) and designate herein the single syntype found in MZHF as the lectotype.

We compared the lectotype of B. cuneifera with several specimens of B. thalassina from Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ghana (see Additional material examined, Figs. 11–15, 17–18 ) as well as a recent photograph of the species taken in Comoros ( Fig. 4 ). In our opinion the lectotype, and especially the structure of the anterolateral angles of the scutellum, and the colouration of the connexival segments, each with an ‘inverted eye’ pattern ( Figs. 11, 13, 14 ) fits within the observed variation of B. thalassina : the pale spot in connexival segments smaller or larger, round to oval, white, pale yellowish, contrasting with surrounding green and black (connexivum tricolorous, Fig. 17 ), or pale greenish, concolorous with surrounding greenish part (connexivum bicolorous, Fig. 18 ). Therefore, we propose here that B. cuneifera Bergroth is a junior subjective synonym of B. thalassina .

Figures

FIGURES 2–5. Habitus of Comoro Pentatomidae:2—Gadarscama ebenaui Reuter,1887, 3—Bathycoelia rodhaini Schouteden, 1913, 4—Bathycoelia thalassina (Herrich-Schäffer, 1844), 5—Lerida annulicornis (Signoret, 1861). Photos: V. Nicolas (2), N. Gommichon (3), J. Vittier (4–5).

FIGURES 11–18. 11–16—Lectotype of Bathycoelia cuneifera Bergroth, 1893, syn. nov. (= B. thalassina (Herrich-Schäffer, 1844)), body length 20.3 mm: 11—body in dorsal view, 12—body in ventral view, 13—detail of black depression and ivory callosity in anterolateral angle of scutellum, 14—detail of connexivum, 15—female terminalia in ventral view, 16—specimen labels. 17–18—variability of connexival segments of B. thalassina: 17—Ghana, Tafo; 18—Democratic Republic of the Congo, Salonga National Park. Photos: P. Kment.