Rhytidophthia, Brailovsky, 2009

Brailovsky, Harry, 2009, Revision of the Phthia generic complex with a description of four new genera (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Coreidae: Coreinae: Leptoscelini), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (1), pp. 59-74 : 71-73

Rhytidophthia gen. nov.

( Figs. 4, 8 )

Type species. Phthia splendida Valdés, 1910: 431 .

Description. Head longer than wide; tylus in lateral view weakly higher than juga; posttylar depression absent; antennal segment I slightly thicker than following segments, cylindrical, curved outward, narrow at base, then uniformly thickened and slightly compressed, longer (male) or shorter (female) than head; antennal segments II and III slender, cylindrical, segment IV fusiform; antennal segment IV longest, segment II longer than I, segments III and I subequal; rostrum reaching middle third of abdominal sternite III; rostral segment I extending beyond base of head; rostral segment III shortest, segment IV longest, segments I and II subequal.

Thorax. Pronotum wider than long; anterolateral borders obliquely straight, strongly dentate; humeral angles robust at base, tapering into large acute spine, directed outward and forward; posterolateral borders barely sinuate, outer third strongly dentate, inner third smooth; posterior border straight, smooth; calli rounded, gently raised, with two expansions (remarkably large in males, shorter in females), each lateral to midline; posterior lobe of pronotal disk with low longitudinal medial carinae; posterior margin with low transverse ridge ( Fig. 4 ); mesosternum with deep sulcus; metathoracic peritreme bilobate, with two well separated lobes, anterior one larger, semicircular, posterior one shorter and barely rounded; opening obliquely directed. Scutellum wider than long.

Legs. Fore and middle femora ventrally armed with two subapical spines and one row of one (fore leg) or three (middle leg) of short and stout denticles, dorsally smooth; hind femur gradually incrassate (less so in females), ventrally armed with two subapical spines and two rows of large and stout spines, dorsally tuberculate (less so in females); fore and middle tibiae slender, unarmed, sulcate; hind tibiae slender, ventrally armed with one irregular row of stout spines, sulcate.

Abdomen. Abdominal sterna with medial furrow.

Male genitalia. Posteroventral edge of genital capsule with V-shaped median notch, delimited by broad quadrate plates on either side of midline, lateral angles obliquely straight ( Fig. 8 ).

Female genitalia. Abdominal sternite VII with fissura covering middle half of length of sternite; plica quadrate, apically sinuate; gonocoxae I subtriangular, inner margin close, upper and outer margins rounded and continuous, in lateral view exposed.

Integument. Body surface rather dull, with metallic blue and purple iridescence restricted to dorsal surface of head, calli, anterolateral borders of pronotum, scutellum, rostral segment I, acetabulae and legs; dorsally and ventrally clothed with short, erect, golden to silvery pubescence; pronotal disk, scutellum, clavus, corium, acetabulae, great portion of propleura and posterior margin of mesopleura and metapleura densely and finely punctate; head, calli, anterior and middle margin of mesopleura and metapleura, pro-, meso- and metasternum, abdominal sterna, male genital capsule and female genital plates impunctate; antennal segments I–III densely clothed with short erect and adpressed setae, segment IV with tiny adpressed setae; legs clothed with large, erect, bristle-like setae.

Differential diagnosis. Rhytidophthia gen. nov., like Phthiacnemia gen. nov., has the tylus slightly higher than juga, the posttylar depression absent, the posterior pronotal disk with low longitudinal carinae, the hind femur dorsally tuberculate, the male hind tibiae ventrally armed, the metathoracic peritreme bilobate, and the abdominal sterna with medial furrow.

Rhytidophthia gen. nov. is distinguished from Phthiacnemia by having a metallic bluish purple iridescence at the dorsal surface of the head, calli, anterolateral borders of pronotum, scutellum, rostral segment I, acetabulae and legs, each humeral angle remarkably expanded into a large and acute spine directed outward and forward, two large projections present at midline of the calli (shorter in females), scutellum wider than long, and a basally narrow, then uniformly thickened and slightly compressed antennal segment I. In Phthiacnemia gen. nov. the body surface is entirely rather dull, the humeral angles obtuse, truncate, the calli in both sexes anteriorly with two small spines, each lateral to midline, the scutellum longer than wide, and antennal segment I gradually incrassate from base to apex, not flattened.

Etymology. Named for its similarity to the genus Phthia ; gender feminine.

Distribution. Only known from the Great Antilles ( Cuba).

Included species. Rhytidophthia splendida ( Valdés, 1910) comb. nov.

Figures

Figs. 1–10. 1–5 – pronotum: 1 – Phthiarella decorata (Stål, 1865); 2 – Phthiadema cyanea (Signoret, 1862); 3 – Phthiacnemia picta (Drury, 1770); 4 – Rhytidophthia splendida (Valdéz, 1910); 5 – Phthia lunata (Fabricius, 1787). 6–10 – male genital capsule in caudal view: 6 – Phthiadema cyanea; 7 – Phthiacnemia picta; 8 – Rhytidophthia splendida; 9 – Phthia lunata; 10 – Phthiarella decorata.