Aeliavuori, Rider, 2016

Rider, David A., 2016, Aeliavuori linnacostatus, a new genus and species of Pentatomidae from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae: Carpocorini), Entomologica Americana 122 (1), pp. 212-219 : 213-215

AELIAVUORI , NEW GENUS

TYPE SPECIES: Aeliavuori linnacostatus sp. nov., here designated.

DESCRIPTION: Female: COLORATION: General coloration pale brown with a very slight reddish tinge, dorsal and ventral surfaces marked with longitudinal black stripes, and whitish longitudinal calluses ( Figs. 1A, 2A–B); legs reddish. VESTI-TURE: Coarsely punctured except where cal-loused. STRUCTURE: Overall shape somewhat elongate-oval, cylindrical, slightly widest across humeri, venter distinctly convex. Head: somewhat declivent, with lateral margins narrowly reflexed, distinctly sinuous, apices of juga reaching beyond apex of clypeus, but not meeting anteriorly; apex of head broadly rounded ( Fig. 1B). Dorsal surface of head distinctly tumid. Antennae 5-segmented; antennifers not visible from dorsal view, antennal segment I not reaching apex of head. Ocelli relatively small, placed near anterior margin of pronotum. Bucculae elongate, sinuously ridge-like, distinctly lobed posteriorly. Rostrum 4-segmented, segment I extending slightly beyond posterior margins of bucculae, but not reaching posterior margin of head; segment IV reaching to or slightly onto base of abdomen. Thorax: Pronotum trapezoidal, anterior margin nearly straight, curving slightly anteriad laterally; posterolateral margins not reflexed, narrowly calloused, pale. Humeral angles rounded, not prominent. Posterior pronotal margin nearly straight. Scutellum spatulate, distal disk (tongue) beyond apices of frena longer than basal disk, apex broadly rounded, not reaching beyond imaginary line drawn through apices of coria. Lateral margins of coria narrowly calloused basally; hemelytral membrane clear, transluscent, reaching to or only slightly beyond apex of abdomen; veins at most feebly marked with brown, veins subparallel. Anterior margins of propleura not at all expanded forward, not approaching antennifers. Prosternum somewhat concave with a weak chevron-shaped ridge just anterior to front coxae; mesosternum not sulcate, but is medially, longitudinally carinate; metasternum relatively flat to slightly concave, not medially carinate. Each ostiolar ruga medium in length, reaching about half way to lateral margin of each mesopleuron, curving slightly anteriad distally, becoming narrowly rounded apically; associated evaporatorium very small, only slightly larger than ostiole and ruga, confined to the metapleuron and narrow posterior margin of mesopleuron, extending mesially between meso- and metafemora ( Fig. 1C). Legs appearing somewhat short for body size, anterodorsal surfaces of tibiae distinctly sulcate; tarsi 3-segmented. Abdomen: Posterolateral angle of each connexival segment rectangular, not at all produced. Abdominal venter unarmed at base, not produced forward as spine or tubercle, not sulcate medially; no stridulatory structures present on abdominal venter. Spiracles extremely small, concolorous with ventral abdominal surface located just cephalad of pseudosutures; spiracle not visible on abdominal sternite II and very small to obsolete on sternite VIII. Trichobothria paired, extremely small, located just caudad of pseudosutures, and at a right angle to longitudinal axis of body. Female genital plates of typical size and shape similar to most pentatomids ( Fig. 1D).

Male Unknown.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS: The genus described herein is clearly not treated in Linnavuori (1982), the best and most current study for tropical west and central Africa. Aeliavuori has a similar general appearance to those species belonging in the genus Aelia , a member of the Aeliini, but it is clearly not related to that genus. The Aeliini at present positively contains only two genera ( Aelia and Neottiglossa Kirby, 1837 ), and possibly a third ( Aeliopsis Bergevin, 1931 ). Members of both Aelia and Neottiglossa have the propleura expanded anteriorly (covering the antennifers and base of antennae) and mesially (nearly covering rostrum), the mesosternum is sulcate, not at all carinate, and the ostiolar rugae are much shorter, spout-like or auriculate; additionally, species of Aelia have the head triangular in shape with the juga usually meeting beyond the apex of the tylus. The inclusion of Aeliopsis in the Aeliini is doubtful; a defining character of this genus is the greatly lobed bucculae posteriorly ( Bergevin, 1931). The original description does not indicate whether the propleura are produced forward and mesially, but the illustrations provided would seem to indicate that this is not so.

Finally, it should be mentioned that the genera Aeliomorpha Stål, 1858 , Bonacialus Distant, 1901 , and Gulielmus Distant, 1901 , have also been treated as a members of the Aeliini ( Ahmad et al., 1974; Ahmad, 1981; Zaidi & Ahmad, 1990). It is clear that these genera do not belong in the Aeliini due to the lack of the expanded propleura; at present, it seems best to consider them to be members of the Carpocorini. Aeliavuori does share some characteristics with the genus Aeliomorpha (hence its tentative placement in the Carpocorini), but it differs from that genus by the spatulate scutellum (triangular in Aeliomorpha ), the calloused, nonreflexed anterolateral pronotal margins (narrowly reflexed in Aeliomorpha ), and the different body shape (more depressed in Aeliomorpha ).

ETYMOLOGY: This generic name is composed of the stem Aelia , noting its general similarity to that genus, and - vuori, the last half of Dr. Rauno Linnavuori’s last name, to honor his contributions to heteropteran taxonomy. The gender of this generic name is masculine.

DISCUSSION: This tribal placement of Aeliavuori is only tentative. In general, members of the Carpocorini are pale yellowish to dark brown and usually have the ostiolar rugae somewhat shorter and spout-like or auriculate (not exclusively). Members of the Cappaeini are also usually brown to dark brown, and have the ostiolar rugae much more elongate, becoming acuminate apically. Members of the Antestiini may be quite colorful (reds and oranges), but many are greenish, and a few approach dark brown, and they usually have the ostiolar rugae similar to that in the Cappaeini. Aeliavuori (and Aeliomorpha ) are brownish to somewhat greenish, and have the ostiolar rugae medium in length, becoming, somewhat angulate, but not acuminate apically. With those characters, these two genera could about equally be placed in any of the three tribes mentioned. There are also a couple genera included in the Menidini (e.g. Decellella Schouteden, 1964 , Gwea Schouteden, 1958 ) that have the scutellum large and spatulate, but all of these genera have the base of the abdomen armed with a spine or tubercle, typical of that tribe. Until a rigorous phylogenetic analysis can be conducted, I have chosen to tentatively place Aeliavuori in the Carpocorini.