Hellicoides, Carpintero & De Biase, 2019

Carpintero, Diego & De Biase, Sebastián, 2019, Revision of genus Hellica Stål, 1867 and description of three new genera of South American Lanopini (Hemiptera: Acanthosomatidae: Blaudusinae), Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 21 (2), pp. 133-158 : 140-141

Hellicoides new genus

( Fig. 6 )

Type species: Hellica johni (Froeschner, 2000) , by present designation.

Diagnosis. This genus is characterized by having the paraclypei marginally concave and subequal in length to anteclypeus, antennal segment II always longer than III and in females, and the Pendergrast’s organ vestigial.

Description. Oval, medium-sized species with paraclypei depressed, curved anteriorly. Dorsal surface covered with strong, deep, dense punctures.

Head ( Fig. 5 D ). Lateral margins of head flattened; head sparsely punctate ventrally. Anteclypeus extending apically almost at the same level as the paraclypei with many punctures only on the basal half; the latter depressed, concave, subapically flattened along their lateral margins; apically, their mesial margins slightly overlapping lateral margins of anteclypeus anteriorly; anteclypeus approximately of uniform width for its entire length. Antennae long, segment I not reaching apex of head, segment II always longer than III; segments II + III together longer than IV or V. Bucculae narrow, covering less than half the broadness of labial segment I, with some basal, shallow punctures, appearing smooth. Labium short, only reaching base of mesosternum; labial segments I and II narrow in diameter, segment III not particularly enlarged in diameter, segment IV less enlarged.

Thorax. Lateral margins of pronotum straight, without well-developed carinae. ( Fig. 6 C ). Scutellum with ratio of medial length/basal width subequal. Ostiolar peritremes small, twisted, protruding, each with apical spiniform process. Legs with femora broader in diameter than tibiae, but not particularly short or robust; tibiae not flattened ventrally on their apical halves; tarsomere I much shorter than II.

Abdomen. Strongly but sparsely punctured, except in a medial, longitudinal band. Basi-abdominal spine present, short, apically rounded, reaching to middle of hind trochanters. Extreme margins of connexival segments smooth. Pendergrast’s organs present, but only slightly developed, restricted to anterior half of sternite VII (last pregenital segment), scarcely darker than rest of ventrite, glabrous, with punctures inside. In males, lateral margins of 7th sternite slightly curved; pygophore subrhomboid.

Etymology. Suffix - oides from the Greek, meaning “like, resembling, having the form of” ( Brown, 1985) after the prefix hellic- from the closely related genus Hellica . The gender is feminine.

Discussion. The more elongate habitus, the distinctive shape of the anteclypeus and the paraclypei (concave and of subequal length), characters already highlighted by Froeschner (2000), along with the relative lengths of antennal segments II and III ( II longer than III), and the characteristics of Pendergrast’s organs, lead us to propose that this species is not congeneric with Hellica .

Figures

Fig. 6. H.johni (Froeschner). A. Male, dorsal view. B. Female, dorsal view.C. Male, lateral view. D. Male, pygophore dorsal view. E. Female, abdomen ventral view showing Pendergrast’s Organs. F. Female, genitalia caudal view.

Fig. 5. Heads in dorsal view. A. E. farinai sp. nov. B. A. faundezi sp. nov. C. H. nitida Haglund. D. H. johni (Froeschner).