Alloeohellica faundezi, 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 : 138-140

Alloeohellica faundezi sp. nov.

( Fig. 4 )

Studied material. HOLOTYPE, ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires, Male, Laguna de los Padres (Partido de General Pueyrredón), 7-IV-1990, col. J. L. Farina. ( MMLS) .

Description. Male ( Fig. 4 A ). Measurements: (n=1). Total length: 5.72; width: 3.28; head length: 1.00; width: 1.51; interocular space: 0.92; Antennal segment lengths, I: 0.39; II: 0.45; III: 0.42; IV: 0.71; V: 0.81; pronotum length: 1.31; width at base: 3.35; scutellum length: 1.64; width: 2.00.

Medium-sized species, less than 6 mm long. Dorsally pale greenish with extreme base of pronotum, clavus, mesial margins and apices of endocoria, dark brown. Head pale greenish, unicolorous. Each callus with a small dark spot ahead of him. Scutellum pale greenish without black blotches at base. Ventrally, same coloration as dorsum, abdomen yellow, with a longitudinal sublateral dark area on each side, reaching to posterior margin of fifth sternite ( Fig. 4 C ).

Head. ( Fig. 5 B ). Wider than long (0.5 times), entirely covered with sparse, dark-brown punctures. Eyes large, prominent, rounded laterally, their mesial and basal margins straight, juncture between these margins angulate; ocelli rounded, larger than surface punctures, nearly contiguous with pronotum. Posterior margins of bucculae ending near level with middle of eyes. Labium reaching base of mesosternum; labial segment I short, not surpassing posterior margins of bucculae, second segment longest, third segment shorter than second, but slightly longer than fourth.

Thorax. Pronotum subquadrangular, two and a half times wider than long, lateral margins rounded, without lateral carinae; dorsal surface covered by sparse, strong, brown punctures, anterior lobe more sparsely punctate. Scutellum apically narrow, with uniform, disperse, brown punctures, except along sublateral margins which are smooth, and two small, ivory calli one in each humeral angle. Hemelytra slightly convex, sublinear; clavi densely punctate; coria sparsely punctate; membranes long, extending far beyond apex of abdomen, hyaline with a few weak longitudinal veins. Thoracic sterna covered with dense brown punctures interspersed with some smooth patches. Legs concolorous with body, tibiae and tarsi with broad, suberect, golden hairs on their inner margins, becoming more dense towards their apical halves.

Abdomen. Very small, scattered punctures along lateral margins. Connexival segments in dorsal and ventral views, concolorous with body. Genitalia: Pygophore with basal angles protruding, with a large tufts of hairs on each basal angle, sparsely punctured; ventral rim straight medially; parameres narrow, quite curved, with basal portions apically rounded, flattened, spatula-shaped; apices of parameres sharpened, acute, curved inwards. ( Fig. 4 F ).

Female: Unknown.

Etymology. The specific name is dedicated to Dr. Eduardo I. Faúndez in recognition of his contributions towards our studies of South American Acanthosomatidae .

Distribution. ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires ( Fig. 7 ).

Host plant. Unknown.

Discussion. Unfortunately, the only known specimen is dotted with a substance that complicates seeing some details. On the other hand, those characters important for its separation from other related genera and species are visible.

Figures

Fig. 4. A. faundezi sp. nov. A. Male, dorsal view. B. Lateral view. C. Abdomen ventral view. D. Head ventral view. E. Detail of labium. F. Pygophore dorso-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).

Fig. 7. Map of the distribution of genera Epactiohellica, Alloeohellica and Hellicoides.