Paramecocephala subsolana Frey-da-Silva and Grazia, 2002

de Barros, Lurdiana Dayse, Barão, Kim Ribeiro & Grazia, Jocelia, 2022, Taxonomic updates on the Mecocephala group (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae): redescription of Mecocephala Dallas and Paramecocephala Benvegnú, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 55 (43 - 44), pp. 2691-2747 : 2741-2742

Paramecocephala subsolana Frey-da-Silva and Grazia, 2002

( Figures 11g , 12g , 13l , 22 , 26d–f , 28e , 29 ; Table 2)

Paramecocephala subsolana Frey-da-Silva, Grazia and Fernandes, 2002a: 223 , figs 1, 9, 16, 23, 30, 37, 41, 45, 49, 57, 62.

Type material examined. BRAZIL: BAHIA: Holotype, m*, Maracás, 18 August 1964, C. Elias leg. ( DZUP) <illustrated specimen> . Paratypes, BRAZIL: SÃO PAULO: f*, São Paulo, 5 Octuber 1965, V.N. Alin leg. ( USNM) ; ESPÍRITO SANTO: f*, Santa Tereza, 6 July 1964, C. Elias leg. ( USNM) <illustrated specimen> ; m*, 13 May 1964, C. Elias leg. ( UFRG) {without pygophore}, <illustrated specimen> .

Other material examined. VENEZUELA: ARAGUA: f*, El Limon, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Facultad de Agronomia, Instituto de Zoología Agrícola, 450 m, 15 January 1963, M. Gelbez leg. ( MIZA), <illustrated specimen>, <new record> .

Diagnosis. Body colour brown to orange-dark brown. Apex of mandibular plates convex to sinuous. Clypeus wider apically ( Figure 11g ). Anterolateral margins of pronotum straight to slightly concave; outline crenulate, punctate ( Figure 11g ). Each peritreme of ESES reaching about 1/3 the distance to lateral margin of evaporatorium, median furrow of the each peritreme short, reaching less than half of peritreme; outer margins of metapleural evaporatorium straight to slightly concave; evaporatorium on mesopleuron reaching the posterolateral angles and outer margin ( Figure 13l ). Foveae smaller than the diameter of a compound eye ( Figure 22a ). Legs not concolourous with body ventral colour ( Figure 22b ). Hemelytra not surpassing apex of body ( Figure 22a ). Trichobothria separated by the imaginary longitudinal line tangent to the spiracles.

Male genitalia. Pygophore sub-quadrangular, posterolateral angles rounded ( Figure 22d–f ). Genital cup narrow, occupying less than half the length of pygophore. Superior processes of dorsal rim present; median region of dorsal rim notched, and extension of dorsal rim obsolete ( Figure 22d ). Area between layers of ventral rim excavated. Superior layer of ventral rim not covering parameres, with a pair of processes ( Figure 22e ). Inferior layer of ventral rim without processes ( Figure 22f ). Phallus ( Figure 26d–f ): Dorsal connectives long, surpassing the distal half of phallotheca. Processus capitati long, surpassing the phallotheca distal margin. Conjunctiva with a pair of processes, each truncate apically, and three pairs of membranous lobes (see Frey-da-Silva et al. 2002a: 218, figs 41, 45, 49).

Female genitalia. Posterior margins of valvifers 8 sinuous. Posterior margins of laterotergites 8 obtusely projected, and with a process on each anterior angle. Anterior margins of valvifers 9 straight and posterior margins convex ( Figure 22g –h ). Laterotergites 9 surpassing the abdominal tergite 8. Diameter of proximal ductus receptaculi same diameter as the diameter of the median wall of vesicular area. Annular flanges parallel to each other ( Figure 10a, d ). Capsula seminalis equal to the pars intermedialis ( Figure 28e ).

Measurements. See Table 2.

Distribution. Venezuela (Aragua <new record>) and Brazil (Bahia, Espírito Santo, and São Paulo) ( Figure 29 ).

Figures

Figure 10. Female receptaculum seminis and aussenwand of Mecocephala species. (a, d) Mecocephala acuminata; (b, e) Mecocephala bonariensis; (c, f) Mecocephala magna. Abbreviations: aaf – anterior annular flanges; cs – capsula seminalis; ddr – distal ductus receptaculi; paf – posterior annular flange; pdr – proximal ductus receptaculi; pi – pars intermedialis; rs – ring sclerites; tvi – thickening of vaginal intima; va – vesicular area. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

Figure 11. Head and pronotum of Paramecocephala in dorsal view. (a) Paramecocephala australis; (b) Paramecocephala bachmanni; (c) Paramecocephala bergrothi; (d) Paramecocephala foveata; (e) Paramecocephala fusca; (f) Paramecocephala guianensis; (g) Paramecocephala subsolana; (h) Paramecocephala uruguayensis; (i) Paramecocephala helenae sp. nov. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Figure 12. Head and prothorax of Paramecocephala in lateral view. (a) Paramecocephala australis; (b) Paramecocephala bachmanni; (c) Paramecocephala bergrothi; (d) Paramecocephala foveata; (e) Paramecocephala fusca; (f) Paramecocephala guianensis; (g) Paramecocephala subsolana; (h) Paramecocephala uruguayensis; (i) Paramecocephala helenae sp. nov. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Figure 13. Thoracic external scent efferent system (ESES) of metasternal glands of Paramecocephala. (a–d) Paramecocephala australis; (e) Paramecocephala bachmanni; (f) Paramecocephala bergrothi; (g) Paramecocephala foveata; (h–j) Paramecocephala fusca; (k) Paramecocephala guianensis; (l) Paramecocephala subsolana; (m) Paramecocephala uruguayensis; (n) Paramecocephala helenae sp. nov. (a, e–g, k–n) meso- and metapleural in ventral view; (b–d, h–j) scanning electron microscopy images of characters of ESES of metasternal glands. Abbreviations: cx2 – mesocoxae; cx3 – metacoxae; ev – evaporatorium; ms – mesopleuron; mt – metapleuron; mts – metathoracic spiracle; o – ostiole; om – outer margin; pod – periostiolar depression. Scale bars: a, e–g, k–n = 0.5 mm; b, h = 500 µm; c–d, i–j = 200 µm.

Figure 22. Paramecocephala subsolana Frey-da-Silva and Grazia, 2002. (a–c) Habitus of holotype in dorsal, ventral and lateral view; (d–f) pygophore in dorsal, posterior and ventral view; (g–h) genital plates in posteroventral and lateral view. Abbreviations: alvr – area between layers of ventral rim; ilvr – inferior layer of ventral rim of pygophore; mpdr – marginal process of dorsal rim of pygophore; slvr – superior layer of ventral rim of pygophore. Scale bars: a–c = 2.0 mm; d–f = 1.0 mm; g–h = 0.5 mm. (Parameres and segment X not shown).

Figure 26. Phallus of Paramecocephala species in dorsal (left column), lateral (center column)) and ventral (right column) view. Conjunctiva with a pair of processes. (a–c) Paramecocephala australis; (d– f) Paramecocephala subsolana. Abbreviations: dc – dorsal connective; dpph – dorsal process of phallotheca; mlcj – median lobe of conjunctiva; pcj – process of conjunctiva; pdpph – posterodorsal projection of phallotheca; ph – phallotheca; plpph – posterolateral projection of phallotheca; pve – process of vesica; vbpph – ventrobasal projection of phallotheca; vlcj – ventral lobe of conjunctiva. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

Figure 28. Female receptaculum seminis and aussenwand of Paramecocephala species. (a) Paramecocephala australis; (b) Paramecocephala bergrothi; (c) Paramecocephala foveata; (d) Paramecocephala fusca; (e) Paramecocephala subsolana; (f) Paramecocephala uruguayensis. Abbreviations: aaf – anterior annular flanges; cs – capsula seminalis; ddr – distal ductus receptaculi; paf – posterior annular flange; pdr – proximal ductus receptaculi; pi – pars intermedialis; rs – ring sclerites; tvi – thickening of vaginal intima; va – vesicular area. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

Figure 29. Map showing the geographical distribution of Mecocephala and Paramecocephala species. Yellow star = new record of P. subsolana.