Paramecocephala australis 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 : 2731-2733

Paramecocephala australis Frey-da-Silva and Grazia, 2002

( Figures 11a , 12a , 13a–d , 14 , 25a, c , 26a–c , 28a , 29 ; Table 2)

Paramecocephala australis Frey-da-Silva, Grazia and Fernandes, 2002a: 212–214 , figs 1–3, 11, 18, 25, 32, 43,47, 51, 59; Ruschel et al. 2013: 554, fig. 2d; Barão et al. 2017: table 1; Barros et al. 2020b: 330, 351, tables 1, 2.

Type material examined. BRAZIL: RIO GRANDE DO SUL: Holotype, m*, Porto Alegre, June 1986, J. Grazia leg. ( MCNZ –182380) <illustrated specimen> . Paratypes, BRAZIL: SANTA CATARINA: f*, Imbituba , February 1994, L. A. Campos leg. ( UFRG) ; RIO GRANDE DO SUL: São José do Ouro , m*, November 1996, E. Tolardo, leg. // MECB P 150 C ( UFRG) ; Imbé, f*, Santa Terezinha , 16 February 1973, M.H. Galileo leg. ( MCNZ –8479), <illustrated specimen> ; Eldorado do Sul, f*, 17 September 1992, J.A.M. Fernandes leg. ( UFRG), <illustrated specimen> ; f*, Fazenda Minuano , 16 August 1989, U. Anner leg. ( UFRG) ; Porto Alegre, f*, 11 June 1952 ( MCNZ –002846) ; Pelotas , m*, July 1986, M. Carissimi leg. // UFPR ( DZUP) ; f*, Octuber 1986, Sérgio S. leg. // UFPR ( DZUP) ; f*, November 1996, P. Pivota leg. // MECB P 150 A ( DZUP) ; m*, February 1991, J. Schneider leg. ( UFRG) ; m*, 4 April 1986, J. Luiz leg. ( UFRG) ; f*, June 1991, R. Padilha leg. ( UFRG) ; f*, 13 November 1962, Mauri leg. ( UFRG), [dated as 13 November 1961 in the paper] ; m*, 28 Octuber 1986, L. Kamopp leg. // MECB ( UFRG) ; f*, 5 June 1986, Azambuja leg. // MECB ( UFRG) ; f*, 20 November 1993, V. Vaz leg. // MECB ( UFRG), [cited as Vaziv leg. in the paper] ; Capão do Leão, f*, 05 Octuber 1997, R. Rotta leg. ( MECB) ; Rio Grande, m*, Taim , 17 Octuber 1976, C.J. Becker leg. ( MCNZ – 12828) ; f*, Estação Ecológica do Taim , 23 March – 3 April 1981, J. Grazia leg. ( UFRG) .

Omitted type material. No data: m*m*m*m*m* f*, Paramecocephala australis Frey-da-Silva and Grazia, 2002 / Paratype ( UFRG).

Other material. BRAZIL: RIO GRANDE DO SUL: Capão da Canoa, m*, 14 December 1999, J.A.M., Fernandes leg. ( UFRG) ; Imbé , f*, February 1961, E.E.L. Buckup leg. ( MCNZ) ; f*, Santa Terezinha , 16 February 1973, M.H. Galileo leg. // coll. MRCN 008476 ( UFRG) ; f*, coll. MRCN 008478 ( UFRG) ; f*, coll. MCN 008507 ( UFRG) ; f*, coll. MRCN 008508 ( UFRG) ; f*, coll. MRCN 008477 ( UFRG) ; Porto Alegre, f*, August 1956, R.R. Côrrea leg. ( MCNZ –002845) ; f*, February 1958 // Pe. Buck leg. ( MCNZ –002848) ; m*, July 1961 ( MCNZ –002849) ; Pelotas, f*, 21 January 1961, C.M. Biezanko leg. // coll. MRCN 002847 ( UFRG) ; f*, September 1986, R. Gain leg. // UFPR ( UFRG) ; m*, 14 November 1952, C. Biezanko leg. ( AMNH) ; m*, 14 March 1964, Biezanko leg. ( MCNZ – 002850) ; m* f*, Rio Grande, Estação Ecológica do Taim , 02 December 1986, M. Rosenau leg. ( MCNZ –178806), ( MCNZ –178807) ; m*, 04 December 1986, R.O. Breseovir leg. ( MCNZ –178745) .

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

Male genitalia. Pygophore sub-quadrangular, posterolateral angles quadrate ( Figure 14d–f ). Genital cup narrow, occupying less than half the length of pygophore. Medial region of dorsal rim notched, and extension of dorsal rim obsolete ( Figure 14d ). Area between layers of ventral rim excavated. Superior layer of ventral rim covering parameres, with two pairs of processes ( Figure 14e ). Inferior layer of ventral rim without processes ( Figure 14f ). Phallus ( Figure 26a–c ): Dorsal connectives short, not reaching the distal half of phallotheca. Processus capitati reaching phallotheca distal margin. Conjunctiva with a pair of processes, each truncate apically, and three pairs of lobes: lateral, sclerotised apically, and median and ventral lobes, membranous and without process (see Frey-da-Silva et al. 2002a, p. 218, figs 39, 43, 47).

Female genitalia. Posterior margins of valvifers 8 sinuous. Posterior margins of laterotergites 8 straight. Anterior margins of valvifers 9 straight, posterior margins convex ( Figure 14g –h ). Laterotergites 9 surpassing the abdominal tergite 8. Diameter of proximal ductus receptaculi larger in relation to diameter of the inner wall of the vesicular area. Annular flanges parallel to each other. Capsula seminalis smaller than the pars intermedialis ( Figure 28a ).

Measurements. See Table 2.

Distribution. Brazil (Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul) ( Figure 29 ).

Remarks. Paramecocephala australis presents the pronotum clearly sloping at the level of the humeral angles and towards the head.

Figures

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 14. Paramecocephala australis 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 25. Comparison of Paramecocephala australis and Paramecocephala helenae sp. nov. Dorsal habitus and detail of anterolateral margins of pronotum: (a) P. australis, (b) Paramecocephala helenae sp. nov. Head and pronotum, lateral view: (c) P. australis, (d) Paramecocephala helenae sp. nov. Scale bars: a–b = 2.0 mm; c–d = 0.5 mm. (Antennomeres and legs not shown due to photo editing).

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.