Paraethus riegeri, Magnien, 2014

Magnien, P., 2014, Three new species of Paraethus Lis, 1994, and transfer of Aethus seyidiensis JeanneL, 1913, to this genus (Heteroptera, Cydnidae), Andrias 20, pp. 137-146 : 144-145

Paraethus riegeri n. sp.

Type material: Holotype, Ƌ: Zambèze ( Mozambique) Env. de Tambara, Lac Ounjé , 28.9.1929, P. LESNE leg. (dissected genitalia in microvial on the same pin) ( MNHN) . Paratypes: 1 ♀, same data as holotype ; 1 Ƌ, 2 ♀♀, Mozambique, Haut Nhamapaza, Forêts de Maringoue , 1929, P. LESNE leg .; 1 ♀, Mozambique, Pindiriri, Bas Sangadze , 9.1929, P. LESNE leg. (all in MNHN) ; 1 Ƌ, same data as holotype .

Description

Body broadly oval, coloration black, shiny.

Head ( fig. 7): Black, much broader than long; genae punctate, clypeus and middle part of frons almost impunctate; clypeus free, tapering apicad, slightly shorter than paraclypei and subapically without setigerous punctures; in addition to the two primary setae, the juga bear about twelve setigerous punctures, with half hair-like half peg-like setae; eyes brownish to dark brown, each with long and slender apical spine; ocelli small, light yellowish-brown; antennae ligth brown, 2 nd segment longer than 3 rd by about 15 %, smaller than 4 th and last (0.81, 0.70, 0.96 and 1.02 mm, respectively); rostrum pale brown, long, reaching middle coxae.

Thorax: Pronotum almost two times broader than long, umbones not swollen; pronotal disc very lightly punctured, densely on lateral fore half, with the calli and areas in hind third unpuctured, one row of coarser punctures behind the calli: each lateral margin with 12 to 15 submarginal setigerous punctures bearing hair-like setae. Disc of scutellum evenly punctured, except two lateral area in the fore part, punctures of same size as those on pronotum. Corium distinctly punctured on the fore two thirds, hind part almost smooth; clavus with one complete and one partial rows of punctures; mesocorium with two rows of punctures, parallel to clavo-corial suture, mesocorial disc with even punctation, punctures smaller than those on scutellum, decreasing toward the apex; punctures on the exocorium similar to mesocorium; costa with 5-7 setigerous punctures; membrane yellowish-brown, reaching or slightly surpassing tip of abdomen. Propleuron with two lines of punctures in the bottom of the depression, almost smooth elsewhere; evaporative areas large, with two polished bands running to the level of the apex of vestibulum on either side of the meso-metapleural suture ( fig. 8), larger on mesopleuron, apex of vestibulum with claw-like tooth posteriorly ( fig. 9). Coxae and femora dark brown, tibiae black; fore tibia apically broadened and compressed, dorsal margin of fore tibia with 9-10 stout spines, tarsus yellowish-brown; middle tibia slightly flattened; posterior tibia conspicuously compressed, margins with many long spines.

Abdomen: Sternites blackish, lateral thirds with numerous distinct punctures.

Male genitalia: Paramere ( fig. 23), penis slightly curved upward ( fig. 24), upper conjuctival process trilobate ( fig. 25).

Female genitalia: Spermatheca ( fig. 28) dilation of the duct translucent, small, its size intermediate between those of intermediate part and receptacle; triangular fold of the vaginal wall of about the same width as the posterior part of the duct, weakly sclerotized.

Measurements (mean (min-max)): total length Ƌ 11.8 (11.5-12.0) mm – ♀ 11.3 (10.7-12.3) mm, width Ƌ 7.5 (7.3-7.5) mm – ♀ 7.0 (6.5-7.5) mm; ocular index 2.65-3.10, interocellar index 3.5- 4.2.

Derivation nominis: It is a pleasure for me to dedicate this species to our colleague CHRISTIAN RIEGER, in recognition of his very important contribution to the knowledge of Heteroptera, particularly by editing the Catalog of the Heteroptera of the Palaearctic Region.

Distribution: Middle Mozambique (Manica and Sofala Provinces).

Discussion

The characters which separate P. riegeri n. sp. from all the already known African species of the genus are the same as those explained in the discussion about P. raunoi n. sp. to which it is very similar, i. e. the larger size and greater ocular index.

P. riegeri n. sp. and P. raunoi n. sp. can be separated from one another by the size, the first being clearly smaller the second, the size of eyes, clearly larger in P. raunoi n. sp., and the chetotaxy which show 12 setigerous punctures on the genae, 12-15 on the pronotal margin and 5-7 on the hemelytra costa for P. riegeri n. sp., resp. 10, 12, 2-4 setigerous punctures for P. raunoi n. sp. Other differences appear in the genitalia, the paramere ( fig. 23) being roundish on the external margin and having longer setae in P.riegeri n. sp., more angular on the external margin and having shorter setae in P. raunoi n. sp. ( fig. 20). Regarding the spermatheca ( figs. 27-28), although very similar, it can be noticed that the flexible zone is more than two times wider than long in P. riegeri n. sp., longer than wide in P. raunoi n. sp. and that the dilation of the duct is smaller than the inflation of the intermediate part in P. riegeri n. sp., larger in P. raunoi n. sp. The upper conjunctival process is trilobate in P. riegeri n. sp., bilobate in P. raunoi n. sp. ( figs. 22, 25)