Delegorguella ventralis (Germar)

Ahmad, Imtiaz & Zahid, Muhmmad, 2006, Redescription Of Delegorguella Ventralis (Germar) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae): The Oldest Little Known Species Of The Genus Delegorguella Spinola With Special Reference To Metathoracic Scent Auricle And Male And Female Genitalia With A Note On Its Genus And Their Cladistic Relationships, Int. J. Biol. Biotech. 3, No. 3, pp. 527-532 : 528-530

Delegorguella ventralis (Germar)

( Figs. 1-7)

Cimex ventralis Germar 1838: 181 .

Sciocoris ventralis Herrich-Schaffer, 1844: 87 ; Dallas 1851: 134; Dohrn 1859: 10; Walker 1867: 174.

Paramecocoris ventralis, Stål 1861: 199 , 200-201; 1865: 114-115; 1876: 53; Letheirry and Severin 1893: 110; Distant 1898: 296; Schouteden 1910: 80.

Delegorguella ventralis, Jeannel 1913: 38 ; Lehman 1922: 133; Hesse 1925: 19; Linnavuori 1982: 22; Dolling et al., 1999: 98.

Colouration and general shape:

Body ovate; generally with brownish punctures; pronotum light brown, clavus, corium and membrane of hemelytra dark brown; eyes light brown; ocelli pinkish; ovate.

Head:

Distinctly broader than long, anteocular distance equal or slightly broader than remainder of head; paraclypei longer than clypeus and enclosing the later, lateral margins convex; paraclypeal lobe slightly rounded in front of eyes, apex of paraclypei convex; antennae with basal segment much shorter than head apex, second segment longer or equal to third but shorter than fourth, fifth longest, length of antennal segments I 0.5, II 0.8 (0.8-1.0), III 0.8, IV 0.9 (0.9-1.1), V 1.2 (1.2-1.6), antennal formula 1<2<3<4<5; labium reaching mesocoxae, second labial segment longest, fourth shortest, length of segments I 1.1, II 1.2, III 1.0, IV 0.8; anteocular distance 1.0, remainder of head 0.9 (0.9-1.0), width of head 2.6 (2.6-2.7); interocular distance 1.7(1.7-2.0); interocellar distance 1.0.

Thorax:

Pronotum more than 2 x broader than its length, anterior margin distinctly broader than head width, anterior angles subrounded, humeral angles broadly rounded, lateral margins distinctly convex, length of pronotum 2.6 (2.6- 2.7), width 5.8 (5.8-6.5); scutellum broad and rounded at apex, length of scutellum 4.3 (4.3-4.8), width 3.9 (3.9-4.1); metathoracic scent gland ostiole ( Fig. 2) canal like with peritreme large; distance base scutellum-apex clavus 3.1 (3.1-3.3); apex clavus-apex corium 2.0 (2.0-2.8); apex corium-apex abdomen including membrane 2.0 (2.0-2.7); apex scutellum-apex abdomen including membrane 2.0 (2.0-3.8).

Abdomen:

Convex beneath; connexiva much exposed at repose; membrane of hemelytra shorter than abdomen; total length 10.8 (10.8-13.3).

Male genitalia:

Pygophore ( Fig. 3) longer than broad, lateral lobes prominent, dorsomedian margin concave, ventroposterior margin depressed but straight; parameres ( Fig. 4) somewhat F-shaped outer margin of blade sinuate, apex of blade inwardly round; inflated aedeagus ( Fig. 5 and 6) with thecal appendages, ventral membranous conjunctival appendages large-wing-like, vesica shorter than penial lobe, dorsal membranous conjunctival appendages short.

Female genitalia:

Posterior margin of seventh abdominal venter medially deeply concave, u-shaped ( Fig. 7); first gonocoxae with posterior margin deeply concave, apices round, lobe-like, inner margins straight, posteriorly wide apart; ninth paratergites large, outwardly slightly bilobed, reaching posterior margins of fused eighth paratergites; second gonocoxae with posterior margin concave; proctiger with posterior margin straight.

Material examined:

One male South Africa, Nugela, Usambara , “Distant Coll.” 1911, 383, loged at BMNH; 1 female, Ethiopia: det. G.M. Black “ 15-8-1965 ”leg. R.U. Hung, 182, lodged at BMNH.

Comparative note:

D. ventralis resembles D. pallida and D. phalerata in general shape and colouration but D. pallida appears pale brown and D. phalerata is with dense brown punctures on the upper surface and with longitudinal impunctate pale lines in contrast to body with brownish punctures, pronotum light brown, clavus, corium and membrane of hemelytra dark brown, eyes light brown and ocelli pink without longitudinal impunctate lines.