Ennius neomorio, Ahmad & Zahid, 2007

Ahmad, Imtiaz & Zahid, Muhammad, 2007, A New Species of Myrocheine Genus Ennius Stål (Pentatomidae: Pentatominae) from Nigeria With Reference to its Male Genitalia and its Phylogenetic Relationships, Pakistan J. Zool. 39, No. 5, pp. 327-331 : 328-330

Ennius neomorio , new species

( Fig. 1 A-E)

Colouration and general shape

Body brownish with brown punctures, head black, pronotum with half upper portion having dense black punctures and lower portion light brown, scutellum, clavus and corium light brown with brownish black punctures; eyes blackish brown; ocelli pinkish; membrane of hemelytra black; body narrowly elongate.

Head

Broader than long; anteocular distance longer than remainder of head; paraclypei longer than clypeus and enclosing the later, lateral margins convex, paraclypeal lobe angulate in front of eyes, apex of head truncate; antennae with basal segment about equal to head apex, second segment longer than third but shorter than fourth, fifth longest, length of antennal segments I 0.5, II 0.9, III 0.7, IV 1.3, V 1.4, antennal formula I<3<2<4<5; labium passing beyond mesocoxae, second labial segment longest, fourth shortest, length, of segments I 1.0, II 1.2, III 0.8, IV 0.7, labial formula 4<3<1<2; anteocular distance 1.0, remainder of head 0.8, width of head 2.2; interocualr distance 1.5; interocellar distance 0.7.

Thorax

Pronotum 2 x broader than its length, anterior margin about equal to head width, anterior angles subrounded, humeral angles rounded, lateral margins more or less straight, length of pronotum 1.8, width 3.6; scutellum long, subrounded at apex, length of scutellum 3.2, width 2.3; metathoracic scent gland ostiole ( Fig. 2) small with long peritreme; distance base scutellum-apex clavus 3.0; apex clavus-apex corium 0.8; apex corium-apex abdomen including membrane 1.2; apex scutellum-apex abdomen including membrane 1.8.

Abdomen

Convex beneath, connexiva laterally exposed at repose, abdomen shorter than membrane of hemelytra; total length 8.6 mm.

Male genitalia

Pygophore ( Fig. 1C) as broad as long, quadrangular, lateral lobe prominent, dorsomedian surface concave, ventro-posterior margin concave; paramere ( Fig. 1D) F-shaped, outer margin of blade convex, apex of blade rounded; aedeagus ( Fig. 1E) with large thecal appendages, vesica equal to penial plates, with pair of large ventral membranous conjunctival appendages.

Material examined

One male Nigeria: Mando, Swamp , Kaduna, 13. VII. 58: P. Hanney, B.M. 1961. 723, lodged at BMNH .

Comparative note

This species is most closely related to E. morio, (Dallas) E. longulus (Germar) and E. monteironis Distant in having more colourful body with at least lateral margins of pronotum narrowly and broad regions in middle and hind tibiae pale and lateral lobes of pygophore in ventral view not round, and ventroposterior margin not smoothly concave but it appears isolated in its group in having lateral margins of pronotum more or less straight, lateral lobes of pygophore in ventral view prominently hump like, ventroposterior margin strongly sinuate, medially notched, and membrane of hemelytra black.

The Ethiopian genus Ennius Stål appears to form a distinct clade ( Fig. 2) within the tribe Myrocheini Stål with Kyrtalus Vanduzee , Neococalus Bergroth , Humria Linnavuori , Erachtheus Stål , Delegorguella Spinola , Munshiana Ahmad and Kamaluddin , Dorpius Distant and Myrochea Stål in having elongate body and paraclypei much longer than clypeus and enclosing it in front. It however within its above group forms a subclade with the genera, Munshiana , Stysicoris , Dorpius and Myrochea in having second antennal segment distinctly longer than third. The genus Ennius appears to be entirely isolated and playing out group relationship with the rest of its subclade in having second antennal segment only slightly longer than third and metathoracic scent complex with peritreme long and anteriorly curved.

The presently described new species appears to form a cluster of species with morio, longulus and monteironis in having the apomorphies of colorful body with at least lateral margins of pronotum narrowly and broad regions in middle and hind tibiae pale. The newly described species neomorio however appears entirely isolated in this cluster with lateral margins of pronotum more or less straight, lateral lobes of pygophore in ventral view prominently humplike, ventroposterior margin strongly sinuate medially notched, U shaped and head and membrane of hemelytra in male contrastingly black with rest of the body above pale ochraceous.