Pygoplatys cribatus ( Walker, 1868 ) Magnien, Philippe, 2007

Magnien, Philippe, 2007, New species and synonymyingenus Pygoplatys Dallas, 1851 (Heteroptera, Tessaratomidae), Nouv. Revue Ent. 24, No. 2, pp. 113-124 : 122-123

Pygoplatys cribatus ( Walker, 1868) , new synonymy.

Material examined

Type of P.firmatum Walker, 1868 : pinned with 4 labels - Type [printed, round with green circle]/ MALCA [round, handwriting]/ Saunders. 65. 13. [printed]/ PIEZOSTERNUM FIRMATUM. [printed] ( BMHN).

Type of P. cribatum Walker, 1868 : pinned with 4 labels - Type [printed, round with green circle]/ MALCA [round, handwriting]/ Saunders. 65.13. [printed]/ 6. PIEZOSTERNUM CRIBA TUM. [printed] ( BMHN)

Diagnosis: testaceaous with a reddish tinge on the disk of hemelytron, elongate-oval, paler beneath. Head minutely punctured. Rostrum extending somewhat beyond the fore coxae. Antennae piceous. Thorax thinly and roughly punctured. Calli distinct, smoother than the disk, lateral margins finely striated. Humeral processes projecting anteriorly, more robust for the male, thiner for the female, pointed, coarsely punctured at apex, pronotum including processes wider than abdomen by about 80 %. Posterior margin of pronotum rounded, covering proximal part of the scutellum. Scutellum triangular with apex lanceolate, grooved; sternal process reaching the anterior coxae. Hemelytron with a finer punctation than scutellum, membrane pale ochraceous. Seventh laterotergite narrowly rounded in males, acute in female, distinctly surpassing the teeth of segment eight.

The genitalia have not been examined.

Measurements: length ofhabitus: S 15 mm, 9 14 mm

Host plant unknown.

Distribution: Malaysia (indication of Moluccas in ROLSTON et al. (1994) results from a misinterpretation of Malacca, old name for Malaysia).

Discussion. In his conclusion for the diagnosis of P. críbatus , which follows that of P. firmatus in his catalog, WALKER (1868) wrote: “ it to be the female of P. may prove firmatum : the horns of the thorax inclined forward and the scutellum smaller.” are more He was mistaken in his statement, but perhaps not as he had thought. In fact, the examination of the type specimens as well as the description, in which Walker wrote about the abdomen of firmatus : “hind angles of the apical segment forming two spines, which extend little beyond the eight intermediate spines ” and about that of cribatus : a “hind angles of the apical segment rounded” clearly demonstrate that the type of firmatus is a female and that of críbalus a male. The two specimens share the same origin, a donation from Saunders, entered under the number 6513 by the BMHN, and the label, “ MALCA” in handwriting, which should be abbreviation same provenance an for Malacca, according to Walker.

Save for the sexual dimorphism, important in this genus, few differences can be found in the diagnose. Subtle changes in the of adverbs, slipping from “ hardly” for use the first to “ slighty” for the second give usable criteria. Only two points really no emerge from the descriptions, a difference in the relative length of segments two and three of the antennae, and the shape of humeral and scutellum: “the horns of processes the thorax [of P. firmatus ] inclined forward and the scutellum is smaller. ” He are more also wrote about differences in hue, the male being darker than the female, but this maybe due to sexual dimorphism, individual Variation or immaturity of the type of firmalus.

The difference between the ratio of the length of antennal segments two and three is distinctive, but small, and, in a family with great variability in this character, which can reach 20 % in some cases, it has no real significance. I cannot find any differences in the shape of the scutellum, so it leaves only the shape of humeral processes, which are in fact somewhat different. Once again, Walker was Wrong in his assertion, the humeral processes of críbatus being in fact slightly more projected anteriorly than those of firmatus It may also be noted that the processes of the male are clearly more robust than those of the female, which continuously taper from base to apex, whereas they only taper in the last third for the male. However, the study of numerous specimens of other species also shows great individual variation in this character, for example, the extension of humeral processes in P. tenangau Magnien et al. can differ of about 20 %, and some specimens have completely transverse processes, whereas the majority have them projecting anteriorly. This character does not seem sufficient to establish a specific distinction. Close examination of the two types did not give any other clue that those discussed hereabove, and, eventually, there is no indication that they belong to different species. Consequently, they should be regarded as the male and female of the same species:

P. críbratus ( Walker, 1868) , nov. syn — P. jirmatus ( Walker, 1868) .