Arocatus pseudosericans, Gao & Kondorosy & Bu, 2013

Gao, Cuiqing, Kondorosy, Előd & Bu, Wenjun, 2013, A Review Of The Genus Arocatus From Palaearctic And Oriental Regions (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeidae), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 61 (2), pp. 687-704 : 694-697

Arocatus pseudosericans , new species

( Figs. 3E, F, Q, R , 4D–F , 5E–H , 6C–E )

Arocatus sericans (non Stål, 1859): Esaki, 1952: 221; Zheng & Zou, 1981: 18; and subsequent authors. Misidentification.

References. — Bu et al., 2001: 270 ( sericans , listed, distribution); Hua, 2000: 187 ( sericans , listed).

Description. — Colour. The following parts dark brown to black: a large median spot on vertex; distal portion of clypeus; eyes; a pair of broad longitudinal vittae running from anterior margin to posterior margin of pronotum; scutellum except median longitudinal ridge; hemelytra except basal and costal margin of corium; prosternum except anterior margin; meso- and metasterna; middle of propleuron; mesopleuron except supracoxal lobes; metapleuron except lateral and posterior margins, supracoxal lobes and scent gland; transverse fasciae along posterior margins of abdominal sternites III–VII; genital segments, antennal segments, rostrum and legs. Hemelytral membrane translucent, dark brown basally, gradually becoming paler apically. Supracoxal lobes light orange. The remaining parts red.

Structure. Body parallel-sided. Head slightly declivent, moderately swollen behind eye; posterior margin of ocellus situated posteriorly of posterior margin of eye; bucculae moderately produced, slightly convex, gently tapering posteriorly. Antennal segment I surpassing clypeus by about 1/4 of its length. Rostral segment I not reaching anterior margin of prosternum, segment II reaching anterior margin of procoxa, segment III slightly surpassing procoxa, and segment IV reaching about middle of mesocoxa. Pronotum coarsely punctured; with distinct transverse impression; median keel elevated at middle. Scutellum about four times as long as claval commissure; subacute apically. Thoracic pleura shallowly punctate. Posterior margin of pygophore and cuplike sclerite not fused, in the middle of which without distinct process ( Fig. 3E, F ). Paramere as in Figs. 3Q, R , 5E–H . Phallotheca moderately pigmented; conjunctiva without lobes; vesica elongate, apically coiled; gonoporal process twisted about four times; without obvious helicoid process ( Fig. 6C ); ejaculatory reservoir as in Fig. 6D, E .

Measurements. — Length of head 0.64–0.93 (male), 0.88– 0.90 (female); width 1.30–1.45 (male), 1.48–1.50 (female); interocular distance 0.88–1.00 (male), 1.00 (female). Length of antennal segments I 0.22–0.35, II 0.85–1.07, III 0.82–0.98, IV 1.10–1.25 (male); I 0.38, II 0.98–1.00, III 0.93–0.95, IV 1.25–1.26 (female). Length of pronotum 1.08–1.45 (male), 1.45–1.47 (female); width of anterior margin 1.00–1.21 (male), 1.28 (female); width of posterior margin 1.63–1.97 (male), 2.20–2.23 (female). Length of scutellum 1.00–1.25 (male), 1.38–1.40 (female); width 0.82–1.03 (male), 1.18– 1.19 (female). Distance between apex of clavus and apex of corium measured along midline 1.50–1.75 (male), 1.75–1.77 (female); distance between apex of corium and apex of membrane measured along midline 1.25–1.52 (male), 1.65– 1.67 (female). Total body length 5.90–7.00 (male), 7.70–7.80 (female). Five males and two females were measured.

Differential diagnosis. — The new species together with A. sericans and A. melanostoma are strongly similar in having dense and long pilosity, red head with a median black spot, and paired longitudinal black vittae on pronotum and corium. They supposedly form a monophyletic subgroup within Arocatus , and therefore we propose the name “ A. sericans species-group” for them. The diagnostic characters between members of this species-group are presented in Table 1.

Etymology. — The specific epithet pseudosericans is derived from the name of A. sericans with adding the Greek prefix pseudo - ‘false’, in allusion to the close resemblance and past confusion between the new species and A. sericans .

Type material. — Holotype: CHINA: Shaanxi: male, Chengguan, Foping county , coll. X. M. Li, 25 Jul.2006 ( NKUM).

Paratypes: CHINA: Guizhou: 1 male, Changming township, Guiding county , coll. C. R. Li & C. F. Zhou, 8 Sep.2000, alt. 1050 m ( NKUM) ; Fujian: 1 male, Gucen, Fuzhou , coll. L. C. Wang, 6 May 1965 ( NKUM) ; 1 male, “Kuatun” [= Guadun ], “Fukien” [= Fujian], 12 Apr. [19]46 (Tschungsen) ( NMPC) ; Guangxi: 1 female, Jiuniutang, Maoershan , coll. H. J. Xue, 20 Apr.2002, alt. 1100 m ( NKUM) ; Zhejiang: 1 male, Sanmuping, Tianmushan , coll. W. J. Bu, 20 Aug.1999, alt. 800 m ( NKUM) ; 1 female, Tianmushan , coll. O. Piel, 23 May 1937 ( SHEM) ; Sichuan: 1 female, Qingyin'ge, Emeishan , coll. F. X. Zhu, 17 May 1957, alt. 800–1000 m ( IZAS) ; JAPAN: Kyushu: 1 male, Kumamoto , coll. G. Lewis, 25 Apr. [18]81, B.M. 1926 – 369 ( BMNH) ; Honshu: 1 male, Yokohama , coll. Distant, 25 Apr. [18]81, B.M. 1911 – 383 ( BMNH) ; 1 female, Lewis , coll. Distant, 25 Apr. [18]81, B.M. 1911 – 383 ( BMNH) .

Host plants and bionomics. — Unknown.

Distribution. — Asia: China (Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang), Japan (Honshu, Kyushu).

Figures

Fig. 3. A–G, J, K, Pygophores in posterodorsal or posterior view. A, B, A. melanocephalus; C, D, A. melanostoma; E, F, A. pseudosericans, new species; G, A. rufipes; J, K, A. sericans. H, I, L–T: Left parameres in different aspects. H, I, A. rufipes; L, M, A. melanocephalus; N–P, A. melanostoma; Q, R, A. pseudosericans, new species; S, T, A. sericans. Scale bars = 0.5 mm (A–G, J, K), 0.1 mm (H, I, L–T).

Fig. 4. Arocatus spp., dorsal, ventral or lateral view. A, B, A. pilosulus, one of the syntypes; C, A. pilosulus; D, E, A. pseudosericans, new species, holotype; F, A. pseudosericans, new species; G, A. roeselii; H, A. rufipes; I, A. suboeneus. Scale bars = 5.0 mm.

Fig. 5. Right parameres in four different aspects. A–D, A. melanocephalus; E–H, A. pseudosericans, new species; I–L, A. sericans. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 6. A–B, A. melanocephalus. A, phallus, dorsal view; B, enlarged ejaculatory reservoir, lateral view; C–E, A. pseudosericans, new species. C, phallus, dorsal view; D, enlarged ejaculatory reservoir, dorsal view; E, enlarged ejaculatory reservoir, lateral view. Lettering: ba: basal apparatus; co: conjunctiva; er: ejaculatory reservoir; gp: gonoporal process; hp: helicoid process; ph: phallotheca; sbp: support bridge prolongation; sg: secondary gonopore; ve: vesica. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.