Trichocentrus ecuatorianus, Coscarón, María Del Carmen & Dellapé, Pablo Matías, 2003

Coscarón, María Del Carmen & Dellapé, Pablo Matías, 2003, A new species of Trichocenthrus from Ecuador (Heteroptera: Colobathristidae), with a key to the species of the genus, Zootaxa 213, pp. 1-8 : 2-4

Trichocentrus ecuatorianus n. sp.

( Figs. 1­10, 20 )

Diagnosis.­ T. ecuatorianus can be separated from all other species by the shape of the pronotum ( Fig. 20 ). It is distinguished from T. amazonicus and T. guayanensis by a yellowish macula on the anterior half of connexival segments four to seven.

Description.­ Brachypterous. Length. 6­6.3 (mean = 6.2). General coloration light brown to dark brown, almost black.

Head length 0.9­1.0 (mean = 0.93), width 1.07­1.17 (mean = 1.11), interocular distance 0.56­0.63 (mean = 0.58). Head black, abundantly tomentose except stridulatory area. Rostral length 1.05­1.12 (mean = 1.09), extending just beyond bases of mesocoxae, ratio of segment lengths about 1: 0.76: 0.9: 1.1; light brown to brown, except segment I and apex of segment IV darker; with sparse, semierect hairs. Antenna elongate, light brown to brown, apex of segment III and segment IV darker; segment I with scattered, erect hairs, segments II to IV with abundant short, decumbent hairs, these more dense distally. Eyes reddish, protruberant.

Pronotum convex ( Fig. 20 ), dark brown, almost black; with sparse erect hairs; collar, anterior lobe laterally, and posterior lobe tomentose. In lateral view pronotum elevated ( Fig. 20 ). Scutellum dark brown, almost black, tomentose; with large, erect spine, this yellowish, dark brown distally, with scattered erect hairs. Metanotum dark brown, almost black, tomentose. Hemelytra brachypterous, represented only by short wing pads. Pleura dark brown, almost black, except acetabular area of pro­ and mesocoxae light brown. Propleura tomentose, and meso­ and metapleura punctate. Legs light brown to brown; femora and tibiae with scattered erect hairs, these more dense on tibiae. Femora with small, scattered, dark brown spots, profemur with small spines internally and a large one distally.

Abdomen brown to dark brown, with abundant short hairs on sterna II to VII. Connexival segments four to seven each with a yellowish macula externally on anterior half.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 1­7): pygophore ( Fig. 1) cup­shaped, visible in posterior view. The foramen ( Fig. 2) dorsal and medial. Wall of pygophore posterior to foramen strikingly produced forming dorsally a hypandrium; parandria absent. Parameres ( Fig. 3) in resting position situated outside the pygophore laterally, their axes diagonal to longitudinal axes of pygophore; shank ( Figs. 4, 5) subquadrate and robust, blade elongate, protuding basally, and setose over its surface. Endosomal sperm reservoir large, complex, strongly sclerotized, with large wings.

Female genitalia ( Figs. 8­10): genital complex ( Figs. 8, 9) partially invaginated under segment VII. In posterior view, large valvula I and valvifer I visible and valvula II and valvifer II partially visible. Spermathecal bulb ( Fig. 10) spherical, simple.

Types.­ Holotype male: ECUADOR, Tiputini, 4 February 2002, M. C. Coscarón col. Paratypes: 2 females, same data as holotype.

The holotype and paratypes will be deposited in the Museo de La Plata (MLP), Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Etymology.­ The species name, ecuatorianus , refers to the country of collection.

Figures

FIGURES 18 ­ 20: Head and thorax, lateral view. 18 ­ T. horvathi. 19 ­ T. vianai. 20 ­ T. ecuatorianus.