Scoloposcelis seidaii, Yamada, Kazutaka, 2014

Yamada, Kazutaka, 2014, A new minute pirate bug of the genus Scoloposcelis (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) from West Malaysia, Zootaxa 3847 (2), pp. 292-296 : 293-295

Scoloposcelis seidaii sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–4 , 9–12 )

Diagnosis. Recognized by the following combination of characters: antennae generally fuscous, segment II about 0.75 times as long as head width across eyes; posterior pronotal width about twice that of anterior pronotal width; membrane smoky dark brown, but sub-basal area whitish brown; pro- and metafemur spinose ventrally; paramere knife-shaped, medially widened, pointed at apex.

Description. Male (holotype). Coloration. Body ( Figs. 1, 2 ) reddish brown to somber dark brown. Head ( Figs. 1, 3 ) reddish brown to dark brown with paler apex; eyes reddish brown; ocelli and area surrounding ocelli red to reddish brown. Antennae ( Figs. 1–3 ) generally fuscous; segment I darker. Labium ( Fig. 1, 2 ) yellowish brown; segment I and II with dark brown tinge. Pronotum and scutellum ( Figs. 1, 3 ) uniformly reddish brown to dark brown. Hemelytra ( Fig. 1 ) generally somber dark brown, but wide area along claval suture in clavus, basal parts of endocorium and embolium whitish brown; membrane smoky dark brown, but sub-basal area whitish brown. Venter of thorax reddish brown to dark brown. Coxae and trochanters yellowish brown; femora dark brown; tibiae and tarsi pale yellow ( Fig. 2 ). Abdomen brown to dark brown.

Structure. Body ( Fig. 1 ) elongate, shiny on dorsum, sparsely covered with short procumbent setae. Head ( Figs. 1, 3, 5 ) smooth on dorsal surface, about 0.8 times as long as width across eyes; a pair of longer, erect setae on each side of clypeus and near front margin of eyes; anteocular portion as long as length of eye in dorsal view; vertex three times as wide as eye in dorsal view; postocular portion weakly constricted; neck very shortened; eye small, extending below level of ventral surface of head in lateral view; ocelli situated on imaginary line that passes through posterior margin of eyes. Antennal segment I stout, reaching to apex of head, with a few short, scattered setae; segment II about 0.75 times as long as head width across eyes, slightly thickened toward apex, covered with sub-erect setae which are a little shorter than width of the segment; segments III and IV equal in length, much narrower than basal width of segment II, covered with long, erect setae intermixed with short procumbent setae, longest setae longer than twice width of each segment. Labium with a few very short, scattered setae; segment III about twice as long as segment II; segment IV about 0.66 times as long as segment III.

Pronotum ( Figs 1, 3, 5 ) trapezoidal, shiny, impunctate, with long, erect, stout setae near anterolateral and posterolateral corners (posterolateral setae missing) and a pair of similar but shorter setae behind anterior margin; posterior half shallowly depressed medially; anterior margin deeply concave, width slightly wider than mesal length; lateral margins nearly straight but strongly curved at anterior corners, distinctly carinate and slightly expanded anterolaterally; posterior margin concave, width about twice that of anterior pronotal width; collar indistinct, with a row of very short procumbent setae directed anteriorly. Scutellum ( Fig. 1 ) shiny, impunctate, length slightly less than basal width. Hemelytra ( Fig. 1 ) parallel-sided; maximum width of endocorium about 2.3 times as wide as width of embolium; cuneal margin about 0.67 times as long as embolial margin; membrane with one visible vein near costal margin. Ostiolar peritreme wide, curved anteriorly, acute at apex, not reaching anterior margin of metapleuron. Profemur extremely enlarged, about twice as wide as maximum width of mesofemur, with anteroventral and posteroventral rows of spines, anteroventral row with two large spines and four tiny setiferous tubercles medially, posteroventral row with four large spines apically; protibia lacking tibial teeth ventrally, without fossula spongiosa at apex; mesofemur without ventral spines; metafemur same width as profemur, with anteroventral and posteroventral rows of spines, anteroventral row with four medium-sized spines apically, posteroventral row with five large spines apically. Dorsal laterotergites not fused with mediotergites on abdominal segment II. Uradenia ( Fig. 4 ) with a row of 36 macrotrichia anterior to the orifice; secretory body a little wider than that of S. parallela .

Male genitalia ( Figs. 6‒8 ): Pygophore cup-shaped, with about 10 long, stout setae on caudal edge and on posteroventral surface; mediodorsal surface very hirsute; paramere knife-shaped, lamellate, medially widened, pointed at apex, with very narrow groove running along its body.

Female. Unknown.

Measurements (holotype, ♂). Body length 2.75; head length (excluding neck) 0.33; head width across eyes 0.41; vertex width 0.24; width between ocelli 0.16; lengths of antennal segments I-IV respectively 0.13, 0.31, 0.25, and 0.25; lengths of labial segments II-IV respectively 0.21, 0.44, and 0.29; anterior pronotal width 0.35; mesal pronotal length 0.31; basal pronotal width 0.69; length of embolial margin 0.66; length of cuneal margin 0.44; maximum width across hemelytra 0.69.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♂ ( Figs. 1‒4 , 9‒12 ), ‘[ Malaysia] Perak St., / Cameron Highlands, / “ 19 mile ” / 2. Mar. 2003 / Seidai NAGASHIMA’ ( TKPM).

Distribution. Malaysia (Perak State).

Etymology. Named after Mr. Seidai Nagashima, who collected the type specimen of this new species; a noun in genitive case.

Remarks. This new species is similar in general appearance to S. parallela , from which it can be distinguished by the antennal segment II about 0.75 times as long as head width across eyes (as long as head width across eyes in S. parallela ), posterior pronotal width about twice that of anterior pronotal width (about 1.5 times as wide as anterior width in S. parallela ), and the spines on the profemur (profemur with only four large ventral spines in S. parallela ).

No information on biology of this new species is currently available. A single specimen was collected under the bark of a decaying tree lying on the ground (Seidai Nagashima, personal communication).

Figures

FIGURES 1 ‒ 8. Scoloposcelis seidaii sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (1 ‒ 4) and S. parallela (Motschulsky, 1863), ♂ (5 ‒ 8). 1, 5, habitus, dorsal view; 2, 6, ditto, lateral view; 3, 7, head and pronotum, dorsal view; 4, 8, uradenia, ventral view. Scales: 1.0 mm for 1, 2, 5, 6; 0.5 mm for 3, 7; 0.2 mm for 4, 8.

FIGURES 9 ‒ 12. Scoloposcelis seidaii sp. nov., holotype, ♂. 9, head and pronotum, dorsal view; 10, pygophore with paramere, dorsal view; 11, 12, paramere, dorsal and posterior views. Scales: 0.2 mm for 9; 0.1 mm for 10 ‒ 12.