Aepykorys missai, Guilbert, 2021

Guilbert, Eric, 2021, Two new species of Tingidae (Insecta: Heteroptera) from Papua New Guinea, Zootaxa 4952 (3), pp. 589-595 : 589-591

Aepykorys missai sp. n.

( Figs. 1 , 2 , 3 )

Material examined: 2M+1F, Canopy mission, Madang Province, Baiteta , 05/07/1995, Fog AR 24, O. Missa rec., IRScNB coll. One female designed as holotype .

Description: Body shiny brown and glabrous, legs and antennae yellowish. Body length, 3.07±0.02; width (at posterior part of hemelytra), 1.27 (Only one specimen with both hemelytra).

Head small, partially concealed by hood, armed with occipital and frontal pairs of spines; spines slender, occipi- tal longer than eye width and adpressed onto head, frontal ones as long as eye width and directed forwards; first and second antennal segments stout, third slender, and fourth lacking, antennal segment measurements, I, 0.18±0.00; II, 0.14±0.00; III, 0.68 (only one segment recovered); bucculae narrow and short, in contact anteriorly; rostrum long, reaching third visible abdominal segment.

Pronotum narrow, almost twice as long as narrow, tricarinate, lateral carinae concealed by paranota; median carina present all pronotal length, raised, two areolae wide at base of hood, uniseriate at median part and ridge-like posteriorly, areolae round and small, anteriorly prolonged by hood; hood twice longer than wide, three areolae high at each side, covering all head except eyes visible from above, extending anteriorly and curved downwards; paranota four areolae wide, reflexed and adpressed onto pronotum, two inner rows of areolae concave, separated from outer rows by fold, outer margin anteriorly reaching hood and posteriorly covering lateral carinae but not reaching median carina; rostrum sulcus straight and narrow, laminae narrow and straight; posterior process long and triangular, apex slightly raised; scent gland opening auricular-like. Pronotum length, 1.51±0.03; width, 0.56±0.06.

Hemelytra long and narrow, gradually widening from base to apex, not completely covering in repose; costal area biseriate anteriorly and four areolae wide at R+ M and Cu junction, areolae large and polygonal; subcostal area narrow, uniseriate, areolae round and smaller than on costal area except posterior half where same size; length discoidal area half of hemelytra, five areolae wide at widest part, areolae round and small, inner row of larger areolae; sutural area five areolae wide, areolae polygonal and as large as costal area. Hemelytra length, 2.02±0.03; discoidal area length, 0.99±0.03.

Comments: the three specimens examined do not show any variation in measurements and morphology. This species differs from the only know species A. proekes Drake & Ruhoff 1965 by the costal area being four areolae wide (it is three areolae wide in proekes ), and the hood is shorter and curved downwards (while it is more extended forwards and straight in proekes ). The specimens were collected by fogging on Celtis philippinensis (Ulmaceae) and Polyarthia sp. ( Annonaceae ).

Etymology: the name of this species refers to Olivier Missa who did the fogging samples in Baiteta and provided so many interesting specimens from the forest canopy of Papua New Guinea.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dorsal view of habitus of Aepykorys missai sp. n. Scale bar is 1 mm.

FIGURE 2. Ventral view of habitus of Aepykorys missai sp. n. Scale bar is 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Lateral view of habitus of Aepykorys missai sp. n. Scale bar is 1 mm.