Stenometapodus Breddin, 1903

Brailovsky, Harry, 2018, Descriptions of Zygometapodus gen. nov. and a new species of Stenometapodus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Coreidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 58 (1), pp. 143-149 : 144

Stenometapodus Breddin, 1903

Stenometapodus Breddin, 1903: 373 (original description). Stenometapodus : PACKAUSKAS (2010): 29 (catalogue).

Redescription. Body size medium to large, over 20 mm.

Head wider across eyes than long, quadrate, not declivent, and dorsally flat; tylus projecting beyond juga as strongly compressed plate, with apex extending forward as a single subacute rectangular projection; juga apically globose, not visible from above, deflexed below antenniferous tubercle; antenniferous tubercle protruding, unarmed; posttylar sulcus simple, deep; antennae shorter than total body length; antennal segment I stouter than segments II to IV, slightly curved outward, longer than maximal length of head and internally ridged; antennal segments II to III cylindrical, IV fusiform; antennal segment IV the longest, III the shortest, and I longer than II; antennal segment IV shorter than II and III together; antennal segment I flattened inwards; ocelli slightly raised, close to eye; preocellar pit small, deep; eyes hemispheric, protuberant; postocular tubercle moderately exposed; buccula short, nearly semicircular, elevated, not projecting beyond antenniferous tubercle, not spinose; rostrum short, reaching posterior border of mesosternum or anterior border of metasternum.

Thorax. Pronotum wider than long, trapezoid, declivent, narrowed anteriorly and diverging posteriorly to form a prominent spinose humerus; collar clearly demarcated; frontal angles obtuse; anterolateral margins obliquely straight, finely nodulose; humeral angles remarkably spinose, each spine-like projection apically acute, directed backward; posterolateral margins entirely serrate to nodulose; posterior margin straight; triangular process elongate or short, and acute; callar region flat, not clearly differentiated or slightly raised, impunctate; anterior lobe of pronotal disk smooth, posterior lobe densely punctate, striate, with a shallow median longitudinal ridge. Prosternum deeply concave; meso-, and metasternum not sulcate; metapleural supracoxal spine difficult to see in males, absent in females; metathoracic scent gland peritreme with a single auricle. Legs. Male hind trochanter with or without two ventral tubercles near apex; in females always smooth; fore and middle femora slender, ventrally armed with two rows of spines, and dorsally smooth; hind femur strongly incrassate in males, less so in females, slightly surpassing the apex of abdomen, ventrally with two rows of spines, and dorsally with one to three rows of stout to acute spines; in each sex the inner and outer surface of hind femora are longitudinally sulcate, more deeply in males; fore and middle tibiae cylindrical, unarmed, sulcate; hind tibiae longer than abdomen, inner and outer surface slightly expanded; inner expansion strongly spinose and outer expansion smooth in both sexes; outer expansion narrow, armed with short spines or denticles. Scutellum longer than wide, apically subacute; disk flat, triangular, coarsely and transversely striated, and clothed with erect setae. Hemelytra. Macropterous, extending beyond the apex of the last abdominal segment; clavus and corium finely and densely punctate; veins prominent.

Abdomen. Connexivum raised above terga; upper surface of whole body of males densely covered with short to long spines; in females always smooth; abdominal terga without medial furrow; abdominal spiracles closer to anterior border of each sternite. Male genitalia. Genital capsule. Posteroventral edge with lateral angles rounded, and area between them with small sized concavity, extending dorsally into a shallow, medially flattened tongue. Female genitalia. Abdominal sternite VII with fissure scarcely visible; plica quadrate, broad, reaching apical third of sternite VII; gonocoxae I triangular, in caudal view close to each other; paratergite VIII subtriangular with spiracle visible; paratergite IX quadrate, longer than VIII.

Differential diagnosis. The genus Stenometapodus is similar to Meluchopetalops Breddin, 1903 , Cervantistellus Brailovsky & Barrera, 2005 , Empedocles Stål, 1867 and Ichilocoris Brailovsky & Barrera, 2001 by having the hind tibiae expanded, antennal segment I internally ridged, and posterior angles of male connexival segments V and VI spinose.

In Empedocles the pronotal disk is clearly tuberculate and impunctate; the collar indistinct; and the outer expansion of hind tibiae in both sexes with one or two deep shallow emarginations. In the other genera the pronotal disk lacks tubercles, and is clearly punctate; the collar well demarcated; and the outer expansion of hind tibia in both sexes is lanceolate or narrowed. Stenometapodus is clearly distinguished from all the genera by having the hind tibiae longer than abdomen; the humeral angles of pronotum exposed and acute; the antennal segment IV is shorter than segments II and III combined; and scutellar disk with erect setae.

In Meluchopetalops the hind tibiae are shorter than the abdomen; the humeral angles of pronotum are obtuse; the antennal segment IV is longer than segments II and III combined; and the scutellum lacks erect setae.

In Cervantistellus the upper margin of male connexival segments VI and VII has one robust spine apically truncated and located near the anterior margin, and eventually with a few tubercles along the entire edge; and the humeral angles are produced into broad sharp spines, turning backwards. In comparison, the Stenometapodus has the upper margin of male connexival segments VI to VII remarkably spined and denticulate; and the humeral angles are clearly acute.

Ichilocoris can be defined by having the apex of the scutellum globose, with a creamy yellow callosity. In the other genera, the apex is flat and subacute.