Brachyrhynchus abyssinicus Bergroth, 1895

Heiss, Ernst, 2023, A new species, a new synonymy, a revised generic assignment and new records in some African and Palaearctic Aradidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), Zootaxa 5315 (5), pp. 469-478 : 473-476

Brachyrhynchus abyssinicus Bergroth, 1895

( Figs. 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14 , 15, 17 )

Brachyrrhynchus abyssinicus Bergroth, 1895: 168 (original description from Ethiopia).

Mezira lindemannae Kormilev, 1956: 42 (original description from Tanganyika [= Tanzania]). New junior subjective synonym.

Mezira abyssinica: Usinger & Matsuda (1959) : 379 (listed); Kormilev & Froeschner (1987): 148 (listed); Heiss (2013): 338 (checklist)

Brachyrhynchus lindemannae: Kormilev & Froeschner (1987) : 117 (listed); Heiss (2013): 337 (checklist)

Type material examined. Brachyrrhynchus abyssinicus : Holotype: ♁ ( Fig. 7 ), ‘Raffray / Abesinia [hw, blue label] // TIPO [p, red label] // Brachyrrhynchus / abyssinicus Bergr. [hw] // Mezira ♁ / abyssinica (Bergr.) [hw] / L. Hoberlandt. 19[p]63 exam. [hw] // Brachyrhynchus / abyssinicus / Bergroth, 1895 / det. E. HEISS 2022 [p]’ ( MNMS).

Mezira lindemannae : Holotype: ♁ ( Fig. 8 ), ‘Zoolog. / Staatsslg. [p, vertically on left margin of the label] // Tanganjika / Usambara-Berge / Sakarani, 1500 m [p] / 12.XI.[hw] lg. Lindemann [p] / 1952 [hw] und Pavlitzki [p] // HOLOTYPE [p, red label] // Mezira / lindemannae [hw] / N. Kormilev [p] 955 [hw, red label] // = Mezira / abyssinica (Bergr) [hw] / cum typo comparavit [p] ♁ [hw] / L. Hoberlandt, 19[p]63[hw, beige label] // Brachyrhynchus / abyssinicus / Bergroth, 1895 / det. E. HEISS 2022 [p]’ ( ZSMC).

Additional material examined. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Mulungu , 1951, 1♀, P. C. Lefevre, P. C. L. 534, coll. R. Mayné, Com. Ét. Bois Congo, L. Hoberlandt 1963 det., E. Heiss revid. ( NMPC) . ETHIOPIA: Abyssinie , [hw] (no data) 1♀, ( CEHI) ; Ambo , 13.–17.x.1990, 1♁, Ribalov lgt. ( CEHI) ; Abessinia mer., Maraquo , 2.x.1913, 1♀, Taranetzkij lgt., Kiritshenko det., E. Heiss revid. ( NMPC) ; Maraquo , 4.x.1913, 1♁ 2♀, Taranetzkij lgt., Kiritshenko det., E. Heiss revid. (1♁ 1♀ CEHI, 1♀ NMPC — Fig. 15 ) ; Chora ( Ilubabor ), 1600 m a.s.l., vi.1973, 2♁♁, G. de Rougemont lgt. ( CEHI) . GUINEA: Nimba, MH. To (1600m), Camp 1, ii.–iv.1942, 1♀, N. Kormilev det. 1973 ( CEHI) . KENYA: Mt.Elgon , 1980 m a.s.l., i.–ii.1979, 2♁m 1♀, T.-E. Leiler lgt. ( CEHI) .

Comments. In 1963 L. Hoberlandt examined the male holotype of Brachyrhynchus abyssinicus and the male holotype of Mezira lindemannae . He recognized that M. lindemannae represents the same taxon as B. abyssinicus and attached the repective labels to both type specimens (see Figs. 7, 8 ), but this synonymy has never been published. This can now be confirmed and the new synonymy established: Brachyrhynchus abyssinicus Bergroth, 1895 = Mezira lindemannae Kormilev, 1956 , syn. nov.

The basic characters of B. abyssinicus , including the size, general habitus, shape of head with triangularly laterally expanded postocular lobes, structure of pronotum and abdomen as well as the shape of the male pygophore ( Figs. 13, 14 ) and paramere ( Fig. 17 ) are shared by specimens recorded outside Ethiopia as indicated above.

Distribution. The actual documented distribution of this species is shown in Fig. 20 : Ethiopia ( Bergroth 1895), Tanzania ( Kormilev 1956, as M. lindemannae ), Democratic Republic of the Congo (new country record), Guinea (new country record), Kenya (new country record).

Figures

FIGURE 20. Tropical and subtropical forested area of Africa. Records of Brachyrhynchus amplicollis (Linnavuori, 1978) (1) and B. abyssinicus Bergroth, 1895 (2–10).

FIGURES 7–14. 7–9—habitus: 7—Brachyrhynchus abyssinicus Bergroth, 1895, holotype, male; 8—Brachyrhynchus lindemannae (Kormilev, 1956), holotype, male; 9—Brachyrhynchus amplicollis (Linnavuori, 1978), paratype, male (pygophore removed). 10–12—head and pronotum: 10—B. abyssinicus, holotype, male; 11—B. lindemannae, holotype, male; 12—B. amplicollis, paratype, male. 13–14—terminal segments: 13—B. abyssinicus, holotype, male; 14—B. lindemannae, holotype, male. Scales: 1 mm

FIGURES 15–19. 15—Brachyrhynchus abyssinicus Bergroth, 1895, female from Ethiopia: Maraquo, habitus. 16— Brachyrhynchus amplicollis (Linnavuori, 1978), male paratype from Sashamanni, left paramere. 17—B. abyssinicus, male from Maraquo, left paramere. 18–19—Aradus congoensis sp. nov., holotype, male genitalia: 18—left paramere; 19—pygophore. Abbreviations: pa = paramere; pr = parandrium; tgIX = tergite IX. Scales:1 mm (15), 0.2 mm (16–19).