Ambohitantelya yuripopovi, Heiss, Ernst & Baňař, Petr, 2013

Heiss, Ernst & Baňař, Petr, 2013, Ambohitantelya yuripopovi gen. nov. et sp. nov., a new apterous Mezirinae from Madagascar (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aradidae) with unique metathoracic evaporatoria, Zootaxa 3616 (3), pp. 291-297 : 292-296

Ambohitantelya yuripopovi sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–14 )

Material examined. Holotype male labelled: ABT/12/2011 MADAGASCAR 2011 / AMBOHITANTELY Spec. Res.; 19.iv. / S 18°11’48.9”, E 47°17’10.5”; 1602m / sifting of plant residues under / palm tree; Winkler app. extr.; L.S. / Rahanitriniaina & R. Raveloson lgt. // Holotype / Ambohitantelya / yuripopovi gen. nov. et sp. nov. / des. Heiss & Baňař 2012 (MMBC); paratype female labelled: ABT/ Nov.2011/01 MADAGASCAR / AMBOHITANTELY Spec. Res. 16.xi. / 2011; S 18°11’48.9”, E 47°17’10.5” / 1603m, sifting forest litter under big / Pandanus, Winkler app. extraction / L.S. Rahanitriniaina & P. Baňař lgt. // Paratype / Ambohitantelya / yuripopovi gen. nov. et sp. nov. / des. Heiss & Baňař 2012 (CEHI); paratype female labelled:.ABT/ Nov.2011/04 MADAGASCAR / AMBOHITANTELY Spec. Res.; 1561m; / S 18°11’56.5”, E 47°17’26.1”; 17.xi. / 2011; sifting forest litter under big palm / tree + big rotten trunk; Winkler app. / extraction; L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. // Paratype / Ambohitantelya / yuripopovi gen. nov. et sp. nov. / des. Heiss & Baňař 2012 (CEHI); paratype female labelled: ABT/15/2011 MADAGASCAR / AMBOHITANTELY Spec. Res.; 20.iv. / S 18°11’31.0”, E 47°17’33.3”; 1630m / sifting forest litter; Winkler app.extr. / L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R.Raveloson lgt. // Paratype / Ambohitantelya / yuripopovi gen. nov. et sp. nov. / des. Heiss & Baňař 2012 (MMBC). All specimens are card-mounted on rectangular cards.

Description. Male, apterous, body surface of charcoal coloration, glabrous and smooth on metanotum, tergal plate and median part of metasternum and mst II–VII, rugose and granulate elsewhere, legs and antennae brownish.

Head. As wide as long including neck (32/32); clypeus short reaching about 1/3 of antennal segment I, genae not produced over apex of clypeus, thin and adherent; antenniferous lobes triangular, blunt, surface granulate, shorter than clypeus: antennae 2x as long as width of head (64/32), segment I bent at base and thickest, II thinner tapering toward base, III thinnest and longest, IV fusiform with pilose apex; surface of segments I–IV beset with round tubercles bearing scale-like bristles ( Fig. 14 ); length of antennal segments I/II/III/IV = 16/10/24 /14; eyes oval and granular inserted in head; postocular lobes with round tubercles. Rostrum arising from a slit-like atrium, shorter than head, rostral groove deep, lateral margins and adjacent parts of head granulate.

Pronotum. Of trapezoidal shape, more than twice as wide as long at middle (52/20), anterior margin nearly straight with a carinate ring-like collar bearing a larger round tubercle medially; collar separated from raised granulate elevations of anterolateral lobe of pronotum by deep incisions; disk with a median furrow and lateral ovate callosities, posterior margin convex, delimited by a transverse furrow from fused mesonotum.

Mesonotum. Strongly transverse (74/18); disk with 4 longitudinal granulate ridges

( Figs.7 , 9 ), lateral sclerites irregularly rugose; lateral margins raised and granulate, their posterior half covered and obscured by an ovate lobe of the metathoracic evaporatorium, this bent dorsally and well visible from above, then continuing anteriorly where a thin lateral structure is recognizable; posterior margin marked by a bisinuate transverse furrow indicating the fusion line of meso - metanotum.

Metanotum. Fused to mtg I+II without visible fusion lines, forming a trapezoidal plate, surface smooth and glabrous with 2 (1+1) large shallow depressions lateral of median carina, posterior margin straight.

Abdomen. Tergal plate flat smooth and glabrous with shallow depressions marking the pattern of apodemes; lateral margins rounded; surface of deltg II–VII granulate, each with 2 larger patches of raised tubercles, pe-angles not protruding; deltg II+III fused, triangular, anteriorly reaching metanotum, mtg VII granulate.

Venter. Pro-, meso-, and pleural part of metasternum irregularly rugose; median part of metasternum completely fused to mst II+III smooth and shiny, mst III–VII smooth, vltg rugose; structure of metathoracic evaporatorial plate trilobate extending from basal ostium anterolaterally and dorsally reflexed; spiracles II–VII placed on round tubercles, II+III lateral and visible from above, IV–VII sublateral and hardly visible from above, VIII terminal on paratergites VIII.

Legs. Long and slender, unarmed, femora moderately incrassate toward apex, tibiae cylindrical, tarsi twosegmented, claws with thin curved pulvilli.

Male genitalic structure. Exposed part of pygophore oval, surface rugose; the holotype was not dissected for the study of parameres.

Female. General structures as in male but of larger size; mtg VII with rugose surface and a transverse ridge posteriorly ( Fig. 11 ); tergite VIII strongly transverse, tergite IX and X truncately projecting posteriorly.

Measurements. Holotype: Length 4.25mm; width of abdomen across tergite IV 86, across tergal plate 54. Paratype female: length 4.70mm; head length / width 34/33; pronotum l/w 20/54; mesonotum l/w 18/80; width of abdomen across tergite IV 94, across tergal plate 60; length of antennal segments I/II/III/IV = 16/10/26 /15, ratio length of antennae / width of head 2.0 3. Total length of other two female paratypes 4.52mm and 4.49mm.

Etymology. It is a great pleasure to dedicate this exciting taxon to our friend Yuri Popov (Moscow), renowned palaeoentomologist and taxonomist of Heteroptera—with considerable delay—in occasion of his past 75th birthday.

Distribution. This peculiar species was collected in Ambohitantely Special Reserve situated in central Madagascar, comprising small remnants of rain forests surrounded with the savannas and agricultural landscape.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. Ambohitantelya yuripopovi gen. nov. et sp. nov.; 1 — male holotype; 2 – 5 — female paratype; 1 – 2 — total dorsal view; 3 — total lateral view; 4 — detail of metathoracic evaporatorium, 5 — head in dorsal view. Scale in mm.

FIGURES 6 – 7. Ambohitantelya yuripopovi gen. nov et sp. nov. 6 — holotype male, ventral view; 7 — paratype female, pro- and mesonotum, dorsal view. Scale in mm.

FIGURES 8 – 14. SEM photos of Ambohitantelya yuripopovi gen. nov et sp. nov., paratype female; 8 – 11, 13 – 14 — dorsal view; 12 — postero-ventral view. 8 — head; 9 — pro- and mesonotum; 10 — lateral part of abdomen; 11 — apex of abdomen; 12 — terminal abdominal segments; 13 — mushroom like surface of dorsally expanded evaporatorium; 14 — antennal segment IV.