Sauronaradus, Cumming & Mlynarek, 2024

Cumming, Royce T. & Mlynarek, Julia J., 2024, An additional ✝ Archearadinae flat-bug species from Cretaceous Burmese Amber (Hemiptera, Aradidae), ZooKeys 1219, pp. 123-133 : 123-133

Genus Sauronaradus gen. nov.

Type species.

Sauronaradus meganae gen. et sp. nov., herein designated.

Etymology.

Generic name derived from the epic fantasy novels “The Lord of the Rings” by J. R. R. Tolkien (1892–1973). Both authors independently, upon seeing the spines and armor-like habitus of this species, thought of the armored cinematic depiction of the villainous protagonist Sauron during the “War of the Last Alliance” during the “late Second Age”. The name Sauron ([ˈsaʊron] or [ˈθaʊron], is from the language “Quenya” [one of the languages spoken by the High Elves of Middle-earth]), and he is the eponymous “Lord of the Rings”. The eponym is coupled with á rados (Greek: ἄρᾰδος), which is Latinized as “ aradus ”, referencing the relationship to Aradidae . Gender is masculine following - aradus.

Diagnosis.

Distinguished from all known extant and extinct Aradidae by various features of the exceptionally long and thin antennae. Typically, aradid antennae are stockier and short, with antennomere lengths only 2 × – 10 × the width, but in Sauronaradus gen. nov. antennomeres II, III, and IV have lengths ~ 20–22 × their widths (Fig. 1 E ). Additionally, many aradids often have the terminal antennomere shorter than segments II or III, but in Sauronaradus gen. nov. the terminal antennomere is of a similar length and width to antennomeres II and III (Fig. 1 E ). Sauronaradus gen. nov. appears to possibly be related to the co-occurring Cretaceous species Archemezira nuoxichenae Heiss & Chen, 2023 and Archemezira nuoyichenae Heiss & Chen, 2023 as these also have a long and similarly shaped clypeus and long and slender antennae. Sauronaradus gen. nov. can be differentiated from A. nuoxichenae and A. nuoyichenae however by the terminal antennomere, which is longer than antennomeres II or III (versus A. nuoxichenae and A. nuoyichenae where the terminal antennomere is shorter than antennomeres II or III). Additionally, Sauronaradus gen. nov. can be differentiated from these species by the parallel-sided abdomen (versus broad and rounded) and the overall smaller size (~ 5 mm versus the massive 23.5 mm ( A. nuoyichenae ) and large 15.4 mm ( A. nuoxichenae ). Sauronaradus gen. nov. also shares characters with Archearadus Heiss & Grimaldi, 2001 ; such as the long clypeus, narrow neck, and spiniform tubercles of the pronotum.

Description.

Macropterous, medium body size ~ 5 mm (from the apex of the clypeus to the apex of the abdomen); body flat, lateral margins prominently marked with tubercles (with the pronotum margins with three large spiniform tubercles on each side ranging in length from 0.10–0.15 mm long; abdominal margins with granulation and minor tubercles); coloration dark brown.

Head. Longer than wide, clypeus prominent and boxy, with two clearly defined widths, broad for the first half, then half as wide on the apex; antennae exceptionally long and thin with antennomere lengths ~ 20 × the segment widths, segments II – IV of about equal length. Compound eyes large and bulging. Vertex of head with four spiniform tubercles transversing the compound eyes.

Pronotum. A rounded isosceles trapezoid with three distinct widths from the anterior to the posterior. Lateral margin with three large spiniform tubercles. Surface marked throughout by small divots and four longitudinal carinae (the two in the center are more prominent and run the full length of the pronotum while the exterior carinae are less pronounced, only prominent on the posterior half).

Scutellum. Rounded triangular, with the base width ca. equal to the length; surface flat without carinae, just slight granulation / divots.

Legs. Armed with small granulation throughout (more prominent on femora, less so on the tibiae, with some of the more prominent nodes of the femora including a singular seta). Femora thicker than tibiae. Tibiae with dense, thick setae on the apical ends ventral surface. Tarsi two-segmented, claws with lemniscate pulvilli.

Abdomen. Macropterous, but wing details are not discernable in the holotype. Only slightly wider than the thorax, with lateral margins that are subparallel; segments with weakly undulating margins creating three to five lumps with the posterior-most the most prominent and the others of a similar smaller size.

Remarks.

This new genus is tentatively placed in the subfamily ✝ Archearadinae Heiss & Grimaldi, 2002. This subfamily lacks an apomorphic character that easily defines it, but instead has been defined by a set of characters from several extant subfamilies, which are held in a unique combination in the ✝ Archearadinae. The features present in Sauronaradus gen. nov. which are known from the ✝ Archearadinae are: clypeus long and prominent, open rostral atrium arising between the compound eyes not at the apex of the clypeus, abdominal tergites III and VI not fused but instead separated by a distinct suture, and the tarsi are two-segmented with claws bearing pulvilli. This tentative subfamilial placement is also supported by the morphological features shared between Sauronaradus gen. nov. and the genera Archemezira and Archearadus .

Figures

Figure 1. Sauronaradus meganae gen. et sp. nov. holotype A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C abdomen, dorsal D abdomen, ventral E right antenna, dorsal.