Caiganga antennata Carvalho & Becker, 1957

Ferreira, Paulo Sérgio F., Salles, Frederico F., Dias, Lucimar G. & Coelho, Lívia A., 2005, Corrections of the original description of the genus Caiganga and description of the female of Caiganga antennata Carvalho & Becker, 1957 (Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae), Zootaxa 1084, pp. 43-48 : 44-47

Caiganga antennata Carvalho & Becker, 1957 ( Figure 1)

Description: Female (measurements in millimeters taken from 1 specimen): Body length 2.52; width, 1.17. Head length 0.45.; width 0.55; distance between eyes 0.27; length of antennal segment I 0.20; width 0.07; II 0.75; width 0.25; III 0.37; IV missing; length of rostral segment I 0.37; II 0.30, III 0.22; IV 0.30; total, 1.19. Pronotal length 0.40; width across apice 0.40; width across base 0.97; length of hind femur 0.95; width of hind femur 0.27; hind tibial length1.32; hind tarsal length 0.42. Hemelytron length 2.00; width 1.17; cuneal length 0.42; width cross base 0.42. Scutellum length 0.37; width 0.55.

General coloration black with pale areas; slightly shining. Head black; eyes reddish dark brown; apical margin of clypeus, area near loral­jugal suture and external margin of buccula dark brown; rostrum pale tan becoming dark brown to black posteriorly, except basal segment I and epipharynx dark brown; antennae dark brown with segment III pale and IV missing. Pronotum, scutellum, and hemelytra black; membrane and veins fuscous. Legs with coxae, trochanters, and femora black; other segments yellowish to pale brown; hind tibiae with basal 1/4 dark fuscous; tarsi becoming dark fuscous posteriorly. Ventral side entirely black.

Head smooth, shining, declivous, vestiture consisting of scatttered long erect setae above; vertex slightly rounded not margined posteriorly; frons vertical; clypeus prominent and projecting more anteriorly than frons; gena prominent; buccula clearly delimited; eyes located posteriorly; distance between posterior margin of eye and anterior margin of prothorax less than length of eye in dorsal view; height of eye in lateral view higher than gena. Margin of antennal socket located close to loral­jugal suture, almost touching eye; antennal segment I shorter than vertex width, strongly incrassate, narrowed toward base, vestiture with sparse long setae shorter than diameter of segment, mixed with more dense, short, adpressed setae; segment II elliptical or spindle shape, strongly incrassate, three times longer than segment I and as wide as hind femur; segment III very slender with short, dense, adpressed setae; segment IV missing. Rostrum slightly surpassing hind coxae. Pronotum trapezoidal, slightly transverse, rugulose under reflected light; disc slightly convex, minutely roughened, not shining; lateral margins rounded, posterior margin straight; humeral corners rounded; calli flattened, smooth and not shining; collar not delimited dorsally; vestiture consisting of sparse, short, erect and semi­erect setae. Scutellum very lightly transversely rugulose, flat, not raised above hemelytra. Hemelytra rugose, somewhat rounded laterally, slightly shining; vestiture consisting of sparse semierect setae; embolium narrow; cuneus longer than wide; membrane bare with one conspicuous cell; claval­corial suture and embolio­corial suture impunctate. Hind femora strongly incrassate, twice as long and large as front and middle femora, with short adpressed setae; tibiae without spines, setae shorter than diameter of segment. Ventral side of body covered with semi­erect setae.

Discussion: The female ( Fig. 1) is fully sclerotized and shows the diagnostic traits of the genus Caiganga with antennal segment I short, strongly incrassate, narrowed toward base; segment II spindle­shaped, strongly incrassate; segment III and IV very slender; the rostrum surpassing the hind coxae; and hind coxae strongly enlarged compared with the other legs.

The female exemplar was identified as C. antennata because of its general morphological characters similar those of the male holotype, such as vestiture, size, antennae shape, contrasting color among antennal segments I and II and segment III, shape and contrasting color between femora and other segments of legs, and geographic distribution both in neighboring southern Brazilian states (holotype male from Santa Catarina and female from Rio Grande do Sul). The male differs from the female mainly by the first antennal segment, which is larger and longer than the width between eyes.

The holotype cuticle is not fully sclerotized and darkened ( Fig. 2 ). Indeed, several areas of the body, such as the legs, abdomen, and especially the second antennal segment, are wrinkled ( Fig. 3 ), giving the false impression of being compressed and appearing foliaceus or excavated: “second segment strongly enlarged, compressed or hollowed internally such as to appear foliaceus or excaved…” ( Carvalho & Becker 1957). We believe that the illustrator misinterpreted the specimen when the antennae were illustrated. The wrinkled aspect of the second antennal segment ( Fig. 3 ) is not symmetrical in both second antennal segments, as incorrectly shown in the original holotype illustration ( Fig. 2 ) ( Carvalho & Becker 1957). In addition, the teneral condition gives the body an unnatural red color. Taking into account the uniform reddish color of the male with the same contrasting pale areas found in the female, one can be reasonably certain that the holotype, in its fully sclerotized condition, should be black.

Material Examined: Holotype, 1 male, Brasilien, Nova Teutonia, Fritz Plaumann, VIII­30­35, Caiganga antennata n.sp., n.gen., J.C.M. Carvalho and J. Becker, 42 (deposited in MNRJ); 1 female, Triunfo, RS, Parque Copesul, 21.X. 2003, Barcellos, A., e Schmidt, L., rede de varredura, col. MCN 176391 (deposited in MCN).

Geographic Distribution: Brazil: Santa Catarina: Nova Teutonia (27° 11' N, 52° 23' W) and Rio Grande do Sul: Triunfo (29° 56 N. 51° 43 W).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Caiganga antennata: Male (holotype) dorsal habitus (redrawn from Carvalho & Becker, 1954).

FIGURE 3. Caiganga antennata: Right antenna of holotype showing wrinkled segment II.