Species group pudibunda

Diagnosis. Small species (8–12mm). Dorsal surface green to black (Figs. 42–48), anterior half of pronotum sometimes lighter than the posterior half; punctures sparse, dark or concolorous. Humeral angles poorly developed and slightly acuminate (Figs. 42–48). Body with sparse and thin punctures or densely punctured with punctures occurring on small dark spots. Apex of scutellum yellow or concolorous and impunctate (Figs. 42–48). Metasternal process with arms short and narrow. Dorsal surface of abdomen black; ventral surface yellow or with large dark areas. Distal angles of abdominal segment VII poorly developed. Posterolateral angle of pygophore punctured on inner surface. Gonocoxite 9 with an unusual transversal medial line separating parts with different textures.

Head: Cephalic disc rugulose punctured or not punctured. Mandibular plates without punctures or sparsely punctured, elevated above the level of the clypeus and cephalic disc or at the same level but with a slight concavity at base. Ventral surface yellow to black, when yellow a dark spot present above and another below antenniferous tubercles; venter of the head punctured or not. Bucculae punctured, rounded, hiding part of first segment of the rostrum in lateral view. Rostrum with first segment longer than bucculae. First three antennal segments brown to light brown and sometimes punctured, fourth and fifth segments predominantly black and impunctate.

Thorax: Pronotum with thin and sparse black or concolorous punctures or with a light median impunctate line. Calli swollen, punctured or not, concolorous; outlined by a groove. Margins of pronotum straight, yellow or red, swollen and grooved. Anterolateral angles spiniform and slightly projected. Humeral angles barely projected laterally and just surpassing the margin of the wing. Scutellum with dark punctures mostly in the disc. Hemelytron densely punctured, punctures brown; embolium with a basal dark spot or an oblique spot on the corium. Ventral surface brown, with fine dark or concolorous punctures (Figs. 51–52), or with rough and dark punctures (Figs. 49– 50) also present on metasternal process and evaporatorium. Mesosternum sometimes with a dark spot. Metasternal process yellow sometimes with a dark brown medial spot, punctured or not, high, surpassing the level of the mesocoxae in lateral view, arms of anterior bifurcation evanescent. Evaporatorium corrugated; peritrema reaching half distance between opening of the scent gland and edge of the body. Legsy yellow with sparse punctures or circular black shallowly punctured spots. Tibiae setose. Apices of tarsi black.

Abdomen: Dorsal surface black without punctures (Fig. 42). Each segment of Connexivum with two shallow medial concavities, greenish-brown or with contrasting yellow and dark spots, punctured or not; ventral corresponding area with the same color pattern. Connexivum of segment VII distally dark due to black spot or high concentration of dark punctures. Ventral surface mostly black (Figs. 54–55) with a few and sparse punctures or surface brown and densely punctured. Pseudosutures not punctured and dark between trichobothria and spiracle. Rounded spiracles in yellow calloused area. Trichobothria in line with spiracles, each pair usually on a yellow macula. Females with a rounded oblique pair of dark spots close to ventral middle line on abdominal segment VII (e.g. Figs. 51, 53).

Male: Pygophore (pyg) dark brown to black (e.g. Figs. 19, 37). Dorsal rim (dr) dark with transversely rugulose and a median dark spot. Posterolateral angles (pla) slightly projected and rounded and punctured, punctures black or concolorous. Superior processes of the genital cup (gp) concave, elliptical and slightly swollen (Figs. 2, 8, 14, 20, 27, 33, 38). Parameres (pa) flat, expanded distally, forming a large lobe, basal part not expanded or forming a small digitiform process (Figs. 2, 8, 14, 20, 27, 33, 38). Proctiger (X) with one or two longitudinal keels, distal part with a pair of hairy constrictions; posterior face slightly rounded to subtriangular, concave and dark (Figs. 2, 8, 14, 20, 27, 33, 38). Ventral rim (vr) with fine and dense punctures and a concavity in the middle delimited by a pair of acuminate or rounded expansions that are not level with posterolateral angles (Figs. 3, 9, 15, 21, 28, 34, 39). Ventral surface with dense dark or concolorous punctures covering most of distal half or in a V distribution.

Female: Gonocoxites 8 (gc8) convex (Figs. 6, 12, 23, 31); dark brown punctures concentrated in the middle of the plate; posterior margin rounded or deeply concave, the pair forming a “W (Figs.16, 40). Gonapophyses 8 (gp8) membranous and usually partially exposed. Laterotergites 8 (la8) convex longitudinally; apex spiniform and black; posterior margin and band that unites laterotergites 8 black and not punctured or brown and densely punctured. Gonocoxite 9 (gc9) trapezoidal with a constriction or transversal impressed line almost dividing the plate in half– distal part punctured dark, more sclerotized and thicker; proximal part smooth, thin with an small outwards projection. Laterotergites 9 (la9) excavated at base, apex rounded (Fig. 6) or acute (Fig. 40), reaching or surpassing the band uniting laterotergites 8, but not reaching their level. Tenth segment (X) slightly convex and transversely grooved.

Comments. The species group pudibunda is related to the species of the groups Ascra and Aceratodes sensu Stål (1872). Must be considered that Stål was the only author to characterize groups of species inside Edessa, but did not include all mentioned species in these groups. Maybe this is one reason why the structure proposed by him was completely abandoned in latter works. Kirkaldy (1909) raised Stål’s groups to subgenera but stated As I have found it impossible to place, from their descriptions, many of the post-Stålian species in their proper subgenera, I have placed all the species alphabetically under Edessa . (Kirkaldy 1909, footnote p. 153). We are using Stål’s definition of Ascra and Aceratodes to consider pudibunda closer to them. All three groups have species with the abdomen punctured ventrally and posterior angle of abdominal segment VII short, not surpassing the level of the genital plates. Arms of the anterior bifurcation of the metasternal process laterally compressed (e.g. Figs. 25, 54) puts this group closer to Aceratodes along with the notched part of the bifurcation not reaching mesocoxae while the end of excavation reaches or surpasses mesocoxae (e.g. Fig. 6) and ventral surface of pygophore with most of distal half densely punctured. Species of Aceratodes and pudibunda live in open areas feeding on herbs and small shrubs. Species of pudibunda are found only in Central America, but Aceratodes is basically a South American group, with exception of the species E. rufomarginata and E. meditabunda that are widespread in human-altered places. In addition, species of the group pudibunda are found at altitudes between 700 and 3000 meters.

Distribution (Fig. 56) Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.