Menaccarus (Orocephalus) caii, Luo & Vinokurov, 2014

Luo, Zhao-Hui & Vinokurov, Nikolai N., 2014, A new species of the genus Menaccarus from China (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54 (2), pp. 469-477 : 470-477

Menaccarus (Orocephalus) caii sp. nov.

( Figs 1, 2 , 5 í 8, 17 í 19, 22)

Material examined. HOLOTYPE: J, China, Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region : ‘ Gurbantunggut Desert: Road 216 (44°47 މ N; 88°47 މ E), 460 m, 26.VI.2011, leg. N. Vinokurov’ ( ZISP) . PARATYPES: 7 ♀♀, China, Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region : ‘ Gurbantunggut Desert: 25 km N of Fukang (44°27 މ N; 87°52 މ E), 25.VI.2011, leg. N. Vinokurov’ ( ZISP, XJIEG) ; 1 ♀, China, Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region : ‘149tuan, 80 km N of Shihezi (44°46 މ N, 86°14 މ E), 290 m, 7.VII.2011, leg. N. Vinokurov’ ( CAU) .

Description. For measurements see the Table.

Male ( Fig. 1 ). Body oval, flattened, 1.7 times as long as wide, dull sandy yellow, with rather dense brownish black and reddish punctation, without pubescence except for erect bristles on lateral margins of head and pronotum.

Head large, semicircular, flattened, its length equal to length of pronotum, width across eyes 1.5 times as long as median width, equal to width of scutellum, with sparse and irregularly dispersed punctures; basal part of clypeus with narrow black stripes laterally; eyes transverse, blackish brown; ocelli reddish, with a small longitudinal depression anteriad of them and dark, obliquely directed strokes posteriad of them; base of head with a pair of small transverse dark brown submedian spots. Antennae thin, sandy yellow, covered with short pale setae (apparently with long erected setae on segments 2 and 3 broken off in studied specimens); segment I cylindrical, slightly narrowed subapically; segment II cylindrical with weakly thickened apex; segment III thickened apically; segments IV and V lacking in studied specimens. Ventral part of head white, bucculae low. Labium yellowish white, reaching mid coxae, segment II slightly extends beyond posterior end of bucculae.

Thorax. Pronotum wide, 2.3 times as broad as long; anterior margin straight; lateral margins broadly explanate, convex, not punctured; anterior angles protruded to posterior margin of eyes, rounded; humeral angles obtuse; disk with sparse dark and reddish punctation in central part, punctures confluent into black stripes in lateral part; with an indistinct pale longitudinal medial stripe prolonged on scutellum; posterior margin with a narrow black stripe interrupted medially; ventral surface of thorax white, smooth, weakly shining. Scutellum of subequal length and width, with a large V-shaped pattern, anterior angles smooth, shiny, with a narrow short black stripe close to apex. Legs unicolorous pale yellow; fore and mid femora with two series of 7–10 long erect brown spines ventrally, with sparse short dark spines laterally; hind femora with very short setae; fore tibia with numerous short dark brown spines, inner (posterior) side with 6–7 very long dark setae; spines on mid and hind tibia longer than diameter of tibia; tarsi pale yellow, hind tarsus very long, segment I twice longer than combined length of segments II and III. Hemelytra semibrachypterous, not extending beyond apex of abdomen; costal margin of corium smooth, not punctured, regularly broadly rounded, apical part surpasses apex of scutellum, veins white, cells brown, with dense dark punctures; membrane transparent.

Abdomen pale yellow ventrally, weakly shining, connexivum not punctured.

Male genitalia. Posterolateral angles of genital segment produced into a pair of broadly spatulate processes, median process wide, with parallel sides ( Fig. 8 ); body of paramere slender and straight, with hooked apex and a large, triangular lateral process with a sharp tip ( Figs 5–7 ); medial plate of aedeagus partially sclerotized, provided with several minute sclerotized teeth at its apical and ventral portion; lateral lobes of conjunctiva sclerotized, provided with many denticles, dorsal tubercles of conjunctiva small, black ( Figs 17–19 ).

Female ( Fig. 2 ). Body larger, 1.6–1.7 times as long as wide, coloration as in male. Head with reddish and dark brown punctures, longitudinal impression anteriad of ocelli deeper and shiny. Antennae brownish yellow; segment I white, segments II–V brown; segment II cylindrical, with thickened apex, covered with very long, erect setae, 2–3 times as long as diameter of segment; segment III thickened at apex, also with long erected setae; segments IV–V with short, white, thin semi-erect setae, adpressed laterally; segment IV conical, segment V fusiform. Genital segments ( Fig. 22 ): valvifers VIII large, length and width subequal, mesal margin straight, lateral margin weakly convex; lateral margin of valvifers IX arcuate; tergite VIII arcuately curved.

Differential diagnosis. Menaccarus caii sp. nov. is similar in habitus to the other members of the subgenus Orocephalus externally and can mainly be recognized by characteristics of the genitalia, as follows. Male: lateral projection on the body of paramere triangular with a sharp tip ( Figs 5–7 ), lateroapical lobes of the genital capsule spatulate, medial process broad with parallel sides ( Fig. 8 ); medial plates of aedeagus sclerotized apically and provided with several minute denticles ventrobasally; lateral lobes of the conjunctiva also provided with several denticles, dorsal tubercles of conjunctiva small and black ( Figs 17–19 ). Female: valvifers VIII large, its length and width almost equal, mesal margin straight, lateral margin weakly convex; lateral margin of valvifers IX arcuate; tergite VIII arcuately curved ( Fig. 22 ).

The new species is similar to the Turanian M. (Orocephalus) deserticola in the connexivum lacking black punctures confluent to black patches, but in the latter species the lateral process of the paramere is narrower and bent inwards in apical part ( Figs 9–11 ), lateroapical lobes of the genital capsule are triangular with rounded apex, medial process is narrow ( Fig. 12 ), medial plates of aedeagus are extensively sclerotized and provided with several denticles, lateral lobe of conjunctiva is also sclerotized and provided with denticles, and dorsal tubercles of conjunctiva are small and weakly sclerotized ( Figs 20, 21 ); in females the lateral margins of valvifers VIII and tergite VIII are more convex ( Fig. 23 ).

The Irano-Turanian M. (O.) divaricatus differs in the emarginated costal margin of the corium and punctured dorsal connexivum ( Fig. 3 ); the lateral process of paramere is bent towards apex and its apical hook is bent inwards ( Figs 13–15 ), lateroapical lobes of the genital capsule are broadly rounded, medial process is wide with its lateral sides gradually arcuately progressing to the base ( Fig. 16 ). Valvifers VIII of female are wide with exterior margins straight, curved outwards at an obtuse angle, tergite VIII is slightly curved ( Fig. 24 ).

Etymology. The species is named in honor of Chinese entomologist Professor Wanzhi Cai ( China Agricultural University, Beijing) recognizing his contributions to the study of insects of Xinjiang.

Bionomics. Menaccarus caii sp. nov. is associated with Aristida pennata Trin. (Poaceae) ( Figs 26, 27 ).

Distribution. Menaccarus caii sp. nov. is known from the central part of Xinjiang, the southern areas of the Gurbantunggut Desert ( Fig. 25 ).

Figures

Figs 1–4. Habitus of Menaccarus spp. 1, 2 – M. caii sp. nov. (1 – male, 2 – female), 3 – M. divaricatus Jakovlev, 1877, 4 – M. deserticola Jakovlev, 1900 (3, 4 – after ISAKOV 2006).

Figs 5–16. Male genitalia of Menaccarus spp. 5–8 – M. caii sp. nov., 9–12 – M.deserticola Jakovlev, 1900 (Bossaga, Turkmenistan), 13–16 – M. divaricatus Jakovlev, 1877 (Termez, Uzbekistan). (5–7, 9–11, 13–15 – left paramere in various positions, 8, 13, 16 – male genital capsule, dorsal view).

Figs 17–19. Aedeagus of Menaccarus caii sp. nov. (Gurbantunggut Desert) (17 – lateral view, 18 – frontal view, 19 – dorsal view). For abbreviations see Material and methods.

Figs 22–24. Apex of abdomen of Menaccarus spp. (ventral view). 22 – M. caii sp. nov. (Gurbantunggut Desert), 23 – M. deserticola Jakovlev, 1900 (20 km NW of Bugdaili, Turkmenistan), 23 – M. divaricatus Jakovlev, 1877 (Iran, Shakhrud). For abbreviations see Material and methods.

Figs 20, 21. Aedeagus of Menaccarus deserticola Jakovlev, 1900 (Annau, Turkmenistan) (20 – frontal view, 21 – dorsal view). For abbreviations see Material and methods.

Figs 26–27. Biology of of Menaccarus caii sp. nov. 26 – habitat in the Gurbantunggut Desert (25 km N of Fukang); 27 – Aristida pennata Trin. – host plant of Menaccarus caii sp. nov.

Fig. 25. Distribution of Menaccarus deserticola Jakovlev, 1900 (green) and M. caii sp. nov. (red).