Nesocricos ingging Sites

Sites, Robert W., 2008, New species of Nesocricos and Tanycricos (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Naucoridae: Cheirochelinae: Tanycricini) in the mountains of West Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, Zootaxa 1714, pp. 19-30 : 20-23

Nesocricos ingging Sites , n.sp.

Figs. 1–6

Descriptions. Macropterous male. Holotype, length 12.95; maximum width 7.14. Paratypes (n = 6), length 12.12–13.45 (mean = 12.59); maximum width 7.14–7.30 (mean = 7.25). General shape elongate-ovate, widest across abdomen ( Fig. 1 a); small for the genus, overall coloration dorsally light yellowish-brown with dark brown regions and punctation; ventral surface brown; hemelytra and scutellum mostly dark brown.

Head. Length 2.62, maximum width 3.69. Generally light yellowish-brown; dark brown frontal sutures, elongate patches anterior to frontal sutures extending convergently anteriorly, becoming confluent near midlength of head, ending at U-shaped dark brown marking near anterior margin; projecting beyond eyes 20% of head length. Eyes dark reddish-brown; much longer than wide, width/length = 0.82/1.84; broadly rounded posteriorly; mesal and lateral margins parallel; mesal margin separated from frons by distinct furrow bearing minute, stout, pale setae; mesal margins subparallel anterior to posterior curvature, anterior/posterior interocular width 1.50/1.72; vertex with posterior margin clearly convex, meeting posteromesal corner of eye. Anteclypeus barely exceeding base of labrum; apex yellowish, gently rounded; irregularly shaped transverse depression on each side of apex, depression interrupted by subtle elevation. Maxillary plate yellowish-brown, rectangular. Labrum yellowish, rugose, elongate, broadly rounded distally, width/length = 0.96/0.70. Beak with first visible segment yellowish, distal segments orange-brown, reaching to fore coxae. Sharp ventral keel of head with minute tooth anteriorly, truncate posteriorly. Antenna short, slender, barely attaining lateral margin of eye, relative lengths 5:6:11:16.

Thorax. Pronotum light yellowish-brown; with anterior margin, central areas, thin short strip along lateral margin darker; dark punctures throughout, less dense posteriorly; maximum width across posterolateral corners 6.06, length at midline 2.66; broad, rugose, mesal depression separating two lobes in anterior 2/3; lobes irregularly outlined by dark, confluent punctures; anterolateral angle blunt, hidden beneath eye; posterior margin weakly convex; lateral margins convergent anteriorly, distinctly explanate, slightly reflexed, straight to weakly convex; entire surface vaguely rugose; with very short, pale, erect, stout setae. Scutellum medium brown anteriorly, darker posteriorly; with pale, short, erect setae and scattered clubbed setae; width 4.35, length at midline 2.50; mesoscutum partially exposed behind pronotum only if head/pronotum are deflexed; lateral margins weakly sinuate. Hemelytra shiny, dark brown, with pale, fine, granular microstructure, sparsely set with pale, short, erect, scale-like or peg-like setae, length 9.96 (chord measurement); clavus distinct, claval commisure 1.56; embolium well delineated, weakly reflexed laterally, anterior 2/3 of lateral margin yellowish, maximum width 0.61, length 4.35; membrane brown, exceeding tip of abdomen, setae more sparse but granular microstructure unchanged from corium, venation not evident, membrane of underlapping wing (left) mostly pruinose. Hindwings well developed. Ventrally, static sense organ at anterolateral angle of prothorax, cupped into small depression formed by incurving of pronotal margin; sharp prosternal keel between fore coxae; posterior portion of propleuron distinctly reflexed with sulcus basally, covering anterior portion of mesosternum; mesosternum with rounded medial carina, central portion of anterior margin barely reflexed, posterior margin produced to a cleft, rounded medial point.

Legs. Light yellowish-brown; fore femur densely spotted with dark brown, fringed with gold setae on anterior and posterior margins, broad sulcus dorsally near anterior margin, long sensory seta in basal 1/3 of anterior margin underlapping tibia; fore tibia with fringe of short gold setae along inner margin; single tarsal segment; claw minute; anterior half of mesal margin of fore coxa with patch of long, fine, gold setae; middle and hind coxae each bearing irregular row of ca. 8–10 small dark tubercles along ventral ridge; middle and hind femora with double rows of stout reddish spines along posterior margins, interspersed with other scattered reddish spines; middle femur with comb of long slender reddish spines near ventral apex; middle and hind tibiae thickly set with stout reddish spines, 4–5 transverse rows of long stout spines at apex; middle and hind femora, tibiae, and tarsi with long gold swimming hairs; claws slender, sharply curved, yellowish with reddish-brown tips. Leg measurements as follows: foreleg, femur 4.18, tibia 3.36, tarsus 0.82; middle leg, femur 3.85, tibia 3.20, tarsomeres 1–3, 0.33, 0.70, 0.98; hind leg, femur 5.00, tibia 5.78, tarsomeres 1–3 0.37, 1.23, 1.39.

Abdomen. Dorsally medium to dark brown, darker along posterior margins of tergites; connexiva III–V exposed, each yellow anteriorly, brown posterolaterally, margins bearing fringe of gold setae; posterolateral angles bluntly square, bearing posteriorly directed tufts of gold setae on tergites III–VI. Ventrally with dense pile of brown setae, visible lateral glabrous spots single on sterna II and VII, double on III–VI; spiracle laterad of glabrous spots; patch of punctures between lateral margin and spiracles of II–VII. Genital operculum with apex straight, posterolateral angles broadly rounded, apex of genital capsule protruding beyond operculum asymmetrically to right. Pygophore brown, rounded, with transverse striations, generally covered with setae ( Fig.2 ). Parameres distinctly asymmetrical ( Figs. 2, 3 ); left paramere broad, oriented to right, crossing dorsad of left paramere, rounded distally with several subtle longitudinal striations near point of articulation, additional striations in posteromesal corner, elongate setae in right 2/3, setae directed to left; right paramere crossing ventrad of left paramere, basal half extending nearly transversely to left and dorsoventrally arcuate to partially embrace base of aedeagus, deflexed anteriorly in distal half at nearly right angle from transverse basal half, distal half acuminate and with concavity near middle of right side; aedeagus nearly straight, slightly longer than and to right of longitudinal distal portion of right paramere ( Fig. 2 ).

Macropterous female. Paratypes, including allotype (n = 2), length 12.28–12.95 (mean = 12.62); maximum width 7.47. Similar to male in general structure and coloration with following exceptions: Subgenital plate dorsoventrally robust; with lateral margins concave, gently rounding to a straight posterior margin; fringe of elongate gold setae near margin in posterior 1/3, margin glabrous.

Submacropterous male. ( Fig. 1 b). Paratypes (n = 3), length 11.95–12.45 (mean = 12.28); maximum width 7.47–7.64 (mean = 7.52). Similar to macropterous male but with following exceptions: Dark maculation of head and pronotum lighter; dark coloration of hemelytra lighter; clavus weakly delineated, indistinct; membrane reduced, overlap slightly, pruinose area of underlapping wing (left) at most 1/3 width of wing; inner margins of hemelytra divergent distally, exposing tergum V; hindwings reduced, extending to near posterior margin of tergum III.

Submacropterous female. Unknown.

Diagnosis. This species can recognized in part by its small size, although using naucorid body size as a discriminating attribute can be misleading because size has been shown to be associated with temperature during development ( Sites et al. 1996). In the key to species ( Polhemus and Polhemus 1985), the first couplet relies on a 13 mm body length as a distinguishing character. Thus, most specimens will key to N. mion La Rivers (1974) because the mean body length of N. ingging is <13 mm; however, larger specimens, including some paratypes, will key to N. kukukuku . More reliable is that the male left paramere of N. ingging has a decidedly rounded apex and is substantially broader than are those of the four described congeners.

Etymology. This species is named for Ingging River, the only stream in which it has been found.

Repositories. The holotype, allotype, and some paratypes are deposited in the Enns Entomology Museum, University of Missouri-Columbia, U.S.A. Additional paratypes will be deposited in the California Academy of Sciences; the Natural History Museum – Vienna, Austria; and Zoological Museum Bogor of the LIPI Research Centre for Biology, Indonesia..

Discussion. Nymphs ( Fig. 4 ) were most numerous among rocks and gravel of riffles and runs, a habitat for which this genus is not known. However, adults ( Fig. 5 ) were collected only among dead submerged leaves in eddies on the lee sides of marginal boulders ( Fig. 6 ) along with other nymphs, a habitat more typical for the genus. Thus, adults appear to have tighter habitat constraints than do nymphs. Four species were previously known in the genus and all from Papua New Guinea. This is the first species of Nesocricos to be recorded from Indonesian New Guinea, although Polhemus & Polhemus (1998) noted the genus from the Ajkwa River basin, 481 km southeast of our collections of N. ingging and 207–225 km southwest from our collections of N. evops (see below). This species is known only from the type locality, at which Tanycricos inequalis Sites (described below) and an unidentified species of Idiocarus were also present.

Material examined. Holotype, macropterous male, and allotype, macropterous female: INDONESIA: New Guinea: West Papua Province, Ingging River, 9 April 2007, R. W. Sites and Suputa, S 0 1 o 07.746’ E 133 o 52.164’, elev 1348 m, L-987. Paratypes: same data as primary type (6 macropterous males, 1 macropterous female, 3 submacropterous males).

Additional material examined. Same data as primary type (many nymphs); same locality, 8 April 2007, L- 979 (6 nymphs).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Nesocricos ingging n. sp. (1) a) macropterous and b) submacropterous forms, (2) male genital capsule, (3) male left and right parameres.

FIGURES 4 – 6. Nesocricos ingging n. sp. (4) live fifth instar on natural substrate, (5) live adult submacropterous male, (6) habitat of adults in Ingging River.