Schuhaptera, Heiss, 2010

Heiss, E., 2010, Two new genera of Aradidae from Malaysia and Vietnam (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aradidae), Zootaxa 2619 (1), pp. 56-62 : 58-59

Schuhaptera new genus

Type species: Schuhaptera penangensis n. sp.

Diagnosis: Compared with the known brachypterous Oriental Mezirinae genera the new genus is at first sight similar to Bengalaria Heiss 1982 (fig. 2; photo 9) and Parapictinus Kormilev 1957 (fig. 4; photo 8) sharing a similar habitus and the conspicuous brachypterous alary condition. It differs however by much shorter antennae, which are 1.1–1.2x as long as width of head (1.6–1.8x in Bengalaria ; about 2.0x in Parapictinus ), genae longer than antennal segment I (shorter, at most reaching ½ of antennal segment I in both other genera), and different shape of scutellum and fusion lines of thorax and abdomen. It seems also related to Pahangiessa Heiss 1993 (fig. 3; photo 7) sharing the short antennae and the transverse head, but is distinguished from the latter by stylate eyes, prominent postocular tubercles, a bulbously elevated scutellum, and the yellow pilosity of body, legs, and antennae.

Description: Medium-sized, brachypterous; surface of body and appendages with dispersed granulation, leaving smooth areas around the middle apodemal impressions of mtg II and tergal plate; colouration reddish brown.

Head: Longer than wide with long genae, these contiguous in front of clypeus surpassing apex of antennal segment I; antennae short about 1.2x as long as width of head, segment I thickest and longest, II shortest and thinner, III longer than II and thin, IV clavate; antenniferous lobes diverging anteriorly, apex rounded; eyes globose, inserted in head, granulate; postocular lobes with a small tubercle anteriorly then strongly converging toward collar; rostral atrium open at apex, then slitlike, rostral groove open posteriorly.

Pronotum: More than twice as wide as long at middle; collar ringlike and granulate; lateral margins converging anteriorly, anterolateral angles slightly enlarged laterally but anteriorly not surpassing collar; disk with two median rows of larger granules, irregularly granulate elsewhere; posterior margin convex.

Scutellum: Lateral margins granulate converging posteriorly toward widely rounded posterior margin; disk with larger tubercles along anterior margin and midline, smooth or striate laterad.

Hemelytra: Wing pads ovate covering metanotum posteriorly and not projecting over scutellum, without traces of a membrane; surface irregularly granulate, lateral margins converging anteriorly; metathoracic scent gland canals laterally visible from above.

Tergites I+II: An ill defined suture along posterior margins of hemelytra and scutellum separates the latter from the fused mtg I+II, these posteriorly fused to tergal plate; transverse furrows along posterior margins of mtg I and II marking the fusion lines, surface of mtg I+II granulate except anterolateral angle of mtg II; deltg I+II fused, triangular and separated from deltg III by a suture.

Abdomen: Tergal plate raised medially, surface smooth with rows of larger granules along median elevation and around paired midlateral apodemal impressions; lateral margins of deltg III–VII rounded, their inner half with smooth, external half with granulate surface; tergite VII trapezoidal, raised and transversely carinate posteriorly; tergite VIII strongly transverse and shorter than subtruncate tergites IX+X.

Venter: Pro- meso-, and metasterna fused; surface with a longitudinal keel on prosternum, smooth flat and mat between coxae of meso- and metasternum; sternites I–II fused and transversely carinate, separated from metasternum by a suture; sternites III–VI smooth and mat at middle, lateral parts and sternites VII–X granulate and beset with dispersed setigerous tubercles. Spiracles II–VII ventral and not visible from above, VIII lateral and visible from above.

Legs: Femora apically incrassate, tibiae gradually thickening toward apex beset with smaller setigerous tubercles; tarsi with thin curved pseudopulvilli.

Etymology: Named after my coleopterist friend Rudi Schuh (Wiener Neustadt), recognising his continuous successful efforts to collect interesting Aradidae in all parts of the world, which he then generously donated to my special Aradid collection.

Discussion: The Synonymic List of the Flat Bugs of the World by Kormilev & Froeschner 1987 listed 42 genera and 314 species of Mezirinae from the Oriental Region, of which about 2/3 of the taxa are macropterous, 5 genera are exclusively apterous, and 3 genera ( Mastigocoris Usinger & Matsuda 1959 ; Parapictinus Kormilev 1956 and Scironocoris Kormilev 1957 ) include apterous and brachypterous or brachypterous and macropterous species respectively. Only four genera ( Apaniocoris Kormilev 1983 from Sulawesi; Axapisocoris Kormilev & Heiss 1979 from Sri Lanka; Bengalaria Heiss 1982 from Northern India and Nepal; and Lophocoris Usinger & Matsuda 1959 from Sumatra) have brachypterous forms only. Since this basic publication, several additional Oriental Mezirinae genera have been described: the macropterous genus Neartabanus Heiss 1999 from Laos and India and the brachypterous or micropterous genera Hutanicoris Heiss 1979 from Malaysia and Sumatra; Smetanacoris Heiss 1989 from Sabah; Pahangiessa Heiss 1993 from Malaysia; Stipesoculus Bai, Wu & Cai 2007 from China; and Sikkimocoris Heiss 2010 from Sikkim, Northern India. All of these genera were considered in this paper; however, they possess a set of characters different from Schuhaptera n. gen.