Rhodiginus Distant, 1901

Malipatil, M. B., 2020, A new species of Rhodiginus Distant from Australia (Hemiptera: Heteroptera Rhyparochromidae), Zootaxa 4858 (2), pp. 285-291 : 285-286

Genus Rhodiginus Distant

( Figs. 1–13 )

Type-species: Rhodiginus ceylonicus ( Lethierry & Severin, 1894)

Redescription. Body minute, rather hard and heavily sclerotized. Head, pronotum, scutellum and thoracic pleura densely and finely punctate, punctures oval rather than circular in shape, each puncture with one short, pale seta; punctures on clavus and corium rather sparse and circular (rather than oval) in shape.

Head triangular, narrowed in front, convex above; eyes large, somewhat exerted and reniform, their posterior margin almost touching anterior margin of pronotum. Antennae moderately robust, fourth segment fusiform. Labium reaching middle coxae. Labrum short, about 1/3 long as 1 st labial segment.

Thorax. Pronotum sinuate laterally, transversely impressed about middle length, lateral angles obtusely rounded, anterior margin nearly straight, posterior margin slightly concave in front of scutellum. Scutellum with a central carina in apical half. Legs with fore femora moderately incrassate and unarmed below. Clavus with two complete rows of distinct punctures; corium short and narrow, barely occupying two-thirds length of abdomen, apical margin distinctly concave in inner half length; membrane very large, extending broadly from apex of clavus to apex of abdomen.

Abdomen. Spiracles I–VII ventral on extreme edge of sterna. Scent gland scar between III–IV almost twice as wide as those between IV–V and V–VI, latter the narrowest. Trichobothrial pattern typical Drymini—placed submedially on sternites III & IV and sub-laterally on sternites V–VII, with usual trichobothrial numbers: 3:3:3:3:2, those on sternite V placed anterior to spiracle; trichobothrial hair shiny, very fine and extremely long.

Innerlaterotergites absent in male; indistinctly present in female.

Discussion. This genus is clearly a member of the tribe Drymini by possessing characters such as all trichobothria placed anterior to spiracle 5; spiracle 5 placed in central third of the segment; and pores present near spiracles 3 and 4 ( Sweet, 1967). Members of Drymini have hemelytra with apical corial margin usually straight ( Schuh & Weirauch, 2020). While Rhodiginus has the apical corial margin deeply concave, therefore sharing this character with the related rhyparochromine tribe Antillocorini , whose members almost all possess this character. In Antillocorini , however, the pores are absent near spiracles 3 and 4, usually one trichobothrium placed posterior to spiracle 5, and spiracle 5 placed closer to posterior margin, i.e., in posterior third of the segment.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Rhodiginus monteithi sp. nov. 1, Paratype male, dorsal view of body, scale line = 1 mm. 2, Holotype female, habitus dorsal. 3, same, close up anterior part of body, dorsal. 4, same, head, antero-ventral view.

FIGURES 5–8. 5, 7, 8. Rhodiginus monteithi sp. nov.: 5, Paratype female, body and appendages, lateral view. 7, Paratype male, abdominal tergum. 8, same, posterior part of pygophore showing lateral spines. 6, Ophthalmicus dispar Walker, Holotype male, habitus dorsal. III–VI, abdominal tergites.

FIGURES 9–13. Rhodiginus monteithi sp. nov. 9, 10, Paratype male: 9, left paramere. 10, aedeagus, lateral view. 11–13, Paratype female: 11, 12, ovipositor. 13, spermatheca.Abbreviations: b, body; bb, bulb; c, conjunctiva; dt, duct; Ga, gonangulum; gp, gonoporal process; 1Gpo, 2Gpo, first and second gonapophysis; 1Gx, 2Gx, first and second gonocoxa; ph, phallotheca; pt VIII, paratergite VIII; 1r, 2r, first and second ramus; sp 8, spiracle 8; w, wing.