Malaymetopidea Taszakowski & Kim, 2025
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5725.4.1 |
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publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1A8F5305-9EE1-4048-9137-4B644869D175 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17869292 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E087EF-FF83-FFEB-7681-F8990EB0F9FF |
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treatment provided by |
Plazi |
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scientific name |
Malaymetopidea Taszakowski & Kim |
| status |
gen. nov. |
Genus: Malaymetopidea Taszakowski & Kim , gen. nov.
Type species. Malaymetopidea maculata Taszakowski & Kim , sp. nov.
( Figs 1 View FIGURE 1 , 2 View FIGURE 2 ).
Diagnosis. Recognized by the following combination of characters: top of head distinctly lower than level of highest point of pronotum; vertex width subequal to single compound eye width; compound eye large in frontal view, occupying more than half of head height; fovea antennalis positioned directly below ventral margin of compound eye; pedicel cylindrical, thickest, subequal to head width; pronotum elongate, midline length more than 1/2 posterior maximal width, posterior margin of pronotum nearly straight medially, angled near posterolateral corners, leading midline longer than lateral margin length; scutellum flat and slightly tumid laterally, midline shorter than pronotal midline length.
Description. Male. Body oval, length approximately 2.80 ( Fig. 1A, B View FIGURE 1 ). Surface and Vestiture. Body shiny, densely punctate, covered with long, pale, setae ( Figs 1A–C View FIGURE 1 , 2A–E View FIGURE 2 ); head punctate and wrinkled, frons and vertex with scattered setae, posterior margin with reclining setae; antennae covered densely with long, erect setae; pronotal collar with row of setae; pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum distinctly and densely punctate, covered with setae; thoracic pleura deeply, unevenly punctate, and covered in places with scattered setae ( Fig. 2B, D View FIGURE 2 ); hemelytra covered densely with long setae, unevenly punctate, clavus deeply punctate, corium shallowly punctate, embolium and cuneus impunctate; membrane covered with microtrichia; legs with short, recumbent, pale setae; abdomen covered with brown setae. Structure. Head: flattened, hypognathous, wider than high, dorsally slightly protruding pronotal collar; posterior margin of vertex convex, protruding above eye level; compound eye large in frontal view, occupying more than half of head height; vertex wide, vertex width subequal to single compound eye width; ocelli large, convex, touching compound eyes ( Fig. 1A, C–E View FIGURE 1 ); fovea antennalis positioned directly below ventral margin of compound eye; antenna short, total antennal length subequal to maximal pronotal width; scape short, as thick as pedicel; pedicel cylindrical, subequal to head width, longer than combined lengths of flagellomeres; flagellomeres short and thin; basiflagellomere slightly longer than scape, almost as long as distiflagellomere; labium short, reaching mesocoxa. Thorax: pronotum trapeziform in broad sense, posterior margin broadly convex, nearly straight medially, angled near posterolateral corners, leading midline longer than lateral margin length, midline length more than 1/2 posterior width; pronotal collar thin; calli slightly marked, separated by fossa, disc convex, lateral margin distinctly carinate; mesoscutum short; scutellum slightly tumid, medium-sized, midline length shorter than pronotal length, flat; scent gland evaporative area triangular; hemelytron lateral margin slightly rounded; embolium wide; hypocostal lamina wide; cuneus broad, inner margin almost straight; membrane with two cells; mesofemora with three well-developed trichobothria; metafemora with four trichobothria (three well-developed and one reduced); tarsi two-segmented; claws with subapical tooth. Abdomen: elongate, not reaching apex of cuneus. Genitalia: pygophore with parameres similar in size; left paramere scythe-shaped, with long apical process and well-developed sensory lobe, apical process vertically curved, sensory lobe with few setae ( Figs 1D View FIGURE 1 , 2H View FIGURE 2 ); right paramere slightly smaller than left paramere, with knee-shaped sensory lobe, apical process short, broad, and apically blunted ( Figs 1E View FIGURE 1 , 2H View FIGURE 2 ); aedeagus delicate, endosoma sacciform and membranous, weakly sclerotized inside ( Fig. 1F View FIGURE 1 ).
Etymology. The name combines “Malay” (the type locality, Malay Peninsula) with the suffix “ metopidea ”) which is part of the generic name Isometopidea . Gender feminine.
Remarks. The affiliation of the newly described genus to Gigantometopini is evidenced by the elongate oval body; the presence of mesial fossa (incision) in the calli region; the claval commissure length shorter than scutellum length; similar length of parameres (at least right paramere longer than 1/2 left paramere); and scythe-shaped right paramere.
Additionally, recently published morphology-based phylogenetic framework of the Isometopinae ( Kim et al. 2025) recovered Isometopini as sister to Gigantometopini and revealed a trend wherein species with a relatively large compound-eye-to-head-height ratio tend to occupy earlier-diverging positions within Gigantometopini . Although Malaymetopidea gen. nov. was not included in that analysis, it shares key features with early-diverging members of the tribe (e.g., Kohnometopus Yasunaga, 2005 , Isometopidea lieweni Poppius, 1913 ), including a large compound eye occupying more than half of the head height. Notably, it also resembles Isometopini in its relatively high eye/ head ratio and trichobothria number.
These features do not constitute direct phylogenetic evidence, but they are morphologically consistent with the pattern observed in our tree and may suggest that Malaymetopidea gen. nov. represents a lineage near the base of Gigantometopini , retaining ancestral traits shared with its sister tribe. While further data, particularly molecular evidence, are needed to confirm its exact phylogenetic position, the combination of Gigantometopinidefining features and Isometopini-like traits renders Malaymetopidea gen. nov. a taxon of potential significance for understanding the early divergence and character evolution within these two tribes.
The new genus, Malaymetopidea gen. nov., does not resemble any of the previously described genera of Gigantometopini . The set of structural features mentioned in the diagnosis clearly distinguishes it from the other genera in the Gigantometopini .
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.