Wallacemetopus Taszakowski & Kim, 2025

Taszakowski, Artur, Kim, Junggon & Jindra, Zdeněk, 2025, Further records of the tribe Gigantometopini (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae, Isometopinae) with descriptions of three new genera and five new species, Zootaxa 5725 (4), pp. 451-474 : 466-468

Genus: Wallacemetopus Taszakowski & Kim , gen. nov.

Type species. Wallacemetopus anteriotenebrosus Taszakowski & Kim sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Recognized by the following combination of characters: dorsum densely covered with long golden hairs; head inversely triangular in front view; vertex wide, protruding above eye level; compound eye height shorter than 1/2 head height; ocelli large; pedicel slightly arcuate and clavate, clearly shorter than combined lengths of flagellomeres; calli well developed, clearly punctate, covered long setae; scutellum elongate, midlength subequal to pronotum midline length, strongly tumid and projected, medially depressed; protarsi three-segmented; metatarsi two-segmented.

Description. Male. Body oval, length approximately 2.20 ( Fig. 9A–C ). Surface and Vestiture. Body shiny, unevenly punctate, covered with pale, long setae ( Fig. 9A–C , 10A, B, F ); head deeply punctate, somewhat wrinkled, frons and vertex with tiny scattered setae, posterior margin with few long, reclining setae ( Fig. 10C ); antennae with erect setae; pronotal collar with row of setae; pronotum, calli region, and mesoscutum distinctly and densely punctate, covered with setae; scutellum unevenly punctate, covered with scattered setae; thoracic pleura deeply punctate, and covered unevenly with scattered setae ( Fig. 10B, C, E ); hemelytra unevenly punctate, covered with setae; clavus and corium strongly punctate; embolium impunctate; legs with short, pale-brown setae; abdomen covered with pale setae. Structure. Head: flattened, hypognathous, inversely triangular in front view, distinctly higher than width across eyes, dorsally equal to calli level; vertex wide, flat, subequal to single compound eye width, protruding above eye level; compound eyes somewhat small, height shorter than 1/2 head height; ocelli large, touching compound eyes ( Fig. 10A, D, E ); fovea antennalis positioned at middle of the ventral margin of compound eye and apex of clypeus ( Fig. 10B–D ); scape short, as thick as pedicel in distal part; pedicel slightly arcuate and clavate, clearly shorter than combined lengths of flagellomeres; flagellomeres linear, thin; labium reaching abdomen. Thorax: pronotum trapeziform, midline length longer than 1/2 posterior width; pronotal collar relatively broad, diameter subequal to diameter of basal part of basiflagellomere; calli well developed, separated by distinct fossa, disc convex, lateral margin carinate, posterior margin sinuate with a small backwards-pointing process in the middle; exposed part of mesoscutum long; scutellum elongate, length slightly shorter than pronotal length, width subequal to 1/2 pronotal maximum width, tumid with two projections, medially depressed ( Fig. 10F ); scent gland evaporative area triangular; ostiolar peritreme small, swollen, directed upward and anteriorly; hemelytron lateral margin slightly rounded; embolium wide; hypocostal lamina wide; cuneus broad, inner margin straight; membrane with two cells; protarsi three-segmented; metatarsi two-segmented (mesotarsi damaged); claws without a subapical tooth. Abdomen: elongate, reaching the apex of cuneus. Genitalia: aedeagus delicate, endosoma sacciform and membranous, weakly sclerotized inside, outer subapical and apical part more sclerotic, clothed with dense spinules ( Fig. 9E ); left paramere scythe-shaped, sensory lobe slightly developed ( Fig. 9F ), apical process missing; right paramere with knee-shaped sensory lobe, apical process short, slightly curved at apex ( Fig. 9G ).

Etymology. The proposed generic name is a compound of two words, the first being a patronym honoring Alfred Russel Wallace for his pioneering work on biogeography (especially the Malay Archipelago), with the suffix “ metopus ” which is part of the generic name Isometopus , the type genus of the subfamily. Gender masculine.

Remarks. The affiliation of Wallacemetopus gen. nov. as a member of Gigantometopini is evident by an elongate oval body; the presence of mesial fossa (incision) in calli region; the claval commissure length shorter than scutellum length; the similar length of parameres (at least right paramere longer than 1/2 left paramere); and the scythe-shaped right paramere. Although the apical part of the left paramere was missing, the remaining portion is intact, and the right paramere is fully preserved. The genital capsule, particularly the parameres, had been glued to the wings of the second pair and slightly crushed, which resulted in damage to the left paramere during preparation.

While the structure of the parameres is highly conserved across most genera of Gigantometopini , the external morphology is not only diagnostically distinct at the generic level but also remarkably stable at the species level. Given that the Wallacemetopus gen. nov. exhibits a consistent set of external features comparable to those found in other genera of the tribe, its placement within Gigantometopini appears well supported based on the available morphological evidence.

The new genus, Wallacemetopus gen. nov., exhibits a set of structural features that are uncommon even within Gigantometopini . In particular, the calli region is distinctly developed, resembling that of Gigantometopus Schwartz & Schuh, 1990 or Megalofaciatus Taszakowski et al., 2021 . The strongly tumid and projected scutellum also shows similarity to Megalofaciatus , and based on these shared characteristics, Wallacemetopus gen. nov. is considered to be most closely related to this genus.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Wallacemetopus anteriotenebrosus Taszakowski & Kim, gen. et sp. nov., holotype, male. Dorsal (A), lateral (B), antero-dorso-lateral (C) and anterior (D) view; aedeagus (E), left paramere, partially damaged (F), right paramere (G). ap = apical process; app = sclerotized appendage; bp = basal process; sl = sensory lobe; sp = spinules.

FIGURE 10. Wallacemetopus anteriotenebrosus Taszakowski & Kim, gen. et sp. nov., holotype, male. Dorsal (A) and lateral (B) view; anterior part of body in ventro-lateral (C), anterior (D) and antero-dorso-lateral view (E); scutellum, antero-dorsolateral view (F); metathoracic scent gland (G), protarsus (H) and metatarsus (I, J).