Petalops lautus, Brailovsky, 2021

Brailovsky, Harry, 2021, Illustrated key to the species included in the genus Petalops Amyot & Serville 1843 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Coreidae: Coreinae: Acanthocephalini), with description of four new species and new distributional notes, Zootaxa 4985 (4), pp. 564-573 : 567-568

Petalops lautus sp. nov.

( Fig. 5 )

Description. Female. Dorsal coloration. Head pale castaneous orange; dorsal face of antennal segment I pale castaneous orange and ventral face pale orange, II–III pale castaneous orange (IV missing); ocellar tubercle and pit black; pronotum dark castaneous orange; calli and collar pale orange; punctures dark reddish castaneous with posterior margin including the humeral spine and posterolateral margins darker; scutellum dark brown with lateral margins, apex, and wide longitudinal stripe running across middle third pale yellow; clavus and corium brown; costal and apical borders, and claval and corial veins pale yellow; hemelytral membrane brown; basal angle darker; scutellar disk, clavus and corium with bluish green reflections; connexival segments III–VII pale yellow with apical angle of segment VI–VII and segments VIII–IX black; dorsal abdominal segments III–VI pale yellowish orange, VII black with anterior margin at midline pale yellowish orange and VIII–IX black. Ventral coloration. Head pale orange; rostral segments I–IV pale yellow (apex of IV brown); thorax shiny orange; pro-, meso-, meta-acetabulae, posterior half of propleuron, posterior margin of meso-, and metapleuron, and anterior and posterior lobes of metathoracic peritreme yellow; meta-acetabulae and posterior margin of pro-, and metapleura scattered with bluish green reflections; fore and middle leg pale yellowish orange; hind leg with coxae and trochanters pale yellowish orange; femora tricolored with basal half pale yellowish orange, posterior half shiny orange with distal joint and wide ring near middle third black; tibiae pale shiny orange with apical third and tarsi pale yellow; abdominal sterna III–VI pale shiny orange, VII pale shiny orange with posterior margin black; paratergite VIII–IX dark yellow with posterior border black; gonocoxa I black with lateral angle yellowish orange. Structure. Rostrum reaching anterior border of abdominal sternite III; humeral angles with stout spine directed outward and slightly backward; posterolateral borders of pronotum with four, short, stout spines.

Male. Unknown.

Measurements (mm). Female. Body length 18.67; head length 2.10; head width across eyes 2.23; interocular distance 0.98; preocular distance 1.05; interocellar distance 0.32; antennal segments: I 2.60, II 3.03, III 2.66, IV missing; rostral segments: I 1.25, II 1.25, III 1.55, IV 1.05; pronotum: total length 3.22; maximum width across humeral angles including the spine 5.89; scutellum: length 2.23, width 2.17.

Type material. HOLOTYPE female: COLOMBIA: Meta, Parque Nacional La Macarena, Bocas, Rio Guajar , I – IV-1988, A. Medina (UNDC) .

Distribution. Only known from Colombia.

Discussion. Petalops lautus is included in the “ distinguendus ” group and distinguished from other species by having antennal segments I–III pale castaneous orange (IV missing); hind femora tricolored, basal half pale yellowish orange, posterior half shiny orange with distal joint and wide ring near midline black; dorsal abdominal segments III–VI pale yellowish orange, VII black with anterior margin at middle third pale yellowish orange, and VIII–IX black; pronotal disk castaneous orange; calli and collar pale orange; posterior margin darker, without yellow transverse band and lacking bluish green reflections.

In P. thoracicus resembling the new species both the hind femora are bicolored, yellow with two black rings, one near midline, the second at apex; dorsal abdominal segments III–IX pale yellow; antennal segment I with basal half or more yellow and apical half or less black, and segments II–III black to dark brown with or without basal joint pale yellow; pronotal disk with yellow transversal band which spreads anteriorly along anterolateral margins.

Petalops occulta has the hind femora bicolored with anterior half black and posterior half shiny orange with apex black; and pronotal disk and meta-acetabulae densely tinged with bluish green reflections. In P. distinguendus Breddin and P. necopinus the hind femora are also bicolored but with anterior half yellow and posterior half black. Petalops distinguendus is separated by having the dorsal abdominal segments III–IX black with yellow longitudinal stripe running from III to anterior third of VIII; and P. necopinus is segregated by having on the pronotal disk a yellow transverse band which spreads anteriorly along anterolateral margins.

Distribution. Only known from Colombia.

Etymology. From the Latin, “ lauta-us”, meaning washed, neat, elegant.

Figures

FIGURES 3–10. Dorsal view of Petalops spp. 3, P. azureus (Burmeister) (female). 4, P. bellator Brailovsky (male). 5, P. lautus sp. nov. (female). 6, P. necopinus sp. nov. (male). 7, P. occulta Brailovsky (female). 8, P. thoracicus Montandon (male). 9, P. ambiguus Brailovsky (female). 10, P. distinguendus Breddin (female).