Umbrageocoris elegantulus (Distant, 1904) Kóbor, 2022

Kobor, Peter, 2022, A redefinition of Umbrageocoris with new species and new combinations (Heteroptera, Lygaeoidea, Geocoridae), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 69 (2), pp. 139-150 : 139

Umbrageocoris elegantulus (Distant, 1904) comb. nov.

Figs 4 , 9 , 25 , 26 , 28

Type material examined.

Lectotype, m (BMNH): circular blue syntype label // circular red type label // "elegantulus / Dist. [hw2] // 1903 - 322. // UNSW_ENT 00011372 // BMNH(E) / 1231237 // NHMUK 010591767 // Townsville, Qld / 16.12.02 / F. P. Dodd."

Additional material examined.

1 m (SEMC): "NEW Guinea: Papua / Koitake / 2. X. 1958 / J. L. Gressitt / Collector" .

Additions and corrections to the redescription of Malipatil (1994). Head. Median longitudinal furrow extends from middle of clypeus to middle of vertex. Labial trough cup-shaped with suture reaching only middle of venter of head. Thorax. Peritreme bulbous, dorsal flange indented.

Diagnosis.

U. elegantulus resembles U. woodwardi in general appearance but can be distinguished from the latter species based on the following characters: vertex with extended blackish markings (vertex only marked basally in U. woodwardi ); dorsal flange of peritreme indented (Fig. 9 .) (not indented in U. woodwardi ).

Distribution.

The species was recorded from the northern parts of Australia in the following ecoregions: Arnhem land tropical savanna, Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna, Queensland tropical rainforests, Brigalow tropical savanna ( Malipatil 1994). A specimen from Koitake, New Guinea (Southeastern Papuan rain forest ecoregion) was examined.

Remarks.

This species was described as Geocoris elegantulus ( Distant 1904) and cited as such by subsequent authors ( Malipatil 1994; Cassis and Gross 2002). A careful examination of both type and non-type specimens available concluded that the species displays synapomorphies used to define Umbrageocoris , including the presence of a median groove on vertex, a Y- or cup-shaped labial trough, and the arrangement of sutures at abdominal tergites 4/5 and 5/6, thus the following new combination is here proposed: Umbrageocoris elegantulus (Distant, 1904), comb. nov.

Figures

Figures 1 - 4. Exoskeletal characters of Umbrageocoris: 1 - 2. Labial trough (indicated by arrow) of U. kondorosyi (1) and U. malipatili sp. nov. (2), 3 - 4. Metathoracic wing (arrow indicates hamus) of U. kondorosyi (3) and U. elegantulus (4) (images not to scale).

Figures 5 - 10. Exoskeletal characters of Umbrageocoris: peritreme of metathoracic scent efferent apparatus of U. kondorosyi (5), U. maai maai (6), U. boonei sp. nov. (7), U. malipatili sp. nov. (8), U. elegantulus (9), and U. woodwardi (10) (images not to scale).

Figures 25 - 26. Lectotype of Geocoris elegantulus Distant, 1904 (BMNH): 25. Dorsal habitus (scale bar = 1 mm), 26. Labels (image not to scale).

Figures 27 - 28. Distribution map of Umbrageocoris species: 27. Indomalayan species (U. maai ssp. and U. boonei sp. nov.), 28. Australasian species (U. elegantulus, U. kondorosyi, U. malipatili sp. nov. and U. woodwardi).