Ctenipocoris africanus Poisson, 1948

Mbogho, Aaron Y. & Sites, Robert W., 2013, Naucoridae Leach, 1815 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) of Tanzania, African Invertebrates 54 (2), pp. 513-513 : 522

Ctenipocoris africanus Poisson, 1948

Figs 16 , 30

Ctenipocoris africana: Poisson 1948 b: 219–221 .

Diagnosis: Among Tanzanian laccocorines, Ctenipocoris can be distinguished from Aneurocoris because the hemelytra have distinct embolar and claval sutures, and from Laccocoris because the pronotum’s greatest width is approximately twice its length at the midline ( Fig. 16 ). This genus can be distinguished from most other naucorids by the meso- and metatibial spines that are especially stout and divergent at a greater angle from the axis of the leg segment.

Material examined: TANZANIA: Rukwa Region: 110 km N of Mpanda, 5°37.745'S 30°36.039'E, 1295 m, 30.vii.2010, R.W. Sites & A. Mbogho, shallow creek with muddy bottom and marginal grasses, L-1185 ( UMC; 1♀) .

Extralimital material examined: CAMEROON: Oberssanga, Carnot 20–26 II [19]14 TessmannS ( MNB; 1♂) . UGANDA: Namanve Swamp , Kampala, 18 I 1933, G.L.R. Hancock, B.M. 1933-585 / Pres. By Imp. Inst. Ent. B.M. 1933-585 ( BMNH; 1♂) ; Namanve , 11 VII 1932, G.L.R. Hancock, NO 29 / Pres. By Imp. Inst. Ent. B.M. 1933-585 ( BMNH; 1♂) ; Kampala, 30 III 1932, G.L.R. Hancock, NA 12 / Pres. By Imp. Inst. Ent. B.M. 1933-585 ( BMNH; 1♀) ; Kampala, 27 IV 1932, G.L.R. Hancock, NA 7 / Pres. By Imp. Inst. Ent. B.M. 1933-585 ( BMNH; 1♀) .

Distribution: Because so few specimens are known, it is not possible to discuss distribution in any detail. Thus far, this species is known from only a few localities in four countries: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Tanzania.

Discussion: This species was described from Ituri in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (Poisson 1948 b). La Rivers (1960) subsequently redescribed it as Heleocoris faradjensis from Belgian Congo (= DRC), which later was synonymized with C. africanus (Polhemus & Polhemus 2008 b) . It is not common in collections, although we have studied a series from Uganda in the British Museum. Presented here are the first records of C. africanus from Tanzania and Cameroon. We collected a single female specimen in a shallow, nearly stagnant, muddy creek with soft bottom and marginal grasses (L-1185).

Figures

Figs 15, 16. (15) Aneurocoris insolitus male from L-1203, (16) Ctenipocoris africanus male from Namanve Swamp, Uganda.

Fig.30.Distribution maps of13 speciesof Naucoridae known from Tanzania.Notincluded is Neomacrocoris usambaricus, which was recorded from West Usambara. (Map for N. bondelaufa and N. vuga is reproduced from Sites & Mbogho (2012), with permission by Magnolia Press.)