Germalus sellatus, Kóbor & Kondorosy, 2022

Kóbor, Péter & Kondorosy, Előd, 2022, The big-eyed bug genus Germalus Stål, 1862 in New Guinea (Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea: Geocoridae), Zootaxa 5182 (3), pp. 265-278 : 273-276

Germalus sellatus sp. nov.

( Fig. 1F , 3F , 4 )

Holotype: ♂ ( MFNB): “D. N. Guinea 291 / Hunsteinspitze 6. III. 13 / Kais. Äugustafl. Exp. / Bürgers S. G. // Museum für / Naturkunde Berlin”.

Paratype: female ( MFNB): “D. N. Guinea (number crossed out) / Kais. Äugustafl. Exp. / Bürgers S. G. // Museum für / Naturkunde Berlin” .

Description.

Colouration. Head. Vertex with extended blackish decoration reaching middle of clypeus. Eye stalks irregularly black on posterior part continuing in a ring encompassing apex of them. Compound eyes and ocelli reddish. Antennomere I ochraceous with irregular, longitudinal blackish colouration dorsally; antennomere II and III pale fuscous; antennomere IV missing. Labiomere I and II ochraceous, labiomere III and IV fuscous. Thorax. Pronotum brownish anteriad to callosities with small, irregular ochraceous spots. Callosities dark brownish. Pronotum ochraceous posteriad to callosities with dark brownish punctuation and large sublateral drop-shaped dark fuscous spot extending from callosities to humeral angles. Posterior margin of pronotum finely fuscous. Scutellum dark brownish with an irregular ochraceous longitudinal spot extending between middle of trifurcate carina and apex. Clavus of hemelytron dark fuscous with faded spots subapically. Cu of corium with dark brownish punctuation and longitudinal brownish spot apically. Along M and R with dark fuscous punctuation. Costal margin narrowly dark fuscous. Membrane semi-hyaline ochraceous. Thoracic pleurites and sternites dark brownish except ochraceous prosternal collar, dorsal margin of pleurites, supracoxal lobes and dorsal part of peritreme. Legs completely ochraceous. Abdomen with tergites completely blackish. Abdominal sternites blackish with narrow ochraceous band subdorsally in male and completely ochraceous, undecorated in female.

Structure. Head with integument of vertex dull, impunctate. Eyes moderately stylate, eye stalks slightly projected; integument of eye stalks shiny. Ocular sulcus complete, distinct; ocelli situated near ocular sulcus, at basal part of vertex. Clypeus rounded, exceeding mandibular plates, medially constricted.Antenniferous tubercles well-developed, visible in dorsal view. Antennomeres covered with sparse, decumbent pubescence. Antennomere I shortest, antennomere II longest, antennomere III shorter than II, antennomere IV missing. Ratio of antennomeres I–IV: 1: 2.43: 1:97: n.a. Mandibular and maxillary plates clearly separated; ventral margin of bucculae narrowing suddenly towards base of head; bucculae forming a V-shaped labial trough. Labiomere I exceeding the anterior margin of prosternite, labiomere II and III subequal, apex of labiomere IV reaching metacoxae. Ratio of labiomeres I–IV.: 1: 1.18: 1:22: 1.06. Thorax. Pronotum trapeziform with lateral margin finely carinate, slightly constricted medially; pronotum ratio: 1: 1.37. Integument with deep, rather even punctuation except callosities, humeral angles and posterior margin. Scutellum subequilateral triangular; scutellum ratio: 1: 1.26; integument coarsely punctate except the slightly elevated, trifurcate median carina. Clavus with scutellar, corial margin and claval commissure completely punctate. Corium punctate along Cu at apical half and at almost full length of M-R. Exocorium widening towards apex. Membrane well developed, surpassing apex of abdomen, with slight, but recognizable venation. Thoracic pleurites and sternites densely punctate except supracoxal lobes, peritreme and posterior lobe of metapleurite. Peritreme auricular with dorsal supporting process elongate, slightly curved ( Fig. 3F ), peritremal surface distinct. Fore tibiae club-shaped, middle and hind tibiae rather cylindrical. Tarsal claws evenly curved without basal spur. Unguitractor plate with conspicuous, elongate, curved parempodia-like pads. Abdomen impunctate, integument covered with fine silvery pubescence. Abdominal venter of male with long erect setae on sternites III–VII and genital capsule. Female ovipositor elongate, bisecting abdominal sternites V–VII.

Measurements (holotype). Total body length: 5.58; length of head: 0.77, width of head: 1.66; distance of ocelli: 0.39; length of antennomeres: 0.30–0.73–0.59–n.a.; labiomeres I–IV: 0.49–0.58–0.60–0.52; length of pronotum: 1.29, width of pronotum: 1.77; length of scutellum:0.78; width of scutellum: 0.98; length of claval commissure: 0.44.

Etymology. Species epithet comes from Latin “sellatus”, meaning saddled and refers to the saddle-like pattern of pronotum.

Distribution. Holotype was collected on Mount Hunstein, near Central Range, New Guinea ( Fig. 4 ). Label of paratype bears no specific collection site data, though it is suspected to be the same as holotype because both specimens were collected by S. G. Bürgers in course of the same expedition. Habitat: Central Range montane rain forests rain forests.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dorsal habitus of New Guinean Germalus species. A. G. fuscovittatus Malipatil, 2013 (BMNH), B. G. pulchellus sp. nov. (Holotype, NHMW), C. G. kontschani sp. nov. (Holotype, ZSM), D G. cucullatus sp. nov. (Holotype, RBINS), E. G. pappi sp. nov. (holotype, ZSM), F. G. sellatus sp. nov. (Holotype, MFNB). (scale bar = 1 mm).

FIGURE 3. Peritreme of metathoracic scent efferent apparatus (indicated by arrows) of New Guinean Germalus species. A. G. fuscovittatus Malipatil, 2013, B. G. pulchellus sp. nov., C. G. kontschani sp. nov., D. G. cucullatus sp. nov., E. G. pappi sp. nov., F. G. sellatus sp. nov. (images not to scale).

FIGURE 4. Distribution map of New Guinean Germalus species.