Peggicoris ( Drake, 1956 )

Heiss, Ernst, 2021, New genus and species of apterous Carventinae from Costa Rica and Grenada (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Aradidae), Zootaxa 4958 (1), pp. 678-689 : 682-683

Genus Peggicoris ( Drake, 1956)

Type species: Acaricoris zeteki Drake, 1956

This apterous genus was described on specimens of P. zeteki collected from forest litter using Berlese funnels in Panama (Canal Zone, Barro Colorado Island) and described as Acaricoris subgenus Peggicoris . No further record is published since.

Drake & Kormilev (1958) gave Peggicoris the rank of a genus and Usinger & Matsuda (1959) redescribed the genus and figured the female of P. zeteki . The discovery of further specimens belonging to this genus raised the question, how does the never figured male holotype look like and what are the differences to other congeners. Through the kind offices of Tom Henry, US National Museum, Washington D.C. (Smithsonian Institution) where Drakes types are preserved, a photo of the holotype was provided for a comparative study (Figs. 12,14) As a result, two new species are recognized and described and figured below. A key to genus Peggicoris is provided.

Redescription of Peggicoris

Apterous, body subparallel attenuated anteriorly; surface glabrous on dorsal and ventral side; lateral margins of head, thorax and abdomen beset with tufts of stiff erect setae with recurved apex.

Head. Genae as long as clypeus, apex beset with a tuft of setae; antenniferous lobes blunt, antennae long and thin, more than twice as long as width of head, segment I longest, beset with stiff erect setae; eyes distinctly stalked and granulate, postocular lobes with a tuft of stiff bristles close to the eyes, converging posteriorly.

Thorax. With a fused median ridge reaching from anterior margin of pronotum to anterior margin of tergal plate, separating the lateral oval sclerites of pro-, meso- and metanotum and mtg I + II.

Abdomen. Tergal plate medially elevated, deltg II + III fused, posterolateral margins of deltg V-VII triangularly expanded laterally, that of deltg VII long and finger like directed posterolaterally, bearing a glandular tubercle at apex.

Venter. Pro-, meso- and metasternum fused but marked by deep transverse furrows, posteriorly fused to sterna I + II; sterna III–VII separated by deep furrows; meso- and metasternum with a pair of deep punctures at middle; spiracles II–IV sublateral placed on round tubercles that are visible from above, spiracles V–VII laterally on dorsally reflexed expansions of vltg V–VII and spiracle VII lateral on finger like projection of deltg VII, spiracle VIII terminal on ptg VIII.

Legs. Long and slender, beset with stiff erect setae, claws with pulvilli.

Male genitalic structures. Pygophore globular, parameres elongate and slender ( Figs. 17–19 ).

Female. Basically as male but of larger size, more rounded lateral margins of abdomen, smaller lateral expansions of deltg V–VI and shorter and rounded projection of deltg VII, as long as thin ptg VIII.

Key species of Peggicoris

(based on males, females not available for all species)

1 Median fused thoracic ridge thin, parallel throughout its length from pronotum to mtg III and not elevated posteriorly ( Grenada)

( Figs. 25, 27 )........................................................................ P. grenadensis sp. nov. - Median fused thoracic ridge of triangular outline, widening and raised posteriorly.................................. 2 2 Diameter of median thoracic ridge at posterior margin is twice the diameter at furrow between pro- and mesonotum (Canal

Zone, Barro Colorado, Panama) ( Figs. 13 , 20–21 )............................................... P. zeteki (Drake) 3 Diameter of median thoracic ridge at posterior margin is three times the diameter at furrow between pro- and mesonotum ( Costa

Rica) ( Fig. 24 )...................................................................... P. cahuitanus sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 12–19. Peggicoris. 12, P. zeteki holotype dorsal; 13, P. zeteki (Panama) male dorsal; 14, holotype P.zeteki, labels; 15, P. zeteki (Barro Colorado) male terminal segments ventral; 16, Peggicoris cahuitanus sp.nov. male terminal segments ventral; 17–19, P. zeteki (Panama) male paramer dorsal, lateral, ventral.Arrows indicate the position of glandular tubercles. Scales: Figs. 12–13 = 1mm, 15–16 = 0.5mm, 17–19 = 0.2mm.

FIGURES 24–27. 24, 26 Peggicoris cahuitanus sp.nov; 25, 27 Peggicoris grenadensis sp.nov; 24, P. cahuitanus sp.nov. holotype dorsal; 25, P. grenadensis sp.nov. holotype dorsal (setae of legs not cleaned); 26, holotype P. cahuitanus sp.nov. male ventral; 27, P. grenadensis sp.nov. paratype female, dorsal (setae of legs not cleaned). Scale: Figs. 24–27 = 1mm.

FIGURES 20–23. Peggicoris zeteki; 20, male (Barro Colorado) dorsal; 21, female (Canal Zone) dorsal; 22, male (Barro Colorado) ventral; 23, female (Canal Zone) ventral. Scale: Figs. 20–23 = 1mm.