Germalus benyovszkyi Kóbor & Kondorosy, 2016

Kóbor, P. & Kondorosy, E., 2016, Germalus species of the Malagasy region (Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea: Geocoridae), Zootaxa 4200 (3), pp. 444-450 : 448-449

Germalus benyovszkyi Kóbor & Kondorosy sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 A–B; Fig. 2 C.)

Type material. Holotype: Madagascar Est / district Sambava / Marojejy / Matsabory 2030m / XII-58 P.Girevaud (♀, MNHN).

COLOURATION. Body generally ochraceous. Head with thin, fuscous median line reaching to base of clypeus. Ocelli colourless. Antennal segment I fuscous except its base, segment II fuscous with base and apex black, segment III ochraceous with dark fuscous base, antennal segment IV fuscous with ochraceous base. Labial segments ochraceous, apex of segment IV black. Pronotum with pale fuscous punctuation; darker fuscous punctures in the midline. One rounded black spot at each humeral angles. Punctuation of scutellum pale brown; elevated triradiate carina ochraceous. Hemelytra pale ochraceous, nearly hyaline with pale fuscous punctuation along claval commissure and veins, costal margin narrowly black ending in oval black spot at apex of corium; corium-membrane margin fuscous; membrane hyaline. Legs ochraceous, unicolorous. Abdominal dorsum brownish, connexiva ochraceous.

STRUCTURE. Head dull, impunctate, pentagonal in dorsal view. Eyes stylate, not touching pronotum; ocelli situated near to ocular sulcus. Eye-stalks shiny. Clypeus rounded, exceeding mandibular plate. Antennal tubercles visible in dorsal view. Antennal segment I shortest, II longest,III & IV subequal. Antennal segments covered with very fine, decumbent pubescence. Antennal segment IV less fusiform than G. banari . Ratio of antennal segments: 10:25:20:18. Labial segments I–III subequal, segment I exceeding well onto prosternum, segment IV shortest reaching metacoxae. Ratio of labial segments: 37:40:35:25. Thorax: Pronotum carinate, gradually narrowing to anterior edge with slight impressions in the middle of lateral margin; anterior and posterior edges rounded. Disc covered with moderately dense, coarse punctuation except callosities, posterior margin and humeral angles; pronotal collar is less densely punctuate. Scutellum densely punctuate with exception of elevated triradiate carina. Hemelytra shiny. Clavus with two rows of punctures, scutellar row incomplete. Punctuation of claval commisure almost complete. Costal margin widening gradually to apical third; punctuation along corial veins complete. Membrane reaching well beyond apex of abdomen, with conspicuous venation in basal half. Thoracic pleura finely punctuate; propleuron having impunctate areas more or less under callosities. Metathoracic scent gland situated laterally at anterior margin of metapleuron; evaporative area distinct, orificia curved anteriorly. Legs shiny, impunctate, with sparse, decumbent pubescence. Abodomen. Connexiva with fine pubescence; genital capsule with sparse, semierect setae.

Measurements. Body length: 7.12; head length: 0.98, width: 2.18; distance of ocelli: 0.47; antennal segments: 0.37–0.93–0.74–0.67; labial segments: 1.09–1.18–1.03–0.74; pronotum length: 1.40, width: 2.10; scutellum length: 0.86, width: 1.02.

DISCUSSION. This species is easy to distinguish from the other two species of the region due to the spots at humeral angles and corial edges, the strongly stylate eye and “striped” colouration of antennae. This is the largest known species in the genus worldwide.

ETYMOLOGY. The species is named after the Polish-Hungarian traveller and king of Madagascar, count Móric Benyovszky (1746–1786).

DISTRIBUTION. Germalus benyovszkyi has a single record from North Madagascar ( Fig. 1 B). Due to the lack of further specimens in museum collections this species can be considered rare.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution records of Germalus spp.

FIGURE 2. Dorsal view of Germalus spp. A. Germalus kinbergi (Stål, 1859), Mauritius (NHMW); B. Germalus banari Kóbor & Kondorosy sp. nov., Madagascar (MMBC); C. Germalus benyovszkyi Kóbor & Kondorosy sp. nov., Madagascar (MNHN).