Orthosaldula stysi, Zettel & Gapud, 2008

Zettel, Herbert & Gapud, Victor P., 2008, Notes on the endemic Philippine genus Orthosaldula (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Saldidae), with descriptions of two new species, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 48 (2), pp. 319-329 : 324-325

Orthosaldula stysi sp. nov.

( Figs. 2 , 5 , 13 )

Type locality. Philippines, Leyte Island, Leyte Province, Baybay, slopes of Mt. Pangasugan behind Leyte State University, banks of Calbiga-a River, ca. 100 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ Philippinen: Leyte, Baybay \ LSU, 50-100m, Calbiga-a Riv. \ 20.- 21.3.2005, leg. Zettel \ & C. Pangantihon (422)’ ( UPLB) . PARATYPES: 12 JJ 10 ♀♀, same label data as holotype ( HZWA, NHMW, UPLB, USC) ; 1J 1♀, ‘ LEYTE: MT.PA- \ NGASUGAN:\ CALBIGA-A RI- \ VER: 10-30-1980 \ V.P.GAPUD \ Ex. mossy rock’ ( HZWA) ; 3JJ, ‘ LEYTE \ Baybay \ MT PANGASUGAN \ CALBIGA-A RIVER:3/3/84 \ VP GAPUD’ ( VPGP) ; 3 JJ, ‘ LEYTE \ MT PANGASUGAN \ CALBIGA-A RIVER: 3/3/84 \ M ALMOREDA’ ( VPGP) .

Diagnosis. Vertex smooth, without any pilosity. Callus very high and moderately long. Mandibular plates only with small yellow or orange area anteriorly, or totally dark. Area between dorsal eye margin and anteocellar furrows with yellow or orange spot. Corium of forewing vermilion red with pale side margin and medium-sized black dot in centre. Antennae and legs with vermilion red traces, in some specimens of minor extent.

Additional descriptive notes. Measurements. Body length of males 2.7-3.0 mm, of females 3.0- 3.3 mm. Maximum body width of males 1.26-1.39 mm, of females 1.46-1.62 mm. Head width of males 0.85-0.90 mm, of females 0.91-0.95 mm. Pronotum width of males 1.04-1.12 mm, of females 1.13-1.23 mm.

Colour. See Figures 2 and 5 . Thorax with distinct violet shimmer. In three male paratypes, antennomere 4 infuscated. Clavus of hemelytron red, with broad black base and narrow black lateral margin.

Structures. Callus very high, median impression deep, median length 0.58-0.65 times median length of pronotal lobe. Posterior lobe of pronotum with coarse rugosity, strongly convex in lateral aspect ( Fig. 13 ).

Comparative notes. Orthosaldula stysi sp. nov. is similar in colour to O. rubroalata with the exception that the light patch on the mandibular plates is much smaller (cf. Figs. 4-5 ). Important structural differences between the two species are found in the vertex (punctured and pilose in O. rubroalata , smooth and bare in O. stysi sp. nov.) and in the callus of the pronotum (relatively low and very short in O. rubroalata , very high and moderately short in O. stysi sp. nov.; cf. Figs. 12-13 ).

Etymology. We dedicate this beautiful new species to our colleague Prof. Pavel Štys on the occasion of his 75th birthday.

Habitats. Clister V. Pangantihon and the first author collected O. stysi sp. nov. along the bank of the Calbiga-a River not far from the campus of the Leyte State University, at an altitude of about 100 m a.s.l. Specimens were sampled from large boulders and from rock faces on the banks. Some specimens were running on the mosses, others on the bare wet rocks. The second author collected other specimens in the same place, all from mossy rocks.

Distribution. Leyte Island: only recorded from the slopes of Mt. Pangasugan.

Figures

Fig. 2. Orthosaldula stysi sp. nov., female, body length 3.2 mm. (© NHMW Hemiptera Image Collection, published with permission).

Figs. 4-6. Head, frontal aspect: 4 – Orthosaldula rubroalata Gapud, 1986; 5 – O. stysi sp. nov.; 6 – O.

Figs. 7-14. 7-11 – Orthosaldula rubroalata Gapud, 1986: 7 – right forewing (ef = embolar fracture, R = radius); 8 – parandria, caudal view; 9 – proctiger, dorsal view; 10 – left paramere, lateral view; 11 – subgenital plate of female, ventral view. 12-14 – dorsal outline of pronotum, lateral view (co = collar, ca = callus, pl = posterior lobe). 12 – O. rubroalata; 13 – O. stysi sp. nov.; 14 – O. flavonigra sp. nov. Pilosity omitted, except in Fig. 10.