Triplatyx kerzhneri, Kment, 2008

Kment, Petr, 2008, A revision of the endemic Madagascan genus Triplatyx (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 48 (2), pp. 543-582 : 560-564

Triplatyx kerzhneri sp. nov.

( Figs. 3 , 12 , 21 , 37-38 , 49 , 54 , 73 , 79 , 86)

Type locality. Madagascar, Analalava region, Maromandia [14°12′S, 48°05′E].

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ MUSEUM PARIS / MADAGASCAR / PROV D’ANALALAVA / MAROMANDIA / R. DECARY 192[p]3[hw] [blue-grey label] //J [p, white label] // HOLOTYPUS / TRIPLATYX / KERZHNERI / sp. nov./ det.P. KMENT 2008 [p, red label]’.The holotype ( Figs. 75 , 79 ) is pinned through scutellum; dissected pygophore, one paramere and proctiger are mounted on white card, and phallus is mounted on translucent card; both cards are attached to the same pin as the specimen.

Description. Adult ( Figs. 75 , 79 ). Colouration. Body dorsally dark brown; head posteriorly, pronotum and scutellum with narrow pale callose midline; anterolateral margins of pronotum narrowly pale brown.Antennomeres pale brown, only antennomere 1 basally and antennomere 5 in apical two-thirds dark brown. Eyes reddish brown. Laterotergites each with small, narrow pale spot medially at their very margin. Venter of body dark to blackish brown. Rostrum brownish, apically dark brown. Legs pale brown with irregular dark brown spots; claws in apical halves black. Abdominal spiracles black.

Sculpture. Body dorsally densely punctate; interspaces among punctures narrower than or as wide as their diameters; if wider, than forming irregular, convex callosities ( Fig. 79 ); punctures dark brown to black. Callosities usually very small, brown, incospicuous; head from base of clypeus to posterior margin with simple narrow callose midline; on pronotum, callose midline split behind anterior margin into two parallel narrow lines continued on posterior part of pronotum and scutellum ( Figs. 12 , 79 ). Basal angles of scutellum with small, elevated, globular beige callose grain. Ventral surface of body very densely punctate; thorax and abdomen laterally with scattered, small, irregular, pale brown callosities; abdomen medially with sparse punctures and large, yellowish, flat callosities. Legs without distinct punctures.

Structure. Head strongly declivous, nearly trapezoid in outline ( Fig. 3 ). Lateral margin in front of eyes with small triangular anteocular spine, more anteriorly straight, lacking distinct incision; paraclypei foliaceous, flattened, long and wide, with oblique margin, widening laterad and more anteriorly regularly arcuate mesad with anterior margin nearly straight, meeting in front of clypeus without apparent triangular incision, surface of paraclypei slightly depressed medially, anterior margin both dorsally and ventrally without setae. Clypeus and frons slightly convex.Antennomeres ordered from shortest to longest as 1 ≤ 3 ≤ 2 <4 <5. Bucculae regularly narrowing anteriad, evanescent, posteriorly slightly narrowed and rounded apically, lower margin slightly insinuated medially. Apex of rostrum reaching between metacoxae.

Pronotum ( Fig. 12 ). Anterolateral angles truncated, laterally with distinct spine; anterolateral margins concave, carinate, bearing one short triangular spine medially and one additional short spine laterally near humeral angles. Humeral angles wide, distinctly produced anteriad, slightly declivous, almost quadrangular ( Fig. 12 ), anteriorly with one narrow lobe-like projection, laterally with 4-5 lobe-like projections; median projections very low, posterior projection angulate, markedly protruding from outer outline of pronotum. Margins behind humeral angles slightly convex, regularly narrowing towards scutellum. Posterior margin nearly straight, only slightly concave medially. Disc anteriorly and medially nearly flat, obliquely descending towards head, with low, short and wide median elevation close to anterior margin, accompanied with a shallow depression on each side. Humeral angles dorsally continuous with rest of pronotum, only slightly concave basally. Posterior part of pronotum distinctly convex sublaterally, flat medially, confluent with anterior surface of scutellum ( Fig. 73 ).

Scutellum. Basal angles shallowly depressed; disc elevated, forming high, round hump ( Fig. 73 ) on anterior two-thirds of scutellum; its anterior surface convex, continous with surface of pronotum; lateral surfaces medially slightly concave, scutellum being slightly flattened posteriorly, narrowly rounded apically and regularly declining towards apex; scutellar apex nearly flat.

Hemelytra. Clavus with 3-4 irregular rows of punctures in widest place; apex of membrane slightly surpassing apex of abdomen ( Fig. 79 ).

Thorax ventrally flattened; sternum between coxae deeply furrowed. Ostiole situated on small tubercle, round, directed obliquely ventrolaterad, accompanied with very small auricle ( Fig. 21 ); auricle about as long as ostiole wide; metapleuron around ostiole hardly depressed. Evaporatorium small, developed both on meso- and metapleuron; on mesopleuron, evaporatorium present as narrow strip along posterior margin (hardly visible in ventral view), slightly wider in posterolateral angle; on metapleuron, evaporatorium narrowly surrounding tubercle bearing ostiole and projecting as narrow strip mesad between meso- and metacoxae and laterad along anterior margin along thoracic spiracle and further laterad, forming distinct ‘outlet channel’; gyrification poorly developed.

Legs. Protibiae hardly widening towards apex, their outer surface distinctly flattened, lateral margins being carinated.

Abdomen only slightly narrower than pronotum across humeral angles; sternite III not depressed anteromedially. Laterotergites fully exposed dorsally, mediotergites completely covered with hemelytra; laterotergite III laterally distinctly bisinuate, with more or less protruding projection medially; laterotergites IV-VI slightly bisinuate laterally, laterotergites VII laterally straight ( Fig. 79 ); dorsal surface of laterotergites nearly flat.

Male genitalia. Pygophore ( Figs. 37-38 ) relatively large (pygophore width 1.05 mm, ratio of pygophore width to body length 0.19); ventral wall basally gibbose, posteromedially with deep round depression; ventral rim not developed, ventral wall continually merging into ventral rim infolding; ventral rim infolding directed posteriorly, not bent, shallowly and widely V-shaped medially, lateral projections low, rectangular, shifted laterad towards posterolateral angles ( Fig. 38 ); posterolateral angles sharply pointed laterally ( Figs. 37-38 ); lateral rim infolding without projection; paramere sockets distinct; apices of parameres visible, directed laterad. Paramere simple, laterally flattened, robust, apical portion about as long as basal portion, medially curved, ca. L-shaped, apex widely rounded ( Fig. 49 ); apex of paramere, in dorsal view, neither widened, nor flattened. Phallotheca of aedeagus basally oval, narrowing in apical part; sclerotized apical processes of median penal plates not observed in the only specimen examined, vesica apically surrounded by conjunctiva only ( Fig. 54 ).

Female. Unknown.

Measurements of the holotype in Table 1.

Variation. There are differences in the shape of lobe-like projections between both humeral angles of the holotype.

Differential diagnosis. Triplatyx kerzhneri sp. nov. is habitually very similar to T. dubius and T. quadraticeps (see the comments under T. dubius ). Triplatyx kerzhneri sp. nov. is characterized by the following genitalic characters: posterolateral angles of pygophore sharply pointed laterally ( Figs. 37-38 ); ventral wall of pygophore posteromedially with deep round depression; ventral rim not developed, ventral rim infolding directed posteriad, not bent, shallowly and widely V-shaped medially, with lateral projections low, rectangular, shifted laterad towards posterolateral angles ( Fig. 38 ); apices of parameres directed laterad ( Fig. 37 ); parameres robust ( Fig. 49 ). Furthemore, T. kerzhneri sp. nov. has a well developed scutellar hump, the prominent and nearly quadrangular humeral angles of pronotum, the distinct callose dorsal midline reaching from base of clypeus to disc of scutellum, doubled on pronotum, and the very small auricle (approximately as long as the ostiole wide) ( Fig. 21 ). However, examination of additional specimens is needed to consider the applicability of external characters for identification.

Etymology. I dedicate this species to late Izyaslav M. Kerzhner, the great Russian heteropterist, the author of many valuable contributions and great inspirer of my work. It is a pity that his early death prevented Izya from contributing to this volume as he originally promissed.

Collecting notes. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in north-west Madagascar.

Figures

Figs. 1-7. Head (1-4, 6-7 – dorsal view, 5 – lateral view). 1 – Triplatyx bilobatus Cachan, 1952 (J, Isalo NP); 2 – T. dubius Jensen-Haarup, 1931 (J, Ankarafantsika forest); 3 – T. kerzhneri sp. nov. (J, holotype, Maromandia); 4-6 – T. quadraticeps Horváth, 1904 (4-5 – J, lectotype, Antongil Bay; 6 – larva, Périnet); 7 – T. stysi sp. nov. (J, holotype, Ranomafana NP). Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figs. 8-14. Pronotum. 8 – Triplatyx bilobatus Cachan, 1952 (J, Isalo NP); 9-11 – T. dubius Jensen-Haarup, 1931 (9 – ♀, Anjahantelo; 10 – J, Ankarafantsika forest; 11 – J, ‘Madag’); 12 – T. kerzhneri sp. nov. (J, holotype, Maromandia); 13 – T. quadraticeps Horváth, 1904 (J, lectotype, Antongil Bay); 14 – T. stysi sp. nov. (J, holotype, Ranomafana NP). Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figs. 15-23. 15-18 – meso- and metapleuron (magnfication 63×); 19-23 – metathoracic scent gland auricle (90×). 15, 19 – Triplatyx bilobatus Cachan, 1952 (J, Isalo NP); 16, 20 – T. dubius Jensen-Haarup, 1931 (J, Lambomakandro); 21 – T. kerzhneri sp. nov. (J, holotype, Maromandia); 17, 22 – T. quadraticeps Horváth, 1904 (J, lectotype, Antongil Bay); 18, 23 – T. stysi sp. nov. (♀, paratype, Moramanga). Photo: P. Kment.

Figs. 35-40. Pygophore (35, 37 – posterodorsal view, ventral rim above; 36, 38, 40 – ventral view; 39 – posterior view, dissected). 35-36 – Triplatyx bilobatus Cachan, 1952 (Isalo NP; width 0.90 mm); 37-38 – T. kerzhneri sp. nov. (holotype, Maromandia; width 1.05 mm); 39-40 – T. stysi sp. nov. (paratype, Ambodinifody env.; width 1.05 mm). Photo: J. Macek (35-38, 40) & P. Kment (39).

Figs.47-51. Paramere, lateral view. 47 – Triplatyx bilobatus Cachan, 1952 (Isalo NP); 48 – T.dubius Jensen-Haarup, 1931 (‘Madag’); 49 – T. kerzhneri sp. nov. (J, holotype, Maromandia); 50a-b – T. quadraticeps Horváth, 1904 (two different views – paralectotype, Antongil Bay); 51 – T. stysi sp. nov. (paratype, Ambodinifody env.). Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Figs. 52-56. Phallus. 52a-c – Triplatyx dubius Jensen-Haarup, 1931 (a – dorsal view, b – lateral view, c – ventral view; a,c – ‘Madag’, b – Lambomakandro); 53a-b – T. bilobatus Cachan, 1952 (a – dorsal view, b – ventral view; Isalo NP); 54 – T. kerzhneri sp. nov. (dorsal view; holotype, Maromandia); 55 – T. quadraticeps Horváth, 1904 (dorsal view; paralectotype, Antongil Bay); 56 – T. stysi sp. nov. (dorsal view; paratype, Ambodinifody env.). Scale bar = 0.5 mm; abbreviations: aa – articulatory apparatus, apr – apical process of median plate, cj – conjunctiva, dsp – ductus seminalis proximalis, er – ejaculatory reservoir, pht – phallotheca, sg – secondary gonopore, ve – vesica.

Figs. 71-75. Habitus of Triplatyx species, lateral view. 71 – Triplatyx bilobatus Cachan, 1952 (J, Isalo NP); 72 – T. dubius Jensen-Haarup, 1931 (♀, Zombitsy NP); 73 – T. kerzhneri sp. nov. (J, holotype, Maromandia); 74 – T. quadraticeps Horváth, 1904 (J, lectotype, Antongil Bay); 75 – T. stysi sp. nov. (J, holotype, Ranomafana NP). Photo: J. Macek.

Figs. 76-79. Habitus of Triplatyx species. 76-78 – Triplatyx dubius Jensen-Haarup, 1931: 76 – ♀, Zombitsy NP; 77- 78 – ♀, holotype, Madagascar, coll. Sicora. 79 – T. kerzhneri sp. nov.: J, holotype, Maromandia. Photo: J. Macek (76, 79) & P. Kment (77-78).