Plinthisus (Nanoplinthisus) lamprus Sweet & Slater, 2004, n.sp.
Creators: name: Sweet, Merrill H.
name: Slater, James A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2004
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Rhyparochromidae
Plinthisus
Plinthisus lamprus

description: Plinthisus (Nanoplinthisus) lamprus n.sp.
(Figs. 7, 15, 25, 35, 46, 56, 77, 94, 95, 107, 119)
Description. Brachypterous male. General coloration nearly uniform bright red­brown, abdomen darker. Legs and antennae lighter yellowish brown. Body strongly shining, polished. Proepisternum finely rugulose; large punctures on posterior lobe of proepimeron. Dorsal surface of body appearing smooth and impunctate, but actually with tiny scattered shallow micropunctures which bear very short inconspicuous decumbent to adpressed sericeous hairs, hairs more erect and longer on abdomen, tibia and antennae. Long trichobothriumlike setaon eye, outside proximal surface of protibia, and lateral margin of pronotum 1/3 distance from humeral angle, pair on vertex 0.17 long, 0.18 apart, 0.06 from eye; shorter seta on tylus, eye, antenniferous tubercle, gena and venter of 1st antennal segment. Abdominal sterna with 2 long trichobothrial hairs very close to midline (0.02) on each side of 3; 3 tiny trichobothria in sublinear row on 4, remote from midline; anterior trichobothrial hairs on 5 and 6 and dorsal hair of posterior pairs on 6 and 7 very long (0.52), other hairs very short and inconspicuous; pairs on 5 and 6 oblique, closer to posterior margin of segments (0.05 and 0.03) than to spiracle (.07); posterior trichobothria pairs progressively further apart caudad.
Head slightly declivent, anteriorly strongly acuminate, moderately convex across vertex. Tylus extends to distal 1/3 of 1st antennal segment. Tylus nearly flat, length 0.12, width 0.12. Tylar sutures lightly incised, converging caudad, recurving laterad at apices. Jugum convex, slightly grooved­carinate at ventral margin along jugal suture; apex bluntly pointed. Lorum lightly convex. Antenniferous tubercles short, invisible from above; antennal insertion below and in front of eye. Eyes broadly in contact with anterolateral pronotal angles. Eye ovoid, of about 80 facets; length 0.09, height 0.16. Ocelli absent. Bucculae low, height 0.03, less than width of labial segment 1; very short, becoming ridges at level of apices of juga; ridges terminating posteriorly in a broad "U" at base of head. Venter of head below eye convex, telescoped portion moderately enlarged, length 0.16. Visible head length 0.26, width across eyes 0.41; interocular space 0.26, height above eye 0.05, below eye 0.05, preocular space 0.16, postocular space 0.01.
Pronotum broadest across anterior 1/3, gently arcuate laterad; lateral margins sharp, narrowly explanate, sloping down caudad; anterior margin deeply concave, anterior angles reaching forward to level of middle of eye; posterior margin shallowly concave. Posterior pronotal lobe and dorsal collar short, barely differentiated. Anterior pronotal lobe moderately convex, especially cephalad, maximum height above lateral margin 0.12. Pronotum medial length 0.56, [posterior lobe length 0.08 (cleared)], maximum width 0.70, width across humeri 0.65; [dorsal collar length 0.06 (cleared)]. Scutellum broadly triangular, flat; length 0.33, width 0.57. Mesoscutum not set off from scutellum, or exposed laterad, lateral angle of scutellum continuous with mesepisternum and mesoscutum. Hemelytron (Fig. 7) pad­like, with clavus and corium indistinguishably fused; base fused to lateral angles of scutellum, hinge absent; caudal (distal) margin attenuated into what appears to be an extremely tiny and almost undifferentiated rim of membrane. Distal margin of hemelytron transversely truncate, at right angles to longitudinal body axis, extending caudad to anterior 1/2 of abdominal tergum 4. Hemelytra broadly arcuate laterad, much broader than maximum width of pronotum. Lateral margin of hemelytron (Fig. 25) narrowly explanatecarinate at base, wrapped over lateral margin of pterothorax so that attenuating carina follows clasping groove, and hemelytra appears ecarinate caudad. Hemelytron length 0.56, maximum width 0.46; length commissure 0.34; distance posterior margin hemelytra to apex abdomen 0.68. [Metanotum pale, weakly sclerotized, short, much exceeded caudad by scutellum. Metathoracic wing very reduced (Fig. 35), width 0.21, length 0.15. Stridulitrum sclerite narrow, width 0.04, length 0.10, bearing row of 6 ridge­like convex teeth 0.04 in width. (In female, metanotum membranous; metathoracic wing absent.)] Propleural pore small, subventral, below level of propleural suture. Posterior lobe of proepimeron very short, compressed, delimited by row of 6 large punctures in groove. Anterior part of mesepisternum compressed. Distinct carina (Fig. 25) along dorsal margin of mesepimeron and metapleuron below deep groove that receives down­wrapped hemelytron. Metathoracic scent gland auricle (Fig. 25) an elongate, broad, scimitar­shaped shining bar that recurves strongly cephalad, extending to anterodorsal corner of granulose scent area, becoming continuous with shiny area below hemelytron. Granulose scent area covering ventral 2/3 of metepisternum, including narrow area behind auricle, barely attaining margin of mesopleuron. Metapleural flange not delimited by groove from metepisternum; posterior margin of flange sinuate. Prosternum elongate, length 0.53; ventral collar triangular, length 0.07, delimited by sulcus not continuous with weak sulcus below edge of pronotum. Mesosternum anteriorly short, posteriorly bearing a high elongate carinate tubercle. Metasternum flat, excavated. Each xyphus short, acute and sharply pointed. [Metacoxal bridge extremely thin (bridge absent in female). Mesendosternite short, broad, apex flat; mesendotergite short, cup­shaped, remote from mesendosternite.
Abdomen elongate­oval, maximum width 1.03, length 0.92. Terga gently arched; connexivum laterally tilted up; caudal margin of tergum 7 slightly convex, extending a little beyond hypopleurite 7. [Sutures of abdominal sterna 3–4 and 4–5 incised, suture 4–5 bent slightly cephalad at level of trichobothria. Spiracle of 5 little closer (0.10) to posterior margin than anterior margin (0.12). (In female, sterna 4–5 free, intersegmental margin nearly straight.) Terga 1 and 2 (Fig. 46) short, pale, width 0.55; a large inflexed apodeme on lateral margin of plectrum. Plectrum dark, sclerotized, width 0.20, length 0.15, striae anteriorly 0.09 µ apart, posteriorly 1.4 µ apart. Tergum 3 transversely strap­like with low carina along posterior margin. Tergal sutures 3–4 and 4–5 not dovetailed; sutures curving caudad so that tergum 6 is shorter than 4, 5, or 7. Maximum width of terga 0.85; medial lengths 1­ 0.06, 2­0.11, 3­0.04, 4­0.22, 5­0.24, 6­0.13, 7­0.19. Scent gland scar widths: 3–4: 0.16, 4– 5: 0.15, 5–6: 0.15. Terga 4–7 inflexed and deeply grooved laterad to receive mesal margin of connexivum. Epipleurites 4–6 very narrow, width 0.01, fitting into grooved tergal margins. Connexivum relatively narrow, widest across hypopleurites 5 and 6, narrowed a little cephalad and caudad; hypopleurite widths: 2­0.04, 3­0.06, 4­0.07, 5­ 0.09, 6­0.10, 7­0.06; lengths: 2­0.02, 3­0.08, 4­0.16, 5­0.27, 6­0.32, 7­0.20. Hypopleurite junction 4–5 strongly oblique with a distinct mesal notch into which fits pointed end of epipleurite 4 (Fig. 46); other junctions nearly transverse. Tergum 7 and sternum 7 lightly impressed to receive segment 8 and genital capsule. Sternum 7 with 2 weak anterior ventral apodemes 0.20 apart. Genital capsule (Fig. 56) flattened posteriorad, width 0.31; dorsal opening relatively wide compared with clasper opening, anterior bridge very narrow; parandria short, slender, twisted caudad. Epiproct evidently absent; paraprocts large and c­shaped, nearly meeting ventrad, and with 12 hairs on each side; anal sclerites a dorsal pair, each with 4 setae. Clasper (Fig. 77) shank straight short, with large flat tooth on outer projection; blade with thin carina and 3 setae on inner (frontal) face. Phallus (Fig. 94 & 95) with gonoporal process of 3 basal coils with membranous sleeve and about 10 distal slender coils; no helicoid process. Sperm reservoir large; wings absent; holding sclerites short, narrow, about length of reservoir. Phallotheca with wide ventral sclerotized surface, two narrow dorsal sclerites. (In female, terga 1 and 2 membranous; tergum 3 longer (0.12), posterior carina absent. Abdominal terga 6 + 7 fused so that suture is nearly invisible. Tergum 8 with lateral corners not produced or inflexed; with 2 parallel submesal sutures which run entire length of tergum. Tergum 9 very short, strap­like, medial anterior apodeme very long, epipleurite 9 much longer than tergum, with short narrow apodeme. Valvula length 0.55. Spermatheca (Fig. 107) with bulb asymmetrical, beret­shaped; sclerotized distal duct short, thick, and curved; unsclerotized basal duct very long, with large sac about halfway along length and a membranous coiled margin along basal length of duct.)]
Profemur (Fig. 119) very strongly incrassate, length 0.67, width 0.32; very convex above, flattened and sulcate beneath to receive protibia, including distal spine; armed beneath on distal 1/3 with 2 sharp spines each bearing a small spur. Protibia slightly bent, armed inside with 2 rows of about 20 small tubercles; distal end enlarged, armed with tubercle­like outside (posterior) projection, a small spur inside; protibial length 0.46, distal width 0.11. Procoxa armed with large triangular tooth­like spine. Mesotibia with 2 rows of 4 small spurs; metatibia with 2 rows of 5 small spurs; metatibial length 0.56, medial width 0.05; metatarsomere lengths: I 0.16, II 0.06, III 0.07. Labium exceeding posterior margin of mesocoxae, 1st segment slightly exceeding base of head; labial segment lengths: I 0.28, II 0.30, III 0.24, IV 0.22. Antennae relatively slender, with segment 1 terete, 2 and 3 slightly clavate distally, 4 fusiform, width 0.04; antennal segment lengths: I 0.17, II 0.37, III 0.27, IV 0.31. Total body length 2.26.
Materials examined. HOLOTYPE: Brachypterous male. SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Province: Bowiedorp, 41 mi. S. Springbok, 21.IX. 1967 (M. H. Sweet no. 10). In National Collection of Insects, Pretoria, South Africa.
PARATYPES: Same data as holotype. (All brachypterous) 64 m 78 f (10 m 10 f dissected). Partly reared. In M. H. Sweet and J. A. Slater Collections.
Etymology. The specific name lamprus is an adjective derived from the Greek lampros, meaning brightly shining, in reference to the smooth, glistening cuticle of this species.
Discussion. Plinthisus lamprus is one of a small complex of 3 species restricted to the western part of the Cape Biotic Region. As with species­groups Fynbosi and Peninsularis, these species are very similar in superficial appearance but have distinctly different genitalia. All three species were reared and simple mating experiments confirmed their distinctness.
While forming a distinct species­group as indicated by the key, we place the Lamprus species­group in Wagner's subgenus Nanoplinthisus because the hemelytron is transversely truncate at the level of tergum 4 and the clasper is straight with a carinate blade. This species­group shows considerable similarity to species­group V of the Australian Plinthisus fauna (Slater & Sweet 1961).
ZUURBERGI SPECIES­GROUP
description: Published as part of Sweet, Merrill H. & Slater, James A., 2004, An analysis of species­groups of the genus Plinthisus Stephens (Hemiptera: Rhyparochromidae) in the Ethiopian Region with the description of eight new species, pp. 1-56 in Zootaxa 533 on pages 30-33, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.157231