Riegeriana, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Stehlík, Jaroslav L.
name: Kment, Petr
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Largidae
Riegeriana

description: Riegeriana gen. nov.
Type species. Physopelta apicalis Walker, 1873, here designated.
Description. The genus is characterised by a remarkable sexual dimorphism (see Figs 1, 3): males (18.6–19.3 mm) are larger and more robust than females (15.8–16.5 mm), having the pronotum longer and more gibbose (especially the callar lobe), longer antennae (especially antennomeres 1–3 are prolonged; see Measurements and Figs 1–2) and longer legs. In females the pronotum is shorter and weakly gibbose, antennomeres 1–3 and legs are distinctly shorter (Fig. 5).
Lateral margins of pronotum forming a sharply explanate lamina (see Figs 1–2). Disc of scutellum basally depressed, its posterior portion elevated. Procoxae bearing a lateral process with bifurcate apex (Figs 3–4, 6–7) in both sexes, larger in males than in females (in one female the apex is simply pointed rather than bifurcate). Profemora of male incrassate, provided with two rows of setiferous to spiniferous denticles intermixed with a few (2–4) larger teeth, the largest tooth being situated near to apex (Figs 8–9); the rows of denticles are separated by a smooth and only slightly depressed longitudinal furrow; profemora of female slender, not incrassate, but otherwise similar to that of male (cf. Figs 1 and 5). Protibiae of male ventrally with two longitudinal rows of small denticles, apically thickened with a single larger tooth anteapically; females with less developed denticles and anteapical tooth. Mesofemora of males with two longitudinal rows of small setiferous or spiniferous denticles in apical two thirds and a shallow longitudinal furrow in apical third (Figs 10–11); mesofemora of female, as well as metafemora, meso- and metatibiae of both sexes without denticles and longitudinal furrows. Peritreme of the metathoracic scent gland short, oval, directed posterolaterad (see Figs 12–14). For description and illustrations of pygophore and paramere see Zamal & Chopra (1990: Figs 8–9, 11).
Differential diagnosis. Riegeriana gen. nov. is most similar (especially in size of the explanate lateral margins of pronotum) to the Oriental-Australian genus Iphita. However, species of Iphita differ in the absence of sexual dimorphism (cf. Figs 20 and 22, 25 and 27) and procoxae lacking prominent tubercles (Figs 28–31). In addition, some other Iphita species (e.g., I. coimbatorensis, I. lata sp. nov., I. limbata) also differ in the kidney-shaped peritreme (see Figs 15–17) and all the femora of both sexes being ventrally provided with a longitudinal furrow distinct for most of its length (see Figs 32–34). However, I. dubia lacks the longitudinal furrows on meso- and metafemora (observed in female) and its peritreme is more similar in shape to that of R. apicalis (Fig. 19). Riegeriana apicalis further differs from all the described species of Iphita in the bicolorous corium with black transverse stripe on red background (see also Stehlík & Jindra 2008).
Note. Similar prolonged antennae in males are known in the Afrotropical genus Kmentia Stehlík, 2013 (Largidae: Physopeltinae: Kmentiini) (Stehlík 2013) which, however, differs markedly in the structure of male genitalia.
Etymology. We dedicate the new genus to our dear colleague Christian Rieger, eminent German heteropterist and co-editor of the ‘Catalogue of the Heteroptera of the Palaearctic Region’, on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Gender is feminine.
description: Published as part of Stehlík, Jaroslav L. & Kment, Petr, 2014, Riegeriana, a new genus for Physopelta apicalis, and checklist of the genus Iphita (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Largidae) with description of one new species, pp. 167-183 in Zootaxa 3860 (2) on page 168, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3860.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/251064