Orbellis odonnellae Zambo & Kondorosy 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zámbó, András
name: Kovács, Szilvia
name: Kondorosy, Előd
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Rhyparochromidae
Orbellis
Orbellis odonnellae

description: Orbellis odonnellae Zámbó & Kondorosy, sp. nov.
(Figs. 7, 19, 28)
Type specimens examined. HOLOTYPE: SW Madagascar 2013 / Zombitse N. P., (main entr.) / Ambakintany forest, 816m / S22°53’11” E44°41’31” / 24.–27. i. M. Trýzna leg (♂, MMBC) // HOLOTYPUS. Type locality. Southwestern Madagascar, Zombitse National Park. PARATYPES: Madagascar / Antsiranana, 49.4m / Ambilobe Antsaravibe / 12.9311°S 49.0562°E / at light, 27 / 12 / 04 (1♂, BMNH); ISL/ Jan. 2013 /02 Madagascar / Isalo N. P., Analalava forest, 719m / S22°35’11.4” E45°07’49.1” / sifting litter; Winkler app. extr. / L. S. Rahanitriniaina and E. M. Rabotoson lgt. (1♂, MMBC); ISL/ Jan. 2013 /16 Madagascar / Isalo N. P., Oasis forest, 885m / S22°36’55.7” E45°20’54.1”; 20.i.2013 / sifting litter; Winkler app. extr. / L. S. Rahanitriniaina and E. M. Rabotoson lgt. (1♂, MMBC); ZOM/ Jan. 2013 /02 Madagascar Zombitse N.P “ Circuit Lobo ” 771m / S22°53’10.9” E44°42’01.5”; 24.i.2013 / sifting litter; Winkler app. extr. / L. S. Rahanitriniaina and E. M. Rabotoson lgt. (1♂, MMBC); ZOM/ Jan. 2013 /14 Madagascar / Zombitse N. P.; Miliokakely, 823m / S22°52’38.1” E44°42’48.6”; 28.i.2013 / sifting litter; Winkler app. extr. / L. S. Rahanitriniaina and E. M. Rabotoson lgt. (1♂, MMBC); SW Madagascar 2013 / Zombitse N. P (main entr.) / Ambakintany forest (816m) / S22°53’11” E44°41’31” / 22–24. i. M. Trýzna leg. (1 ♂, MMBC).
Description. In colour and structural characters similar to O. typicus Distant, 1913, O. calcaratus Zámbó & Kondorosy, sp. nov. and O. dentifemoralis Zámbó & Kondorosy, sp. nov. Although there are some minor morphological differences, these are on some specimens not characteristic, thus identification of females uncertain (see in diagnosis); therefore, females were not included in the type series.
Colour: Head with apex of pedicel, proximal half of basiflagellum, entire distiflagellum and at least apex of labiomere IV fuscous; scape (being rarely brownish), proximal 4/5 of pedicel, mostly small part at base of basiflagellum, apical part of basiflagellum and labium yellow. Thorax brown including punctures; sternum subbasal and apical spots on median of pronotum fuscous; sublateral keels of scutellum and femora paler brown; margins of pronotum, hemelytra except at least a variably developed obtuse brown band on both sides at branching of vein M (but often continuing towards apex of scutellum and external margin; sometimes a few additional brown spots present on corium), tibiae and tarsomeres except brownish apex yellow; membrane amber coloured. Abdomen brown.
Structure: Subshiny species. Labium reaching at least posterior margin of abdominal sternite III but labium of females often attaining middle part of abdominal sternite IV. Pronotal collar relatively wide, slightly V-shaped, arched and about 3 times as wide as base of pedicel. Lateral margin of pronotum mostly slightly convex, sometimes almost straight. Membrane very rarely fully covering the last abdominal tergites, mostly abdominal tergite VII at least partially visible. Metafemora of males more than 1.25 times thicker than their mesofemora, armed with stiff erect setae, several sharp teeth and small but strong tubercles on whole ventral surface, partly in rows (transitional between Figs. 24 and 25). Tibiae of both sexes straight.
Male genitalia: Pygophore: Posterior margin somewhat acute, similar to O. polhemi (as Fig. 4 of Slater & O’Donnell 1999). Pygophore relatively densely covered with long semierect and slightly shorter semidecumbent setae. Dorsal sinus relatively small, not wider than half length of pygophore (as Fig. 13).
Paramere (Fig. 19): Not very broad, blade almost subtrapezoid, inner projection short, rounded, bifid, its ventral apex narrow, outer outline apically strongly arcuately narrowing. Blade terminating in rather short and narrow, apically curved projection.
Measurements (6 males – females not separable with certainty, holotype in parentheses): Total body length: 4.92–7.00 (5.22); head: length 0.64–0.92 (0.84), width 0.92–1.24 (0.99), interocular space 0.50–0.76 (0.54); length of antennomeres: I 0.56–0.80 (0.63), II 0.84–1.35 (1.17), III 0.76–1.45 (0.90), IV 0.80–1.04 (0.87); length of labiomeres: I 0.91–1.26 (0.96), II 0.99–1.38 (1.05), III 0.78–1.08 (0.81), IV 0.53–0.57); pronotum: length 1.06–1.48 (1.08), width 1.72–2.40 (1.85); scutellum: length 0.96–1.20 (1.08), width 0.96–1.28 (1.11).
Diagnosis. Orbellis odonnellae Zámbó & Kondorosy, sp. nov. seems to be very similar to O. typicus Distant, 1913, O. calcaratus Zámbó & Kondorosy, sp. nov. and O. dentifemoralis Zámbó & Kondorosy, sp. nov. Each species has a relatively wide pronotal collar, slightly V-shaped and much wider than base of pedicel, and lateral pronotal margins variable from slightly convex to almost straight, only O. typicus has slightly concave margins. Despite the similar features there are some easily detectable differences between these species. Colouration of the hemelytra of O. odonnellae is much paler than of previously mentioned species. The length of the labium of females also differs among the mentioned species: the labium of female O. odonnellae sometimes reaches the middle of abdominal sternite IV while the labium of female O. calcaratus and O. dentifemoralis do not extend beyond the posterior margin of abdominal sternite III. The membrane of O. odonnellae very rarely covers abdominal tergite VII, while the membrane of O. typicus, O. calcaratus and O. dentifemoralis mostly reaches (with the exception of some submacropterous specimens of O. calcaratus) the apex of the abdomen. However, these features are not enough to surely separate these species, therefore we do not include the females to the type material.
Tibiae of both sexes of Orbellis odonnellae (and O. typicus) are straight in contrast to the males of O. calcaratus and O. dentifemoralis which have visibly curved (in basal half) metatibiae. The pygophore of O. odonnellae (and O. typicus) is slightly acute posteriad but without a projection, in contrast to the pygophores of O. calcaratus and O. dentifemoralis which have a projection very variable in length. The males of O. odonnellae and O. typicus are very different in the structure of the metafemora from males of the other two species (it has only small, hardly detectable tubercles in contrast to much larger tubercles of O. dentifemoralis and the spur-like teeth of O. calcaratus).
Etymology. The name refers to Dr. Jane E. O’Donnell who made very important contributions to the knowledge of Lethaeini, especially in field of relationships among the genera, including characters of the male genitalia. She published with James A. Slater the supplement of the world catalogue of the Lygaeidae s.l., and described four new Lethaeini species from Madagascar as well, including the three species we transferred to Orbellis.
Distribution. Orbellis odonnellae Zámbó & Kondorosy, sp. nov. is distributed mostly in the southwestern part of Madagascar —the same area as O. dentifemoralis —(Fig. 28); only one specimen is known from the northern part of the island until now.
description: Published as part of Zámbó, András, Kovács, Szilvia & Kondorosy, Előd, 2023, Revision of the genus Orbellis Distant, 1913 (Heteroptera: Rhyparochromidae), pp. 193-212 in Zootaxa 5389 (2) on pages 202-204, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5389.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/10406905