Acrozangis antica Salini & Schmidt 2018, comb. nov
Creators: name: Salini, S.
name: Schmidt, C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Acrozangis
Acrozangis antica

description: Acrozangis antica (Vollenhoven, 1868) comb. nov
(Figs. 3, 4, 5–7, 19–21)
Cuspicona antica Vollenhoven, 1868: 188 (original description)
Cuspicona antica: Stål (1876): 130 (incertae sedis); Atkinson (1888): 149 (original reference and distribution); Distant (1902): 242 (original reference and distribution); Schouteden (1907): 42 (notes, information on type); Kirkaldy (1909): 142 (catalog); Black (1968): 563 (original reference and new distribution apart from known); Krikken et al. (1981): 250 (information on type); Fan et al. (2012): 182 –183 (description, illustration of male genitalia, distribution).
Cuspicona? antica: Lethierry & Severin (1893): 180 (catalog).
Acrozangis semiprasina Breddin, 1900: 311 (original description), syn. nov
Description. Colouration. Body above (Figs 3, 5, 19) dark green with more or less well expressed markings other than dark green as follows: Disc of head yellowish or creamy white except lateral margin of head in front of compound eyes, black; inner margins of mandibular plates and apical broad stripe on clypeus rose or pink. Antennae pale green with apical 1/3rd or sometimes 1/2 of segment IIb, black, segment III smoky brown (segment IV missing). Pronotum with anterior half of disc creamy yellow except anterolateral margins including anterolateral angles; a pair of small, round black spots situated submedially on anterior half of pronotal disc and placed at oblique angle with ocelli; small oblique, black streak inner to each anterolateral angles. Humeri with black triangular spot dorsally and narrow black margin; humeri on either side of black triangular spot rose or pink coloured. Small quadrate spot on posterolateral angles of each laterotergite, black. Membrane translucent, suffused with brownish tinge along simple veins apart from one moderately black spot each on inner angle and towards outer lateral angle.
Ventral side (Figs. 4, 6, 20) including legs and labium pale green except the following. Apex of labium, narrow streak in front of compound eyes, ventral margins of humeri and tooth on posterolateral angles of ventrite III to VII, apical half of tarsal claws, black. Sometimes metasternal carina and faint, median ridge on abdominal venter including basal abdominal tubercle, pale yellow.
Integument and vestiture. Body above covered with dense, round, concolorous punctures, head with dense, mostly shallow (sometimes obsolete) and concolorous punctures. Head underside, abdominal ventrites and legs impunctate; thoracic sternites with dense, fine punctures.
Body glabrous except antennal segments IIa to III (IV missing) and tibiae (on inner and lateral surface) and tarsi (throughout surface) with pale, short and erect setae; overall outer surface of genital capsule with minute golden hairs, ventral side of parameral crown provided with moderately elongate hairs.
Structure. Head (Figs 3, 8) moderately slopping downwards, slightly shorter than width across compound eyes; lateral margins smooth, nearly straight. Mandibular plates flattened, wider than clypeus, abruptly narrowed towards apex and apically rounded, not meeting in front of clypeus, nearly as long as or slightly shorter than clypeus; clypeus flattened, nearly of equal width, dorso-posterior surface of head between ocelli and base of clypeus flat. Compound eyes protruding out of head outline in half of their width. Antenniferous tubercles small and inwardly curved (Fig. 8), visible from above. Antennae 5-segmented. Antennal segments from shortest to longest: I<IIa<IIb<III (segment IV missing); antennal segment I cylindrical, shortest and stoutest, antennal segments IIa–III narrow, cylindrical, nearly uniformly thickened. Bucculae short, not enclosed, unarmed, gradually flattened posteriorly, partially covering the labial segment I. Labrum (Fig. 12) flat and narrow. Labial segment I not stout nearly as long as bucculae and approaching anterior pronotal margin, labial segment II and III nearly subequal and segment IV much shorter than segment III; apex of labium nearly reaching posterior margin of abdominal sternite III.
Pronotum (Fig. 10). Anterior pronotal margin shallowly concave uniformly, no marked incision for accommodating base of head; anterior angles with minute laterally directed tooth; anterolateral margin uniformly obliquely straight and smooth. Humeri moderately produced into small angulate processes or narrowly angulate; posterolateral margin of pronotum (behind humeri) slightly incised posteriorly; posterior margin of pronotum slightly concave medially. Pronotum with anterior part of pronotal disc flat and slopping downwards without medial ridge; posterior part of pronotal disc horizontal, flat.
Scutellum (Figs 3, 5, 19) triangular, slightly longer than breadth at base; sides slightly convex in frenal portion and nearly straight at 1/3rd apex; apex of scutellum rounded, not surpassing anterodistal angles of corium. Disc of scutellum with anterior half slightly convex, posterior half nearly flat.
Hemelytra (Figs. 3, 5, 19). Clavus narrowly triangular, reaching only about 2/3rd of the scutellar length. Corium laterally nearly straight, in basal half widening posteriad; anterodistal angles rounded apically, much surpassing apex of scutellum. Membrane translucent, widely rounded apically, slightly surpassing apex of abdomen. Membrane bearing 10–11 prominent and simple veins, without reticulate venation.
Thoracic pleuron and sternum. Procoxae placed to each other, leaving only narrow space for labium; meso and metacoxae slightly remote but with median well developed carina between them; mesosternal carina well developed, lamellate anteriorly, slightly surpassing forecoxae anteriorly, truncate posteriorly and contiguous to metasternal carina, anterior part of mesosternal carina moderately elevated and posterior part lay in the same plane of metasternal carina; metasternal carina posteriorly hollowed out and accommodating apex of basal abdominal tubercle or apex of basal abdominal tubercle concealed by groove at the posterior end of metasternal carina. Ostiole elongate, accompanied with elongate ruga-like peritreme (Fig. 15), peritreme narrow, elongate and extending beyond middle of metapleuron, but not reaching lateral margin of metapleuron; evaporatorium (Fig. 15) moderately large, developed as broad, inverted trapezoidal patch on metapleuron encompassing ostiole and peritreme, and prolonged laterad along posterior margin of metathoracic spiracle, on mesopleuron forming moderately broad stripe on anterior margin of metathoracic spiracle. Metathoracic spiracle long and well visible in ventral view.
Legs. All femora cylindrical, unarmed and nearly rounded in cross section. All tibiae roughly rounded in cross section, their dorsal surface with narrow and shallow groove. All tarsi with segment II shortest, III sub equal to segment I, all tarsal segments dorsally regularly rounded, not grooved.
Pregenital abdomen. Slightly narrower than width of pronotum across humeri. Connexivum narrow, slightly exposed dorsally. Ventrites III–VII with short, but stout and acute tooth in its posterolateral angles; tooth on ventrites III–VI same size and on ventrite VII slightly prominent than on ventrites III–VI in the case of males and females (Figs. 4, 6, 20). Abdominal venter elevated and broad ridge-like medially but inclined flat laterally. Ventrite III with short and stout abdominal tubercle, apex of which firmly accommodated by hollowed out posterior end of metasternal carina (Figs 4, 16). Spiracles on ventrite II covered by metapleuron, each abdominal sternites bear two trichobothria situated slightly mesad to spiracle on each side of abdomen.
Male genitalia (Figs. 30–44). Genital capsule nearly trapezoidal (Figs 30, 31, 38, 39) with caudal lobes slightly notched medially and giving a bilobed appearance; ventral rim widely excavated concave between caudal lobes, with narrow, median emargination, indented medially (Figs 31, 39); dorsal rim widely and concavely excavated between caudal lobes; infoldings of dorsal rim medially with one moderately broad process, which is indented by shallow, moderately broad U-notch medially resulting in two angulate lobes (Figs 30, 38); roughly triangular dorsal sclerites (Figs 32, 41), sclerotized partially, on either side of median process in infoldings of dorsal rim. Paramere. Stout, finger-like crown with short angular projection at base where crown joining with stem (Figs 33, 34), whole lateral side of crown, sclerotized brown and densely packed with minute scale-like processes; stem stout and short, moderately sclerotized and swollen on inner side bearing short setae, apodeme membranous and developed into large plate-like. Phallus. Phallotheca narrowed towards both ends in dorsal and ventral view, whereas gradually narrowed towards proximal end in lateral view (Fig. 37); one pair of conjunctival process, membranous, distal apex sclerotized black and moderately acuminate (Figs 36, 37), processes of adeagus fused to single, sclerotized roughly arcuate structure partially encircling aedeagus (Fig. 35); aedeagus stout, sclerotized, shorter than conjunctival processes, narrowed towards apex and deflected towards dorsal side (Fig. 37) of phallotheca.
Measurements (in mm). Body length 12.46–13.19; length of head 2.27–2.48, width across eyes 2.69–2.81, interocular distance 1.62–1.63, lengths of antennal segments (I) 0.62–0.74: (IIa) 1.07–1.29: (IIb) 1.57–1.90: (III) 2.24: (IV) (missing); lengths of labial segments (I) 1.03–1.18: (II) 1.67–2.00: (III) 1.57–1.74: (IV) 1.19–1.25; median length of pronotum 2.39–2.75; humeral width 7.55–8.01; length of scutellum 4.84–5.38; basal width of scutellum 4.65–4.74.
Material Examined. Type material: Neotype male for Acrozangis semiprasina Breddin, 1900, here designated with the following label data—Sumatra Devrient, Acrozangis semiprasina Bredd., G. Bredd determ. (in verbatim) (MTD); Lectotype female for Cuspicona antica here designated with the following label data– Antica. Voll. Affinis crassae Hope, Museum Leiden Cuspicona antica Voll., Cuspicona antica type. Voll., V. Eyndh, Hindostan, RMNH.INS 722878 (NBC). Images of the syntype of Cuspicona antica Vollenhoven along with label data received from NBC.
Non-type material: INDIA: Meghalya: ♂, Ri-Bhoi, Indian Council of Agricultural Research Complex, North Eastern Himalya, Barapani, 1031m, 25o41'N 91o55'E, 24.ix.2013, Yeshwanth, H.M (UASB); Tamil Nadu: ♂, Tirunelveli, N3o44' E77o42', 17.ii.2015, Umeshkumar, S (ICAR-NBAIR).
Remarks. The designated neotype is the single male specimen assigned to A. semiprasina by Breddin, 1900 for which he commented that "It seem not to differ specifically from A. semiprasina ". Though this specimen have much similarity to genus Glaucias in its external appearance, it is distinctly different for several structural characters including the external male genitalia characters (see below). Breddin's description of A. semiprasina nearly matches with the structural characters of C. antica. The major structural characters of A. semiprasina described by Breddin, which confirm that A. semiprasina is not different from C. antica, are the venter more or less convex and basal segment with strong, short spine, touching the metasternal elevation, ridge of mesosternum lamelliform, posteriorly thicker, truncate, very tightly touching that of the metasternum, the humeri produced at acute angle of 75° or 80°, the apex not smoothly rounded and the apical angles of all segments of abdomen distinctly acute. According to Breddin, the male specimen differs from the female specimen (the designated holotype of A. semiprasina by Breddin, 1900) by somewhat smaller size, the distinctly punctate venter, the green abdominal dorsum, the margin of the seventh segment laterally reddish-greyish, the humeri not rose-coloured and the middle of the basis of the venter brownish. These variation in body size and colour of the male specimen cannot be warranted for a different species status rather the possession of the following characters-hollowed out apex of metasternal carina holding the apex of basal abdominal tubercle or the concealed apex of basal abdominal tubercle along with other structural characters such as the obliquely straight and smooth anterolateral margins of pronotum, angulately produced humeral angles and acutely produced posterolateral angles of abdominal ventrites reveal that the male specimen belong to species A. semiprasina.
Interpretation of Cuspicona antica Vollenhoven, 1868, is based on the type images of the same obtained from the Leiden Museum. Apart from these, a couple of specimens belonging to C. antica available at UASB/ICAR- NBAIR, Bangalore, were studied and illustrated for male genitalia by the first author and the dissection and illustration of the single male specimen determined as A. semiprasina by Breddin, 1900, by the second author confirmed the synonymy of C. antica Vollenhoven, 1868 and Acrozangis semiprasina Breddin, 1900. Hence these two species are treated here as subjective synonyms. The name C. antica Vollenhoven, 1868 is senior to the name Acrozangis semiprasina Breddin, 1900 and hence the name antica Vollenhoven has been given priority.
Taxonomic notes and comments on tribal placement of A. antica (Vollenhoven) comb. nov. and designation of lectotype for Cuspicona antica.
This species was erected under the genus Cuspicona Dallas by Vollenhoven (1868) and since then several of the past workers (Stål, 1876; Atkinson, 1888; Lethierry & Severin, 1893; Distant, 1902; Schouteden, 1907; Kirkaldy 1909; Black, 1968; Krikken et al., 1981; Fan et al., 2012) had treated this species as a member of the genus Cuspicona. The proposed new combination A. antica, automatically placed this species under the tribe Nezarini as Acrozangis belongs to Nezarini as per Rider's website on Pentatomoidea home page (Rider, 2016).
Whereas Cuspicona is a member of the tribe Rhynchocorini, where the species antica Vollenhoven was previously placed. The overall resemblance and similarities found in the male genitalia (explained below) of A. antica with other members of the tribe Nezarini, supports the placement of A. antica to this tribe. A. antica is closely related to the genus Glaucias Kirkaldy (member of the tribe Nezarini) in respect of sternal carina slightly produced forward onto prosternum, retention of the green colour even after its death and also for its overall resemblance. Whereas the members of Rhynchocorini have the sternal processes produced forward onto the prosternum and sometimes underneath the head. They are also green in colour when alive but fade to yellow after they have died (Rider, 2015, pers. communication). The male genitalia of typical Rhynchocorines as briefed by Gross (1975) can be implied from the illustration (Figs 50–58) such as the outline of posterior margin (caudal margin) of genital capsule not usually complicated by marked projections or processes, parameres strongly F-shaped, phallus with phallotheca always honey-coloured, conjunctival processes laterally with 'lappet' processes etc. But the male genitalia of A. antica is different as implied from the illustration (Figs. 30–44). Therefore, this species is not a member of the tribe Rhynchocorini rather very close to the genus Glaucias Kirkaldy (member of the tribe Nezarini) in respect of possessing mesosternal process anteriorly and slightly produced forward onto prosternum, presence of a metasternal carina posteriorly, which is in contact with the basal abdominal tubercle (Fig. 17), retention of the green colour even after its death, overall resemblance and shape of the body. But members of Acrozangis can be differentiated by the hollowed out posterior apex of metasternal carina holding the apex of basal abdominal tubercle (Figs 16, 18). Apart from this, these genera also vary with respect to their male genitalia. The parameral crown of species of Glaucias with sclerotized ridge (Figs 45, 46), phallus usually with two pairs of conjunctival processes, processes of aedeagus absent (Figs 47–49), phallotheca with collar-like structure holding endosoma (aedeagal primordia as per Tsai et al., 2011) (Fig. 49) whereas species of Acrozangis do not possess sclerotized ridge on parameral crown rather sometimes with numerous small scale-like teeth on apical region, processes of aedeagus present (Fig. 35) and phallotheca without collar-like structure (Figs 27–29, 35–37).
Breddin (1900) while describing A. semiprasina, one male specimen from Sumatra assigned to A. semiprasina with a comment that "it seems not to differ specifically from A. semiprasina " though A. semiprasina was originally described based on a single female specimen collected from Soekaranda (Sumatra). This male, associated to the same species by Breddin (1900), presently lodged at Museum für Tierkunde, Dresden, Germany, was examined by the second author. On comparison of this associated male specimen with the specimens of identified A. antica and also the type images along with labels (Figs 5–7) obtained from Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, Netherlands revealed that they are one and the same. Hence in the event of A. antica is not congeneric with the genus Cuspicona (see comments above), the species is herewith transferred to the genus Acrozangis and Acrozangis antica comb. nov is proposed herewith. The single female specimen available at Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, Netherlands, which is the syntype of Cuspicona antica Vollenhoven, 1868, has been herewith designated as lectotype.
description: Published as part of Salini, S. & Schmidt, C., 2018, Revision of genus Acrozangis Breddin (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae) with description of a new species from India, pp. 507-523 in Zootaxa 4413 (3) on pages 511-520, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4413.3.5, http://zenodo.org/record/1227939