Heza phthinica Swanson 2021, sp. nov.

Heza phthinica sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 98805345-C8B3-49CE-9E85-CC9155E7ACD6

(Figs. 3, 7, 13, 14, 19)

Type material: HOLOTYPE, ♂, BRAZIL: Rondonia, Posada, Rancho Grande, Schmidt’s, S 10-17’ 51.7” W62-52’ 7.3”, ca 60 km S. Ariquemes, elev. 150 m, 15–23 April 1996, F. W. Stehr & M. C. Nielsen (MSUC). PARATYPE, ♂, BRAZIL: Rondonia, Posada, Rancho Grande, S 10-17’ -51.7” W62-52’ 7.3”, ca 60 km S. Ariquemes, elev. 150 m, 15–23 April 1996, F. W. Stehr & M. C. Nielsen (MSUC); PARATYPE, ♂, PERU: Dept. Loreto, Yarinacocha, 11 April 1963, T. H. Hubbell & L. E. Peña G., #133, Heza similis det. J. Maldonado C. 1986, UMMZI-140206 (UMMZ).

Etymology: The specific epithet is derived from the Greek feminine noun φθίνα, -ης (Latinized phthina) ‘mildew’ + the first/second-declension adjective-forming suffix -ῐκός, -ῐκή, -ῐκόν (Latinized - icus, - ica, - icum) ‘of, pertaining to’, yielding an intended meaning of ‘mildewy, given to mildew’. The epithet figuratively references the white tomentose spots sparsely but distinctly distributed over the thorax and hemelytra.

Diagnosis: Separated from other species of Heza by the following combination of characters: only first connexival segment (=second tergite) armed posterolaterally with spine or tubercle; discal armature of anterior pronotal lobe medium-sized, cylindrical, blunt; pleura and clavus basally lacking dense tomenta; femur and tibia of middle and hind legs reddish, not greenish or faded yellowish; and median process of pygophore with thin, convex apically flared fold.

Description: Macropterous male (holotype). Coloration: Orange-brown, except corium little more reddish, venter pale yellow (setal patches whitish), and veins of hemelytral membrane blackish.

Structure: Head. Postantennal spines medium, robust, straight, sharp, otherwise head as per description under Heza. Antennae with scape with sparse oblique short setae, setae of pedicel similar but slightly denser, flagellum with short appressed setae. Eyes, ocelli, and rostrum as per description under Heza.

Thorax. Pronotum with anterior pronotal lobe covered with short appressed pale setae but with a few glabrous channels, with collar armed with obliquely-directed, somewhat sharp, pinched, conical tubercle, disc armed with two medium, robust, apically-blunt spines. Posterior pronotal lobe with faint, short, paired carinae emanating from transverse constriction behind tubercles of anterior pronotal lobe, covered with sparse long erect setae (more conspicuous laterally) and with paired submedial and paired sublateral dense golden setal spots near transverse constriction and near basal margin (these latter spots smaller), disc armed with two longish, thin, essentially erect, sharp spines constricted at middle, humeral angle with medium, sharp spine over humerus directed laterally and somewhat dorsad, posterior margin slightly convex in front of scutellum and sinuate between humeri and posterior angles, posterior angles roundly obtuse. Scutellum with apex of raised central disc with dorsal knob, with short appressed dense and sparse erect longish golden setae. Propleuron with one setal spot on anterior half and one on posterior half. Mesopleuron with plica rounded and with setal spot near posterior margin. Sterna as per description under Heza. Hemelytra with corium covered with short setae and three oblong setal spots: one near midlength of scutellum, one slightly beyond apex of scutellum, and one laterad of discal cell. Discal cell with two short spurious stub-veins, one on each side subapically and projecting into cell.

Legs. Fore legs with profemur straight, covered with sparse short erect setae on dorsal and lateral surfaces. Protibia slightly curved apically. Middle and hind legs as per description under Heza.

Abdomen. As per description under Heza.

External genitalia. Pygophore with integument smooth, essentially glabrous except sparse moderately long erect setae, with posterior margin setose. Median apical process robust, approximately twice as tall as apical width, projecting caudad slightly, lateral margins converging from base to middle and distinctly diverging from middle to apex, apex distinctly convex, margin slightly “hooked” or folded caudad, fold not clearly wider than shaft. Parameres moderately-sized, almost reaching median process at rest, more or less cylindrical but slightly sinuate at middle in dorsal plane, densely setose on dorsal margin and near apex.

Measurements (in mm). Total length (apex of head to apex of abdomen): HT: 18.0, PT: 17.3; total length (apex of head to apex of hemelytra): HT: 18.3, PT: 17.8; head length: HT: 2.4, PT: 2.3; head width (across eyes): HT: 1.4, PT: 1.4; anteocular length: HT: 1.0, PT: 0.9; postocular length: HT: 0.8, PT: 0.8; neck length: HT: 0.6, PT: 0.6; scape length: HT: 8.4, PT: 8.1; pedicel length: HT: 1.6, PT: 1.6; basiflagellum length: HT: 9.9, PT: 10.1; distiflagellum length: HT:?, PT:?; antennal segment ratio: approx. 1.0: 0.2: 1.2:?; eye length: HT: 0.6, PT: 0.6; eye width: HT: 0.3, PT: 0.3; rostral segment 1 length: HT: 1.6, PT: 1.7; rostral segment 2 length: HT: 1.2, PT: 1.3; rostral segment 3 length: HT: 0.6, PT: 0.5; rostral segment ratio: approx. 1.00: 0.75: 0.3; pronotum length: HT: 4.1, PT: 3.8; pronotum width (across humeri, without spines): HT: 3.9, PT: 3.7; pronotum width (across humeri, with spines): HT: 5.5, PT: 5.2; anterior pronotal lobe length: HT: 1.6, PT: 1.4; posterior pronotal lobe length: HT: 2.5, PT: 2.4; scutellum length: HT: 1.3, PT: 1.3; scutellum width (at base): HT: 1.3, PT: 1.4; hemelytra length: HT: 11.9, PT: 11.8; procoxa length: HT: 0.8, PT: 0.7; protrochanter length: HT: 0.8, PT: 0.9; profemur length: HT: 7.5, PT: 7.3; protibia length: HT: 6.7, PT: 6.5; protarsus length: HT: 0.8, PT: 0.7; protarsal segment ratio: approx. 1.0: 2.5: 2.5; mesocoxa length: HT: 0.7, PT: 0.9; mesotrochanter length: HT: 0.7, PT: 0.8; mesofemur length: HT: 6.0, PT: 6.1; mesotibia length: HT: 6.5, PT: 6.3; mesotarsus length: HT: 0.7, PT: 0.8; mesotarsal segment ratio: approx. 1.0: 2.5: 2.5; metacoxa length: HT: 0.7, PT: 0.8; metatrochanter length: HT: 0.7, PT: 0.8; metafemur length: HT: 8.4, PT: 8.3; metatibia length: HT: 9.6, PT: 9.3; metatarsus length: HT: 0.7, PT: 0.8; metatarsal segment ratio: approx. 1.0: 2.5: 2.5; abdomen length: HT: 10.0, PT: 9.5; abdomen (widest) width: HT: 3.2, PT: 3.0.

Variation: Both paratypes lack the subapical stubs of the discal cell and the two basal most tomentose spots of the corium are missing or obsolescent. The height of the discal tubercles of the anterior pronotal lobe varies slightly in the paratypes. The paratype from Peru has several of the tomentose spots of the posterior pronotal lobe absent and integument of posterior pronotal lobe slightly transversely and palely rugose. Otherwise both paratypes are largely identical to the holotype.

Female: Unknown.

Distribution: Peru, Brazil (Fig. 21).

Remarks: The medium-sized, apically blunted armature of the anterior pronotal lobe contributes in part to H. phthinica sp. nov. reaching couplet #25 or # 27 in Maldonado’s (1976) key. Heza ocellata, a species which shares a similar dispersion pattern of small tomentose spots on the posterior pronotal lobe, differs strongly in having a truncate or slightly concave apex on the median process of the pygophore. From H. similis, H. ephippium,and H. rubromarga, the new species differs in the reddish-brown legs (rather than green faded to yellow in the former two species). It differs further from H. similis and H. rubromarga in the median process of the pygophore being tall, with a convex apex and concave lateral margins. Heza rubromarga also possesses short, sharp armature of the anterior pronotal lobe. From H. rubra, H. phthinica sp. nov. differs in the convex lateral margins and thinner, narrower recurved fold of the median process of the pygophore, as well as the reddish-brown legs.