Chrysocoris marginellus

Chrysocoris marginellus (Westwood)

(Figs. 2d, 3d, 4d, 5d, 6c, 7c, 8c, 9c, Plate I-C and III-C). Callidea marginella Westwood, 1837: 15; Stal, 1873: 21

Diagnosis: Body metallic green or blue, lateral pronotal angles obtuse, paramere with stem robust and straight, spermathecal pump flanges not very conspicuous.

Colour: Dorsally metallic green or indigo blue with black spots over dorsum, ventrally thorax metallic green while abdomen ochraceous or reddish ochraceous with lateral margin violaceous or black, submarginal abdominal series of broad, transverse spots, green or bluish green. I segment ochraceous, while rest black.

Head: (Fig. 2d) declivent, lateral margins deeply sinuated, tylus longer than jugal lobes, breadth 1.4x to length; preocular distance, 1.5x to postocular, two median fasciae present between apex to base of head; eyes protruded laterally, touched anterior pronotal angles; interocular distance 2x to interocellar and ocelli placed more closer to eyes than each other.

Antennae: Five segmented; I antennal segment never extended beyond apex of head; II segment smallest and only 0.6x to I; III segment 4.3x to II; IV 1.6x to III while V longest amongst all and 1.2x to IV; total antennal length 10.9±0.51.

Labium: Four segmented; I labial segment smallest; II longest and 1.9x to I; III and IV subequal and only 0.6x to the II; total labial length 6.1±0.2 and extended upto or beyond posterior coxae.

Pronotum: (Fig. 3d) with anterior margin deeply sinuated and anterior pronotal angles produced anteriorly; antero-lateral pronotal margins straight, not sinuated with lateral angles obtuse; breadth between anterior pronotal angles subequal to medial pronotal length while distance between lateral pronotal angles 4.2x to anterior; eleven spots on the dorsum, three at anterior margin, one at each lateral angles and remaining spots on disc.

Scutellum: (Fig. 4d) having base convexed with anterior scutellar margin convexed, covered whole of abdomen; scutellar length 1.4x to breadth, basal angle and scutellar apex rounded; seven spots present, six in pairs, more towards lateral sides and one elongated, broad and roughly T-shaped situated medially.

External efferent system of metathoracic scent gland: (Fig. 5d) with ostiole round to oval in shape, peritreme transverse with exterior end curved, sickle shaped, medially grooved to hold the secretion through ostiole, evaporatorial surface rugulose and extended upto mesothoracic segment.

Legs: With hind leg having femur 1.1 xs to corresponding tibia while in case of middle and hind legs, femora and tibiae subequal.

Abdomen: with breadth subequal to length or slightly broader; segment III to VII bear subquadrate spots on each lateral side and a black medial spot on the III segment; spiracle on III to VII segments and a pair of trichobothria just below each spiracle; VII intersegmental suture broadly V-shaped.

Male genitalia with pygophore (Fig. 6c) having posterior margin sinuated, strigils present in two patches on dorso-posterior region and also scattered on the dorsal surface; lateral margins also sinuated slightly; proctiger ovate, setae on ventral and lateral sides.

Aedeagus: (Fig. 7c) not highly sclerotized, having tubular phallotheca; three pairs of conjunctival appendages present, I pair sclerotized and apically curved, II pair basally broad and membranous, apically thin and sclerotized and terminated in spine, and bear small spine before apical end, III pair comparatively short and stout with almost uniform thickness, apically tapering; vesica broad having apex notched.

Paramere: (Fig. 8c) robust, sickle shaped, blade curved, at the junction of stem and blade a tuft of long setae present; stem broad and at middle margin bulged out laterally.

Female genitalia: having VIII paratergites triangular with posterior margin convex, IX paratergites comparatively small. First pair of gonocoxae large and subquadrate with lateral margins convex and posterior margin sinuated slightly. Spermatheca (Fig. 9c) with bulb elongated and distally bulbous with round apex; proximal flange disc shaped while distal flange of pump indistinct; pump conspicuous; spermathecal dilation elongated, membranous and cylindrical.

Body size: Female 19.15 and male 18.8 long.

Material examined (NPC): 2 and 2; India: Karnataka: Bangalore, 1, 1903, coll. and host unknown; Maharashtra: Matheran (2500 ft), 1, iv.1903, coll. D.N., host unknown. Myanmar: Myitkyina, 1, 30.viii.-1.ix.1914, coll. T.B. Fletcher, host unknown. Sri Lanka: Hambantota, 1, 15.ii.1908, coll. T.B. Fletcher, host unknown.

Comments: External morphological characters of the species has been discussed by Distant (1902). Presently, an addition has been made to the existing literature in concern of its morphometry and male and female genitalia.