Herrichella Distant, 1911

Herrichella Distant, 1911: 246; Rolston (1981: 41); Rolston (1992: 15–16, fig. 24); Campos & Grazia (2006: 153); Grazia et al. (2015: 717).

Alitocoris Sailer, 1950: 69; Rolston (1992: 22–23); Garbelotto et al. (2013: 456 –458). NEW SYNONYMY

Material examined: COLOMBIA, female syntype (Fig. 4), labels: “ Colombia Dagua 96–68”; “ Herrichella thoracica type Dist.”; “ BRIT. MUS. TYPE No. HEM. 691”; Distant Coll. 1911–383.”; “re-pinned”; “ Type ”; “ ♀ ”; “ SYNTYPE ”; “ NHMUK 010592525”

Comments. Herrichella is a monotypic genus described for H. thoracica by Distant (1911), and included by Rolston (1992) in a group of genera in which the eyes are separated from pronotum. The only known specimen is a female syntype deposited in the BMNH (Fig. 4). Alitocoris was described by Sailer (1950), revised by Garbelotto et al. (2013), and currently includes four species: A. schraderi Sailer, 1950, A. grandis Garbelotto & Campos, 2013, A. ornatus Garbelotto & Campos, 2013, and A. lateralis Garbelotto & Campos, 2013. Although Alitocoris was not included by Rolston within the group in which the eyes are separated from pronotum, it is possible to observe a little distance between the eyes and pronotum in the species of Alitocoris (Garbelotto et al. 2013, fig 3). When observing the syntype of H. thoracica we found many common characteristics between this species and the species of Alitocoris, which brings us to propose they all belong to the same genus. These characteristics include the general morphology of the body, the head wider than long, the anteocular processes reduced to an obtuse tubercle (Figs. 4A, D), the second antennal segment shorter than first, the labium inserted after an imaginary plane bisecting head at anterior limit of eyes (Fig. 4C), the lateral margins of pronotum slightly sinuous to rectilinear, the metasternum medially carinate, the gonocoxites VIII tumescent with posterior margins sinuous and projecting over the base of laterotergites 9, and the female segment X hidden by the laterotergites IX (Fig. 4F). Herrichella is here proposed as a senior synonym of Alitocoris, resulting in the new combinations H. schraderi, H. grandis, H. ornata and H. lateralis.

Although H. thoracica resembles A. ornatus in the color pattern, and A. lateralis in the posterior angle of gonocoxites VIII slightly acute, we consider H. thoracica distinct from these two species by the color pattern (pronotum largely spotted, connexiva brownish-black, legs brownish-black, femora dark and without elliptical brownish spots), and by the length of rostrum not surpassing urosternite IV.

Contained species:

H. thoracica Distant, 1911 (type species of Herrichella)

H. schraderi (Sailer, 1950) (type species of Alitocoris), NEW COMBINATION

H. grandis (Garbelotto & Campos, 2013), NEW COMBINATION

H. lateralis (Garbelotto & Campos, 2013), NEW COMBINATION

H. ornata (Garbelotto & Campos, 2013), NEW COMBINATION