Range of lace bug genus Acalypta (Heteroptera: Tingidae) extended south into Neotropics with discovery of the new species, A. emicata, from Guatemala

4 Pages·1996·1.1 MB·English

Vol. 107,No. 5, November& December, 1996 299
RANGE OF LACE BUG GENUS ACALYPTA
(HETEROPTERA: TINGIDAE) EXTENDED SOUTH
INTO NEOTROPICS WITH DISCOVERY OF THE NEW
FROM GUATEMALA
SPECIES,A. EMICATA, 1
Richard C. Froeschner^
ABSTRACT: The new speciesAcalyptu emicata isdescribed and illustrated from an adult male
intercepted on a species of Tillandsia being imported into the United States from Guatemala.
IncludedisakeytothesevenNewWorldspeciesofAcalyptuwithasinglepronotalcarina.
A specimen ofAcalypta Westwood intercepted on an unidentified species
of the plant genus Tillandsia (family Bromeliaceae) being imported into the
United States from Guatemala is interesting not only as a new species but also
for extending the range ofthis genus into the Neotropics, one country farther
southward than its previous limiting record from Mexico. As is true for the
Mexicanrecord,alsobasedonaspecimen interceptedon importedplantsofthe
genus Tillandsia,apreciselocalityoforigin forthespecimenisnotknown.The
discovery of this specimen, unfortunately, does not answer the question was
this, and possibly other members of the moss-feeding genus Acalypta inter-
cepted with introduced plants ofTillandsia, originally biologically associated
withthe Tillandsiaplantorwerethey actually in moss thatmay havebeen used
for packing during shipping? The latter is most likely. The cryptic moss-fre-
quenting habit of the Acalypta species undoubtedly shields them from being
collected more frequently.
Acalypta emicata NEW SPECIES
Figure 1
Diagnosis:AmongtheNewWorldspeciesofAcalyptawithonlyone longi-
tudinal carina(the median) on the pronotum, this speciescan be recognized by
having the combination ofthe hypocostal lamina uniseriate for its full length
and thecostal areabiseriate fornearly its full length (unevenly so on holotype,
see illustration and description below).
1 ReceivedMarch 15, 1996.AcceptedMay21, 1996.
2DepartmentofEntomology,MRC-105,UnitedStatesNationalMuseumofNaturalHistory,Wash-
ington, D.C.20560.
ENT. NEWS 107(5)299-302, November& December, 1996
300 ENTOMOLOGICALNEWS
Description: Measurements in millimeters. Brachypterous male holotype: obovate, widest
nearmidlength ofhemelytra. Length 2.1. Colorblack, dorsally with narrow marginsofparanoia
andcostalareasdistinctlylighterbrown;ventrallywithanteriormarginofpropleuron,narrowedge
ofbuccula,andtibiaelightbrown,sternalcarinaealmostwhite.
Headwithsupraclypealspinesstrong,straight,parallel,slightlysurpassingmidlengthoffirst
antennalsegment.Antennophorenotprojectingforward.Antenna!segmentsstout,lengthsofseg-
ments,I-IV,0.10:0.07:0.35:0.27;segmentIIIcylindrical,notwidenedatends.Labiumreaching
baseofsecondvisibleabdominalsegment.
Pronotumwithanteriormarginformingaweaklytectate,bluntlytriangularprojectionextend-
ingtoanteriormarginsofeyes. Mediancarinairregularlyuniseriateatmiddle, lowertowardeach
end. Lateralcarinae absent. Paranotumtriseriate,almosttwiceas wideasaneye,lateral margins
weaklyconvex.
Costal areawith cells prominent, biseriatefornearly orquiteentire length (on holotypethe
right side wholly biseriate, the leftside biseriate with middle third uniseriate, latterapparentlya
developmental anomaly). Outerlimitingveinsofdiscoidalareacoarctateinbasalthird,in lateral
viewstrongly,convexlyelevatedalongbasaltwo-thirds; innerlimitingveinweaklyelevated,eva-
nescentbasally.Hypocostal laminauniseriate.
Holotype:Brachypterousmale,"interceptedonTillandsiasp.fromGuatemala;U.S.A-Texas,
Houston,Dec.7, 1993,Q.Johnson."DepositedintheNationalMuseumofNaturalHistory,Smith-
sonian Institution,Washington,D.C.
The species name is from the Latin emico and means to appearsuddenly that is, it was
unexpected.
WhenFroeschner(1976)discussedtheAcalyptaspeciesoftheNewWorld,
he treated four as having a single carina on the pronotum. Subsequently three
moreAmerican species ofAcalypta with unicarinate pronotum have been dis-
covered: A. susanae Allen et al (1988) from Arkansas, A. laurae Froeschner
(1991) from Mexico, and now A. emicata from Guatemala, described above.
TheirmorphologicalcharacterswillnotallowthemtobefittedintoFroeschner's
(1976: Fig. 6) diagram and require that it be modified. Such amodification is
here offered in the form ofthe following key:
Key toAmericanspeciesofAcalypta
with a single pronotal carina
1. -HHeeaaddwwiitthhoautpaeilroonfgaetleontguabteer,clsetsouat,bosvuebhboarsiezoonftacllytpuebuesrclesarisingmnaiboopvheilbaasDeroafkecl&ypeRuusbo..f2f
2. Antennal segment III black, stout, cylindrical,forfull length nearly orquiteas wideas seg-
mentII emicatanewspecies
Antennal segment III mostly pale, thickening basad or clavately dilating toward apex (not
cylindrical) 3
3. AntennalsegmentIIIclavate,thickeningfrombasetoapex. Hypocostatriseriate
susanaeAllenetal
-Antennal segment III thinnest on apical half. Hypocosta uniseriate or biseriate basally and
uniseriateapically 4
Vol. 107,No. 5,November&December, 1996 301
Figure 1.Acalyptaemicatan. sp.,naturallength2.1 mm.
.Omm
1
Figure2.Acalypta hemelytra:a)A. saunderxi;b)A. laurae,c)A. ruhoffae.
302 ENTOMOLOGICALNEWS
4. Outerand innerlimiting veins ofdiscoidal areajoiningnearapical fourthofhemelytron to
formanacuteangle(Fig. 2a) saundersiDownes
Outerandinnerlimitingveinsofdiscoidalareajoiningnearapicalthirdofhemelytronandnot
forminganacuteangle 5
5. Discoidalareawithlimitingveinsdistinctlyembrowned, stronglycontrastingwiththepallid
veins ofdiscoidal and subcostal areas; its outer limiting vein convexly projecting postero-
laterally,forminganalmostcontinuousarcwithinnerlimitingvein(Fig.2c)
ruboffaeFroeschner
Discoidalareawithlimitingveinslightbrown,virtuallyconcolorouswithotherveinsofhem-
elytron;itsouterlimitingveinlessstronglyconvexposterolaterally,formingaslightlyobtuse
orrightanglewithinnerlimitingvein(Fig.2b) 6
6. Hypocostauniseriateforfulllength lauraeFroeschner
Hypocostabiseriateinbasal fourthtothird,uniseriateposteriorly duryiDrake
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
MysincerethanksaregiventoYoungSohn,oftheSmithsonianDepartmentofEntomology,
forthe fine illustrations;and toThomasJ. Henry, U.S.D.A. SystematicEntomology Laboratory,
andRobinM. Smith,SouthernArkansasUniversity, forhelpfulreviewsofthemanuscript.
LITERATURECITED
Allen,R.T.,C.E.Carlton,andS.A.Tedder.1988.AnewspeciesofAcalypta(Hemiptera,Tingidae)
fromArkansas.J. Kans.Entomol. Soc.,61(1):126-130.
Froeschner, R.C. 1976. Zoogeographic notes on the lace bug genusAcalypta Westwood in the
Americas with description ofa new species from Mexico (Hemiptera: Tingidae). Am. Midi.
Nat.96(2):257-269.
Froeschner, R.C. 1991. Lace bug genus Acalypta in Mexico: Key and new species A. laurae
(Heteroptera:Tingidae).Entomol. News, 102(4):179-182.