A review of Cryphocricos Signoret, 1850 (Naucoridae: Cryphocricinae) with descriptions of three new species
Author
Sites, Robert W.
text
Zootaxa
2021
2021-04-14
4958
1
72
94
journal article
7179
10.11646/zootaxa.4958.1.7
e161fdff-ea50-4837-8642-8a134f58f18c
1175-5326
4693067
95DBC2B4-D082-4D39-9815-7C3879E2BF5C
Cryphocricos hungerfordi
Usinger
(
Fig. 18
)
Cryphocricos hungerfordi
Usinger 1947
: Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer. 40:337–338.
Type
repository:
Snow Entomological Museum Collection
(
Lawrence
,
Kansas
)
.
Type
locality:
Mexico
:
Veracruz
,
Tantoyuca
.
Discussion:
The
holotype
is a brachypterous male (
Fig. 18
). The southern extent of the range of
C. hungerfordi
into Central America is not clear. It extends from Kimble County in central Texas, south at least to
Chiapas
in southern
Mexico
(
Sites & Nichols 1993
).
Usinger (1947)
described the markedly smaller species
C. latus
and
C. obscuratus
from
Costa Rica
and
Panama
, respectively, distinguishing them by body proportion differences as well as overall length. However, when studying populations of
Cryphocricos
from
Belize
,
Sites
et al.
(2018)
were unable to assign a specific identity to them because of high intraspecific variability as some populations had individuals that keyed to three species, including those from
Costa Rica
and
Panama
. Thus,
C. hungerfordi
might extend further southward into Mesoamerica and possibly be synonymous with one or both Central American species.
The immature stages of
C. hungerfordi
were described and illustrated, including the structure of eggs, which can have three to five micropyles (
Sites & Nichols 1993
). In central
Texas
,
C. hungerfordi
is bivoltine and overwinters as third through fifth instars and adults among large rocks in fast water (
Sites & Nichols 1993
). Microhabitat partitioning of this species and two other saucer bugs was investigated in the South Llano River in central
Texas
. Eight of ten abiotic variables were significant in accounting for quadrats in which
C. hungerfordi
occurred; rock standard error of the mean accounted for 43.1% of the variation in density (
Sites & Willig 1991
). In a stream simulation study using flow tanks to determine habitat preferences of three species of naucorids,
C. hungerfordi
preferred cobble over either gravel or pebble substrates; however, a synergistic effect was detected between current velocity and substrate particle size (
Herrmann
et al.
1993
).
Diagnosis:
This species differs from most of the South American species in having the posterolateral corners of abdominal segments V (
♂
) and VI and VII (
♀
) not acuminate, but right-angled or blunt.
Usinger (1947)
distinguished it from
C. latus
and
C. obscuratus
by its length greater than
7.5 mm
, and from
C. mexicanus
Usinger, 1947
by wider embolia and longer body, hemelytra, and claval commissure.