New species, new combinations, and morphological notes of South American Ambrysinae (Heteroptera: Naucoridae)
Author
Rodrigues, Higor D. D.
0000-0002-9649-4142
Laboratório de Entomologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
higorddr@gmail.com
Author
Canejo, Rafael P. R.
0000-0003-4296-8936
Laboratório de Entomologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
rafaelcanejo17@gmail.com
Author
Sites, Robert W.
0000-0002-3895-813X
Enns Entomology Museum, Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States.
sitesr@missouri.edu
text
Zootaxa
2024
2024-05-06
5447
2
199
224
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5447.2.3
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5447.2.3
1175-5326
11119501
F1BE770F-C904-4320-89F5-63733611E994
Australambrysus plax
(La Rivers, 1967)
species complex
Discussion.
The
A. plax
species complex is diagnosed by having the propleura tightly appressed to the probasisternum and prosternellum, thereby concealing part of the prosternellum—although this condition also occurs in the subgenus
Ambrysus
(
Syncollus
) La Rivers, 1965
, from North America (
Sites 2023a
). In addition to this feature, the species in this complex also share: propleuron shagreened throughout, except a thin, glabrous band in the lateral margin (
Figs. 1B
,
2B
,
3B
); ventrally entirely golden brown, with dense pile of fine hairs, and two glabrous median stripes on abdominal sterna IV–V; at least the posterolateral corners of abdominal segments IV–VI spinose; absence of an accessory genitalic process of male abdominal tergum VI (
Figs. 2C
,
3D
); and the male phallosoma with ventral endosomal lobes membranous (
Figs. 2G
,
3H
). It is important to note that the diagnostic features listed above are not necessarily exclusive to the complex.
Australambrysus acutangulus
(
Montandon, 1897b
)
and
A. fraternus
(
Montandon, 1897b
)
are known only from the male
holotypes
, which have not been dissected; however, we suspect they have the same features as the other species in the complex. We have other probable Brazilian
new species
from this complex, which are easily differentiated by the male genitalia and the female abdominal sterna; however, to minimize the risk of describing them as possible future synonyms, the genitalia of
A. acutangulus
and
A. fraternus
should be described first.