Amauromelpia, Fernandes & Grazia, 1998

Amauromelpia gen. n.

Etimology. Greek, amauro =dark, melpia:proper name; gender neuter.

Type species. Amauromelpia ussu , sp. n.

Castaneous to dark castaneous. Elliptical-shaped body. Body length 6,5-9,6. Abdominal width 3,7 -5,6.

Head wider than long. Jugae and tylus subequal in length. Antennae with segment I not attaining apex of head. Antennal segments I and H subequal in length, IH subequal to V both longer than IV; segment IV slightly dorsoventrally depressed and very gently, longitudinally sulcated. Head in profile with jugae in a higher level than tylus. Bucculae with a small anterior tooth, rectilinear in profile, weakly developed and evanescent at base of head. Rostrum attaining or slightly surpassing metastemum. Rostral segmentl as long as bucculae and obscured by them in profile. Rostral segment II shorter than III and IV together. Ventral surface with punctures almost regularly distributed, sometimes concentrated at base of bucculae.

Pronotum trapezoidal, anterior two thirds slightly declivant. Anterior angles distinctly toothed. Humeral angles slightly toothed. Pronotum densely and uniformly punctured; scares punctured. A narrow row of white hairs along prostemum, rnesostemum and metasternum. Anterior half of mesostemum with a low carina. Metastemum shallowly concave. Each ostiolar rugae clavate and developed through 1/6 metapleural width. Evaporatory area matte and punctured. Basal angles of scutelum foveated, apex rounded attaining posterior border of connexival segment V. Scutelum densely and uniformly punctured. Posterior angle of corium acute reaching middle connexival segment VI. Apex of radial vein with a small pale yellow callus. Corium with an impunctured narrow strip parallel to clavus. Exocorium densely and finely punctured. Hemelytral membrane hyaline and infuscate, veins brown sometimes bifurcate. Femora and tibiae with piceous dots. Tarsi immaculate. Tibiae dorsally sulcated.

Well-exposed connexivum with concolorous punctures sometimes bordered darkcastaneously. Postero-lateral angles of connexivum weakly projected. Ventral surface of abdomen dark spotted along median third; lateral margin finely, lighter and less punctured. Each trichobothrium separated by the imaginary longitudinal line tangential to spiracles. Subcaloused, pale-yellow little spots, inner to spiracles, not punctured.

Male pygophore quadrangular, globose opening dorso-posteriorly. Postero-lateral angles rounded slightly projected. Dorsal rim (dr) posteriorly projected covering pygophoral cup at base; middle third shallowly concave. Ventral rim (vr) forming two layers; the superior one expanded in 1 + 1 cylindrical arms (ca) dorsally-directed, each one beside segment X, inner angle projected toward longitudinal plane. Inferior layer carinated, median third with 1 + 1 tooth-like projections (tp). Segment X (x) cylindric, with 1 + 1 processes (pp) near middle length, surface of posterior half concave, apex rounded. Parameres absent. Phallus ovoid. Articulatory apparatus: dorsal connectives (dc) broad and short; processus capîtati (pca) well-developed. Phallotheca (ph) with one median and ventral process, processus phallothecae (pph), in 1 + 1 clavate arms, subparallel, laterally-depressed, dorsally-curved, apices slightly twisted. Postero-lateral angles of phallotheca developed. Conjunctiva (cj) complex with slightly sclerotized, tumid areas and two processes: one ventral, processus conjunctivae 1 (prcjl), in l + l divergent, strongly sclerotized cylindrical arms, with apex dorsally-curved, longer than processus phallothecae; the other lateral, processus conjunctivae 2 (prcjz), in 1 + 1 almost rectangular structures, depressed, with a well-developed spine-like projection dorsally directed. Vesica (v) with a dorsal shield—like processus, processus vesicae (prv); membranous side in a ventral shapeless collar. Ductus seminis distalis (dsd) extremely long, helicoidal and very delicate usually not preserved after dissection.

Female. Outline of genital plates in a semicircle. Gonocoxites 8 (gcs) with mesial borders parallel. Spiracles absent in laterotergites 8 (la 8). Gonocoxites 9 (gc 9) trapezoidal. Laterotergites 9 (1a9) convergent, internal margin straight above gonocoxites 9, surface of basal third excavated, apices rounded. Antero-lateral angles of gonocoxites 8 with l + l divergent arms. Secondary thickening (st) of gonapophyses 9 (g9) and chitinellipsen (ch) present. Thickening of vaginal intima (tvi) conical. Capsula seminalis (cs) globose, tooth-like processes absent.

Distribution. Costa Rica: Taboga; French Guyana; Brazil: Amazonas, Pará; Peru: Loreto; Bolivia: Beni.

Diagnoses. Body dark. Dorsal rim projected posteriorly covering pygophoral cup at base. Pararneres absent. Cylindrical arms 0f superior layer with inner angle projected toward longitudinal plane. Phallus ovoid. Processus conjunctivae 1 in 1 + 1 strongly sclerotized arms with apex dorsally-curved. Processus conjunctivae 2 in l + l almost rectangular structure, depressed, with a well-developed spine-like projection posteriorly directed. Surface of laterotergites 9 with basal third excavated.

Comments. This genus is related toHypatropis; they share the following characters: head in profile with jugae in a higher level than tylus, parameres absent, ductus receptaculi extremely long, and well-developed secondary thickenings of gonapophyses 9. Amauromelpía could be distinguished from Hypatropis by the structure of the male genitalia, specially the conjunctival processes of the phallus; segment X with an entire transversal carena in Hypatropís , instead of l + l processes at middle third in Amauromelpia .