Pelidnocoris Stål, 1868

Pelidnocoris Stål, 1868

( Figs 1 – 27 View Fig View Figs 2–6 View Figs 7–11 View Figs 12–16 View Figs 17–22 View Figs 23–27 )

Pelidnocoris Stål, 1868: 501 (original description). Type species: Pelidnocoris stalii Haglund, 1868 , by monotypy.

Pelidnocoris : HAGLUND (1868): 150 –151 (species description); STÅL (1872):10, 150 (catalog); DISTANT (1880): 48, pl.VII, fig. 2 (diagnosis discussion, illustration); UHLER (1886):5, 31 (list, index); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN (1893): 88, 283 (catalog); CHAMPION (1901): 407 (index); SNOW (1905): 177 (list); KIRKALDY (1909): XXXIII, 220, 390 (list, catalog); RUCKES (1966a): 3 –5 (systematic relationships); RUCKES (1966b): 1 –8, figs 1–10 (revision, new species description, key to species, illustrations); RUCKES & BECKER (1970): 4 (systematic relationships); BECKER (1977): 386 (systematic relationships); ROLSTON & RIDER (1985): 1175 (list); BECKER & GRAZIA (1986): 456 (systematic relationships); BECKER & GRAZIA (1989): 51 (systematic relationships); ARNOLD (1996):276 (checklist); FROESCHNER (1999):160 –161 (list); THOMAS (2000): 352 (list); ARISMENDI & THOMAS (2003): 225 (list); FERNANDES et al. (2008): 50 (systematic relationships); PETRULEVIĆIUS & POPOV (2014): 29 (systematic relationships); GRAZIA et al.(2015):713 –715,891 (checklist,systematic relationships); CAMBRA et al. (2018): 7, 16, fig. 18 (checklist, photo); RIDER et al. (2018):58, 104, 791 (list, systematic relationships); SILVA et al. (2018): 413 (checklist); CASTRO- HUERTAS et al. (2022):3, 5, 22–23,75–76,fig. 30 (list, diagnosis, photo); CAMPOS et al. (2023): 2 –7 (morphology); LṒPEZ et al. (2023): 406, 408 (systematic relationships).

Diagnosis. Among the Discocephalini , Pelidnocoris can be characterized by the head longer than wide between eyes, shorter than or at most subequal to medial length of the pronotum; mandibular plates longer than clypeus and overlapping in front of it; acute preocular projections present ( Fig. 2 View Figs 2–6 , pp); pronotum with acute anterior projections (ap), anterior (al) and posterior (pl) lobes; scutellum reaching or surpassing the posterior angle of the abdominal segment VI and mesially constricted; the postfrenal lobe of the scutellum not elevated laterally; metasternum broadly hexagonal and mesocoxae closer to metacoxae than to each other ( Fig. 3 View Figs 2–6 ); connexiva widely exposed and the abdominal sternites projected laterally, conferring a serrated aspect to the abdomen; valvifers IX and laterotergites IX of the females not visible externally ( Fig. 26 View Figs 23–27 ); segment X of the males expanded in a lozenge shape ( Figs 7 View Figs 7–11 , 15 View Figs 12–16 , 20 View Figs 17–22 , X).

Distribution. Mexico ( HAGLUND 1868); Belize (new record); Colombia ( RUCKES 1966b, CASTRO- HUERTAS et al. 2022); Costa Rica ( RUCKES 1966b); Panama ( RUCKES 1966b); Brazil: Amazonas ( RUCKES 1966b), Minas Gerais (new record), São Paulo (new record); Ecuador (new record); Peru (new record).

The works cited above, i.e., HAGLUND (1868), RUC- KES (1966b), CASTRO- HUERTAS et al. (2022), are the ones presenting new records. All others cited in the synonymic list did not present new records, but some of them (e.g. GRAZIA et al. 2015) summarized previous data.

Comments. RUCKES (1966a) considered Pelidnocoris to be part of a group of genera including Abascantus Stål, 1864 , Coriplatus White, 1842 , and Eurystethus Mayr, 1864 , all of them sharing a broadly hexagonal metasternum and mesocoxae closer to metacoxae than to each other ( Table 1). RUCKES & BECKER (1970) separated Pelidnocoris from Abascantus and Coriplatus using characteristics of the head, pronotum, tarsomeres, scutellum, and the male segment X ( Table 1). These genera also differ in body size, with Coriplatus being smaller than Abascantus and Pelidnocoris ( RUCKES 1966b, RUCKES & BECKER 1970, BECKER 1977). BECKER & GRAZIA (1986) allied Abascantus , Coriplatus , and Pelidnocoris with Alcippus Stål, 1868 , Eurystethus , and the new genus Paralcippus Becker & Grazia, 1986 . The external genitalia of the females, mainly valvifers IX and laterotergites IX, can be used to differ between these genera ( Table 1). FERNANDES et al. (2008) compared the genus Psorus Bergroth, 1914 with the six genera mentioned above, and considered it allied to Abascantus , Coriplatus , and Pelidnocoris based on color pattern and characteristics of the metasternum, legs and scutellum. The morphology of the rostrum, pronotum and the external genitalia of the females differ between these genera ( Table 1). LṒPEZ et al. (2023) also called attention to the superficial morphological resemblance between Glyphuchus Stål, 1860 and Pelidnocoris , these genera differing in the morphology of the head, pronotum, scutellum, and in the genitalia of both sexes ( Table 1).

Among all these genera, species of Coriplatus , Eurystethus , and Paralcippus are smaller (6.5–13.0 mm). On the other side, species of Abascantus , Alcippus , Pelidnocoris , and Psorus are usually larger (maximum lengths between 15.2–18.3 mm).