Agathocles flavipes Salini & Kment, 2021
Synonyms
Nil
Taxonomic position
Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae
Diagnosis
- Head shorter than wide across eyes
- Mandibular plates narrow, rounded anteriorly, lateral margins reflexed
- Apex of clypeus narrowly free, forming V-shaped apical incision in front
- Antennal segment I surpassing apex of head about half of its length
- Rostrum reaching mesocoxae or slightly beyond
- Lateral pronotal margin narrowly reflexed upwards, anteriorly minutely crenulate
- Humeri rectangular to obtusangulate, slightly surpassing laterad over base of corium
Male genitalia
Genital capsule quadrangular; ventral rim shallowly bisinuate; superior process of dorsal rim absent. Parameral socket closed and kidney-shaped. Paramere with apical process hook-like, crown with broad, lobe-like projection perpendicular to main axis. Phallotheca short, barrel-shaped, sclerotized and constricted at both ends, broadest medially; each ventrolateral surface of theca with a small, sclerotized tubercle near its orifice. A pair of dorsal conjunctival processes transversely placed, elongate, wing-like in inflated form, their apices ends in hook-like processes; aedeagus well sclerotized, tube-like, moderately long, slightly curved ventrad.
Female genitalia
Valvifers VIII quadrant with median margins juxtaposed; Valvifers IX fused medially with distinct impressed median fusion line, diverging ventrad; Laterotergite VIII subtriangular; Laterotergites IX widely rounded apically, touching each other medially, segment X mostly obscured. Ring sclerites drop-shaped. Spermathecal dilation long, oval, broadened distally; apical receptacle subglobular with five ductules.
Biology
Adults lay eggs on bamboo sprouts. Eggs are white coloured.
Host plants
Bamboo, Paddy (Salini & Kment, 2021)
Distribution
Western Ghats of India and its catchments in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu in south and western India. (Salini & Kment, 2021)
Comments
Salini and Kment (2021) transferred Agathocles from Halyini to Caystrini.
Selected References
Distant W.L. (1902). The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Vol. 2. London, xvii + 1-242.
Salini, S. & Kment, P. (2021) The genera Agathocles and Surenus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) tribal reassessment, redescription, new synonyms, and description of two new species, Zootaxa 4958(1), 510-559.
