New paper!

Castro-Huertas V. & Melo C.M. "Saica Amyot & Serville, 1843 (Reduviidae, Emesinae, Saicini): taxonomic revision and phylogenetic analysis with morphological characters".

The Neotropical assassin bug genus Saica Amyot & Serville, 1843 (Reduviidae Latreille, 1807, Emesinae Amyot & Serville, 1843, Saicini Stål, 1859) includes thirteen valid species, nevertheless its biology and natural history is almost unknown. A taxonomic revision and a morphological phylogenetic analysis were carried out to test the species limits and to propose a hypothesis of evolutionary relationships. Saica is characterized by the tufts of strong setae on the mandibular plates and on the postocular region; the short pedicellus; the produced anterior margin of the proepisternal supracoxal lobe; the simple strong setae on the prolegs; the bifid posteromedial process of pygophore; and the vertical to subvertical posterior margin of the abdominal sternite VII in females. After this study, we propose fourteen valid species: Saica apicalis Osborn & Drake, 1915, S. carayoni Villiers, 1943, S. cruentata Bergroth, 1913, S. elkinsi Blinn, 1994, S. erubescens Champion, 1898, S. fuscipes Stål, 1862, S. lativentris Villiers, 1943, S. meridionalis Fracker & Bruner, 1924, S. ochracea Distant, 1902, S. recurvata (Fabricius, 1803), S. rubripes Champion, 1898, S. subinermis Hussey, 1953, S. tibialis Stål, 1862, and S. tupackatari n. sp. from Bolivia. The phylogenetic analyses recovered Saica as a monophyletic group with the following set of relationships: ((S. ochracea + S. tupackatari n. sp.) (S. carayoni (S. recurvata (S. rubripes ((S. subinermis (S. apicalis + S. meridionalis)) (S. elkinsi (S. erubescens (S. lativentris + S. tibialis)))))))).

https://bioone.org/journals/zoosystema/volume-46/issue-32/zoosystema2024v46a32/Saica-Amyot--Serville-1843-Reduviidae-Emesinae-Saicini--taxonomic/10.5252/zoosystema2024v46a32.short

New paper!

Nowińska A. "Report on the Types and Distribution of Antennal Sensilla in Lygaeidae (Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea) and Their Putative Functions".

Antennal sensillar structures respond to a variety of environmental stimuli. In the present study, the antennal sensilla of all three subfamilies of the family Lygaeidae are studied for the first time. This research shows the presence of five main types of sensilla (sensilla trichodea, chaetica, campaniformia, basiconica, and coeloconica). Their comparison to other, previously studied, heteropteran insects and their putative mechano-, chemo-, and thermo-hygroreceptive functions are discussed. The current study shows uniformity in the types of sensilla in all studied species. However, minor differences between the subfamilies, as well as within the subfamily Lygaeinae, are observed.

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/1/44

New paper!

López G. E. L. & Schwertner C. F. "A new species of Pelidnocoris (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest".

In this work a new species, Pelidnocoris paradisicola sp. nov., of the genus Pelidnocoris Stål, 1868 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea: Pentatomidae: Discocephalinae) is described from the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. An up-to-date diagnosis of the genus and its species is provided, comparing them with similar-looking Discocephalini genera. This is the first record of the genus for the Atlantic Forest, in southeastern South America, and increases the number of species in Pelidnocoris to four. The other species of Pelidnocoris are distributed from southern North America to northern South America, with records from Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, and northern Brazil. Photographs from the citizen science platform iNaturalist indicate the genus is also distributed in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, as well as in Belize, Ecuador and Peru, all representing new records. An identification key to the species of the genus is included, based on characters of general morphology and external male genitalia. Identification of the genus and its species from photographs in online repositories and databases is addressed.

https://www.aemnp.eu/acta-entomologica/volume-64-2/1994/a-new-species-of-pelidnocoris-hemiptera-heteroptera-pentatomidae-from-the-brazilian-atlantic-forest.html