Vol. 8, No.3· 4, September. December, 1994 145 Taxonomic synopsis of the Old War Id asopine genera (Heteroptera. Pentatomidae) Donald B. Thomas USDA-ARSSubtropical AgriCUlture Research Laboratory 2301 S International Boulevard Weslaco, I exas 78596 Abstract The subfamily Asopinae ofthe stinkbug family Pentatomidae is revised for the Old World with a key to the genera and a review ofthe species with nomenclatural changes. The genus Tahitoc01is is removed from the Asopinae and placedtentativelywith the Podopinae. The genus Breddiniellais reducedto a synonym ofCazira. The genus Indtatus is reduced to a synonym oU,,{artinina. The genus Platynopus is divided into three genera by the restriction of Platynopus to include only five Indo- Pacific species; the elevation of the subgenus A/entre ~ieFiellustethe leveleffullgenus, andthe el'eetieneranewgenus Platynepiellusfol' the Afl'iean speeies formerly placedin Platynopus. AnewgenusAustralojallaiserectedfor Jalla versicolor. ThegeneraCantheconidea and &oontheeona aPe defined and their Pespecti'le species aligned in oonoordance with theil' definitiens. Fourteen species are thus transferred from Cantheconidea to Eocanthecona creating the following new combinations' Eooonth€Conajapanicola, Kooonthewna binotata, Eooonthecona latipes, &canthecona mitis, Eocanthecona neotibialis, Eocanthecona ornatula, Eocanthecona parva, Eocanthecona plebeja, Eocanthecona robusta, Eacanthecona ru!escens, Eacanthecona shikoklumsis, Eacanthecona thomsoni, Eacanthewna tibialis, and Eocanthecona vollenhoveni. Eocanthecona migratoriais transferred to the genus Alriuscreating the new combInatIOn A/nus m!gratonus. Also, Canthecona populus! IS transferred to EOcanthecona gIVIng the new combination Eocantheconapopulusi Ana.qida ikramiis transferred to the genus Eseudanasidagiving the new combInation Pseudanasida!kram!. A/nusdlScolOrglypso!des IS placed In synonymyunder Cantlieconad!scolOr. Asopu.q rulu.q is synonymized under Amyot-ea malabarica Arma neocu.qta and Arma neoinsperata are synony- mized under Armacustos. KEY WORDS: Pentatomidae, Stinkbugs, Asopinae. Introduction in Florida by the USDA, as a predator of harmful lepidopterous larvae, but the species apparently ~e sU~f~mil~ As~inae ~f the H~teropteran fam\/Pen a omi aeas as its defmmg synapo- faIled to establish (HBnry & F'roBschner 1988). morphy a crassatB rostrum, which is an adaptation Biological studies ofthese predators have been for predation on other insects (Gapud 1991). The hampered by the lack of a means £Or their identi­ Asopinae are alsocharacterized by thecombination fication. I have recently publishedkeys for deterIlli· nation of the New World genera and species (Tho- of arandria enital..lates with a thecalshield. in e eel. n e Ie fication oftheOldWorld species outside ofthe more ;~~~::::~~&~; ~~~:~::~~~~:'~~~t~~~~~a~~~: develOf)edcountries Of Europe and Asia. For a lack predilections, with some economic pests included of adequate study material, I can only partially remedy this situation. I have been able to study amon~their;re~, several species ofaso~ines are of acknu ledg d ~npOltance as biologi al contIOl representatives of all of the Old World genera, 7ric~ bioc~latu:~ includingthe majorityofthedescribedspecies. I am <:;nts A!? 8fceciei Pe;lus thus able to provide diagnoses and keys lor the Old World genera, with an annotated list of the de- Potato Beetle (Jasic 1975). A southeast Asian spe­ scribed species, andhopefully this will spur generic cies, Eocantheconafurcellata (\Volfl) , was released level revisionary studies by regional experts in the future. 146 Insecta Mundi The one available taxonomic work on this sub­ 3. Incitatas Distant ldm tininaSchouteden, NE\V family ofinsects is the review ofthe asopine genera SYNONYMY publishedearlym thIS centurybyHenriSchouteden Schouteden's monograph mcluded the deSCrip­ (1907b). Schouteden recognized 40 asopine genera tion of a monotypic genus from Tibet which he m the OldWorldfauna, ofwhich two areconsidered named Martinia Schouteden, later emended to synonyms by the present study. The following no lJartinina. A few months later 'llilliam L. Distant menclatural changes are enumerated. (1908) published a description of a genus, from India, naming it Incitatus. Presumably, the two 1 Gordonerius Distant Perillus (Herrich- authors were unaware of each others specimens Schaeffer).- and pendmg deSCriptIOns. The publIshed dIagnoses Gordonerius Distant 'Nas based on a do not indicate any meaningful difference bet'.'/een misidentifiedspecimenofa Mexican species, Perillus these and I consider them to be synonymous at the conflaens fflellich-Schaeffel). Thespecimen bOle a genelic level. I was able to examine the female type label, "Abyss" which was interpreted by Francis specimen of lncitatusprimwi Distant in the Brit.ish Walker (186'7) to mdicate AbyssmIa (-EthIOpIa) Museum. However, my requests to borrow (Thomas 1992). And, while the genus Perillus St:U Schouteden material from the Musee Royal du did not occur naturally in the Old World, it does Congo BeIge have not met with success. The de­ now because of its introduction into eastern Eu- sCliptions do indicate a diffelence in the length of rope, and I have therefore included this genus in the ruga attending the scent gland orifice which the key and text whICh follows. would support the presumptIon thatthe speCImens might represent different species I therefore reI- 2. Bredd£nlella Schouteden - Caz£ra Amyot & egatelnc£tatus to the synonymyofMartmmawhIle Serville, NEW SYNONYMY. ..vithholdingjudgementon the status ofthe species. The genus Breddiniella Schouteden, was elected to hold a single species, B. insignis 4. Aastlulo;ullu Thomas, a new genus for Julloides Schouteden. Schouteden (1907b) used the name versicolor Distant. Breddmwlla m the text of hIS reVISIon, but 10 an Schouteden (1907b) erectedthe genusJallO£des uncommon lapse, used the name Paracazira Schouteden to hold an fillstralian species that had Schouteden for the same insect in his key to the been described by Stat (1870) as Jalla rubricosa genela. 81 eddiniella and PUt acazim ale among a SUl.l. Subsequently, Distant (1911) described two plethora of names including Acicazira Hsiao & additionalspecies, alsofrom Australia. Oneofthese, Zheng, Teratocazlra Breddin and Metacazira however, JdllOides l,lersicoZor Distant, diffilrs sub- Schouteden, dQrivQd from thQ oldQr genus name stantiallyin morphologicalcharacterfrom theother Caz£ra Amyot & Serville. I can find nojustification two, and I am compelled to separate it as a new for the continued segregation of these nominal genus, Australo';allaThomas, which is desclibedin entities from the more inclusive taxon Cazira. The the text that follows. authors of these names were evidently impressed by the substantial, but largely superficial differ- 5. Cantheconidea Schouteden and Eocanthecona ences in thQSQ taxa from the type species for the Bergroth, defined. genus, Gazira verrucosa i\myot & Serville. The Subsequent to the publication of Schouteden's individualspecies are quitevariable with respect to revision, several changes in generic nomenclature the fmm and number of gibbosities, spines and appeared Schouteden's genus Cantheconidea was excresences protruding from their pronota, legs divided by him into two species groups: A, con­ and abdomInal margins. Basedon thQ examination tainingthetypespecies G.javana(DaIlas), 'Nith the ofapproximately twenty specificrepresentativesof metasternum modified to embrace the rostrum; this genus, I am not able to recognize patterns of and B, species without this modification. Ewald relationship as the cause of the variation in these BelglOtli (1915) fOlmally plOposed EocUttthecona characters. Metacazira and Teratocazira were con­ for species group B. However, otherthan Bergroth's sidered hy SchouWen (19mb) to be subgenera of designatiOn of E fitrcellata Wolff as the type lOpe- Cazira. Acicazira was reduced to synonymy under cies ofEocanthecona and Schouteden's selection of Cazira by Zheng & biu (1987b), a referral with C. javana as the type of Cantheconidea, neither which I am obviously in accord and to which I author indicated which species of Cantheconidea nominate Breddiniella as well. constituted group B, and which would therefore be Vol. 8, No.3 - 4, September - December, 1994 147 transferred to Eocanthecona Bergroth. While I cannotvouchfor thereliabilityofallspeciesdetermi- 8. Platynopus Amyot & Serville restricted. nations in theabsence ofa revisionarystudy, I have In the course of his dissertation work, which seen identified material representing all but a few was a phylogenetic (cladistic) analysis of the aso- of the described speCIes. Based on the studIed pme genera, VICtor Gapud (1975) exammed and material and relying on the original deseriptions determined a great deal of mounted material. I for the others I can place six species in have run across much of this material in my own Cantheconidea, and 21 in Eocanthecona using the studies and have noted his use of a manuscript defining character of the metasternum Bergroth genus name for certain African asopines formerly mdICated m the same publIcation that one speCieS, IdentifIedm thegenusPlatynopusAmyot & Servine. Cantheconicka chrJ'soptcrus (Herrich-Schaeffer) In anticipationoftheeventualpublicationofGapud's from Guam, could not be placed m eIther genus. cladIstIc studIes, and in order to avoid the pub­ Herbert Ruekes (1960) subsequently provided a lished appearanee of eonflicting names, I ha.e new genus name Bulbostethus Ruckes to hold this elected