Description of a New Species of Piezodorus sp. Fieber (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) from India with Identification Key
Md Ehtashamul Hassan *
Zoological Survey of India, Gangetic Plains Regional Centre, Patna, Bihar-800026, India.
Pragya Shree
Zoological Survey of India, Gangetic Plains Regional Centre, Patna, Bihar-800026, India.
Rahul Kumar
Zoological Survey of India, Gangetic Plains Regional Centre, Patna, Bihar-800026, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
A new pentatomid bug, Piezodorus brevis sp. nov. belonging to the family Pentatomidae from India is described and illustrated. Stink bugs (Piezodorus sp.; Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are an economically important group of insects in agriculture specially beans. This study is based on the eight samples collected in field surveys from Pipalkhuta of Amravati District of Maharashtra (India). Morphological and taxonomical identification were carried out with male and female genitalia. Piezodorus brevis sp. nov. was described based on the morphology of both male and female genitalia. A key to the Indian species of the genus Piezodorus Fieber is provided. Genitalia along with external morphological characteristics demonstrate that this new species differs from all other Piezodorus species. Piezodorus brevis sp. nov. strengthens the importance of systematic taxonomy for revealing previously unknown biodiversity.
Keywords: Pentatomidae, pentatominae, Piezodorus, new species, Maharashtra, India