Étude des Alloeorhynchus d'Afrique Centrale avec Quelques Remarques sur la Classification des Nabidae [Hemiptera]

SUMMARY

J. Carayon: Study of the Alloeorhynchus of central Africa, with some comments on the classification of the Nabidae (Hemiptera)

All the Nabidae, except three genera, can be divided naturally into two main groups: the Nabinae and the Prostemmatinae. The latter, including doubtless the most advanced members of the family, have, among other peculiarities, trichobothria laterally and symmetrically set on the abdomen of the larvae and on the scutellum of the imagos. One always finds three pairs of larval trichobothria, while this number varies from 2 to 14 in imagos according to the considered genera.

The author is of opinion that the family Nabidae contains two other subfamilies: the Medocostinae and the Velocipedinae which respectively include one and two genera.

Among Prostemmatinae, the Alloeorhynchus are the most frequently collected in tropical Africa, where 11 species can be found:

A. Mabokei n. sp., Fraterculus n. sp., Consobrinus n. sp., magnus Bergr., plebejus Popp., perminutus Bergr., furens Harr., here divided into furens furens and furens Trimaculatus n. subsp. (from West Africa), puerilis Stal, elegans Reut., schoutedeni Car., divergens Reut.

The present paper gives a key for their identification, describes the new species and for each one indicates the taxonomic important features, particularly for the genitalia of both sexes, the distribution and the biological comments which have been done. Four, among these species, can only be found in the litter at foot of the Ficus and Musanga trees (Moraceaee) for they only feed with Lygaeidae of the genera Stilbocoris, themselves bound to this habitat for their feeding.