A phylogenetic review of the genus Neopamera Harrington 1980 (Rhyparochromidae: Myodochini) with the description of new genera and species

DELLAPÉ P. M.

Nankai University, Tianjin, China

Encuentro; Fourth Quadrennial Meeting of the International Heteropterists’ Society; 2010

Nankai University

The family Rhyparochromidae is one of the most diverse within the infraorder Pentatomomorpha. The tribe Myodochini includes 72 genera and more than 320 species worldwide. Although the South American fauna is poorly known, this is the most diverse group of rhyparochromids in the Neotropics with 32 genera and about 100 species described. The radiation and diversification of the Myodochini in South and Central America appears to have been fostered by the absence of many Old World tribes. In her review of the Myodochini of the world, Harrington erected the genus Neopamera to include 20 Neotropical species, but she did not find any satisfactory synapomorphies. Up to now the genus Neopamera includes 17 species distributed in the Western Hemisphere, West Indies, Galapagos Is., and Marquesas Is. In order to analyze the monophyly of Neopamera, about 4500 specimens of the genus and related genera from 16 collections were examined. A phylogenetic analysis was performed on the basis of a data matrix including internal and external morphological characters, including all the known species and new related ones Following Harrington’s cladistic analysis, the type species of the genera Pephysena, Tenuicoris, Distingphyses, Catenes, Orthaea, Heraeus and Myodocha were selected as outgroups. Neopamera is redefined to include only four of the previously included species. Additionally, the morphological analysis conducted, supported by the results of the cladistic analysis, showed that external morphological characters and male genitalia justify the creation of new genera including 13 of the known species and 30 new ones.