A new species, Sulawesifulvius indicus sp. n., is described from Bangalore, India. It is easily separated from the type species S. schuhi Gorczyca et al., 2004, the only other species of the genus, by the small size, dorsal coloration, and the male genital structures. The discovery of a new species of Sulawesifulvius in southern India considerably extends the distribution of the genus, previously recorded only from Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Sulawesifulvius indicus sp. n., Cylapinae , India, taxonomy

The monotypic genus Sulawesifulvius was erected by Gorczyca et al. (2004) to accommodate the new plant bug species Sulawesifulvius schuhi Gorczyca, Chérot & Štys, 2004 from Nani Wartabone National Park, Sulawesi (Indonesia).

Recently, two specimens of an unknown cylapine were collected by the first author in Hessaraghatta, near Bangalore, South India. These Indian specimens conform to the original generic diagnosis of the genus Sulawesifulvius. However, the genital structures of the male holotype, especially the parameres, are different and much simpler than the male genitalia of S. schuhi. Consequently, we describe these specimens as a new species of Sulawesifulvius.

The specimens examined for the study are deposited in the collection of the Department of Entomology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India (UASB). The terminology adopted for male genitalia follows Gorczyca et al. (2004).

All measurements are given in millimeters. Photographs were taken using a Leica M205 C microscope. Multiple images were taken at different depths and were combined using a Combine ZM software. Illustrations of male genitalia were drawn using a Leica DM2000 compound microscope attached to a camera lucida.

Sulawesifulvius indicus sp. n. is similar to S. schuhi, the type species and only other species known for the genus (Gorczyca 2006a, Schuh 2002–2013 online). Both species are similar and could be confused on the basis of their external anatomy alone, in particular the body shape (small, oval, flattened dorsoventrally), the head structure (relatively short, inserted in anterior part of pronotum), the vertex with two raised tubercles, the prominent clypeus in dorsal view, the antennal shape (first antennal segment thick, shorter than the head, second antennal segment slightly narrowed in the middle, third antennal segment the longest and thinnest, fourth antennal segment spindle shaped), the pronotal shape and structure (lateral margins elevated, anterior margin enveloping eyes posteriorly, calli wide, raised, totally separated), the metafemoral shape (broad, with subapical depression on side) and the hemelytral structure (exocorium broad, cuneus elongate, partially enveloping membrane, characteristic pattern and vestiture). These species differ by the smaller size of S. indicus sp. n., the differences in coloration (their pattern are very similar but the dorsal coloration is yellowish brown, slightly tinged with red, in S. indicus; yellowish on the hemelytra and reddish on the head, pronotum and scutellum in S. sulawesicus), the male genital structures, particularly by the parameres (simple in S. indicus, with sharp processes in S. schuhi), and the shape of the pygophore.

The discovery of a new species of Sulawesifulvius in southern India considerably extends the distribution of the genus, previously recorded only from Sulawesi, Indonesia but does not modify significantly the original diagnosis of the genus (Gorczyca et al. 2004).

As noted by Gorczyca et al. (2004) a remote, superficial similarity can be observed between the genera Peritropis Uhler, 1891 and Sulawesifulvius. However, these genera can be easily separated by the structure of head, antennae, pronotum, legs, and hemelytra. Recent revisions of Peritropis for the Old (Gorczyca 2000, 2006b) and New Worlds (Wolski and Henry 2012) confirm this conclusion.

This work was supported by the ICAR Network Project on Insect Biosystematics funded by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. Dr M. Malipatil, Department of Environment and Primary Industries, Centre for AgriBioscience, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia, reviewed an earlier version of the manuscript. Dr T. Henry, Department of Entomology, United States National Museum, Washington DC, USA (acting as coeditor of Zookeys) and to two anonymous reviewers provided constructive criticism on the submitted version of the manuscript. The first author is grateful to Dr. C.A. Viraktamath and Dr. V.V. Ramamurthy for their encouragement.