Variation in the structure of the female genitalia in Asian genera of tribe Halyini (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae)

The female genitalia of Palaearictic and Oriental Asian genera, Agaeus Dalas 1851, Ameridalpa Ghauri 1982, Apodiphus Spinola 1837, Asyla Walker 1867, Cahara Ghauri 1887, Carenoplistus Jakovlev 1882, Dalpada Amyot & Serville 1843,  Erthesina Spinola 1837, Eupaleopada Ghauri 1982, Halys Fabricius 1803, Izharocoris Afzal & Ahmed 1981, Jugalpada Ghauri 1975, Lodosocoris Ahmed & Afzal 1986, Meridalpa Ghauri 1982, Meridindia Ghauri 1982, Mustha Amyot & Serville 1843, Neohalys Ahmed & Parveen 1982, Neonevisanus Distant 1918, Nevisanus Distant 1893, Orthoschizops Spinola 1852, Paranevisanus Distant 1908, Phricodus Spinola 1839, Salixocoris Ahmed & Abbasi 1974, Soantarana Distant 1901, Sarju Ghauri 1977, Surenus Distant 1901, and Tipulpara Ghauri 1980 of tribe Halyini were studied. The illustrations were made manually on tracing glass. The material used in this study was collected from the fields of different Asian countries, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, and some material was loaned from different museums, BNHM London, UK, USNM (USA) NHMUK, (Natural History Museum, University of Karachi, Pakistan), NHMUS (Natural History Museum, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan), Ahmed's collection, and Memon’s collection. While because of unavailability of the material of some genera, the figures were scanned from literature (papers and fauna). Among female genital characters, the shape of the posterior margin of the 1^st gonocoxae, the posterior margin of the 8^th paratergite, and the length of the 9^th parartergite are all variable. For the observation of spermatheca and its bulb, the abdomen was removed from the insect body and boiled in KOH usually for 20 minutes,(until the muscles dissolved and bulb and its process become clear). Although previously, internal female genital characters were not considered as useful diagnostic characters, but now a days they are also considered as important traits in estimating phylogenetic relationships and identification among genera, particularly the presence of bulb processes at generic level such as, Carenoplistus, Phricodus and the monotypic genus Lodosocorisall have a bulb without processes, unusual for Halyini because this state is supposed to be diagnostic for the tribe while, the shape, size and number of bulb processes is considered important for species identification.

Key words: Female genitalia, variation, Asian genera, halyini, Pentatomidae