A subfamily Asopinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) is composed of approximately 63 genera and 357 species known (Schuh and Slater, 1995). Among the asopine genera, the genus Eocanthecona is generally distributed in the Palaearctic region. Some species in this genus are biological control agents against insect pests, for example, Eocanthecona furcellata (Wolff, 1881) is an important predator for controlling lepidopteran larva in cotton, chickpea and vegetable fields in Southeast Asia, Japan, India, and Taiwan (Schuh and Slater, 1995; Gupta et al., 2013; Carl and Antonio, 2000). In this study, the genus Eocanthecona is reported from the Korean Peninsula for the first time based on the specimens of E. japonicola (Esaki & Ishihara, 1950), and description and diagnosis of the genus and the species based on the Korean specimens are provided.

All measurements in this paper are given in millimeters (mm). Terminology mainly follows Thomas (1994) and Fan (2013). Depository of the examined specimens is the Insect Collections in Laboratory of Systematic Entomology in Chungnam National University (CNU), Daejeon, Korea.

Taxonomy

Genus EocantheconaBergroth, 1915 얼룩주둥이노린재속 (신칭)

Eocanthecona Bergroth 1915: 484. Type species: Cimex furcellata Wolff.

Diagnosis. Recognized by first segment of rostrum especially thick, juga disconnected each other, humeral margins of pronotum crenulate or denticulate; corium generally mottled pattern.

Eocanthecona japanicola (Esaki & Ishihara, 1950)

얼룩주둥이노린재 (신칭)

Cantheconidea japanicolaEsaki & Ishihara, 1950: 54.

Eocanthecona japonicolaThomas, 1994: 176.

Diagnosis. Recognized by base of third antennal segment pale brown, humeral angles slightly prominent, sclerite of vesica H-shaped.

Description. Male: Body generally dark brown tinged with polish green (Fig. 1A).

Head greenish dark brown, with longitudinal dark brown line with yellow spots; juga disconnected each other; compound eyes somewhat reddish brown; ocelli reddish brown; antennae almost dark brown, basal part of third antennal segment pale brown, 1/2 basal part of fourth antennal segment pale brown; rostrum generally brown, fourth rostral segment somewhat reddish dark brown, first rostral segment much thicker than other segments, reaching to hindcoxae, proportion of each rostral segment as 1.12:1.43:1.22:1.14.

Pronotum generally mottled dark brown, margin of pronotum polished greenish brown, humeral margins of pronotum denticulate, humeral angles of pronotum slightly prominent; scutellum almost dark brown tinged with polished greenish brown, apice of scutellum somewhat yellowish pale brown, posterior apex of scutellum somewhat narrowly elongated; corium almost mottled dark brown, lateral margin of corium straight, membrane generally dark brown; legs generally dark brown, middle part of midtibia and hindtibia pale brown, first and second tarsal segment of midleg pale brown, 1/2 apical part of third tarsal segment of hindleg dark brown.

Abdomen generally pale brown, almost reaching to apex of membrane. Genitalia: pygophore somewhat rectangular (Fig. 2A, B), with a pair of triangular parameres (Fig. 2C, D), vesica membranous with H-shaped sclerite (Fig. 2E).

Female: Similar as in males, somewhat bigger than male (see measurements). Genitalia: gonocoxites I pale yellow, weak puncture. Gonocoxite II polish green, somewhat rectangular, middle part narrow. Paratergits IX dark brown, somewhat rectangular with puncture. Paratergits VIII polish green, somewhat triangular with deep puncture (Fig. 2A), gonocoxite II somewhat prominent in lateral view (Fig. 3B).

Measurements. (1♂/2♀) Body length 11.4/14.0-15.0; length of head 2.2/2.3-2.4, width across eyes 2.2/2.3-2.5, interocular distance 1.1/1.2-1.3; length of antennomeres (I) 0.3/0.3-0.3: (II) 1.3/1.4-1.5: (III) 1.2/1.3-1.3: (IV) 1.7/1.7-1.8: (V) 1.7/1.6-1.8; median length of pronotum 2.4/3.1-3.4, humeral width 5.8/6.4-7.2; length of scutellum 3.7/4.4-4.7, width of scutellum 3.4/3.7-4.1.

Specimens examined. 1♂, Yeousu-si, Jeollanam-do, 26.V. 2009, S.H. Lee leg; 2♀, Suncheon-si Jeollanam-do, 23.X.2014, hibernating, under the bark of Thuja orientalis Linné (Curpressaceae), S.S. Kim leg.

Distribution. South Korea (new record); Japan.

Biology. The colony of this species was found hibernating in winter under the bark of Thuja orientalis Linnaeus, 1753 (Fig. 4).