TRIBE AFRONAUCORINI TRIB. NOV. FIGS 11H, 19C, 22 Z o o b a n k r e g i s t r a t i o n: u r n: l s i d: z o o b a n k. org:act: 92431AE1-96E6-4568-8873-7D5D38B34307 Diagnosis: Autapomorphies for this clade are not evident at this time, but the distinction as an independent lineage is supported by the geographic association with the Afrotropical region. Comments: Three specimens of Naucoris from Africa were recovered as a clade distinct from the other tribe-level clades in Naucorinae (pp = 1.0, bs = 100). This group was represented in the analysis by two populations of Naucoris obscuratus Montandon, 1913 from the Pwani and Mara regions in Tanzania with little evolutionary distance from each other. Naucoris parvulus Signoret, 1860 from Madagascar was recovered as their sister. As such, for these African species of Naucoris, I propose Afronaucoris 1270 R.W. SITES gen. nov. and the containing group in the new tribe Afronaucorini. Also examined morphologically were Naucoris ciliatistylus Linnavuori, 1971, Naucoris kenyalis Poisson, 1949 and Naucoris madagascariensis Montandon, 1899. These species are remarkably similar in appearance and are also transferred to Afronaucoris. Three additional species of Naucoris are known from Africa (Naucoris fuscipennis Schaum, 1853, Naucoris perezii Bolívar, 1879 and Naucoris planus Germar, 1838). Although I know of no museum specimens, because of their African geographic records, these species are provisionally transferred to Afronaucoris for taxonomic stability. Further study of these species is needed to confirm their proper generic assignment. The Palaearctic Naucoris maculatus Fabricius, 1798 occurs in northern Africa and was recovered in a different clade with other species of Naucoris from Southeast Asia (Naucorini). Included taxa: The two species included in the molecular analysis were Afronaucoris parvulus (Signoret, 1860) comb. nov. from Madagascar and two populations of Afronaucoris obscuratus (Montandon, 1913) comb. nov. from Tanzania. Additional taxonomic actions are given below in the formal description of the genus.

Published as part of Sites, Robert W., 2022, Phylogeny and revised classification of the saucer bugs (Hemiptera: Nepomorpha: Naucoridae), pp. 1245-1286 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 195 on pages 1269-1270, DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab105, http://zenodo.org/record/6994599