Ambrysus Stål

Reynoso-Velasco, Daniel & Sites, Robert W., 2018, Revision of the Ambrysus pulchellus Montandon species complex (Heteroptera: Nepomorpha: Naucoridae), Zootaxa 4442 (3), pp. 351-377 : 352-353

Genus Ambrysus Stål

Discussion. IN hIs EARLy cLAssIfIcATION Of Ambrysus , LA RIvERs (1951) dIvIdEd ThE subGENus Ambrysus INTO ThE Coalescens ANd Disjunctus dIvIsIONs. LATER, ThE fORmER dIvIsION wOuLd bE ELEvATEd TO subGENERIc RANK As Syncollus ANd ThE REmINdING 52 spEcIEs IN Disjunctus AssIGNEd TO ThE subGENus Ambrysus (LA RIvERs 1965), ExcEpT fOR A. funebris LA RIvERs ThAT wAs AssIGNEd TO ThE ThEREIN cREATEd subGENus Acyttarus , ANd Ambrysus usingeri LA RIvERs, pREvIOusLy pLAcEd IN ThE subGENus Picrops (LA RIvERs 1952).

IN hIs Disjunctus dIvIsION, LA RIvERs (1951) INcLudEd EIGhT spEcIEs cOmpLExEs ( californicus , funebris , melanopterus , pudicus , pulchellus , puncticollis , signoreti , vanduzeei ) fOR ThE NORTh AmERIcAN spEcIEs, EAch Of whIch wAs mONOTypIc, ExcEpT pudicus ANd signoreti . FuRThERmORE, LA RIvERs (1951) AssIGNEd fOuR Of ThEsE cOmpLExEs TO TwO uNNAmEd ANd pOORLy dEfINEd dIvIsIONs. ThE fIRsT dIvIsION INcLudEd mEmbERs wITh ThE pROpLEuRA fusEd OR TOuchING ALONG ThE mIdLINE ( signoreti ANd vanduzeei ). ThE sEcONd INcLudEd mEmbERs wITh ThE pROpLEuRA NOT TOuchING ALONG ThE mIdLINE ( californicus ANd pulchellus ). EvEN LA RIvERs (1951) cONsIdEREd ThE LATTER cLAssIfIcATION TO bE "wEAK" ANd INdIcATEd ThAT ThE RELIAbILITy Of ThE chARAcTERs REquIREd fuRThER ExAmINATION.

FOR TwO ( californicus ANd pulchellus ) Of ThE ThREE spEcIEs cOmpLExEs Of INTEREsT fOR ThIs sTudy, NO dETAILs wERE pROvIdEd TO jusTIfy ThEIR fORmATION ANd mONOTypIc sTATus. IN ThE cAsE Of ThE GROup vanduzeei , ThE sEmITubuLAR cONdITION Of ThE fEmALE mEdIOsTERNITE VII (subGENITAL pLATE) ANd ThE shApE Of ThE mALE AccEssORy GENITALIc pROcEss Of TERGum VI (AGP) wERE usEd TO jusTIfy ThE spEcIEs cOmpLEx sTATus. Ambrysus buenoi UsINGER wAs NEvER ExpLIcITLy AssIGNEd TO A pARTIcuLAR spEcIEs GROup.

BAsEd ON chARAcTERIsTIcs Of ThE phALLOsOmA ANd shApE Of ThE mEdIAL LObEs Of mALE AbdOmINAL TERGum VIII (psEudOpARAmEREs), ThE spEcIEs cLOsELy RELATEd TO A. pulchellus ARE: A. buenoi , A. californicus MONTANdON , ANd A. vanduzeei UsINGER. WE REfER TO ThIs GROup As ThE A. pulchellus cOmpLEx bEcAusE ThIs wAs ThE fIRsT Of ThE fOuR cONsTITuENT spEcIEs TO bE dEscRIbEd. ALThOuGh bOTh A. pulchellus ANd A. californicus wERE dEscRIbEd IN ThE sAmE pApER ( MONTANdON 1897), A. pulchellus hAs pOsITION pREcEdENcE.

Diagnosis. SImILAR TO ThE pREvIOus spEcIEs cOmpLExEs pROpOsEd by REyNOsO-VELAscO & SITEs (2016A, b), ThE mOsT RELIAbLE uNIfyING fEATuREs AmONG spEcIEs IN ThE A. pulchellus cOmpLEx INcLudE mALEs wITh A LEfT dORsAL fLAp ON ThE phALLOsOmA (E.G., FIGs. 1D, 1E , 4D, 4E ), ThE LEfT vENTRAL LObE Of ThE phALLOsOmA LATEROfLExEd (E.G., FIGs. 1D , 4D ), ANd AN OvERALL sImILAR shApE Of ThE psEudOpARAmEREs. FEmALEs Of ThIs cOmpLEx ExhIbIT A GREAT dEGREE Of vARIATION Of ThE subGENITAL pLATE, ALThOuGh ThEsE dIffERENcEs pROvIdE ThE mOsT RELIAbLE INTERspEcIfIc dIAGNOsTIc chARAcTERs.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Structures of Ambrysus buenoi. (A) dorsal habitus of male, (B) 6th and 7th abdominal terga of male, (C) 8th abdominal tergum of male, (D) ventral surface of phallosoma, (E) left side of phallososma, (F) sternum VI and subgenital plate of female (terminal abdominal segments removed; arrow indicates posterior margin of laterosternite VI). agp = accessory genitalic process, al = apical lobe, ldf = left dorsal flap, lvl = left ventral lobe, mc = medial convexity, plc = posterolateral corner, pp = pseudoparamere, sct = scutellum, sgp = subgenital plate. Size bar = 0.5 mm and applies only to figures D and E.

FIGURE 4. Structures of Ambrysus pulchellus. (A) dorsal habitus of female, (B) 6th and 7th abdominal terga of male, (C) 8th abdominal tergum of male, (D) ventral surface of phallosoma, (E) left side of phallososma, (F) sternum VI and subgenital plate of female (terminal abdominal segments removed). plc = posterolateral corner. Size bar = 0.5 mm and applies only to figures D and E.