Leptophysoderes, Weirauch, 2006

Weirauch, Christiane, 2006, New Genus and Species of Physoderinae (Heteroptera: Reduviidae) from the New World, with a Revised Diagnosis of Physoderinae Miller, American Museum Novitates 3510 (1), pp. 1-10 : 2-6

Leptophysoderes , new genus

Figures 1–20

TYPE SPECIES: Leptophysoderes orellana , new species.

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized among other genera of Physoderinae by the small size and slender habitus (fig. 1), long second (visible) labial segment and relatively stout third labial segment (fig. 2), absence of paramedian lobelike extensions on the posterior margin of the posterior pronotal lobe (fig. 5), slender and dorsally rounded apex of the scutellum (fig. 6), slender fore femora without ventral spines (fig. 9), all tarsi with only two tarsomeres (figs. 12, 13), and cubital vein in the membrane of the fore wing absent (fig. 14). Distinguished from the only other Physoderinae known from the Neotropical Region, Cryptophysoderes Wygodzinsky and Maldonado , by the longer second (visible) labial segment and the stout third (visible) segment, the absence of lobe-like extensions on the posterior margin of the posterior pronotal lobe, the slender and round- ed scutellar apex, the very slender fore femora without spines, and the wing venation with the cubital vein in the membrane absent.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Small (4.58 mm), macropterous, thorax and abdomen elongate rectangular, pronotum narrow, head slender and elongate. Vestiture: Body and corium sparsely covered with semi-adpressed, slightly widened setae (figs. 1, 6), legs with semi-erect, rather stout setae on small tubercles (figs. 9–11), lateral rim of connexiva, especially on segment 7 with long, stout setae on tubercles (fig. 1). Head (figs. 2, 3): Head about 2/3 as long as pronotum, anteocular portion about as long as posterior (measured to anterior margin of neck), almost as wide as greatest width of eyes, well-developed interocular sulcus posterior to posterior margin of eye, mandibular and maxillary plates short, portion of gena adjacent to labium distinctly separated from remaining gena, gula with longitudinal groove on anteocular portion, clypeus slender, anterior portion slightly elevated, labrum elongate triangular, slender. Eyes: In ventrolateral position, of medium size, widely separated dorsally, close to each other ventrally, ocelli elevated and large, somewhat less far separated from each other than eyes dorsally. Antenna (fig. 4): Rather short, with scapus of similar diameter as pedicellus, somewhat elongate and slender, pedicellus about two times length of scapus, preflagelloid distinct, basiflagellomere and distiflagellomere of similar diameter, slightly incrassate, more slender than scapus and pedicellus, basiflagellomere somewhat shorter than pedicellus, basiflagellomere and distiflagellomere of roughly same length, only distal trichobothrium visible, and surrounded by a large oval membrane. Labium (fig. 2): First visible labial segment elongate and only moderately incrassate, reaching anterior margin of eye, second visible labial segment elongate, moderately incrassate at base, tapering toward apex, reaching the neck region of the head, third visible segment elongate and slender. Thorax (figs. 5–8): Pronotum almost 1.5 times as wide as long, anterior and posterior pronotal lobes distinct, separated by shallow depression, posterior lobe about two times length of anterior lobe; anterior margin of anterior lobe with distinct collar, lateral angles not produced, anterior lobe slender, about 2/3 width of posterior lobe, lateral margins rounded, median longitudinal depression of anterior lobe present as a wide and deep depression at posterior margin of lobe; posterior lobe wide, anterior lateral margins gently sloping, shallow medi- an longitudinal depression and very shallow lateral depression close to posterior margin, posterior margin of posterior lobe with medium as well as lateral portion slightly convex, but without distinct lobe-like extensions. Scutellum triangular, median area slightly depressed, posteriorly produced into rounded, not flattened or extended, apex. Stridulitrum present, elongate; mesosternum with low median longitudinal ridge; metasternum with rounded median elevation, metepisternum without pronounced lobe that forms part of the mesocoxal cavity. Legs (figs. 9–13): Slender, all coxae short and incrassate, metacoxal comb absent, all trochanters long and with very narrow proximal portion; fore femur only slightly more incrassate than middle femur, all femora slender, all tibiae slender and straight, tibial comb of fore tibia set on large spur, fossula spongiosa on fore and middle leg absent, all tarsi with two segments, the first very short, the second elongate, claws simple, without teeth, parempodia setiform. Hemelytron (fig. 14): Hemelytron reaching median indentation of posterior abdominal margin, leathery quality of corium confined to exocorium, endocorium and cuneus essentially membranous, membrane also extending medially along the coastal margin of the exocorium (white arrow); proximal wing area with anterior vein bordering the corium presumably representing R + M, the posterior vein on the clavus is Pcu, the median vein Cu; membrane with only one cell (judging from comparison with position and shape of cells in other species of subfamily, e.g. Physoderes spp. , anterior margin of this single cell formed by M, posterior by Pcu); Cu absent in membrane. Abdomen (fig. 15): Lateral abdominal margins almost parallel, posterior margin truncate with small median indentation, median area of mediosternites on segments 2–7 raised, lateral parts of mediosternites flat, intersegmental sutures barely defined, ventral laterotergite slender and in part covered by mediosternites. Stigmata 2–7 on small tubercles on mediosternites. Genitalia: Segment 8 and pygophore (figs. 16–18): Segment 8 narrow; pygophore small and rounded, with anterior portion (not visible externally when genitalia at rest) distinct from rounded body of pygophore, median anterior or dorsal area membranous, ventral margin with small process. Parameres (figs. 16, 17): Parameres with broad, truncate apex. Aedeagus (figs. 19, 20): Aedeagus small and slender, articulatory apparatus stout and heavily sclerotized, with well-developed median bridge and ductifer, basal plate extension not differentiated, thus articulatory apparatus apparently continuous with phallotheca, dorsal phallothecal sclerite weakly developed, ventral surface of phallotheca slightly more sclerotized than lateral portions.

Female: Unknown.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the slender habitus and the slender legs compared with other Physoderinae , from Greek ‘‘leptos’’, meaning ‘‘thin’’.

Leptophysoderes orellana , new species

Figures 1–20

HOLOTYPE: Male : ‘‘ Ecuador: Orellana

[Province], Res. Ethnica Waorani, 1 km S.

Onkone Gate Camp, Trans. Ent., 30. Sept. 1996, 216.3 km 00 ° 39925.70S, 76 ° 27910.80W., T. L. Erwin, et al. leg., Insecticidal fogging of mostly bare green leaves, some with covering of lichenous or bryophytic plants in ‘‘terra firme’’ forest, Lot 1678, Trans. T-3’’. Held in trust at National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC.

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the characters given in the generic diagnosis.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Length apex of clypeus to hind margin of abdomen/apex of wings: 4.58, greatest width across pronotum: 1.45. Coloration (fig. 1): General coloration uniformly brown, with labium, coxae, trochanter, and femora (apart from subapical ring) yellowish brown; Head: Brown with head capsule anterior to maxillary plates, labrum, and mark on clypeus between the bases of the mandibular plates yellowish brown, eyes dark reddish brown, ocelli with dark center and reddish margin. Antenna: Scapus brown with proximal and apical rings yellowish brown; pedicellus brown with narrow, proximal, yellowish brown ring; basiflagellomere pale brown with preflagelloid pale yellowish brown; distiflagellomere pale yellowish brown. Labium: Labium uniformly yellowish brown. Thorax: Pronotum and scutellum uniformly brown, pleura and thoracic sterna rather uniformly brown with lateral margin of posterior pronotal lobe and sternites somewhat paler. Legs: Coxae and trochanter yellowish brown, femora yellowish brown with subapical brown ring, tibiae and tarsi brown. Hemelytron: Rather uniformly brown with base, line along the claval suture, and area lateral of the pterostigma somewhat paler. Abdomen: Venter brown with submarginal row of irregular transverse yellowish brown marks.

MEASUREMENTS (in mm): Length of head: 0.6; length of anteocular portion: 0.25; length of postocular portion: 0.22; width of head: 0.51; length of synthlipsis: 0.28; length of antennal segments I:II:III:IV: 0.18:0.40:0.28:0.31; length of (visible) labial segments I:II:III: 0.37:0.52:0.14; length of anterior lobe of pronotum: 0.31; length of posterior lobe of pronotum: 0.61; width of pronotum: 1.45; length of scutellum: 0.51; length of hemelytron (posterior margin of pronotum to tip of wing): 2.88; maximum width of abdomen: 1.70.

FEMALE: Unknown.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for Orellana Province in Ecuador.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the type locality in Ecuador .

REVISED DIAGNOSIS OF PHYSODERINAE Figures 1–30

Head, body, and legs with spatulate setae inserted on tubercles (figs. 12, 13, 24, 25). Head elongate with transverse sulcus behind eyes (figs. 2, 3, 21). Mandibular and maxillary plates short (figs. 2, 3, 21). Ocelli present (figs. 2, 3, 21). Labium with second (visible) segment short or of medium length and straight, third (visible) segment long and often very slender (figs. 2, 21). Antennal insertion lateral (figs. 1, 21), not dorsolateral as in many other Reduviidae . Antenna relatively short, with basi- and distiflagellomere (first and second segment) slightly incrassate (fig. 4). Anterior pronotal lobe often very wide (e.g., in Physoderes Westwood or Paulianocoris Villiers , figs. 22, 23), but slender in other genera (e.g., Tribelocephaloides Villiers or Leptophysoderes , new genus, fig. 5). Posterior pronotal lobe with posterior, paramedian lobes (e.g., in Physoderes Westwood , figs. 22, 23, the Madagascan genera and Cryptophysoderes Wygodzinsky and Maldonado ) or without such lobes ( Leptophysoderes , new genus, fig. 5). Scutellum with apex produced, either rounded or dorsoventrally flattened and sometimes excavated (figs. 6, 22, 23). All trochanters long and proximally narrow (figs. 9–11, 24). Anterior and median femora often incrassate (fig. 24), but slender in some genera ( Befotaka Villiers ; Henicocephaloides Villiers ; Maroantsetra Villiers ; Leptophysoderes , new genus). Anterior and median femora with spatulate setae (figs. 9, 10, 24), ventrally sometimes also with spinelike protuberance beset with a short seta (fig. 24). Fore tibial comb on large spur (figs. 12, 13, 24). Fossula spongiosa absent on all pairs of legs (figs. 9–11, 24). Fully winged, hemelytral membrane usually with distinct venation (but indistinct in Tribelocephaloides Villiers ), consisting of two cells, the anterior cell formed by media (M) and cubitus (Cu), the posterior by cubitus (Cu) and postcubitus (Pcu), distal margin of posterior cell usually almost straight, sometimes Cu absent ( Leptophysoderes , new genus) (figs. 14, 25). Membrane extends at least slightly mediad along costal margin of exocorium (figs. 14, 25). Dorsal abdominal gland openings present on segments 3, 4, and 5.

Figures

Fig. 1. Habitus photograph of Leptophysoderes orellana, holotype, male, in dorsal view.

Figs. 2–8. Head and thorax of Leptophysoderes orellana, holotype, male. 2. Head, lateral view. 3. Head, dorsal view. 4. Left antenna, lateral view. 5. Pronotum, dorsal view. 6. Scutellum, dorsal view. 7. Thorax, ventral view. 8. Thorax, lateral view.

Figs. 9–20. Legs, hemelytron, abdomen, and genitalia of Leptophysoderes orellana, holotype, male. 9–11. Legs of the left side, posterior view. 9. Front leg. 10. Middle leg. 11. Hind leg. 12, 13. Front leg in anterior (12) and lateral (13) views. 14. Right hemelytron. 15. Abdomen, ventral view. 16–18. Pygophore in ventral (16), dorsal (17), and lateral (18) views. 19, 20. Aedeagus in dorsal (19) and lateral (20) views.

Figs. 21–30. Physoderes sp. (India). 21. Head, lateral view. 22, 23. Pronotum, dorsal view: male (22), female (23). 24. Front leg, posterior view. 25. Right hemelytron. 26–28. Pygophore in ventral (26), dorsal (27), and lateral (28) views. 29. Aedeagus, lateral view. 30. Articulatory apparatus, frontal view.