Brachysandalus fuliginosus ( Erichson, 1842 )

Liu, Yingqi & Cai, Wanzhi, 2024, Revision of Australian Brachysandalus with the description of nine new species including one cavernicolous species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae), and observations on male extragenital structure and leg teratology, Zootaxa 5490 (1), pp. 1-112 : 33-39

Brachysandalus fuliginosus ( Erichson, 1842)

( Figs. 14–16 )

Pirates fuliginosus Erichson, 1842: 283 . Type locality: Australia (Tasmania).

Brachysandalus fuliginosus : Stål (1867: 260); Maldonado Capriles (1990: 346).

Reduvius semifasciatus Walker, 1873: 202 .

Type locality: Australia. Synonymized by Cassis & Gross (1995: 341). Synonymy discarded in the present study. Although the type specimens are considered missing but based on original description this one can’t be a peiratine species. Further details discussed under “ Incertae sedis ” section below.

Pirates (Brachysandalus) fuliginosus : Stål (1874: 60).

Pirates (Brachysandalus) melanolestoides Stål (1874: 60) . Type locality: Australia (Tasmania). Synonymized by Cassis & Gross (1995: 341).

Pirates melanolestoides : Lethierry & Severin (1896: 126).

Brachysandalus melanolestoides : Maldonado Capriles (1990: 346).

Peirates fuliginosus : Cassis & Gross (1995: 341).

Type specimen examined. Lectotype of Pirates fuliginosus Erichson, 1842 (present designation), macropterous male, Typus, 3208, fuliginosus N. Van Diemans Land Schayer, Zool. Mus. Berlin ( ZMB); Paralectotype of Pirates fuliginosus Erichson, 1842 (present designation), one brachypterous female, Typus, van Diemens land Schayer Ni. 3208, Zool. Mus. Berlin ( ZMB) (only examined images of the P. fuliginosus types). Lectotype of Pirates (Brachysandalus) melanolestoides Stål, 1874 (present designation), macropterous male, Typus, Australia, melanolestoides Stål, NHRS-GULI 000000129 ( NHRS).

Other specimens examined. [macropterous male and brachypterous female, or brachypterous male if specifically indicated]. NEW SOUTH WALES. 1 male, Mt Kaputar Bullawa Ck, 29.xi.1984, G. Hangay ( ANIC); 1 male, Lake Conjola , 20.x.1981, R.C. Russell ( ANIC) ; 1 male, 31.53S 151.32E, Dilgry River , Barrington Tops SF, 15–16.xi.1981, T. Weir ( ANIC) ; 1 female, Barrington Tops , 4800 ft, L. Hopson & Darty ( AM) ; 4 males (one dissected), Ebor , 16.xii.1939, A.J. Turner ( QM) ; 1 male, above junction shaft, Snowy Mtn , at light, 22.xi.1956, I.G. Filmer ( QM) ; 2 males, Bald Rock N.P. 25 km SE Stanthorpe, 5–10.xii.1982, D. Yeates ( QM) ; 2 females, Sydney , Deane ( MV) ; 1 male, Kiandra , 10.viii.1962, E.F. Riek ( ANIC) ; 1 male, Kiandra , quarry, under snow covered log, D. Havenstein ( ANIC) ; 1 male, 34.32S 150.15E, Belanglo S. F., under rotten logs, 29.iii.1991, Tom Gush ( ANIC) ; 1 male, 35.58S 150.09E, Congo 8 km SE by E of Moruya, 7.iv.1980, M.S. Upton ( ANIC) ; 1 male, 35.30S 150.24E, Bawley Point , 25.xi.1999, D.C.F. Rentz ( ANIC) ; 1 male, Mt Coricudgy nr Olinda Station , 1–7.iii.2002, leg G. Hangay, G & K Hangay Collection ( ANIC) ; 1 female, 37.04S 149.28E, 4 km NE Mt Wog Wog, 17 km SE Bombala , pitfall, vii.1991, CR Margules Coll., July 1991.pit 179 ( ANIC) ; 1 female, 36.54S 149.56E, Merimbula 12.ii.2001, E.C. Zimmerman ( ANIC) ; 1 female, New South Wales, Pirates species names by F. Walker 1878 ( MV) ; 1 female, New South Wales ( MV) . AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY. 1 male, Mt Gingera , 22.ii.1964, G.F. Waterhouse ( ANIC) ; 1 brachypterous male, 35.28S 148.46E, 2 km N Mt Franklin , stop 4, 11.i.1979, D.C.F. Rentz ( ANIC) . VICTORIA. 5 males, 1 female, Hattah, Mallee , 4.iv.1913 ( MV) ; 1 male, Hanging Rock NE Woodend , 25. X.1963, A. N. ( MV) ; 2 males, Woodend , 27. X.1959 ( MV) ; 2 males, 2 females, Macedon , 2.iv.1923, J.E. Dixon Coll. Don. Jan 1940 ( MV) ; 1 male, Gelibrand , 1.xi.1971, J. Clancy ( MV) ; 1 male, 2 km S of Whitlands , 7.ix.1985, I. Faithfull ( VAIC) ; 1 male, Eucumbene Lake Providence Portal , xi.1991, I. Pascoe ( VAIC) ; 1 female, Melbourne, C. Deane ( QM) ; 1 male, North Melbourne , Dixon 1913 ( MV) ; 2 males, Nunawading , 3.x.1954, A. N. ( MV) ; 2 males, Boronia , ix.1955, Fleet ( MV) ; 5 males, Ferntree Gully, 9.iv.1921, J.E. Dixon Collection, Don. Jan 1940 ( MV) ; 1 male, Ferntree Gully, F.E. Wilson , 26.iv.1925 ( MV) ; 1 male, Ferntree Gully, Pres. J.E. Dixon 16.x.1923 ( MV) ; 1 male, Healesville, Pres. R. Kelly esq., 11.xi.1914 ( MV) ; 1 male, Emerald district, Coll. E.J. viii.1904 ( MV) ; 3 males, Gembrook ( MV) , 1 male, 1 female, same locality, ‘ Pirates semifasciatus Walk Det. B. Uvarov (MV) ; 1 male, 3 km W Beenak , 7.i.1972, A. Neboiss ( MV) ; 1 male, Warburton , 29.ix.1946 ( MV) ; 2 males, Traralgon , 2.vii.1927, Miss J. Galbraith ( MV) ; 1 male, 1 female, Warrigal , 30.vi.1929, F.E. Wilson ( MV) ; 1 male, Walhalla , iv.1930 F.E. Wilson ( MV) ; 4 males, Dartmouth Survey, Dart. / Mitta R. Jn , locality L, 23–25.x.1973 ( MV) ; 3 males, 17 km SE Merrijig, 8 mile creek off Howqua River , 1.xii.1971, Neboiss ( MV) ; 3 males, 37.59S 147.43E, Rotamah Is , 20 km SE by S of Bairnsdale, stop 15, 4.xi.1985, D.C.F. Rentz & R. Chiang ( ANIC) ; 1 male, Gippsland, Pres. V.1923, J.E. Dixon ( MV) ; 2 females, Victoria, Pres. Viii.1923, J.E. Dixon ( MV) ; 1 male, Victoria ( MV) . TASMANIA. 1 male, Launceston , 17.viii.1948, C. Oke ( MV) ; 1 male, Scamander River, Upper Scamander , 9.xi.1972, A. Neboiss ( MV) ; 1 male, 1 female, Ridgeway , 5.v.1948, C. Oke ( MV) ; 1 female, 43.05S 147.12E, Snug Falls walking track, under rotten logs on ground, 15.ii.1992, D.S. Horning Jr ( ANIC) ; 1 male, Sandford , 19.ix.1981, L. Hill ( ANIC) ; 1 female, 41.59S 146.43E, Miena, Great Lake, under rocks at lake edge, Tas-119, 10.xii.1993, D.S. Horning Jr ( ANIC) ; 1 male (dissected), 1 female, 26 km SE of Ross , 28.xi.–3.xii.1995, R. Barnett & H.D. Barker ( VAIC) ; 1 female, 42.02S 146.55E, Lost Falls Forest Reserve , rotten wood on ground Tas-119, D.S. Horning Jr ( ANIC) ; 1 female, Glen Dhu , 3.viii.1929, V.V. Hickman, under stones, K60364, ‘ Pirates melanolestoides Stal Det. A. Musgrave (AM) ; 1 male, Arthur Plains , 3.ii.1965, A. Neboiss ( MV) ; 1 female, Eddystone , 21.xi.1933, D. Mahony ( MV) ; 2 females, Tasmania, Nat. Mus. Victoria, From C. French Jun. 15.xi.1911 ( MV) ; 1 female, Tasmania ( MV) .

Diagnosis.

Macropterous male, brachypterous male and female known, body medium sized. Hemelytron greatly reduced to a flap, posterior margin truncate in brachypterous individuals ( Fig. 14D ). Blackish brown ( Figs. 14 , 15 ); in macropterous male, hemelytron with an obscure, yellowish white, small spot around apex of claval suture ( Figs. 14A , 15A ) and in brachypterous individuals, hemelytron with most of apex pale brown, often an obscure, yellowish white small spot around apex of clavus ( Fig. 14D ). Fore femur armed below with two rows of minute tubercles, rows separated by a faint median furrow, ventral surface of mid femur densely covered with short blackish bristly setae ( Figs. 14B&E , 15B&C ); fore tibia with fossula spongiosa occupying slightly more than 1/3 to nearly 2/5 tibial length, mid tibia with fossula spongiosa about 1/3 its length ( Figs. 14C&F , 15B&C ); in male, abdominal sternite VII lacking extragenital process ( Figs. 14B , 15B ); male genitalia with median pygophore process tapered, slightly curved and oblique to right side, venter strongly ridged in caudal view ( Fig. 16B ), and blade broadly spatulate, apex rounded, near base gradually constricted in lateral view ( Fig. 16C ); inner margin of lateral phallothecal sclerite smoothly arcuate except a slightly protruding round process at lower angle ( Fig. 16I ).

Redescription.

Macropterous male ( Figs. 14A–C , 15 )

Colouration ( Figs. 14A–C , 15 ): Blackish brown. Distiflagellomere and tarsi brown; hemelytron brown, with an obscure, yellowish white, small spot around apex of claval suture and a yellowish white, curved stripe near base of costal margin on membrane.

Structure ( Figs. 14A–C , 15 , 16 ): Body medium sized. Most of body densely covered with yellowish white, short pilosity; antenna also with blackish brown, suberect, short setae; lateral margins of head, lateral margins of pronotum, legs and abdominal sternites with yellowish brown to blackish brown, erect, relatively long setae; stripes on anterior pronotal lobe densely covered with yellowish white, short pubescence.

Head: Anteocular region elongate triangular, clypeus near its base slightly elevated and knobbed above mandibular plates. Interocular region with arcuate convex sulcus at posterior border of eyes, a small pit near base. Postocular region almost rounded to neck. Neck with lateral tubercles tiny but covered with small granules.Antennae with all segments covered with short golden to yellowish brown pilosity and sparse longer setae; scape thickest, pedicel thinner, then basi- and distiflagellum thinnest. Eyes relatively large, reniform, almost reaching dorsal and ventral margins of head in lateral view, width of eye subequal to width of interocular space in dorsal view. Ocelli moderately developed, slightly raised, separated from each other by about diameter of single ocellus, separated from eye by slightly shorter than diameter of single ocellus.

Thorax: Anterior lobe of pronotum with distinct stripes, sulci indistinct, except thin median longitudinal sulcus in basal 2/3. Posterior pronotal lobe short, arcuately quadrate, integument smooth, humeri rounded, posterior margin arcuate. Scutellum disc flat with several longitudinal wrinkles, scutellar process knobbed, slightly directed obliquely in lateral view. Propleuron with integument finely faintly granulate, smoothly pilose, set off from dorsal surface by a faint carina. Mesopleuron integument minutely granulate, sparsely pilose. Metapleuron with integument more finely granulate and granules somewhat striate, metapleural sulcus distinctly bicarinate and arcuate, pilose with whitish dense hairs posteriorly. All sternites with tiny granules, moderately pilose. Mesosternum carinate in middle, metasternum with disc tumid and flat in middle. Hemelytron distinctly exceeding tip of abdomen.

Legs: Fore leg with coxa with golden to yellowish brown pilosity; trochanter unarmed, sparsely hairy; femur strongly fusiform, greatly incrassate near base narrowing distally, armed below with two rows of minute tubercles, rows separated by a faint median furrow; tibia gradually thickened to apex, more or less straight but apex slightly reflexed, fossula spongiosa occupying slightly more than 1/3 to nearly 2/5 tibial length. Mid leg with coxa globular; femur only slightly thickened, ventral surface densely covered with short blackish bristly setae; tibia with short golden to yellowish brown pilosity for whole length, with fossula spongiosa about 1/3 its length. Hind coxae separated from each other by less than width of one coxa; femur cylindrical; tibia with brush of setae, denser at apex.

Abdomen: Venter of abdomen with a median ridge running from posterior portion of second abdominal sternite to posterior portion of seventh abdominal sternite, slightly curved to right side of body, distinctly carinated and forming a knobbed preapical point on sternite VII ( Figs. 14B , 15B ); sternite VII lacking extragenital process ( Figs. 14B , 15B ). Connexivum with golden to yellowish brown pilosity as elsewhere on sternum. Spiracles situated below connexival suture, about halfway between anterior and posterior margin of each segment. Each spiracle with two impressed shiny roundish areas, one postero-ventrally and one anteriorly near anterior margin of segment.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 16 ): Median pygophore process tapered, slightly curved and oblique to right side, venter strongly ridged in caudal view ( Fig. 16B ); blade broadly spatulate, apex rounded, near base gradually constricted in lateral view ( Fig. 16C ). Left paramere ( Fig. 16D ) broadly falcate with apical 1/4 broadly rectangular and apex truncate, right paramere ( Fig. 16E ) subtriangular with apex rounded, left paramere more curved than right paramere. Phallus ( Fig. 16F–I ) in resting condition with basal plate slightly shorter than basal plate bridge ( Fig. 16F ), pedicel slightly curved and subequal to length of basal plate ( Fig. 16H&I ); length of struts distinctly longer than half length of phallosoma ( Fig. 16F ); apex of dorsal phallothecal sclerite bluntly rounded ( Fig. 16F ); lateral phallothecal sclerite subquadrangular, inner margin smoothly arcuate except a slightly protruding round process at lower angle ( Fig. 16I ); pair of slender sclerites near base of venter of phallosoma weakly sclerotized ( Fig. 16G ).

Brachypterous female ( Fig. 14D–F ) and male

Differs from macropterous male in: hemelytron brown with most of apex pale brown, often an obscure, yellowish white small spot around apex of clavus; width of eye shorter than width of interocular space in dorsal view; ocelli reduced and less elevated, separated from each other by about twice diameter of single ocellus, separated from eye by more than diameter of single ocellus; posterior pronotal lobe abbreviated, only slightly wider and much shorter than anterior lobe; scutellum much wider than long; metapleural sulcus more curved than in macropterous male; hemelytron greatly reduced to a flap, posterior margin truncate, surpassing posterior margin of abdominal tergite I in female and slightly longer and almost reaching posterior margin of tergite II in male; dorsum of abdomen with three small scent gland scars of subequal width on terga III–IV, IV–V and V–VI; venter of female abdomen flat, all sterna appearing narrow medially except VII very enlarged, sternite VII with many transverse wrinkles.

Measurements: [of lectotype macropterous male of Pirates fuliginosus when available, followed by one macropterous male and one brachypterous female]. Body length 15.30, 15.60 (♂), 13.26 (♀); maximum width of abdomen 4.76, 4.83 (♂), 4.70 (♀); length of head 1.98, 2.09 (♂), 2.28 (♀); length of anteocular region?, 0.92 (♂), 1.14 (♀); length of postocular region?, 0.41 (♂), 0.45 (♀); width of head across eyes 1.75, 1.63 (♂), 1.59 (♀); width of interocular space 0.54, 0.53 (♂), 0.60 (♀); width of interocellar space 0.27, 0.26 (♂), 0.25 (♀); length of eye in dorsal view?, 0.68 (♂), 0.64 (♀); width of eye in dorsal view?, 0.49 (♂), 0.45 (♀); lengths of antennal segments I–IV 1.35, 1.14 (♂), 1.02 (♀) / 2.34, 2.39 (♂), 1.90 (♀) / 2.25, 2.20 (♂), 1.71 (♀) / 2.34, 2.39 (♂), 1.97 (♀); length of visible labial segments I–III?, 0.76 (♂), 0.83 (♀) /?, 1.21 (♂), 1.29 (♀) /?, 0.41 (♂), 0.45 (♀); length of pronotum 3.42, 3.30 (♂), 2.85 (♀); length of anterior pronotal lobe?, 1.78 (♂), 2.12 (♀); length of posterior pronotal lobe?, 1.44 (♂), 0.76 (♀); width of anterior pronotal lobe 2.90, 2.31 (♂), 2.66 (♀); width of posterior pronotal lobe 4.41, 4.18 (♂), 3.23 (♀); length of scutellum 1.80, 1.71 (♂), 1.06 (♀); maximum width of scutellum 2.34, 1.90 (♂), 1.14 (♀); length of hemelytron 11.56, 11.70 (♂), 2.18 (♀); length of fore tibia?, 2.73 (♂), 2.47 (♀); length of fossula spongiosa on fore tibia?, 0.96 (♂), 0.87 (♀).

Distribution. Australia (New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, and Tasmania). Cassis & Gross (1995) recorded this species also from South Australia, but these specimens were not located and examined in the present study. This species generally has a southeastern temperate / subtropical distribution in Australia.

Comparative notes. This species is similar to B. longifemoratus sp. nov. in general structure and having a vague yellow to yellowish-brown patch near confluence of veins Cu and M on corium of hemelytron, but differs from the latter by fore femur short and robust, about 3X as long as maximum width (vs. fore femur very elongate and slender, about 4X as long as maximum width in B. longifemoratus sp. nov.), fore tibia with fossula spongiosa occupying slightly more than 1/3 to nearly 2/5 tibial length and mid tibia with fossula spongiosa about 1/3 its length (vs. fore tibia with fossula spongiosa occupying about 1/3 to 1/4 of tibial length and mid tibia with fossula spongiosa only about 1/4 its length in B. longifemoratus sp. nov.).

Remarks. There are seven syntypes of Pirates fuliginosus Erichson, 1842 (one male, four females and two nymphs) deposited in Museum für Naturkunde (MFN), Berlin, Germany. The macropterous male is designated as lectotype in the present study ( Fig. 14A–C ).

Figures

FIGURE 14. Brachysandalus fuliginosus (Erichson, 1842), habitus. A–C, lectotype, macropterous male; D–F, paralectotype, brachypterous female. A, D, dorsal view; B, E, ventral view; C, F, lateral view. Red arrow indicates median carina on abdomen.

FIGURE 15. Brachysandalus fuliginosus (Erichson, 1842), lectotype of Pirates (Brachysandalus) melanolestoides Stål, 1874, macropterous male, habitus. A, dorsal view; B, ventral view; C, lateral view. Red arrow indicates median carina on abdomen. Scale bar = 3.00 mm.

FIGURE 16. Brachysandalus fuliginosus (Erichson, 1842), male genitalia. A–C, pygophore; D, left paramere; E, right paramere; F–I, phallus. A, G, ventral view; B, caudal view; C, H, I, lateral view; D, E, outer ventrolateral view; F, dorsal view. Abbreviations: bp, basal plate; bpb, basal plate bridge; dps, dorsal phallothecal sclerite; lps, lateral phallothecal sclerite; mpp, median pygophore process; ped, pedicel; st, struts. Scale bar = 1.00 mm (for A–C); 0.80 mm (for D–I).