Zelus antiguensis Zhang & Hart

Zhang, Guanyang, Hart, Elwood R & Weirauch, Christiane, 2016, A taxonomic monograph of the assassin bug genus Zelus Fabricius (Hemiptera: Reduviidae): 71 species based on 10,000 specimens, Biodiversity Data Journal 4, pp. 8150-8150 : 8150

Zelus antiguensis Zhang & Hart sp. n.

Materials

Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00007995 ; recordedBy: B. Lott; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusantiguensis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang & Hart, 2016; Location: country: GUATEMALA; stateProvince: Sacatepequez; locality: Antigua ; verbatimElevation: 1583 m; decimalLatitude: 14.5611; decimalLongitude: -90.7344; georeferenceSources: Gazetteer; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: no date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00007955 ; occurrenceRemarks: Genitallia dissected; recordedBy: B. Lott; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusantiguensis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang & Hart, 2016; Location: country: GUATEMALA; stateProvince: Sacatepequez; locality: Antigua ; verbatimElevation: 1583 m; decimalLatitude: 14.5611; decimalLongitude: -90.7344; georeferenceSources: Gazetteer; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: no date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00009305 ; recordedBy: N. L. H. Krauss; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusantiguensis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang & Hart, 2016; Location: country: GUATEMALA; stateProvince: Sacatepequez; locality: Antigua ; decimalLatitude: 14.56667; decimalLongitude: -90.73333; georeferenceSources: Gazetteer; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1965-10-01; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00015069 ; recordedBy: D. M. Bates; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusantiguensis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang & Hart, 2016; Location: country: GUATEMALA; stateProvince: Sacatepequez; locality: Antigua ; verbatimElevation: 1583 m; decimalLatitude: 14.5611; decimalLongitude: -90.7344; georeferenceSources: Gazetteer; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1930-07-01; Record Level: institutionCode: AMNH Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00029478 ; recordedBy: R. H. Painter; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusantiguensis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang & Hart, 2016; Location: country: GUATEMALA; stateProvince: Sacatepequez; locality: Antigua ; verbatimElevation: 1583 m; decimalLatitude: 14.5611; decimalLongitude: -90.7344; georeferenceSources: Gazetteer; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1951-09-12; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00017184 ; recordedBy: P. & C. Vaurie; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusantiguensis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang & Hart, 2016; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Chiapas; locality: Tuxtla Gutierrez ; verbatimElevation: 549 m; decimalLatitude: 16.75469; decimalLongitude: -93.11485; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1955-07-06 to 1955-07-10; Record Level: institutionCode: AMNH Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00006071 ; recordedBy: H. B. Leech; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusantiguensis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang & Hart, 2016; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Jalisco; locality: Pine Forst 87 miles S of Manzamitla ; decimalLatitude: 19.17323; decimalLongitude: -103.66112; georeferenceSources: Google Earth; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1948-12-01; Record Level: institutionCode: CAS Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00019699 ; recordedBy: E. S. Ross; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusantiguensis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang & Hart, 2016; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Jalisco; locality: Pine Forst 87 miles S of Manzamitla ; decimalLatitude: 19.17323; decimalLongitude: -103.66112; georeferenceSources: Google Earth; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1948-12-01; Record Level: institutionCode: CAS Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00038423 ; recordedBy: J. Doyen; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusantiguensis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang & Hart, 2016; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Jalisco; locality: 6 mi W of Chapala ; decimalLatitude: 20.29709; decimalLongitude: -103.28149; georeferenceSources: Google Earth; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1963-06-30; Record Level: institutionCode: UCB Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00023699 ; recordedBy: Unknown; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusantiguensis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang & Hart, 2016; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Veracruz; locality: Jalapa ; decimalLatitude: 19.54381; decimalLongitude: -96.90993; georeferenceSources: Google Earth; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: no date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: RMNH

Description

Figs 28, 29, 30

Male: (Fig. 28a, b) Medium-sized, total length 13.69-16.28 mm (mean 14.98 mm, Suppl. material 1); slender. COLORATION: Dorsal surface of anteocular lobe reddish-brown, yellowish-brown ventrally. Dorsum of postocular lobe dark brown with yellowish-brown mid-dorsal line and circumocellar areas, ventral surface yellowish-brown. Rostrum light reddish-brown. Scape and pedicel light reddish-brown with dark brown areas near base and apex. Anterior pronotal lobe reddish-brown with yellowish-brown anteroventral area. Dorsal surface of posterior lobe reddish-brown with yellowish-brown lateral and posterior margins, humeral angle dark brown and lateral surfaces yellowish-brown. Scutellum yellowish-brown to reddish-brown. Legs yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, femoral and tibial apices darker reddish-brown. Hemelytron brown, veins of clavus and corium slightly lighter in color than surrounding areas. Abdomen with dorsal surface reddish-brown, ventral surface yellowish-brown. VESTITURE: Moderately setose. Anteocular lobe with recumbent setae over dorsal surface, some erect setae ventrally. Postocular lobe with recumbent setae predominating dorsally, long silky erect setae posterodorsally and over lateral surface. Anterior pronotal lobe with recumbent and short erect setae on faint setal tracts dorsally and scattered on lateral surfaces, long silky erect setae on anterior margins. Posterior pronotal lobe with short recumbent and erect setae over entire surface, some long erect setae mid-dorsally on anterior half. Scutellum with moderate to long setae. Corium and clavus of hemelytron with recumbent setae. Abdomen with sparse, short, erect setae over entire surface, some short recumbent and longer erect setae on lateral and ventral surfaces, moderate to long erect setae posteroventrally on segment seven. Pygophore with short to moderate setae over exposed surface. STRUCTURE: Head: Cylindrical, L/W = 2.29. Postocular lobe relatively short; in dorsal view anteriorly gradually narrowing, posterior portion constant, slightly narrower. Eye moderately sized; dorsal margin attaining postocular transverse groove, ventral margin removed from ventral surface of head. Ocellus greatly elevated. Labium: I: II: III = 1: 1.8: 0.6. Basiflagellomere diameter larger than that of pedicel. Thorax: Anterolateral angle rounded, without projection; medial longitudinal sulcus shallow near collar, deepening slightly in posterior half. Posterior pronotal lobe with finely rugulose surface; disc slightly elevated above humeral angle; humeral angle armed, with short tuberculate processes. Scutellum moderately long; lateral depressions deep; apex slightly produced. Legs: Slender. Pro- and mesofemoral diameters subequal, metafemoral diameter slightly smaller. Hemelytron: Surpassing apex of abdomen by about length of abdominal segment seven; quadrate cell small, elongate; Cu and M of cubital cell subparallel. GENITALIA: (Fig. 29) Pygophore: Elongate ovoid; lateral margin above paramere insertion slightly expanded laterally in dorsal view. Medial process triangular, broad, short, erect; nearly straight; apex in posterior view blunt, without modification. Paramere: Cylindrical over basal half, slightly compressed and enlarged dorsoventrally over apical half; moderately long, nearly reaching medial process; not distinctly curved; apical part very slightly enlarged. Phallus: Dorsal phallothecal sclerite somewhat squarish; apex blunt, medially very slightly emarginate, not distinctly tapered; surface flat; posterior margin of foramen broadly concave. Struts attached to dorsal phallothecal sclerite; apically separate, connected by bridge; basally mostly separate, moderately fused. Basal plate arm slender; separate; converging; in lateral view nearly straight, very slightly curved; bridge moderately long; extension of basal plate small and confined to apex of basal plate arm.

Female: (Fig. 28c, d) Similar to male, except for the following. Larger than male, total length 15.77-18.15 mm (mean 16.91 mm, Suppl. material 2). Coloration very similar to that in male, slightly lighter overall. Anteocular lobe varying from reddish-brown to brown dorsally, legs of some specimens unicolorous. Ocellar elevation not pronounced; middle of mesothoracic femora slightly swollen.

Diagnosis

As with several members of the Zelus luridus species group, the coloration is greenish-brown, rather uniform. The medial process is triangular, its base distinct from the rest of pygophore ventral rim and apex without modification. Can be distinguished from males of other species of the Zelus luridus species group (Fig. 3) by the base of the medial process extended, the apex of the paramere not greatly enlarged, and the phallothecal sclerite rather short.

Zelus antiguensis is similar in appearance to Z. luridus and might easily be confused with that species. The comparatively broader medial process and posterior protrusion of the base of the medial process are readily evident in Z. antiguensis (Fig. 3). This species also shows an internal folding of the dorsolateral apical areas of the dorsal phallothecal sclerite, such folding being absent in Z. luridus . Generally, in both sexes the head is more pubescent and the pronotum more flattened dorsally than is normally found in Z. luridus . These two species do not overlap in distribution.

Etymology

Named after the type locality, Antigua, in Guatemala.

Distribution

Southern Mexico and Guatemala (Fig. 30).