Zelus minutus Hart, 1987

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 minutus Hart, 1987

Zelus minutus Hart, 1987, p. 299-301, figs. 16-21, orig. descr., note, fig. and key; Maldonado, 1990, p. 330, cat.

Materials

Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00023689 ; recordedBy: P.H. van Doesburg, Jr; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusminutus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Hart, 1987; Location: country: SURINAME; stateProvince: Commewijne; locality: Pl. Leliendaal ; decimalLatitude: 5.86666; decimalLongitude: -55.03333; georeferenceSources: Gazetteer; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: eventDate: 1963-03-17; Record Level: institutionCode: RMNH Type status: Allotype. Occurrence: recordedBy: P.H. van Doesburg, Jr; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusminutus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Hart, 1987; Location: country: SURINAME; stateProvince: Para; locality: Republiek ; decimalLatitude: 5.5; decimalLongitude: -55.2; georeferenceSources: Gazetteer; Event: eventDate: 1962-01-04; Record Level: institutionCode: RMNH Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00071201 ; recordedBy: F. W. Walker; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusminutus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Hart, 1987; Location: country: COLOMBIA; stateProvince: Magdalena; locality: Sevilla ; decimalLatitude: 10.76343; decimalLongitude: -74.13916; georeferenceSources: Gazetteer; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: eventDate: 1926-07-24; Record Level: institutionCode: TAMU Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00009273 ; recordedBy: J. Zetek; sex: Adult Male; otherCatalogNumbers: 40-14769; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusminutus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Hart, 1987; Location: country: PANAMA; stateProvince: Canal Zone; locality: Barro Colorado Island ; decimalLatitude: 9.16666; decimalLongitude: -79.83333; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: eventDate: 1940-05-24; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00017868 ; recordedBy: M. Bates; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusminutus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Hart, 1987; Location: country: PANAMA; stateProvince: Colon; locality: Barro Colorado Island, Canal Zone ; decimalLatitude: 9.15472; decimalLongitude: -79.84806; georeferenceSources: GeoLocate Software; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: eventDate: October; Record Level: institutionCode: AMNH Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00030177 ; occurrenceRemarks: 'Planett 7144' and WW Wirth #1619 44-12740 on label; recordedBy: Unknown; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusminutus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Hart, 1987; Location: country: PANAMA; stateProvince: Colon; locality: Coco Solo ; decimalLatitude: 9.37; decimalLongitude: -79.8817; georeferenceSources: Gazetteer; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: eventDate: 1944-04-27; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00009272 ; recordedBy: Harold Morrison; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusminutus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Hart, 1987; Location: country: TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO; stateProvince: Port-of-Spain; locality: Port-of-Spain, Department Agricultre Grounds ; decimalLatitude: 10.66615; decimalLongitude: -61.51613; georeferenceSources: Google Earth; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: eventDate: 1918-11-23; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00019690 ; recordedBy: Borys Malkin; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusminutus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Hart, 1987; Location: country: VENEZUELA; stateProvince: Portuguesa; locality: Guanare ; verbatimElevation: 173 m; decimalLatitude: 9.05; decimalLongitude: -65.75; georeferenceSources: Gazetteer; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: eventDate: 1957-09-10 to 1957-09-13; Record Level: institutionCode: CAS

Description

Figs 141, 142, 143

Male: (Fig. 141) Small, total length 7.80-10.13 mm (mean 9.00 mm, Suppl. material 2); slender. COLORATION: Yellowish-brown to brownish-black, shining. Antennae yellowish-brown to brown, apex of scape and pedicel and base of pedicel darker than remainder of segments. Anterior pronotal lobe yellowish-brown to brownish-black, shining. Posterior pronotal lobe yellowish-brown to brownish-black, pattern variable, medial and lateral areas lightest in dark specimens. Scutellum yellowish-brown, apex lighter than surrounding area. Legs yellowish-brown with two to four brown rings on apical 1/2 of femora, variable brown areas on tibiae. Clavus and corium yellowish-brown to brown, darkest along costal margin, membrane nearly clear, veins dark brown. Dorsum of abdomen yellowish-brown to dark brown, pattern variable, lateral surfaces yellowish-brown. Pygophore yellowish-brown to brown, parameres dark brown to brownish-black. VESTITURE: Moderately setose. Scattered erect and recumbent setae over entire surface of head, longer ventrally. Anterior pronotal lobe with very sparse short recumbent setae on reduced setal tracts dorsally, more dense laterally; posterior pronotal lobe with short recumbent setae over entire surface, some erect setae laterally; scutellum with long recumbent setae. Abdominal venter with sparse short to long erect setae. Parameres with erect setae. STRUCTURE: Head: Cylindrical, L/W = 2.13. Postocular lobe long; in dorsal view distinctly narrowing through anterior 2/3, posterior 1/3 constant, tube-like. Eye prominent; lateral margin much wider than postocular lobe; dorsal margin removed from postocular transverse groove, ventral margin attaining ventral surface of head. Labium: I: II: III = 1: 2.0: 0.5. Basiflagellomere diameter larger than that of pedicel. Thorax: Anterolateral angle with inconspicuous subtuberculate projection; medial longitudinal sulcus shallow near collar, deepening posteriorly. Posterior pronotal lobe with rugulose surface; disc slightly elevated above humeral angle; humeral angle rounded, without projection. Scutellum moderately long; apex angulate, very slightly projected upward. Legs: Slender. Hemelytron: Surpassing apex of abdomen by about length of abdominal segment seven; quadrate cell small; Cu and M of cubital cell subparallel. GENITALIA: (Fig. 142) Pygophore: Elongate ovoid; not expanded laterally in dorsal view. Medial process broadly triangular; short; posteriorly directed, in less than forty-five degree with body axis; straight; apex in posterior view angulate, without modification. Paramere: Cylindrical; long, surpassing medial process; directed posteriad; basally slightly narrower; nearly straight; apical part very slightly enlarged. Phallus: Dorsal phallothecal sclerite somewhat squarish; somewhat enlarged at base; apical portion of phallothecal sclerite not distinctly tapered, flat; apex truncate, medially slightly to greatly emarginate; posterior margin of foramen broadly concave. Struts attached to dorsal phallothecal sclerite; apically separate, connected by bridge; basally fused. Basal plate arm robust; separate; subparallel; in lateral view nearly straight, very slightly curved; bridge moderately long; extension of basal plate small, marginally expanded onto arm.

Female: Similar to male, except for the following. Larger than male, total length 10.70 mm (Suppl. material 2).

Diagnosis

This species can be readily recognized by the small size (<10.2 mm) and the disc of the posterior lobe with spinous tubercles. The medial process is broadly triangular, apex without modification (shared with the Zelus tetracanthus species group). Can be recognized among the Zelus tetracanthus species group by the relatively long paramere, exceeding the medial process.

Distribution

Southern Central America, South America and adjacent islands of the Caribbean (Fig. 143). Countries with records: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela.

Taxon discussion

Zelus minutus shows some variations through its range. The Panamanian specimens have noticeably shorter paramere and the apex of the dorsal phallothecal sclerite is somewhat less emarginate.