Rheumatobates probolicornis Polhemus and Manzano, 1992

Castro-Vargas, Maria I. & Morales-Castaño, Irina T., 2011, The Rheumatobates Bergroth, 1892 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerridae) of Colombia, including the description of R. plumipes n. sp. and a key to represented species, Zootaxa 3040, pp. 1-18 : 15-17

Rheumatobates probolicornis Polhemus and Manzano, 1992

Examined material. COLOMBIA: VALLE DEL CAUCA: 33 3Ƥ apt., Buenaventura, Mangle Pianguita, 80. XI.2003, P. Camacho leg. ( LEUQ). 23 apt., Buenaventura, Mangle, 15.V.2004, Camacho leg. ( LEUQ). 1Ƥ apt., Buenaventura, Mangle Bocana, 08.XI.2003, F. Molano leg. ( UPTC). 3Ƥ apt., Buenaventura, Pianguita-Canal inundado, 09.XI.2003, F. Molano leg. ( UPTC). 33 2Ƥ apt., Buenaventura, Punta Soldado, 14.X.1985, ( UPTC).

Color. Head brown, with elongated lateral orange spots. Antennae brown. Pronotum brown, with a trapezoidal orange spot; propleura with orange spots. Thorax in ventral view brown. Mesonotum brown, with orange spots at posterior margin. Metanotum brown. Fore femur yellow, with brown spots at apical region; tibiae and tarsi brown; mid and hind legs pale brown. Abdominal segments dorsally brown; sternites brown.

3 Apterous ( Fig. 11 a). Head: total length, 0.42, maximum width, 0.4, interocular distance, 0.38. Length of antennal segments (I–IV): 0.73, 0.08, 0.42, 0.4. Antennal segments modified; antennal segment I narrow at basal 1/ 3, widened distally, with a distal dilate projection at inner margin; antennal segment II visibly the shortest; antennal segment III longer and narrower than preceding; antennal segment IV slightly arched ( Fig. 2 g). Rostrum: total length, 0.55. Thorax: pronotum, total length, 0.13. Legs: hind legs unmodified; length of leg segments (femur, tibia, tarsus I, tarsus II,): foreleg: 0.7, 0.25, 0.05, 0.19; femur with row of irregular spines at inner ventrolateral margin; midleg: 1.52, 1.35, 0.57, 0.27; hindleg: 0.69, 0.75, 0.09, 0.19; trochanter elongated and articulate to femur at basal 1/3 of the latter; femur extended anteriorly into a chitinous structure that reaches apical region of coxa ( Fig. 11 a). Abdomen: total length, 0.96; tergite VII as long as the sum of two preceding tergites; tergite VIII bent at apical margin, with multiple villi, ventrally with posterior margin concave at central part; pygophore small, simple and oval.

Ƥ Apterous ( Fig. 11 b). Head: total length, 0.4, maximum width, 0.39, interocular distance, 0.37. Length of the antennal segments (I–IV): 0.31, 0.08, 0.3, 0.31; antennal segment III with three long setae. Thorax: pronotum, total length: 0.1; posterior margin concave. Legs: length of leg segments (femur, tibia, tarsus I, tarsus II,): foreleg: 0.59, 0.27, 0.05, 0.18; femur with row of 15 to 20 setae in inner margin; midleg: 1.42, 1.19, 0.62, 0.22; hindleg: 0.89, 0.66, 0.09, 0.19. Abdomen: total length, 1.19; connexiva rounded at apex, with short setae; tergite VIII subtriangular, with two long setae on each side; gonocoxae shorter than preceding sternite, wide, slightly directed upward.

Diagnosis. Males of this species are differentiated from other species of the genus because the antennal segment I is narrow at basal 1/3, widened towards apex, with a distal dilated projection at inner margin; the fore femur has a row of ten to eleven irregular spines at inner ventrolateral margin; the hind trochanter is elongated and articulated to femur at basal 1/3 of the latter; the hind femur is anteriorly extended into a chitinous structure that reaches the apical region of the coxae. Females have the connexiva rounded at apex, with short setae; the tergite VIII is subtriangular, with two long setae on each side; the gonocoxa is wide, slightly directed upward.

Distribution in Colombia. This species is recorded only from Colombia, at the departments of Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Cauca and Nariño.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Male antennae of Rheumatobates. a. R. plumipes n. sp. b. R. imitator. c. R. bergrothi. d. R. crassifemur crassifemur. e. R. crassifemur esakii. f. R. carvalhoi. g. R. probolicornis.

FIGURE 11. Rheumatobates probolicornis. a. dorsal view of apterous male. b. dorsal view of apterous female.