Rheumatobates bergrothi Meinert, 1895

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 : 6-8

Rheumatobates bergrothi Meinert, 1895

Examined material. COLOMBIA. MAGDALENA: 13 1Ƥ apt., Ciénaga, 24.X.2004, F. Molano leg. ( LEUQ). 1Ƥ apt., Santa Marta, PNN Tayrona, 24.X.2004, F. Molano leg. ( LEUQ). 33 5Ƥ apt., 43 1Ƥ macr., Santa Marta, PNN Tayrona, 24.X.2004, F. Molano leg. ( UPTC). 13 1Ƥ apt., 13 macr., Santa Marta, PNN Tayrona, 23.X.2004, F. Molano leg. ( UPTC).

Color. Head dark brown; antennae covered by brown pubescence; antennal segment I with basal half pale yellow and distal half dark brown, antennal segments II, III and IV dark brown. Pronotum dark brown with a yellow spot wider than long. Ventral view of thorax dark yellow. Mesonotum brown with yellow subtriangular spot and with yellow spots on posterior margin. Mesopleura and mesoacetabula with yellow spots. Metanotum dark brown. Mid and hind legs brown except hind femur pale yellow. Abdominal segments with pale brown connexiva and dark brown tergites; esternites brown.

3 Apterous ( Fig. 5 a). Head: total length, 0.46, maximum width, 0.42, interocular distance, 0.4. Length of antennal segments (I–IV): 0.5, 0.12, 0.41, 0.17. Antennal segments modified; segment I visibly widened at basal 2/ 3, with row of three to four long strong setae on mediolateral region, segment II with a laterodorsal strong seta, segment III arcuate, with medial projection and a cleft which occupies its distal half, segment IV shorter than preceding ( Fig. 2 c). Rostrum: total length, 0.75. Thorax: pronotum, total length, 0.17. Legs: hind legs modified; length of leg segments (femur, tibia, tarsus I, tarsus II,): foreleg: 0.72, 0.31, 0.05, 0.21; femur with row of ten to eleven very long setae on inner lateral margin; midleg: 1.87, 1.82, 0.97, 0.35; femur with row of four to five long setae in basal margin. Tibia slightly curved, with row of lateral setae which increase in size distally; hindleg: 0.6, 1.11, 0.38, 0.27; trochanter widened, with two dark teeth-like protuberances on inner lateral margin. Femur slight widened and curved, with pedunculated T-shaped structure on dorsomedial region, and an apical tuft of erect setae. Tibia dorsoventrally flattened, widened on distal region, with spiral row of setae surrounding this area ( Fig. 3 c). Abdomen: total length, 1.15; tergite VII longer than preceding; tergite VIII wide and long, with dorsal margin curved; pygophore small, rounded on apical margin.

Ƥ Apterous ( Fig. 5 b). Head: total length, 0.43, maximum width, 0.41, interocular distance, 0.38. Length of antennal segments (I–IV): 0.23, 0.09, 0.31, 0.27; segment III longest, with four long setae. Rostrum: total length, 0.65. Thorax: pronotum, total length, 0.18; posterior margin with acute lateral projections. Legs: Length of leg segments (femur, tibia, tarsus I, tarsus II,): foreleg: 0.62, 0.32, 0.05, 0.2; femur with row of ten setae on inner margin and three short erect setae on dorsolateral margin; midleg: 1.72, 1.58, 0.87, 0.32; hindleg: 1.05, 0.8, 0.18, 0.26. Abdomen: total length, 1.61; connexiva acute at apex with short setae; tergite VIII subquadrate, longer than wide, as long as the sum of two preceding tergites; gonocoxae as long as preceding sternite, slightly widened toward the apex.

3 Macropterous. Head: total length, 0.5, maximum width, 0.45, interocular distance, 0.42. Length of antennal segments (I–IV): 0.43, 0.11, 0.36, 0.17. Rostrum: total length, 0.71. Thorax: pronotum, total length, 0.89; pronotum extended backward, totally covering the mesonotum. Legs and wings: hind legs modified; length of leg segments (femur, tibia, tarsus I, tarsus II,): foreleg: 0.63, 0.31, 0.05, 0.25; midleg: 1.86, 1.82, 1.02, 0.35; hindleg: 0.74, 0.89, 0.27, 0.24; Forewings: total length, 2.3; surpassing apex of abdomen. Abdomen: total length, 1.08.

Ƥ Macropterous. Head: total length, 0.45, maximum width, 0.4, interocular distance, 0.37. Length of antennal segments (I–IV): 0.17, 0.12, 0.3, 0.25. Rostrum: total length, 0.62. Thorax: pronotum, total length, 0.82; pronotum extended backward, totally covering the mesonotum. Legs and wings: length of leg segments (femur, tibia, tarsus I, tarsus II,): foreleg: 0.57, 0.3, 0.05, 0.2; midleg: 1.52, 1.4, 0.77, 0.27; hindleg: 0.87, 0.72, 0.17, 0.22; Forewings: total length, 2.0; surpassing apex of abdomen. Abdomen: total length, 1.4.

Diagnosis. Males of this species are differentiated from R. imitator because the antennal segment I has a row of three to four long strong setae in the mediolateral region; the hind trochanter is widely broadened, with two dark teeth-like protuberances on inner lateral margin; the hind femur has a dense row of setae present along this. Females have the tergite VIII subrectangular, longer than wide; the gonocoxae are slightly widened towards apex.

Taxonomic comments. Hungerford (1954) described R. bergrothi with hind trochanter bearing a dark lateral tooth-like protuberance, which was very long and acute. However, carefully turning a specimen laterally reveals that the trochanter presents, in fact, two dark teeth-like protuberances on the inner lateral margin.

Distribution in Colombia. Magdalena.

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 3. Hind legs of male of Rheumatobates. a. R. plumipes n. sp. b. R. imitator. c. R. bergrothi. d. R. crassifemur crassifemur. e. R. crassifemur esakii.

FIGURE 5. Rheumatobates bergrothi. a. dorsal view of apterous male. b. dorsal view of apterous female.