Zelus nigromaculatus Champion, 1899

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 nigromaculatus Champion, 1899

Zelus nigromaculatus Champion, 1898, p. 261-262, Tab. XV, Fig. 26, orig. descr. and fig.; Wygodzinsky, 1949a, p. 49, checklist; Maldonado, 1990, p. 330, cat.

Materials

Type status: Lectotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00048757 ; occurrenceRemarks: Lectotype of Zelusnigromaculatus Champion, 1898 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016) Verbatim label info: Type / B.C.A.Rhyn.II. Zelusnigromaculatus Ch. / Sp. figured. / Bugaba, 800-1,500 ft. Champion. / Lectotype Zelusnigromaculatus Champion des. by E.R. Hart; recordedBy: G.C. Champion; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusnigromaculatus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Champion, 1899; Location: country: PANAMA; stateProvince: Chiriqui; locality: Bugaba ; verbatimElevation: 457 m; decimalLatitude: 8.4833; decimalLongitude: -82.6167; georeferenceSources: Gazetteer; Identification: identifiedBy: E. R. Hart; dateIdentified: 1972; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: BMNH Type status: Allolectotype. Occurrence: occurrenceRemarks: Allolectotype of Zelusnigromaculatus Champion, 1898 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016) Verbatim label info: B.C.A.Rhyn.II. Zelusnigromaculatus Ch. / Bugaba, 800-1,500 ft. Champion. / Allolectotype Zelusnigromaculatus Champion des. by E.R. Hart; recordedBy: G.C. Champion; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusnigromaculatus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Champion, 1899; Location: country: PANAMA; stateProvince: Chiriqui; locality: Bugaba ; verbatimElevation: 457 m; decimalLatitude: 8.4833; decimalLongitude: -82.6167; georeferenceSources: Gazetteer; Identification: identifiedBy: E. R. Hart; dateIdentified: 1972; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: BMNH

Description

Figs 144, 145, 146

Male: (Fig. 144a, b) Medium-sized; slender. COLORATION: Mixed yellow and dark brown; ventral surfaces mostly yellow, dorsal pattern variable; some specimens wasp-like. VESTITURE: Sparsely setose. Dorsum of head with moderately dense, short, recumbent setae and sparse, short, erect, somewhat spine-like setae; ventral surface with moderately dense, short, recumbent setae and few moderately long, erect, fine setae. Pronotum with sparse, short, erect setae on dorsal surface, some setae curved apically, appearing recumbent; moderately dense, short to moderately long, recumbent setae on lateral surface and pleura, intermixed with semi-erect or erect setae. Legs with sparse setation on femora and moderately dense setation on tibiae. Corium and clavus with short, recumbent setae. STRUCTURE: Head: Cylindrical. 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 attaining postocular transverse groove, ventral margin removed from ventral surface of head in lateral view. Labium: I: II: III = 1: 1.7: 0.4. Basiflagellomere diameter larger than that of pedicel. Thorax: Anterolateral angle bearing small projection; medial longitudinal sulcus evident throughout, deepening posteriorly. Posterior pronotal lobe with rugulose surface; disc distinctly elevated above humeral angle; humeral angle armed, with spinous processes. 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 and slender; Cu and M of cubital cell subparallel. GENITALIA: (Fig. 145) Pygophore: ovoid, not laterally expanded. Medial process cylindrical, slender; very long, much longer than paramere; laterally slightly compressed towards apex; semi-erect; straight; apex in posterior view acute, with small hooklike projection. Paramere: Cylindrical; relatively long, not reaching medial process; directed posteriad; slight bending at base; apical part very slightly enlarged. Phallus: Dorsal phallothecal sclerite somewhat shield-shaped; laterally with anteriorly directed small process; apical portion of phallothecal sclerite gradually tapering, apex rounded, medially slightly emarginate; posterior margin of foramen broadly V-shaped. Struts attached to dorsal phallothecal sclerite; apically separate, basally fused. Basal plate arms robust, fused; bridge extremely short; extension of basal plate well developed, greatly expanded laterally onto arm, covering more than 1/2 of arm.

Female: (Fig. 144c, d) Similar to male. Total length 16.46 mm (n=1, Suppl. material 2).

Diagnosis

Recognized by the conspicuous black and yellow color pattern, resembling vespid wasp; and the meso- and metafemora with at least three dark bands three yellow bands. Among males of the Zelus panamensis group (Fig. 12), Z. nigromaculatus has the shortest paramere and the longest medial process and the medial process is the most erect in this species group.

Distribution

Central America (Fig. 146). Countries with records: Costa Rica and Panama.