Zelus inconstans 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 inconstans Champion, 1899

Zelus inconstans Champion, 1898, p. 254-255, Tab. XV., fig. 13, orig. descr. and fig.; Wygodzinsky, 1947, p. 43, note; Wygodzinsky, 1949a, p. 49, checklist; Maldonado, 1990, p. 328, cat.

Materials

Type status: Lectotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00048756 ; occurrenceRemarks: Lectotype of Zelusinconstans Champion, 1898 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016). Verbatim label info: Type / B.C.A.Rhyn.II. Zelusinconstans Ch. / Sp. figured. / Bugaba, Panama. Champion. / Lectotype Zelusinconstans Champion des. by E.R. Hart/Lectotype Zelusinconstans Champion, 1898 designated and published by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch (2016); recordedBy: G.C. Champion; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusinconstans; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Champion, 1899; Location: country: PANAMA; stateProvince: Chiriqui; locality: Bugaba ; decimalLatitude: 8.4833; decimalLongitude: -82.6167; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: BMNH Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: occurrenceRemarks: Paralectotype of Zelusinconstans Champion, 1898 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016). Verbatim label info: Type / B.C.A.Rhyn.II. Zelusinconstans Ch. / Bugaba, Panama. Champion. / Paralectotype Zelusinconstans Champion des. by E.R. Hart/Lectotype Zelusinconstans Champion, 1898 designated and published by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch (2016); recordedBy: G.C. Champion; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusinconstans; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Champion, 1899; Location: country: PANAMA; stateProvince: Chiriqui; locality: Bugaba ; decimalLatitude: 8.4833; decimalLongitude: -82.6167; Identification: identifiedBy: Hart; dateIdentified: 1972; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: BMNH Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: occurrenceRemarks: Paralectotype of Zelusinconstans Champion, 1898 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016). Verbatim label info: Type / B.C.A.Rhyn.II. Zelusinconstans Ch. / Bugaba, Panama. Champion. / Paralectotype Zelusinconstans Champion des. by E.R. Hart / Lectotype Zelusinconstans Champion, 1898 designated and published by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch (2016); recordedBy: G.C. Champion; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusinconstans; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Champion, 1899; Location: country: PANAMA; stateProvince: Chiriqui; locality: Bugaba ; decimalLatitude: 8.4833; decimalLongitude: -82.6167; Identification: identifiedBy: Hart; dateIdentified: 1972; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: BMNH

Description

Figs 100, 101, 102

Male: (Fig. 100a, b) Small, total length 10.05-12.70 mm (mean 11.42 mm, Suppl. material 2); slender. COLORATION: Head dark brown to brownish-black with yellowish-brown ventral surface, yellowish-brown areas lateroventrally behind compound eyes and mid-dorsally between ocellus. Anterior pronotal lobe yellowish-brown to brownish-black with posterior lateroventral surface light brown. Posterior lobe reddish-brown to dark brown dorsally but lighter than anterior lobe, light brown laterally. Meso- and metathorax light brown. Scutellum light brown, apex yellowish-brown. Coxae and trochanters dark brown to brownish-black, femora yellowish-brown to light brown with two-four darker brown bands, apex brownish-black, tibiae dark brown. Hemelytron dark brown. Dorsum of abdomen light brown anteriorly to dark brown at apex, lateral and ventral surfaces light brown. Pygophore brown, darker posteriorly. VESTITURE: Sparsely setose. Short recumbent and erect setae over surface of head. Anterior pronotal lobe with sparse short erect setae dorsally confined to vestigial setal tracts, dense recumbent and erect setae laterally, some anterolateral setae quite long. Posterior lobe with short erect and recumbent setae over surface. Scutellum with semi-erect to erect setae. Short recumbent setae over clavus and corium, some erect setae on veins. Short erect setae dorsally on abdomen, short recumbent and short to moderate erect setae over remainder of surface. Exposed surface of pygophore with short to long erect setae. STRUCTURE: Head: Cylindrical, L/W = 2.04. Postocular lobe long; somewhat abruptly constricted in posterior half. Eye moderately sized. Ocellus prominent. Labium: I: II: III = 1: 1.9: 0.5. Basiflagellomere diameter larger than that of pedicel. Thorax: Anterolateral angle of collar rounded to subtuberculate; medial longitudinal sulcus shallow near collar, deepening posteriorly. Posterior pronotal lobe with rugulose surface; disc distinctly elevated above humeral angle; humeral angle rounded. Scutellum moderately long; apex angulate. Legs: Slender. Pro- and metafemoral diameters subequal, mesofemora slightly larger. Hemelytron: Slightly surpassing apex of abdomen, not more than length of abdominal segment seven; quadrate cell small; Cu and M of cubital cell subparallel. GENITALIA: (Fig. 101) Pygophore: Elongate ovoid. Medial process broad; short; semi-erect; apex strongly folded posteriorly and ventrally. Paramere: Cylindrical; not reaching apex of medial process; directed posteriad, slightly curved towards medial process; apex strongly curved dorsad, nearly vertical; apical part not enlarged. Phallus: Dorsal phallothecal sclerite semi-cylindrical, sharp fold running obliquely from middle of margin to about 3/4 distance to foramen, apical portion of phallothecal sclerite gradually tapering, apex convex, laterally rounded, not forming angle; posterior margin of foramen broadly concave. Struts basally attached to dorsal phallothecal sclerite; poorly sclerotized and not readily evident beyond base. Basal plate arm robust; basally briefly fused; bridge short; extension of basal plate heavily sclerotized, extending well onto lateral margins of arms.

Female: (Fig. 100c, d) Similar to male, except for the following. Larger than male, total length 10.38-12.12 mm (mean 11.36 mm, Suppl. material 2). Posterior pronotal lobe orangish-brown.

Diagnosis

The humeral angle rounded and the pronotum lacking conspicuous spine-like setae are diagnostic of this species. Most other species with unarmed humeral angle also have spine-like setae on pronotum and are in the Zelus longipes species group. Males can also be recognized by the paramere apically greatly projected dorsad (Fig. 101a), nearly 90 degree; and the apex of the medial process folded posteriorly and ventrally. Very similar to Z. mimus , but the medial process is much shorter and broader.

Distribution

Southern Central America and northern South America (Fig. 102). Countries with records: Colombia, Panama and Peru.

Taxon discussion

Coloration variations are mainly seen on the pronotum. The two males from Panama show similar coloration, the central 1/3 of the pronotum being lighter than the margins. The Colombian male, however, has a nearly unicolorous pronotum. The females from Panama have pronotal coloration ranging from reddish-brown to brown, the lighter color apparently being more common. The single female from Colombia has the lighter pronotum while that of the Peruvian specimen is dark brown. The lectotype and two paralectotypes exhibit the lighter coloration. The banding patterns of the legs appear to be somewhat variable in Panama, the only area from which several specimens are available for comparison.