Anisoscelis (Bitta) alipes Guérin-Méneville

Brailovsky, Harry, 2016, The genus Anisoscelis Latreille (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Coreidae: Coreinae: Anisoscelini): new species, taxonomical arrangements, distributional records and key, Zootaxa 4144 (2), pp. 195-210 : 202-204

Anisoscelis (Bitta) alipes Guérin-Méneville

( Figs. 9–10 , 23 )

Anisoscelis alipes Guérin-Méneville, 1831: 75 .

Anisoscelis flavolineatus Blanchard, 1849: 21 , pl. 6. Nov. syn.

Diagnosis. Head pale yellow; pronotum tricolored, with posterolateral and posterior border yellow, a narrow black transverse band between humeri, the rest pale to dark orange; scutellum black with lateral margins, middle longitudinal stripe and apex yellow; clavus and corium dark reddish brown to black with claval and corial veins, costal border and apical margin pale yellow; hemelytral membrane dark brown; connexivum dark brown to black, outer border yellow; dorsal abdominal segments dark brown, anterior border and irregular spots lateral to midline yellow; antennal segment I black, inner surface yellow, segments II–IV black; labial segments (apex of IV brown) pale yellowish orange; coxae pale yellow; trochanters pale yellow with two black longitudinal stripes; femora pale yellow with two complete black longitudinal stripes; fore and middle tibiae yellow with two complete longitudinal stripes; hind tibiae with inner expansion dark reddish with distal border black and proximal angle and middle fourth pale orange; outer expansion dark reddish with proximal and distal third dark to pale yellow and middle third with transverse dark to pale yellow stripe plus 5 to 8 irregular black spots; tarsi pale yellow. Labium nearly reaching posterior margin of abdominal sternite III; humeral angles subacute, directed backwards. Parameres. Figs. 9–10 .

Notes. Anisoscelis (Bitta) alipes Guérin-Méneville (1831) was described from México without any specific locality and has been an enigma and several authors just mention the name on general papers or catalogues ( Packauskas 2010). The species was nicely described and illustrated and is closely related to A. (Bitta) flavolineata Blanchard (1849) which was cited from Colombia, Panama and Venezuela and also nicely illustrated. Both species match on all characters including the posterior lobe of pronotum tricolored with posterolateral borders and posterior border yellow, a black transverse band between humeri,, and the rest dark orange; clavus and corium black with claval, corial veins, costal, apical margins and head dorsally yellow. Due to these strong similarities A. (B.) flavolineatus is here considered a junior synonym of A. (B.) alipes .

Having examined and collected extensive Mexican material of Anisoscelis spp., in several localities, I have never found a single specimen of A. (Bitta) alipes , I therefore consider the original data being a result of a mistaken label.

Distribution. Colombia: Bogotá, Cauca, and Nova Granada. México (erroneous locality). Panama. Venezuela. ( Stål 1870, Distant 1881, Blöte 1936, Froeschner 1999, Packauskas 2010)

Material examined. New records. Colombia: 1 female, Valle, Rio Anchicaya , 400 m, 18-IX-1976, leg. Beil, Bread & Michener ( UKS) ; 1 male, Puerto Boyaca, Vereda El Pescado , I-1969 (without collector) ( UNAM) ; 1 male, Cundinamarca, Colegio , 5-V-1994, leg. L. E. Forero ( UNAM) ; 1 female, Antioquia, San Pedro de Uraba, 450 m, 8°16’56’’N –76°21’38’’W, 1-VII-1982 (without collector) (ICN); 1 female, Villavicencio , 12 -IX-1983, leg. G. Andrade ( ICN) ; 1 male, 2 females, Valle del Cauca, Buena Ventura , IX-1970, leg. A. Figueroa ( UNAM) . Costa Rica: 2 males, Provincia Puntarenas, Osa, Peninsula Corcovado , VII-1977, leg. L. E. Gilbert ( UNAM) ; 1 female, Limon, Reserva Biologica Hitoy-Cerere, Rio Cerere , 90 m, 23–24-III-1987, leg. Holzenthal ( UMSP) ; 1 female, Puntarenas, Parque Nacional Corcovado, Estación Serena, Rio Camaronal , 30 m, 13 -IV-1989, leg. Holzenthal & Blahnir ( UMSP) ; 1 male, Guapiles , 8-XII-1977 (without collector) ( TAMU) ; 3 males, 1 female, Provincia Puntarenas, Estación Sirena, Parque Nacional Corcovado , 0–100 m, 21-III-21-IV-1992, leg. Z. Fuentes & G.

Rodriguez (INBIO); 1 female, Provincia Guanacaste, Finca Jenny. 30 km N of Liberia, X-1988, leg. GNB Biol. Survey ( INBIO) ; 1 female, Heredia Prov., La Selva Biological Station , 3 km S Puerto Viejo, 10°26’N –84°01’W, 15-IV-1989, leg. H. A. Hespenheide (UNAM); 2 males, 1 female, Provincia Puntarenas, Sirena, Corcovado National Park , 0–100 m, IV-1989, leg. R. Blanca & G. Fonseca ( INBIO) . Ecuador: 1 male, Esmeralda, Mayronga , on Passiflora macrophyla , 300 m, 25-X-1983, leg. G. Onore ( PUCE) ; 1 female, Los Rios-Palenque , 11-IX-1984, leg. S. Leon ( PUCE) . Panama: 1 male, Barro Colorado Island, Canal Zone , on Passiflora quadrangularis , IV-1930, leg. J. Zetek ( USNM) ; 1 male, Panama Prov., km 8–13 El Llano, Carti Rd , 10–13-V-1996, leg. Wappes, Huether & Morris ( FSCA) ; 1 female, Panama Prov., 8–10 km NE El Llano , 24-V- 2-VI-1992, leg. E. Gisbert ( UNAM) ; 1 female, Parque Nacional Corcovado, Estación Sirena , 6–8-II-1981, leg. H. Brailovsky & E. Barrera ( UNAM) ; 1 male, Cerro Canajagua , Los Santos, 800 m, 4-I-1981, leg. T. H. Atkinson ( UNAM) .

Biological notes. Here cited on Passiflora macrophylla Spruce ex Mast , and Passiflora quadrangularis Linneus

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Figures

FIGURES 7 – 12. Parameres of Anisoscelis (Bitta) spp., in two views. 7 – 8, A. (B.) affinis Westwood. 9 – 10, A. (B.) alipes Guérin-Méneville. 11 – 12, A. (B.) gradadius Distant.

FIGURES 23 – 26. Dorsal view of Anisoscelis (Bitta) spp. 23, A. (B.) alipes Guérin-Méneville (male). 24, A. (B.) gradadius Distant (female). 25, A. (B.) hymenipherus Westwood (male). 26, A. (B.) podalicus Brailovsky & Mayorga (male).