Empicoris rubromaculatus (Blackburn 1899)

Tatarnic, Nikolai J. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2011, The thread-legged bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae) of Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands, Zootaxa 2967, pp. 21-43 : 35

Empicoris rubromaculatus (Blackburn 1899)

Ploiariodes rubromaculatus Blackburn 1889: 349 (new species).

Ploiarioides euryale Krikaldy 1908b: 372 (new species); McAtee & Malloch 1922: 85 (synonymy). Ploiarioides californica Banks 1909: 46 (new species); McAtee & Malloch 1925: 17 (synonymy). Ploiariola scotti Distant 1913: 163 (new species); Wygodzinsky 1966: 383 (synonymy). Ploiariola froggatti Horváth 1914: 643 (new species); McAtee & Malloch 1925: 17 (synonymy). Ploiariola sagax Horváth 1914: 642 (new species); Wygodzinsky 1966: 383 (synonymy). Empicoris rubromaculatus McAtee & Malloch 1925: 16 (new combination).

Empicoris rubromaculatus obsoletus McAtee and Malloch, 1926: 132 .

Empicoris tingitanus Dispons 1955: 174 (new species); Wygodzinsky 1966: 383 (synonymy). Empicoris microcephalus Villiers 1960: 28 (new species); Wygodzinsky 1966: 383 (synonymy).

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished by a combination of characters: the much-reduced lateral pronotal carina, which are restricted to the anterior extremities of the posterior lobe; the mottled forewing colouration, with dark markings broken by a network of white areas; the deeply emarginated posterior process of the pygophore; and often by red tinting of the pterostigma.

Specimens examined. No specimens of this species have been observed from Lord Howe Island in the present survey, though we have observed numerous mainland examples (see Tatarnic et al. 2011).

Remarks. Empicoris rubromaculatus is cosmopolitan in distribution. In Australia it is known from northern New South Wales, eastern Queensland, and both Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands.