Montina distincta ( Stål, 1859 )

Mejía-Soto, Andrés, Forero, Dimitri & Wolff, Marta, 2022, Taxonomic revision of Montina (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) from Colombia with description of three new species, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 62 (2), pp. 325-381 : 340-342

Montina distincta ( Stål, 1859)

( Figs 9 ; 10 ; 24D ; 26D ; 28D ; 30 ; 40 )

Ploeogaster distinctus Stål, 1859: 198 (new species).

Ploeogaster distinctus: WALKER (1873) : 93 (checklist).

Aristippus distinctus: STÂL (1868) : 99 (key, new generic placement).

Montina (Aristippus) distincta: STÂL (1872) : 74 (checklist, new generic placement, Aristippus as subgenus).

Montina distincta: LETHIERRY & SEVERIN (1896) : 195 (catalog); MALDONADO (1990): 234 (catalog).

Type locality. Brazil, Pará.

Type material. LECTOTYPE (here designated): [ BRAZIL – PARA]: 1 ♂, (GREEN LABEL) “PARA” / “ distinctus Stål ” / 2566 / (red label) Typus / Lectotype Ploeogaster distinctus Stål, 1859 Desig. by A. Mejía-Soto & D. Forero ( ZMHB). PARALECTOTYPES: BRAZIL: 1 ♀, (green label) “Brazil. Coll. Germ. ” / “distinctus ♀ Stål” / 8227 / (red label) “Allo-” Typus (ZMHB). PARA: 1 ♀, (green label) “Pará Sieber” / “2564” / “* Ploeogaster testaceus ” (sic) ♀ Paratypus Stål” (red label) Paratypus ( ZMHB) . [UNKNOWN]: 1 ♂, “distinctus !! Stål” / M. Berl / (red label) Paratypus / (red label) 380 “82” / NHRS-GULI 000000606 ( NHRS); 1♂, “* Ploeogaster distinctus Paratypus Stal” / (red label) Paratypus ( ZMHB).

Other specimens examined. COLOMBIA: AMAZONAS: 1 ♂, Leticia, comunidad indígena Monifue Amena, Km 9,8 vía Leticia-Tarapacá; [04.1416°S 69.9232°W]; 70 m; 2 Oct 2009; M. Cubillos, M. Gamba leg.; MPUJ _ENT0058490 ( MPUJ). CAQUETǠ: 1 ♀, Florencia; 22 Ene 1969; I. Zenner leg.; CTNI No. 2541 ( CTNI). CUNDINAMARCA: 1 ♀, La Vega, vereda El Volcán; 1600 m; 28 Mar 2002; N. Ulba leg.; vegetación baja; UNAB No. 4861 ( UNAB); 1♀, Cáqueza; 4°24′30″N, 73°56′50″W; 1740 m; 10 Sep 1994; W. Valero leg.; UNAB No. 4861 ( UNAB). META: 1 ♂, La Macarena; 2°10′54.185″N, 73°47′11.22″W; 28 Mar 1997; C. Santana leg.; UNAB No. 4861 ( UNAB); 1 ♀, Puerto López; 2 Nov; L.E. Aguirre leg.; ICN 029913 ( ICN); 1 ♀, Puerto López; 85 m; Oct 194?; F. Gallego leg.; MEFLG 7277 ( MEFLG); 1 ♂, Puerto López, Cafam; 9 Sep 1991; C. Jímenez leg.; MPUJ _ENT0058529 ( MPUJ); 1 ♀, Puerto López, Remolinos; 300 m; 19 Mar 1993; [colecta] manual; MPUJ _ENT0058509 ( MPUJ); 1 ♀, Puerto López, Remolinos, Centro Cafam Llanos, ~ 55km W Puerto Gaitán; 04.2751°N 72.5408°W; 165 m; A. Guillen leg.; MPUJ _ENT0058527 ( MPUJ); 1 ♀, Remolinos; 300 m; 20 Mar 1993; J. Gary leg.; MPUJ _ENT0058515 ( MPUJ); 1 ♀, Remolinos; 390 m; 19 Mar 1993; MPUJ _ENT0058509 ( MPUJ); 1 adult, sex not determined; San Juan de Arama, PNN [Parque Nacional Naural] La Macarena, vereda Monserrate; Nov 1989; ICN 027664 ( ICN); 1 ♀, San Juan de Arama; 3°22′, 73°52′W; 450 m; 24 Mar 1997; S. Henríquez leg.; UNAB No. 4861 ( UNAB); 1 ♂ 1 ♀, San Martín, Finca [el] Caduceo, cerca al río Camoa; 400 m; 14 May 2006; C. Sánchez leg.; jama [insect net] ( ICN); 1 ♀, San Martín, vereda Puerto Castro, Finca Hato; 11 Dic 2001; J. Ramírez leg.; MPUJ _ENT0058580 ( MPUJ); 1 ♂, San Martín; 3°42′N, 73°42′W; 419 m; 17 Ene 1997; O. Fuentes leg.; UNAB No. 4861 ( UNAB); 2 ♀♀, Villavicencio; 4°09′N, 73°39′W; 467 m; 12 Nov 1992; R. Marisol leg.; UNAB No. 4861 ( UNAB); 1♀, same data; 13 Oct 1994; D. Aponte leg.; UNAB No. 4861 ( UNAB); 1 ♀, Villavicencio, Km 20 Vía Puerto López, Hacienda San Antonio; 1 Dic 2003; M.Turgeman leg.; MPUJ _ENT0058601 ( MPUJ); 1 ♂, same data; 15 Nov 2003; A. Robayo leg.; MPUJ _ENT0058528 ( MPUJ). VICHADA: 1♀, Puerto Carreño,Finca La Morena; 6°12′N, 67°23′W; 90 m; 26 Sep 1998; J. Herrera,M.Martínez leg.; UNAB No. 4861 ( UNAB).

Diagnosis. Total length, female 20.5–21.8 mm (n = 4), male 14.3–14.6 mm (n = 4). General coloration light brown ( Figs 9B, D ), sometimes pronotum dark brown ( Fig. 31B ); membrane translucent yellow; reduced anterolateral pronotal angles ( Figs 9B, D ); discal tubercle of the anterior pronotal lobe conical and small in males ( Fig. 9F ), thick, subconical, directed anteriad in females ( Fig. 9E ); apex of corium usually red ( Fig. 9B ); margin of connexivum almost straight, never lobed ( Figs 9A, C ); females with ventral laterotergites with a dorsal, broad, pale yellow band contrasting with the black ventral area ( Fig. 9C ), males similar but usually with the black band reaching the dorsal margin on segments 4–5 ( Fig. 9A ).

Variation. Two characters are sexually dimorphic in M. distincta , the coloration and structure of the connexivum. The dark band on the ventral laterotergites in females usually covers the lower half of segments 2–6 and part of 7 ( Fig. 9C ), whereas in males this dark band resembles a semicircle that covers most of segments 4 and 5 but only a small part of segments 3 and 6 ( Figs 9A ). The posterior margin of each of the connexival segment has a blunt process, these are more conspicuous in segments 2–6 in males, whereas in females they are more conspicuous in segments 2–5.

Differential diagnosis. Montina distincta is similar in coloration to M. fumosa and M. tikuna sp. nov. but can be easily distinguished by having a shorter total length and by the contrasting black band on the ventral laterotergites ( Figs 9A, C ), whereas in M. tikuna sp. nov. the ventral laterotergites are uniformly black ( Fig. 23A ) and in M. fumosa the ventral laterotergites are uniformly dark brown, both without a conspicuous contrasting pattern ( Figs 11A, C ).

Distribution. Brazil, French Guiana ( MALDONADO 1990; STÂL 1859, 1868), and Colombia (Amazonas, Caquetá, Cundinamarca, Meta, and Vichada), with records between 90–1500 m ( Fig. 40 ).

Remark on types. When describing M. distincta, STÂL (1859) indicated that he had examined a male from “Mus. Berol.” (ZMHB). We found several specimens that we consider syntypes in both ZMHB and NHRS. We have designated a male in good condition from ZMHB as the lectotype which bears a “Para” label ( Fig. 31 ). We have selected this male because it is from the ZMHB collection, agreeing with the original description ( STÂL 1859), and has a label that although not directly indicating Brazil, it fits Stål’s note of “Brasilia?” because Pará is a large Brazilian state in Amazon region. The lectotype differs from most of the examined specimens on the dorsal extension of the dark marking on the ventral laterotergites. In the lectotype the dark marking extends only slightly dorsally on segments 4 and 5, whereas in most examined males the dark marking reaches the dorsal margin of the ventral laterotergites. Similarly, one female paralectotype has the black marking completely covering the ventral laterotergites on segments 2, 3 and part of 4. This suggests that the dark marking is variable in its extension on the ventral laterotergites, but the presence of a dark marking strongly contrasting with a dorsal pale area is common to all examined specimens, and thus, of specific value. We are considering one of the paralectotype specimens to belong here although it bears an identification label of “ Ploeogaster testaceus ”. As discussed below under M. testacea , that specimen was likely mislabeled for curatorial purposes, and because it fits all the diagnostic characters of M. distincta , we are considering it as a paralectotype of this species.

Figures

Fig. 9. Montina distincta (Stål, 1859). A – male, lateral view; B – male, dorsal view; C – female, lateral view; D – female, dorsal view; E – pronotum, female, lateral left view; F – pronotum, male, lateral left view. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Fig. 10. Montina distincta (Stål, 1859), male genitalia. A – pygophore, dorsal view; B – pygophore, lateral right view; C – pygophore, caudal view; D – phallus, ventral view; E – phallus, lateral right view; F – phallus, dorsal view. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Fig. 24. Montina spp., external female genitalia, ventral view. A – M. fumosa (Stål, 1867); B – M. calarca Mejía-Soto & Forero sp. nov.; C – M. confusa (Stål, 1859); D – M. distincta (Stål, 1859). Abbreviations: am – anterior margin of gonocoxa 8, dp – distal portion of syntergite 9/10, gpl – gonoplac, mm – medial margin of gonocoxa 8, pom – posterior margin of gonocoxa 8, syn – syntergite 9/10, red arrow – emargination of gonocoxa 8 in the distal portion of the posterior margin. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Fig. 26. Montina spp., bursa copulatrix, dorsal view. A – M. fumosa (Stål, 1867); B – M. calarca Mejía-Soto & Forero sp. nov.; C – M. confusa (Stål, 1859); D – M. distincta (Stål, 1859). Abbreviations: lbs – lateral lobes of bursa; pse – pseudospermathecae; sug – subrectal glands. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Fig. 28. Montina spp., detail of the anterior portion of the bursa copulatrix, dorsal view.A – M. fumosa (Stål, 1867); B – M. calarca Mejía-Soto & Forero sp. nov.; C – M. confusa (Stål, 1859); D – M. distincta (Stål, 1859). Abbreviations: mov – median oviduct, pse – pseudospermathecae, usp – U-shaped sclerotization. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Fig. 30. Female lectotype of Ploeogaster confusus Stål, 1859 [now Montina confusa (Stål, 1859)], deposited at ZMHB. A – dorsal view; B – lateral view; C – labels. Scale bar: 10 mm.

Fig. 40. Distribution map of Montina calarca Mejía-Soto & Forero sp. nov., M. confusa (Stål, 1859), and M. distincta (Stål, 1859) in Colombia.

Fig. 31. Male lectotype of Ploeogaster distinctus Stål, 1859 [now Montina distincta (Stål, 1859)], deposited at ZMHB. A – lateral left view; B – dorsal view; C – labels. Scale bar: 10 mm.

Fig. 23. Montina tikuna Mejía-Soto & Forero sp. nov., female holotype.A – lateral view. B – dorsal view. C – pronotum, lateral left view. D – head, dorsal view. E – abdomen, lateral right view. F – detail of the vestiture of the abdomen on sternites and ventral laterotergites. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Fig. 11. Montina fumosa (Stål, 1867). A – male, lateral view; B – male, dorsal view; C – female, lateral view; D – female, dorsal view; E – pronotum, male, lateral left view; F – scutellum. Scale bar: 1 mm.