Apiomerus arnaui Costa Lima, Seabra & Hathaway, 1951

Gil-Santana, Hélcio R. & Forero, Dimitri, 2010, Taxonomical and biological notes on Neotropical Apiomerini (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae), Zootaxa 2331, pp. 57-68 : 58-60

Apiomerus arnaui Costa Lima, Seabra & Hathaway, 1951

( Fig. 3 ).

Discussion: Apiomerus arnaui ( Fig. 3 ) was described from Argentina ( Costa Lima et al., 1951). Costa Lima et al. (1952) described a subspecies, A. arnaui nigromarginatus Costa Lima, Seabra & Hathaway, 1952 from Argentina and Paraguay. Carcavallo et al. (1964) described A. arnaui fulvomarginatus Carcavallo, Martínez & Prosen, 1964 from Argentina and Bolivia, and furnished a key to the three subspecies. These subspecies are differentiated from each other by the coloration of the posterior lobe of pronotum: if completely yellow ( A. arnaui arnaui ), black with a narrow yellow stripe on its posterior margin ( A. arnaui fulvomarginatus ), or yellow with a wide black stripe on its posterior margin ( A. arnaui nigromarginatus ) ( Carcavallo et al. 1964). Carcavallo et al. (1964) mentioned that the pygophore and aedeagus were similar in the three subspecies, what might be interpreted as simple color variation within a same single species. Future studies of the male and female genitalia of the three subspecies might show that the three subspecies are in fact synonyms.

Distribution: Maldonado (1990) erroneously cited A. arnaui as described from Brazil, without mentioning Argentina and Paraguay. As far as we are aware, A. arnaui has not been recorded from Brazil, therefore, this is the first record from this country.

Specimen examined: BRAZIL, 1 female, Minas Gerais, Corinto, 02-14-IV-1979, C. Elias leg., (212216), [DZUP].

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. 1 – 2. Agriocleptes bahianus, female; 1. dorsal view; 2. lateral view. 3. Apiomerus arnaui, female, dorsal view. 4 – 8. Apiomerus evanidus; 4 – 7. dorsal view; 4 – 5. females; 6 – 7. males; 8. posterior view of abdomen: A. female; B. male.