Zelus laticornis (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1853)

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 laticornis (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1853)

Euagoras laticornis Herrich-Schaeffer, 1853, p. 123, Tab. CCCIX. Fig. C, orig. descr. and fig.

Zelus laticornis : Stål, 1872, p. 92, cat.; Lethierry and Severin, 1896, p. 152, cat.; Wygodzinsky, l949a, p. 49, checklist; Maldonado, 1990, p. 328, cat.

Darbanus laticornis : Walker, 1873, p. 127, cat.

Zelus formosus Haviland, 1931, p. 137, 151-152, list and orig. descr. (subgenus Diplodus ); Wygodzinsky, 1949a, p. 49, checklist; Maldonado, 1990, p. 327, cat. syn. nov. (current study).

Zelus tristis Haviland, 1931, p. 137, 154, list and orig. descr. (subgenus Diplodus ); Wygodzinsky, 1949a, p. 50, checklist; Maldonado, 1990, p. 331, cat. syn. nov. (current study).

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00048764 ; occurrenceRemarks: Holotype of Zelusformosus Haviland, 1931, junior syonym of Zeluslaticornis (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1853) Verbatim label info: Type / [blue label, no content] / Kartabo, Brit. Guiana August 1922 e coll.M.D. Haviland d.d.Collegium Newnhamense / Pres. by Mrs Brindley. B.M.1928-172. / Zelusformosus Haviland / Holotype / Zeluslaticornis (Herrich-Schaeffer) det. E.R.Hart 1972; recordedBy: M.D. Haviland; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zeluslaticornis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1853); Location: country: GUYANA; stateProvince: Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region; locality: Kartabo, British Guiana ; decimalLatitude: 6.384; decimalLongitude: -58.695; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: eventDate: 1922-08-01; Record Level: institutionCode: BMNH

Description

Figs 115, 116, 117

Male: (Fig. 115a, b, c, d) Small, total length 9.94-11.44 mm (mean 10.82 mm, Suppl. material 2); slender. COLORATION: Head mostly yellowish; some specimens with sub-medial stripes on anteocular lobe; variable brown areas on dorsal surface of postocular lobe, anteriorly broad, narrowing and fusing posteriorly, medially separated by yellowish stripe. Anterior pronotal lobe dark brown; posterior lobe variable, dark brown, orange, or medially and laterally yellowish-brown; pleura brown, mixed with yellow parts. Proportion of dark brown and yellow on posterior pronotal lobe variable, some specimens entirely dark and some entirely yellowish or orange. Scutellum broadly medially yellowish, lateral parts dark brown, some specimens nearly entirely dark or yellowish. Hemelytron uniformly dark brown, corium in some specimens yellowish. Profemur and protibia dark brown, sometimes with single inconspicuous yellowish band; meso and metafemora dark brown, with two or three yellow bands, sometimes basal band rather broad; meso- and meta-tibiae usually dark brown with single yellow band. VESTITURE: Moderately setose. Body surface with mostly short, recumbent setae, erect setae sparse. STRUCTURE: Head: Cylindrical, L/W = 2.24. Postocular lobe long; in dorsal view anteriorly gradually narrowing, posterior portion constant, slightly narrower. Eye moderately sized; lateral margin much wider than postocular lobe; dorsal and ventral margins removed from surfaces of head. Labium: I: II: III = 1: 1.8: 0.5. Basiflagellomere diameter slightly larger than that of pedicel. Thorax: Anterolateral angle bearing small projection; medial longitudinal sulcus evident only on posterior 1/2, deepening anterior to transverse sulcus of pronotum. Posterior pronotal lobe with rugulose surface; disc distinctly elevated above humeral angle; humeral angle armed, with dentate projection. Scutellum moderately long; apex angulate, slightly projected upward in some specimens. Legs: Moderately robust. Hemelytron: Slightly surpassing apex of abdomen, not more than length of abdominal segment seven; quadrate cell large and broad; Cu and M of cubital cell converging towards R. GENITALIA: (Fig. 116) Pygophore: Ovoid; slightly expanded laterally near base of paramere in dorsal view. Medial process pentagonal; moderately long; anteroposteriorly compressed; erect; straight; apex in posterior view angulate, subapical transverse hooklike bridge. Paramere: Cylindrical; short, not reaching apex of medial process; directed posteriad; basally slightly narrower; nearly straight; apical part not enlarged. Phallus: Dorsal phallothecal sclerite somewhat squarish; lateral small blade-like heavy sclerotization continuous from basal arm; apical portion of phallothecal sclerite not distinctly tapered, flat; apex truncate; posterior margin of foramen deeply concave. Struts attached to dorsal phallothecal sclerite; apically separate, connected by bridge; basally almost completely fused. Basal plate arm robust; separate; diverging; in lateral view severely curved, nearly semi-circular; bridge long; extension of basal plate expanded onto arm.

Female: (Fig. 115e, f) Different from male as outlined below. Larger than male, total length 12.38-14.14 mm (mean 13.67 mm, Suppl. material 2). Head, dorsum of pronotum and corium reddish orange, entirety or portion of posterior pronotal lobe dark brown in some specimens; membrane dark brown; lateral surface of pronotum, pleura and abdomen yellowish, with dark stripes; legs reddish, with dark bands. Hemelytron attaining apex of abdomen.

Diagnosis

The strongly convex pronotum distinguishes this species from most other species of the genus. The males can be distinguished by the relatively small size (mean 10.82 mm); the dorsum of the posterior pronotal lobe usually with lighter colored, pale brown, with medial stripe; the broad, pentagonal, apically angulate medial process; the short, blade-like process on dorsal phallothecal sclerite; and the ridge mesad to the blade-like process. In females the head, pronotum and corium are usually orangish-brown to reddish.

Distribution

Southern Central America (Panama) and South America (Fig. 117). Countries with records: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.

Taxon discussion

The type material of Z. laticornis (under the name Euagoras laticornis ) was destroyed during World War II. The female holotype of Zelus formosus Haviland, 1931 is deposited in the Natural History Museum, London.