Empicoris errabundus ( Say, 1832 )

Melo, María Cecilia, Faúndez, Eduardo Iván, Ilpla, Conicet, Unlp & Cebc, 2011, Synopsis of the genus Empicoris (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) in Chile, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 51 (1), pp. 11-20 : 12-13

Empicoris errabundus ( Say, 1832)

( Figs. 2 , 5 )

Ploiaria errabunda Say, 1832: 34 . USA. Ploiariola errabunda: VAN DUZEE (1916: 27) . Ploiariodes errabunda: MCATEE & MALLOCH (1922: 95) . Empicoris errabundus: MCATEE & MALLOCH (1925: 24) ; WYGODZINSKY (1949: 27); WYGODZINSKY (1966: 373);

MALDONADO CAPRILES (1990: 148); GIL- SANTANA et al. (2005: 140). Ploiariodes tuberculata Banks, 1909: 46 .

Ploiariola tuberculata: VAN DUZEE (1916: 27) .

Empicoris reticulatus McAtee & Malloch, 1925: 20 .

Empicoris orthoneuron McAtee & Malloch, 1925: 18 .

Empicoris orthoneuron: WYGODZINSKY (1949: 27) ; WYGODZINSKY (1966: 381–382); MALDONADO CAPRILES (1990: 149); GIL- SANTANA et al. (2005: 140).

Material examined. CHILE: MAULE REGION: 1 spec. without abdomen, Curicó: Cerro Huela – Huelan, Zapallar [35º03′S 71º06′W], i.1998, Malaise trap, Barriga leg. ( MACN) ; 1 J, Zapallar , 15 km E Curicó [35º03′S 71º06′W], Malaise trap, ii.1998, Barriga leg. ( MACN) .

Distribution. This species is known from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and southern and western USA ( WYGODZINSKY 1966, MALDONADO CAPRILES 1990); herein we record it from Chile for the first time.

Remarks. WYGODZINSKY (1966) noted that this species showed an extraordinary wide range of variation, so that the study of isolated extreme specimens would have suggested the presence of different taxa. GIL- SANTANA et al. (2005) observed in one population of Empicoris from Brazil specimens with alternated combinations of features of both E. orthoneuron and E. errabundus species. This made them conclude that the diagnostic characters to separate these species were actually variable and therefore both species are synonyms. After the examination of numerous individuals that are intermediate in various aspects we also believe that there is only one very variable species.

Figures

Figs. 1–2. 1 – Empicoris vagabundus (Linnaeus, 1758); 2 – E. errabundus (Say, 1832).

Figs. 3–7. 3–4. Empicoris rubromaculatus (Blackburn, 1889): 3 – lateral view of head and pronotum; 4 – posterior margin of pygophore. 5 – E. errabundus (Say, 1832), lateral view of head and pronotum; 6 – E. culiciformis (De Geer, 1773), paramere; 7 – E. vagabundus (Linnaeus, 1758), paramere.