Myrmoplasta vittiventris Carlini, 1894

Stehlík, Jaroslav L., 2007, On the Afrotropical species of Myrmoplasta (Heteroptera: Pyrrhocoridae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) 47, pp. 93-108 : 101-104

Myrmoplasta vittiventris Carlini, 1894

( Figs. 2 , 11-16 )

Myrmoplasta vittiventris Carlini, 1894: 471 . HOLOTYPE: ♀, [ Uganda], Nkole, cap. Casati leg., 1888 (depository unknown).

Myrmoplasta potteri Martin, 1900: 21-22 , syn. nov. SYNTYPES: 1 ♁ and more ♀♀, Abyssinie [= Ethiopia], M. Maurice leg. (MNHN).

Myrmoplasta potteri var. nigra Courteaux, 1922: 286 , pl. xxvii, syn. nov. HOLOTYPE: ♀, [ Ethiopia], Lac Abbaï (?MNHN – see Note).

Myrmoplasta potteri: DISTANT (1909) : 79 (distribution); BLÖTE (1931): 115 (distribution); IZZARD (1950): 192 -194 (description of macropterous morph, distribution); MANCINI (1956): 79 (distribution); SCHOUTEDEN (1957): 266 (distribution); LINNAVUORI (1978): 8 (distribution, ecology); LINNAVUORI (1980): 29 (distribution); ROBERTSON (2004): 21 (catalogue).

Myrmoplasta mira (misidentification): SCHMIDT (1932): 257 (distribution).

Myrmoplasta vittiventris: ROBERTSON (2004) : 22 (catalogue).

Material examined. MACROPTEROUS SPECIMEN. UGANDA: Kawanda, 7.v.1943, 1♀, H. D. Mubbiru lgt., B.M. 1948- 548, R. J. Izzard 1944 det. as M. potteri (BMNH) . BRACHYPTEROUS SPECIMENS. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: EAST, ITURI PROVINCE, Bunia , vi.1938, 1 ♁ 2 ♀♀, P. Lefèvre leg. ( MRAC) ; Mahagi Port , 1929, 1 ♀, Ch. Scops leg. ( MRAC) ; Abock, 8.iii.1929, 1 ♀, A. Collart leg. ( MRAC). SUD KIVU PROVINCE, Mulungu – Tshibinda , xi.1951, 2 ♁♁ 4 ♀♀, P. C. Lefèvre leg. ( MRAC) ; BAS- UELÉ PROVINCE, Dingila, 1935, 1 ♀, J. V. Leroy leg. ( MRAC). ETHIOPIA: ‘ Süd-Aethiopien, Abasse, O. Neumann S.’, 1 ♀ ; ‘ Süd-Aethiopien , Habela, O. Neumann S. ’, 1 ♀ ; ‘ Süd-Aethiopien , Svhubba, O. Neumann S. ’, 1 ♀ ; ‘ N. Galla , 14.xii.1900, v. Erlanger S. G. ’, 1 ♀ ; ‘ Galla. Somali, v. Erlanger S. G .’; all material published by SCHMIDT (1932) as M. mira, J. L. Stehlík revid. ( ZMHB). KENYA: ARUSHA PROVINCE, Makuyu, B.M. 1937-529, 1.ii.1937, 1 ♁ 1 ♀, C. D. Knight lgt. ( BMNH). RWANDA: Kisenyi , 1947, 1 ♀, P. C. Lefèvre leg. ( MRAC) ; Astrida Ginda , 1700 m a.s.l., 12.-15.iv.1950, 1 ♀, R. Laurent leg. ( MRAC) ; Mutambu Tare , 1750 m a.s.l., 11.-15.iv.1950, 1 ♀, R. Laurent leg. ( MRAC) ; Ndiza, Kabuye , 2000 m a.s.l., iv.1951, 1 ♁, A. E. Bertrand leg. ( MRAC) ; Kibungu, x.-xii.1937, 1 ♁ 1 ♀, R. Verhulst leg. ( MRAC). TANZANIA: KAGERA REGION, Bukoba district, Bukoba , 8.vi.1913, 1♀, Troitzkij leg.( ZMAS) ; ditto, Lake Ikimba, 7.vii.1913, 1♀, Troitzkij leg. ( ZMAS). Mwanze region, Mwanza district, Mwanza, 18.-19.i.1968, 1 ♁ 1 ♀, D. Gulissen & L. Blommers leg. ( ZMAN). UGANDA: BUGANDA PROVINCE, Mengo district , Kawanda, 9.viii.1956, 1♀, T. H. Odhiambo leg. ( MMBC). EASTERN PROVINCE, Teso district , Serere, on Dolichos , xi.1956, 2 ♀♀, T. R. Odhiambo leg. ( MMBC). WESTERN PROVINCE, Toro district , Ituri Forest , 9.iv.1957, 1 ♀, T. R. Odhiambo leg. ( MMBC) ; Bunyoro district, Valley of Kafu R.[iver], Unyoro , 3400 ft., 23.-28.xii.1911, 1 ♁, S. A. Neave leg. ( BMNH) ;

Variability. None of the preceding authors, except of a short note by ROBERTSON (2004), mentioned the sexually dimorphic coloration of ventrites in M. vittiventris . Thus, I give here a detailed description and illustration.

Male ( Fig. 15 ). Ventrites black, large yellow spots laterally on ventrites II and III, sometimes also a small, vaguely delimited spot on ventrite IV. Spots on ventrites II and III nearly reaching lower margins of laterotergites II and III; spot on ventrite II elongated, nearly triangular; spot on ventrite III nearly square, its lower margin reaching ca. mid-height of ventrite.

Female ( Fig. 16 ). Ground coloration of ventrites black, with large yellowish spots on ventrites II-VI. Spots on ventrites II and III reaching lower margin of laterotergites II and III, considerably elongated and sickle-shaped ventrally; wide yellowish bands on ventrites IV-VI situated only on zygosternites (not reaching lower margins of laterotergites) and not connected medially together, closer to distal than proximal margins of zygosternites.

A colour aberration described by COURTEAUX (1922), M. potteri var. nigra , has mesotergites black and laterotergites ferruginous.

I had the possibility to examine the macropterous female described by IZZARD (1950). The following two statements should be added to IZZARD’ s (1950) description: i) tergites under hemelytra of macropterous morph bright yellow, only incisurae between tergites black (tergites red in brachypterous morph); ii) tergites of macropterous morph completely flat, without setae (arched and setous in brachypterous morph). The macropterous morph occurs rarely in both sexes; SCHOUTEDEN (1957) noted one macropterous male and one female.

Bionomics. In Uganda, this species was collected on Dolichos sp. (this paper). The hyacinth bean ( Dolichos lablab L.) ( Fabaceae ) is an edible plant cultivated in tropical Africa. LINNAVUORI (1978) reported this species to be swept from dry sunny meadows.

Distribution. This species has a relatively small area of distribution around the northern part of East African Rift Valley. It is known from Ethiopia ( MARTIN (1900) – no exact locality; COURTEAUX (1922) – environs of Abaya Hayk lake in south-western Ethiopia; SCHMIDT (1932, as M. mira – J. L. Stehlík revid.) – southern Ethiopia; MANCINI (1956) – several localities in south-eastern Ethiopia), Sudan ( LINNAVUORI (1978) – central part of the Equatoria province), Kenya ( ROBERTSON (2004) – no exact locality), Uganda ( CARLINI (1894) and BLÖTE (1931) – Western province, Nkole [= Ankole] district; DISTANT (1909) – Toro district; IZZARD (1950) – Buganda province, Mengo district), Tanzania ( BLÖTE (1931) – Kagera [= Karagwe] region), Burundi ( SCHOUTEDEN (1957) – more localities), Rwanda ( SCHOUTEDEN (1957) – more localities), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( SCHOUTEDEN (1957) – ‘…l’est du Congo’, without any exact locality; confirmed in this paper). SCHMIDT (1932) mentioned five females originally identified as M. mira from ‘Süd-Aethiopien [= southern Ethiopia] (O. Neumann S.)’. Revision of this material revealed that this material originated from five different localities, three of which are undoubtedly situated in Ethiopia. However, I could not trace localities ‘N. Galla’ and ‘Galla. Somali’; both Galla and Somali are names of native tribes living both in Ethiopia and Somalia. Thus, the occurrence of M. vittiventris in Somalia cannot be excluded; however, no exact record was ever published from this country (see LINNAVUORI 1982, 1986; ROBERTSON 2004). LINNAVUORI (1980) classified this species as east-sudanese element.

Taxonomy. ROBERTSON (2004), comparing the original descriptions of M. vittiventris and M. potteri , mentioned the possible synonymy of both species but did not establish it. Here I am confirming his statement that M. potteri is a junior synonym of M. vittiventris . Original descriptions of both species are identical.According to CARLINI (1894), M. vittiventris lacks any pubescence, except of the ventral side of fore legs. However, the pubescence of the head and the setae on mesotergites break off easily, especially in badly conserved specimens. Moreover, the presence of pubescence on mesotergites is a generic character of Myrmoplasta . MARTIN (1900) probably did not know the description of M. vittiventris , which has the same coloration, and compared his M. potteri only with the distinctly differently coloured M. mira .

Myrmoplasta potteri var. nigra is undoubtedly an infrasubspecific colour form and thus an unavailable name.

Note. The type depositoty of M. vittiventris is unknown. There is no information about location of Carlini’s collection in the lists by HORN (1926, 1929) and SACHTLEBEN (1961). COURTEAUX (1922) described M. potteri var. nigra based on a female collected by expedition of Baron Maurice de Rothschild in Ethiopia and British Eastern Africa (1904-1905). According to HORN (1929), this material was deposited in MNHN in Paris. However, D. Pluot-Sigwalt (pers. comm.) did not find it there.

Figures

Fig. 2. Myrmoplasta vittiventris Carlini, 1894, brachypterous male (orig. J. L. Stehlík).

Figs. 11-16. Myrmoplasta vittiventris Carlini, 1894. 11-12 – head and thorax, dorsal view: 11 – male; 12 – female. 13-14 – abdomen, male: 13: dorsal view; 14 – lateral view. 15-16 – abdomen, lateral view, coloration: 15 – male; 16 – female.