Breviphysoderes mjoebergi ( Miller, 1940 ) Hwang & Weirauch, 2017

Hwang, Wei Song & Weirauch, Christiane, 2017, Uncovering hidden diversity: phylogeny and taxonomy of Physoderinae (Reduviidae, Heteroptera), with emphasis on Physoderes Westwood in the Oriental and Australasian regions, European Journal of Taxonomy 341, pp. 1-118 : 25-27

Breviphysoderes mjoebergi ( Miller, 1940) , comb. nov.

Figs 4–9 ; Appendix

Physoderes mjoebergi Miller, 1940: 547 , fig. 90.

Physoderes dyak Miller, 1955b: 59 , fig. 4. New synonymy.

Diagnosis

Recognized among species of Breviphysoderes gen. nov. by the smaller size, the head and anterior pronotal lobe being distinctly covered with dense, short, curved, setigerous tubercles, the deeply defined pronotal paramedian carina, the slightly elevated and setose posterior margin of the connexivum and the ductifer having a sclerotized elongate ring. This species is most similar to B. vestita comb. nov. but can be differentiated by its smaller size, the lack of an inflated anterior pronotal lobe in males, the hemelytron not surpassing the tip of the abdomen, and the slightly undulating (vs angularly hooked), sclerotized, flap-like prolongations of the phallosoma.

Material examined

Holotype

MALAYSIA: ♀, Sarawak, Mt Poi ( Mt Pueh ), 1.8° N, 109.68333° E, 610 m, no date provided, E. Mjöberg leg. ( UCR _ ENT 00018536 ) ( BMNH).

Other material

INDONESIA: Borneo: 1 ♀, Melawi, 0.08333° N, 111.48333° E, 43 m, Nov–Dec. 1924, A. Blanchemanche leg. ( UCR _ ENT 00014059) ( RMNH); 1 ♂, Central Borneo, Malinau, Long Nawang, 0.085° N, 114.48305° E, 762 m, 1925, Mjöberg leg., paratype of Physoderes dyak (junior synonym) ( UCR _ ENT 00018530) ( BMNH); 1 ♂, same collection data as preceding, holotype of Physoders dyak (junior synonym), MacGillavry Collection ( ZMAN, ZMA.INS.834307). – Java: 1 ♂, Batoerraden G. Slamet (Baturaden), 7.34083° S, 109.33055° E, 800 m, Feb. 1937, F. C. Drescher leg. ( UCR _ ENT 00014060) ( RMNH); 1 ♀, 7.61444° S, 110.71222° E, no date provided, Horsfield leg. ( UCR _ ENT 00069398) ( BMNH); 1 ♂, Megamendung, 6.61861° S, 106.84722° E, 800 m, Oct 1954 ( UCR _ ENT 00073851) ( NMPC). – Sumatra: 1 ♀, Sumatera Barat (West Sumatra), Gunung Singgalang, 0.39078° S, 100.35682° E, 1800 m, 1926, E. Jacobson leg. ( UCR _ ENT 00024039) ( RMNH); 1 ♀, Padang, 1° S, 100.5° E, no date provided, Schouteden leg. ( UCR _ ENT 00037371) ( ISNB).

MALAYSIA: 1 ♀, Sabah, 1 km S of Kundasang, 5.33944° N, 116.57638° E, 1530 m, 27 Aug. 1983, G. F. Hevel and W. E. Steiner leg. ( UCR _ ENT 00030981) ( USNM); 1 ♂, Sarawak, Mulu National Park, near Base Camp, 4th Division Gn. [= Garrison?], 3.97444° N, 114.93638° E, 100 m, May–Aug. 1978, P. M. Hammond and J. E. Marshall leg. ( UCR _ ENT 00069399) ( BMNH).

VIETNAM: 1 ♀, Ha Nam, Cuc Phuong, 20.40777° N, 105.79416° E, 86 m, 24– 25 May 1986, Jan Horak leg. ( UCR _ ENT 00073849) ( NMPC); 3 ♂♂, Vinh Phuc, Tam Dao Co., Tam Dao National Park, 21.50694 ° N, 105.61527 ° E, 145 m, 6 Sep. 2009, T. Ishikawa leg. ( UCR _ ENT 00052181, UCR _ ENT 00073392, UCR _ ENT 00077822) ( UCR).

Redescription

Male

BODY LENGTH. Small-medium size, total length 7.91 mm, SD ± 1.62 (Appendix).

COLORATION ( Figs 4–5 ). Straw-colored with dark brown patterns. Head straw-colored to light brown with dark brown suffusion. Scape and pedicel of antenna straw-colored to light brown, with slight apical darkening, basiflagellomere distinctly darker than scape and pedicel, light brown to dark brown, distiflagellomere straw-colored to light brown with base dark brown. First segment of labium strawcolored to brown, second segment basally and apically dark brown, medially straw-colored or light brown, third segment dark brown. Anterior lobe of pronotum dark brown with straw-colored ridges, posterior lobe straw-colored or light brown, scutellum basally dark brown, progressively lightening towards a straw-colored apex, pleuron straw-colored with dark brown suffusion, sternum straw-colored with dark brown suffusion. Corium of hemelytron straw-colored or light brown, membrane dark brown. Femora of legs straw-colored with medial and apical dark brown annulations, tibiae straw-colored with basal, medial and apical dark brown annulations, tarsi and claws straw-colored. Abdomen dorsally yellowish-orange, ventrally brown with straw-colored lateral margins, sub-lateral and medial spots, and dark brown sub-lateral suffusion, anterior half of connexivum dark brown and posterior half strawcolored, with the color proportions slightly variable, exposed part of pygophore straw-colored.

VESTITURE. Densely setose. Head with widespread curved, setigerous tubercles, ventral surface of postocular lobe with sparse, setigerous tubercles, without pair of long, straight setae on postocular lobe posterior to ocelli. Anterior lobe of thorax with tuberculated, short, curved setae on lateral margins and along dorsal ridges, posterior lobe with short, curved, setigerous tubercles along lateral margins and sparsely distributed on dorsal surface. Corium of hemelytron with short, curved setae. Legs with two rows of spines and setigerous tubercles, tibiae with regular rows of tuberculated, stout, sharp setae. Posterior margin of connexivum with short, curved setae.

HEAD. Scape surpassing apex of clypeus; eye distinctly projecting in dorsal view, about 1/5 length of head, not attaining ventral margin of head in lateral view.

THORAX. Antero-lateral paired projections acute, diverging; median pronotal depression contiguous with transverse sulcus; paramedian carina strongly defined; scutellar process long, with rounded apex; mesosternite obscured.

HEMELYTRON. Attaining tip of abdomen.

LEGS. Same as genus description.

ABDOMEN. Elongate ovoid, with rounded apical margin; posterior margin slightly elevated.

GENITALIA. Anterior margin of mediosternite 8 sharply emarginate, without medial apodeme; apex of dorsal phallothecal sclerite subacute, with narrow lateral band-like prolongations, oriented diagonally and undulating.

Female

Similar in shape and coloration as males, but some individuals slightly larger.

Ecology

Unknown.

Distribution

Vietnam, Borneo and Java. This species has a relatively wide distribution, with specimens collected from northern Vietnam and Java, which are near the northern- and southern-most limits of the distribution of Oriental physoderine species.

Remarks

Originally described as Physoderes mjoebergi by Miller (1940), this species is transferred to Breviphysoderes gen. nov. based on the phylogenetic analysis conducted above. It is most closely related to B. vestita ( Horváth, 1900) comb. nov. and both species are found on the island of Java. The two female specimens from Vietnam are slightly larger than those from Borneo and Java, but do not have any differential morphological characters and are thus identified as conspecifics. Physoderes dyak ( Miller, 1955b) is synonymized here with B. mjoebergi comb. nov. based on the examination of one paratype at BMNH together with the holotype of B. mjoebergi comb. nov. No diagnostic characters were found to separate the two species based on the examination of these two specimens. Conspecificity was further confirmed by examination of habitus images of the P. dyak holotype at the ZMAN.

Figures

Fig. 4. Dorsal habitus images for species of Breviphysoderes gen. nov. For an explanation of the colored arrows, see key on page 17. Scale bars = 2 mm.

Fig. 5. Ventral habitus images for species of Breviphysoderes gen. nov. Scale bars = 2 mm.

Fig. 6. Distribution map for species of Breviphysoderes gen. nov.

Fig. 7. Dorsal habitus images for junior synonym holotypes of species in Breviphysoderes gen. nov. and Macrophysoderes gen. nov. Scale bars = 2 mm.

Fig. 8. Dorsal view of the male pygophore in species of Breviphysoderes gen. nov., Macrophysoderes gen. nov., Paraphysoderes Villiers, 1962 and Physoderes Westwood, 1845. For an explanation of the colored arrows, see keys on pages 37 and 66.

Fig. 9. Dorsal view of the phallus in species of Breviphysoderes gen. nov., Macrophysoderes gen. nov., Paraphysoderes Villiers, 1962 and Physoderes Westwood, 1845 (partial). Scale bars = 0.20 mm.