Zophiuma pupillata (Stål, 1863)

(Figs 27–32)

Acarna pupillata Stål, 1863: 586

Kasserota pupillata (Stål), Distant 1906: 350

Zophiuma pupillata (Stål), Fennah 1955: 171

Zophiuma guineae (Lallemand), Liang 1995: 163

Hellerides guineae Lallemand, 1962: 3, Syn. in Gitau et al. 2011a: 88

Zophiuma doreyensis (Distant), Fennah 1955: 171, Gitau et al. 2011a: 90

Kasserota doreyensis Distant, 1906: 350, new synonym

Examined material. 1♂,[ New guinea, Doromena], [II-28-45 SG Jewett] (FSCA) . 1♀ and 2♂ [ New Guinea (Neth.) rain forest behind dock V, 20m, Hollandia, VII-14-1957][D. Elmo Hardy collector][fronds of coconut palm] (BPBM) . 1♀ [ New Guinea (Neth.), Hollandia 100m, Aug. 24, 1965] [J.L. Gressitt collector] [ Zophiuma pupillata (Stål) det. Fennah] (BPBM) . 1♀ [ New Guinea Neth. Genjam, 40km W of Hollandia, 100–200m, 1–10-III-1960] [T.C. Maa collector] (BPBM) . 7♂ [ New Guinea ( Neth.): Hollandia area, Hamadi, 50 m. July 13., 1957]], [coconut fronds], [D. Elmo Hardy collector] (BPBM) . 1♀, 3♂ [ New Guinea: Neth. Biak I.: StrandVI-24-1959][T.C. Maa collector] (BPBM) . 1♀, 1♂ [ New Guinea ( Neth.): Hollandia area, Hamadi, 50 m. July 13, 1957], [coconut fronds], [D. Elmo Hardy collector] MNHN (EH) 24621–24622 (MNHN).

Examination of type material Acarna pupillata Stål, 1863 and Kasserota doreyensis Distant, 1906 was made by Mr M. Webb according to the requests of the authors. Type material being very fragile, a loan was not possible. Mr M. Webb provided as well images of the material (Figs 27–28).

Distribution. West Papua and Papua provinces of Indonesia.

As mentioned by Gitau et al. (2011a) the type specimen for Z. pupillata is a female described by Stål (1863), which he believed to be a male at that time. The label of the locality for this specimen is typewritten “Dory” (Fig. 27), which corresponds to the locality Dorey now known as Manokwari in West Papua. In the BMNH, along with the type of Z. pupillata a second specimen can be found bearing a typewritten label “Wallace” and a handwritten label “Dor.” (Fig. 27) which correspond as well to the village Dorey, locality in West Papua where Alfred Russel Wallace spent some time in 1858. It is also a female like the Z. pupillata type (Fig. 27). Distant type of Z. doreyensis is a male known only by the type (Gitau et al. 2011a) in the BMNH (Fig. 28). This specimen bears a typewritten label “Wallace” and a handwritten label “Dor.”, just like the red specimen alongside Stål Z. pupillata type. After examining further material collected in the island of Biak (4 males) and within the close vicinity of Jayapura (3 females and 9 males), all the males have similar genitalia as Z. doreyensis and the females are red and with on the tegmina an absence of a hyaline lunula like Z. pupillata . For these reasons we consider that Z. doreyensis should be placed in synonymy with Z. pupillata . The synonymy made by Gitau et al. for the species Hellerides guineae Lallemand, 1962 remains valid since in the image of the female type specimen provided by those authors (Gitau et al.: 90), we can see clearly the absence of hyaline lunula on tegmina, characteristic of Z. pupillata . In the original description, it is written that the specimen was collected in New Guinea, but no mention of a more accurate locality is given. However, the collector mentioned Ludeking who was a director of health in the Dutch army and most likely collected in provinces of West Papua and Papua, which were a Dutch colony at the time. This seems congruent with the actual known distribution of Z. pupillata (Fig. 44).