Apiomerus wygodzinskyi Berniker & Szerlip, 2011

Berniker, Lily, Szerlip, Sigurd, Forero, Dimitri & Weirauch, Christiane, 2011, 2949, Zootaxa 2949, pp. 1-113 : 25-26

Apiomerus wygodzinskyi Berniker & Szerlip , sp. nov. Figs 1–15, Map 4

Type data: Holotype: 1 ♂; MEXICO: Morelos: Yautepec [18.88333 ° N 99.06667 ° W], 31 Jul 1963 / F. D. Parker, L. A. Stange Collectors / Apiomerus wygodzinskyi Szerlip Det. S. L. Szerlip 1977 Paratype / Univ. Calif. Insect Survey Specimen #178398 / HOLOTYPE ♂ Apiomerus wygodzinskyi n. sp. Berniker & Szerlip Det. by Berniker & Szerlip 2011 / ( UCR _ ENT 00007282 ) ( UCD) .

Diagnosis: Recognized by the red and black or orange and black banded pronotum, the red or orange hemelytra, the fore legs black with the apex of femur and base of tibia orange or red ( Fig. 1J), the dorsolateral lobes of the endosoma divided into proximal and distal portions, and both portions short and tongue-shaped ( Fig. 1J).

Description: Male: Medium-sized, total length 13.3–14.8 mm. COLORATION: HEAD: Black. THORAX: Anterior and posterior pronotal lobes black posteriorly, red or orange anteriorly, margin of posterior pronotal lobe yellow, scutellum black or red with yellow margin, thoracic pleura black with an orange or red circle on supracoxal lobes, corium orange or red, foreleg black, apex of femur and basal half of tibia orange or red, mid and hind leg black, with a red or orange spot ventrally. ABDOMEN: Black, with yellow stripes ventrally, connexivum pale yellow to white, pygophore black to red. STRUCTURE: HEAD: about as long as pronotum, about 3 times width of eye; length of eye in dorsal view about 1/4 of head length. THORAX: pronotum 1.3 times wider than long, anterolateral angle truncate, disc of anterior lobe with paired greatly convex lobes, posterior margin straight. ABDO- MEN: pygophore about 1/5 length of abdomen, median pygophore process U-shaped in caudal view; ramus as long as base width ( Figs 2J, 3J, 4J, 5J). GENITALIA: distal portion of tergite 9 with setae on anterior margin, posterior margin of dorsal phallothecal sclerite pointed in dorsal view ( Fig. 8A), apex in dorsal view narrow, less than half the width of dorsal phallothecal sclerite, endosomal struts fused at base and apex, or almost fused at apex, but not medially, dorsolateral lobes divided into proximal and distal portion, proximal lobe tongue shaped, distal lobe entire, short, tongue shaped ( Fig. 8C), median basal sclerotization tongue shaped ( Fig. 8A), distal dorsal lobe with two parallel rows of strong denticles ( Figs 6J, 7J).

Female: Total length 14.8–15.7 mm. STRUCTURE: ABDOMEN: syntergite 9/10 with distal margin flat ( Fig. 11J). GENITALIA: gonapophysis 8 with two distinct sclerotizations ( Fig. 15J), bursa copulatrix with one narrow, transverse sclerotized fold ( Fig. 14J).

Etymology: Named for the late Dr. Pedro Wygodzinsky, in tribute to his contributions to the study of Reduviidae , and for his assistance to Szerlip during his PhD studies.

Biology: Specimens have been collected between March and December at elevations ranging from 38 to 2865 m above sea level, and in the “Selva baja caducifolia” (tropical deciduous forest).

Distribution: Generally found in the Sierra Transvolcanica and Sierra Madre del Sur regions of Mexico in the states of Chiapas, Colima, Distrito Federal, Durango, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz (Map 4).

Discussion: Apiomerus wygodzinskyi has two color forms: red and orange ( Fig. 1J). They vary only in the color of the corium, the banding on the pronotum and the color on the legs. The orange form is not easily confused with any other member of the crassipes group, though it does look very similar to A. pictipes . The two can be distinguished by A. wygodzinskyi ’s smaller size, the median process of the pygophore in males and the lateral extensions of tergite 8 in females, of which the latter two features identify A. wygodzinskyi as a member of the crassipes species group. The red form can be distinguished from the other members of the crassipes species group, which occur in its range, by color, size and genitalic differences. Apiomerus wygodzinskyi shares at least part of its range with A. cazieri , A. cooremani , A. montanus , A. rufipennis and A. spissipes . The species which most closely resembles the red form of A. wygodzinskyi is A. rufipennis . The two cannot be distinguished by male genitalia, however, females differ in the number of sclerotized folds in the bursa copulatrix (see Figs 14H, 14J), and the two can be distinguished by differences in color pattern.

Paratypes: See Appendix; 406 specimens examined.

pictipes species group

Figs 1–15, 17, Map 5

Description: Male: COLOR: Brightly colored with red, yellow and/or orange markings. STRUCTURE: As in description of the crassipes + pictipes species groups, with inner margins of genital opening entire, median process of pygophore nearly horizontal in lateral view ( Fig. 3K–L), apical portion of ramus not produced ( Fig. 4K,L), paramere weakly curved ( Fig. 9K–L), phallosoma membranous laterally ( Fig. 7K–L), struts in dorsal view broad, lateral sclerotizations with proximal C-shaped portion widely reniform ( Figs 6K–L, 7K–L), median dorsal lobe sclerotized.

Female: Larger than male, similar to male except in the following: STRUCTURE: Abdomen: lateral lobes of tergite 8 not strongly produced, directed ventrad, nearly 90 degrees with respect to body, base wider than apical portion, apical portion broadly rounded, surface nearly flat ( Fig. 10 K–L), syntergite 9/10 about 1.6 times as wide as long. Genitalia: anterior dorsal area of bursa copulatrix with two sclerotized folds, dorsal-most sclerotized fold protruding over other folds, apex of dorsal-most fold elongate and narrow, dorsoventrally flattened.