Leptopus riparius Hsiao, 1964

Li, Zihe, Jin, Zezhong, Polhemus, Dan A. & Ye, Zhen, 2023, Two new species of Valleriola (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Leptopodidae) and taxonomic notes on the tribe Leptopodini Brullé, 1836 from East and Southeast Asia, Zootaxa 5256 (4), pp. 329-344 : 330

Leptopus riparius Hsiao, 1964

Leptopus riparius Hsiao 1964 : Acta Zootax. Sinica 1: 289.

( Figs. 1 , 6 , 11 , 13–15 , 29 , 34–36 , 51, 52 , 62 )

Material examined. Holotype: 1 male, CHINA, Sichuan Prov., Leshan city, 22 July 1957, Hao Xu leg. ( NKUM) . Paratypes: 1 male, 1 female, CHINA, Sichuan Prov., same data as holotype ( NKUM) . Non-type specimens: 2 males, 2 females, CHINA, Hubei Prov., Xianning city, Tongshan county , Jiugongshan mountain , Yinhegu valley , 13 July 2022, Zhen Ye leg. ( NKUM); 3 males, 1 female, CHINA, Zhejiang Prov., Ningbo City, Jiufengshan mountain , 11 November 2022, Danyang Zhou leg. ( NKUM). 1 female, VIETNAM, Hai Hung Prov., Kheao stream, 23 km. N. of Chi Linh , 125 m., water temp. 17° C., 25 March 2000, CL 4376, J. T. Polhemus and P. Nguyen ( BPBM) .

Diagnosis. Body length 3.7–4.1 (holotype: 4.0), ground color mainly brown ( Figs. 1 , 6 , 11 ). Head mainly black, clypeus and bucculae yellow; labium short, labiomere I completely hidden beneath bucculae, labiomere II yellowish-white, with four (2+2) spines, labiomere III yellowish-brown to dark-brown, with four (2+2) spines, labiomere IV black; compound eyes distinctly large, with sparse short, spine-like setae; venter of head with three spines beneath each compound eye ( Figs. 13–15 ). Pronotum densely punctured, mainly dark-brown, medially with two yellowish marks, lateral and posterior margins yellowish; scutellum black with a yellowish apex ( Figs. 1 , 6 , 11 ). Hemelytra mainly brown, with two dark spots on each corium ( Fig. 29 ). Fore femur incrassate, ventrally with 9–10 large spines (i.e., five large spines on outer side and 4–5 on inner side) and two rows of short spines; fore tibia with two rows of spines ventrally, each row with 2–3 large spines ( Figs. 34–36 ). Paramere apically extended with several long hairs ( Figs. 51, 52 ).

Comparative notes. The differences between L. riparius and L. scitulus Drake, 1954 were noted by Hsiao (1964) (i.e., L. riparius is larger, having a longer scutellum and bearing fewer long spines on the fore tibia). This species is also similar to L. marmoratus Goeze, 1778 due to the body shape and absence of dark fasciae on the hemelytra. However, L. riparius differs from L. marmoratus by the following characteristics: in L. riparius , the dorsal coloration is mainly uniformly brown, without scattered black flecks or patches on the hemelytra, and the femora lack brown annuli ( Figs. 1 , 6 , 11 ), whereas in L. marmoratus , the hemelytra bear scattered black flecks and patches, the membrane has a distinct black spot basally, and the sub-apical parts of the femora are annulated with brown ( Wachmann et al. 2006; Khazaei et al. 2020, see color habitus Fig. 10 in this latter work).

Remarks. The specimen we report from Vietnam is a female, so it is not possible make a definitive comparison on the basis of the male genitalia, and the identification must therefore be considered provisional. Even so, the specimen falls within the current concept of L. riparius on the basis of body size and shape, coloration, and the basal expansion of the hemelytral embolium. Our recent collections extend the distribution of genus Leptopus Latreille, 1809 eastward into Zhejiang Province, China (approximately 121° E) and southward into Vietnam (new country record) ( Fig. 61 ).

Distribution: China (Sichuan, Hubei, Zhejiang) ( Hsiao, 1964; new records in Hubei and Zhejiang), Vietnam (new record, Fig. 61 ).

Figures

FIGURE 61. Distribution records of the tribe Leptopodini Brullé, 1836 in Southeast Asia and China.

FIGURES 1–5. Habitus. (1) Leptopus riparius Hsiao, 1964; 2–5. Valleriola spp.: (2) V. asiatica sp. nov.; (3) V. buenoi (Usinger, 1942); (4) V. bui sp. nov.; (5) V. javanica Drake & Hottes, 1951. Scale 2.0 mm.

FIGURES 6–10. Habitus of Leptopus riparius Hsiao, 1964 and Valleriola spp. (6) L. riparius Hsiao, 1964; (7) V. asiatica sp. nov.; (8) V. buenoi (Usinger, 1942); (9) V. bui sp. nov.; (10) V. javanica Drake & Hottes, 1951. Scale 2.0 mm.

FIGURES 11–12. Holotypes of (11) Leptopus riparius Hsiao, 1964 and (12) Valleriola buenoi (Usinger, 1942).

FIGURES 13–27. Heads of Leptopus riparius Hsiao, 1964 and Valleriola spp. in frontal view, lateral view and ventral view. (13–15) L. riparius Hsiao, 1964; (16–18) V. asiatica sp. nov.; (19–21) V. buenoi (Usinger, 1942); (22–24) V. bui sp. nov.; (25–27) V. javanica Drake & Hottes, 1951. Scale 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 28–33. Hemelytra of Leptopus riparius Hsiao, 1964 and Valleriola spp. (28) right hemelytron of Valleriola; (29) L. riparius Hsiao, 1964; (30) V. asiatica sp. nov.; (31) V. buenoi (Usinger, 1942); (32) V. bui sp. nov.; (33) V. javanica Drake & Hottes, 1951. Sc, subcosta; R, radius; M, media; Cu, cubitus; Cs, claval suture; r, cell R; m, cell M; cu, cell Cu; sc, cell Sc; I, 1st membrane cell; II, 2nd membrane cell; III, 3rd membrane cell; IV, 4th membrane cell. Scale 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 34–48. Left fore femora of Leptopus riparius Hsiao, 1964 and Valleriola spp. in interior view, ventral view and exterior view. (34–36) L. riparius Hsiao, 1964; (40–42) V. buenoi (Usinger, 1942); (37–39) V. asiatica sp. nov.; (43–45) V. bui sp. nov.; (46–48) V. javanica Drake & Hottes, 1951. Scale 0.5 mm. Red arrows show the positions of large spines.

FIGURES 51–60. Right parameres of Leptopus riparius and Valleriola spp. in different views. (51–52) L. riparius Hsiao, 1964, dorsal and interior views; (53–54) V. asiatica sp. nov., dorsal and interior views; (55–56) V. buenoi (Usinger, 1942), dorsal and interior views; (57–59) V. bui sp. nov., dorsal, exterior, and interior views; (60) V. javanica Drake & Hottes, 1951, dorsal view. Scale 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 62–65. In situ photographs of species of Leptopodini. (62) L. riparius Hsiao, 1964; (63) V. bui sp. nov.; (64) V. javanica Drake & Hottes, 1951; (65) V. asiatica sp. nov.