Physopelta (Neophysopelta) woodlarkiana ( Montrouzier, 1855 ) Stehlík, 2013

Stehlík, Jaroslav L., 2013, Review and reclassification of the Old World genus Physopelta (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Largidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 53 (2), pp. 505-584 : 546-549

Physopelta (Neophysopelta) woodlarkiana ( Montrouzier, 1855) comb. nov.

( Figs 45–47 )

Lygaeus Woodlarkianus Montrouzier, 1855: 105 (description, distribution).

NEOTYPE: ♂, Papua New Guinea, Woodlark Island , Kulumadu Hill (BPBM, here designated).

Lygaeus Woodlarkianus : LETHIERRY & SEVERIN (1894): 241 (catalogue, as supposed synonym of Ph. famelica ); KIRKALDY (1905): 343 (listed as supposed synonym of Ph. famelica ); HUSSEY (1929): 31, 33 (catalogue, as supposed synonym of Ph. famelica ).

Type materil. NEOTYPUS: ♂, ‘NEW GUINEA: PAPUA / Woodlark I. (Murua) / Kulumadu Hill / Jan. 28–30, 1957 [p, white label] // W. W. Brandt / Collector [p, white label] // ♂ [p, white label] // NEOTYPUS [p] / LYGAEUS / WOODLARKIANUS / Montrouzier, 1855 / des. J. L. STEHLÍK 2013 [p, red label]’ ( BPBM). The neotype is pinned on a black enameled pin with the head; the specimen is complete, only left metatarsomere 3 missing.

Additional material examined. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: WOODLARK ISLAND (= Murua), Kulumadu Hill, 4.–9.iii.1957, 1 ♂ 1 ♀, 9.–12.iii.1957, 2 ♀♀, W. W. Brandt lgt. ( BPBM, 1 ♀ MMBC).

Redescription. Colouration ( Figs 45–47 ). Head dorsally and ventrally, labium, antennae (except ca. basal half of antennomere 4), all femora, tibiae, and tarsi, callar lobe posteromedially and entire median part of pronotal lobe, scutellum, middle transverse band on corium, anteapical spot on corium, membrane (except of base and apex), thoracic sternum including supracoxal lobes I–III, entire sternite VII, pygophore and female terminalia, black. Middle transverse band on corium medially wide, narrowing toward margins. Membrane basally with two grey stripes emarginating a round black spot; apex of membrane pale. Callar lobe anteriorly and laterally, lateral margins laterally, clavus, remaining portions of corium, all coxae and trochanters, abdominal venter (except sternite VII), red. Intersegmental sulci of abdomen concolorous. Basal half of antennomere 4 whitish.

Structure. Callar lobe of male very strongly gibbose ( Figs 45, 47 ), in female less gibbose. Lateral margins of callar lobe narrow, those of pronotal lobe very wide, both strongly rounded, pronotal margin medially straight in males, slightly concave in females. Median portion of pronotal lobe flat, medially with trace of longitudinal keel. Scutellum slightly cordiform. Male profemora incrassate in basal third ( Figs 46–47 ), then regularly narrowing towards apex; ventral surface with a single row along entire length of profemur formed by 3–4 large teeth intermixed with denticles (position somewhat variable between the two males examined); longitudinal furrow on ventral surface short, reaching only midlength of profemur. Female profemur considerably more slender, with teeth shorter, restricted to apical portion of segment, nearly without small denticles. Protibia of male with small denticles ventrally and also with prominent teeth in apical portion; protibiae of female unarmed.

Punctation. Median portion of posterior pronotal lobe with very distinct punctures; punctures on scutellum somewhat weaker than those on posterior pronotal lobe; clavus with a row of black punctures along both anterior and posterior margin and scattered punctures between them; corium with a row of black punctures on inner margin from base to middle transverse band; middle transverse band with very fine puctures.

Pubescence. Silvery pubescence on head, sternum (dense), and sternites (sparse); pronotum with sparse pubescence; pubescence on black median portion of pronotum black.

Measurements (in mm). Males (n = 2; neotype first). Body length 13.99 / 14.20; head: width (including eyes) 2.32 / 2.24, interocular width 1.24 / 1.27; length of antennomeres: 1 – 2.86 / 2.70, 2 – 3.08 / missing, 3 – 1.84 / missing, 4 – 2.70 / missing; pronotum: length 3.78 / 3.56, width 4.43 / 4.43; scutellum: length 2.38 / 2.32, width 2.43 / 2.43; corium: length 7.45 / 6.91, width 2.16 / 2.16.

Females (n = 3). Body length 14.06 (13.93–14.20); head: width (including eyes) 2.24 (2.21–2.29), interocular width 1.30 (1.30–1.30); length of antennomeres: 1 – 2.45 (2.27–2.65), 2 – 2.65 (2.54–2.81), 3 – 1.62 (1.62–1.62), 4 – 3.24 (n = 1); pronotum: length 3.35 (3.24–3.51), width 4.71 (4.32–5.43); scutellum: length 2.21 (2.16–2.27), width 2.48 (2.43–2.54); corium: length 8.13 (7.78–8.53), width 2.23 (2.16–2.27).

Differential diagnosis. Physopelta woodlarkiana differs from the sympatric Ph. gutta famelica by the black abdominal sternite VII ( Fig. 47 ) (reddish in Ph. gutta famelica ). Physopelta woodlarkiana differs from the remaining species of Neophysopelta with its black sternite VII ( Ph. melanopyga , Ph. nigripes sp. nov., Ph. sulawesiensis sp. nov) by the strongly incrassate basal portion of profemur with longitudinal furrow developed only in its apical portion. From Ph. melanopyga it further differs by ventrites III− VI being red ( Fig. 47 ) (in Ph. melanopyga ventrites III− VI have black spots laterally). In Ph. woodlarkiana the femora are black in both sexes, whereas in Ph. sulawesiensis sp. nov. the femora are red in both sexes except for the black dorsal side of the profemora in males.

Comment. LETHIERRY & SEVERIN (1894: 241) listed ‘? woodlarkiana ’ as a supposed synonym of Ph. famelica , followed by KIRKALDY (1905). HUSSEY (1929) listed Lygaeus woodlarkianus in synonymy with Ph. gutta famelica , but remarked: ‘This species?’. MONTROUZIER (1855) provided only a brief description of the species; however, he explicitly mentioned that the abdomen of Lygaeus woodlarkianus is red with a black apex, a character which does not fit Ph. gutta famelica . Recent examination of material from the type localiy (Woodlark Island) revealed the presence of two species, Ph. gutta famelica and another Physopelta (Neophysopelta) species with colouration pattern perfectly fitting the original description by MONTROUZIER (1855).

I tried to locate the type material of Lygaeus woodlarkianus . Part of Montrouzier’s collection was destroyed; the surviving Heteroptera specimens arrived via B. P. Perroud sen. and Perroud jr. to H. Schouteden ( HORN et al. 1990: 269) and are currently deposited in ISNB (J. Constant, pers. comm.). However, no type specimen of L. woodlarkianus is currently present in ISNB (J. Constant, pers. comm.), and the type material is therefore considered lost. Because the identity of L. woodlarkianus cannot be ascertained from the original description without doubt, I hereby designate a neotype to clarify the identity of the species.

Distribution. Endemic of the Woodlark Island north of Papua New Guinea.

Figures

Figs 45–47. Physopelta (Neophysopelta) woodlarkiana (Montrouzier, 1855), male, neotype. (Photos: P. Kment).