Perittopus zhengi, Ye, Zhen, Chen, Pingping & Bu, Wenjun, 2013

Ye, Zhen, Chen, Pingping & Bu, Wenjun, 2013, Contribution to the knowledge on the Oriental genus Perittopus Fieber, 1861 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) with descriptions of four new species from China and Thailand, Zootaxa 3616 (1), pp. 31-48 : 45-47

Perittopus zhengi sp. nov.

Figs. 4, 7, 12, 15, 20, 25, 27, 29, 34, 39, 43.

Material examined. Holotype: apterous female, THAILAND: Chiang Mai Province, Doi Suthep, stream with seeping rock at side of the mountain road, 1. IV. 2001, leg. Ping-ping Chen, C0156 (RMNH). Paratypes: 17 males and 9 females, apterous, 8 males and 5 females, macropterous (NCTN), 2 males and 1 female, apterous, 3 males and 2 females, macropterous (NKUM), same data as holotype; 7 males and 1 female, apterous, 1 male and 5 females, macropterous (NCTN), Chiang Mai Province, Doi Suthep, small stream, 5. XI. 1995, leg. N. Nieser, N9501; 13 males and 8 females, apterous, 4 males and 60 females, macropterous (NCTN), Chiang Mai Province, Doi Suthep, Mon Tha Tharn Waterfall, 600 m, 25. III. 2001, leg. Ping-ping Chen, C0135; 1 female, apterous, 2 females, macropterous (NCTN), Chiang Mai Province, Muang Dist., Suthep Subdist., Doi Suthep Pui NP., Monthatarn waterfall, 600 m, 26. II. 2002, leg. Ping-ping Chen & N. Nieser, CN0250; 1 female, apterous, 1 female, macropterous (NCTN), Chiang Mai Province, Chom Thong Dist., Baan Luang Subdist., Doi Inthanon N.P., Khun Huay Haeney, 18º34’23.5” N, 98º31’04.9”E, 1567m asl., 15. I. 2005, leg. Ping-ping Chen & N. Nieser, CN0508.

Description of apterous female (Fig. 4). Color: ground color orange, head light orange, labrum brownish, with buccula yellow; rostrum yellow with black apex; antennae dark brown; pronotum orange, with scattered dark punctures; legs mainly brown, basal part of femora dull yellow, apical part of femora strongly infuscated, all tarsi blackish brown; abdomen dorsum orange, mediotergites 1–3 slightly dark, connexiva mainly dull yellow; abdomen venter yellowish. Structural characteristics: body length 3.08–3.11 (holotype: 3.1), medium-sized, rather stout, diamond shape in dorsal view, mainly with short, blackish, appressed pubescence and especially dorsum anteriorly and laterally covered by relatively long, suberect, thicker, blackish hairs; head deflected, head length: 0.32–0.34, head width: 0.71–0.72, about 2.15 times head length, hind margin of head laterally and ventrally with some black, peg-like spiculae, antennae relatively short and stout, about 0.43 times as long as body, lengths of antennal segments 1–4: 0.36, 0.28, 0.29, 0.4; hind margin of pronotum broadly rounded, dark punctures scatter on the pronotal lobe, pronotum length: 1.0–1.08, pronotum width: 1.1–1.2, medially reaching hind margin of mediotergite 1, lateral part of pronotum medially with a distinct constriction (Fig. 12), posterior part distinctly wider than anterior, mesonotum and metanotum completely hidden beneath pronotal lobe except laterally, prosternum posteromedially with some peg-like black spiculae; legs mainly with decumbent and suberect blackish hairs, tarsi of fore leg short and incrassate, tarsi of middle and hind legs long and slender; lengths of leg segments (femur, tibia, and tarsi): fore leg: 0.7, 0.62, and 0.31 (0.05 + 0.26), middle leg: 0.91, 1.0, and 0.78 (0.22 + 0.26 + 0.3), hind leg: 1.0, 1.29, and 0.57 (0.08 + 0.18 + 0.31); mediotergites not flat, after mediotergite 3 distinctly depressed, connexiva stout and strongly raised, moderately convergent, the smallest distance between connexiva at apex of segment 7 approximately 3 times thickness of connexivum, connexiva 6–7 with dense, posterodorsad directed, black hairs (Figs. 20, 25), mediotergites 1–3 with short, sparse black hairs, mediotergites 4–6 almost bare, hind margin of mediotergite 7 with short, sparse, black, posterodorsad directed hairs, mediotergite 8 with short, sparse, black hairs, connexivum 8 with relatively long, dense, black, posterodorsad directed hairs in caudal aspect. Genital segments: gonocoxa 1 simple, platelike, exposed; proctiger small, directed posteriad, with dense, short hairs.

Description of apterous male. Color as in apterous female, but more or less darker. Body slightly slender, body length: 2.73–2.77, structure of head including antennae as in female, head length: 0.31–0.32, head width: 0.69–0.71, about 2.26 times head length, antennae about 0.49 times as long as body, lengths of antennal segments 1–4: 0.39, 0.3, 0.27, 0.4; pronotum medially with a slight constriction, pronotum length: 0.89–0.91, pronotum width: 1.02–1.04; lengths of leg segments (femur, tibia, and tarsi): fore leg: 0.7, 0.68, and 0.31 (0.04 + 0.27), middle leg: 0.98, 1.0, and 0.89 (0.28 + 0.3 + 0.31), hind leg: 1.06, 1.3, and 0.57 (0.07 + 0.2 + 0.3); grasping comb relatively long, about 0.38 times fore tibia length; abdomen pleurally and ventrally without special modification, mediotergites almost flat, connexiva narrow, slightly raised, weakly convergent, all mediotergites and laterotergites with relatively long, posterodorsad directed, blackish hairs; segment 8 (Fig. 34) about 1.49 times as long as wide, with dorsal hind margin concave, pygophore and proctiger ( Fig. 39 ) simple, paramere ( Fig. 43 ) with relatively broad basal part and triangular distal twisted part, apically extremely acute; other characters as in apterous female.

Description of macropterous female (Fig. 7). Ground color as in apterous female, but much brighter. Body stout and relatively larger, body length 3.23–3.27 (including fore wing); structure of head including antennae as in female, head length: 0.34–0.36, head width: 0.72–0.73, about 2.09 times head length, antennae about 0.39 times as long as body, lengths of antennal segments 1–4: 0.31, 0.3, 0.27, 0.4; pronotum length: 1.39–1.41, pronotum width: 1.51–1.52, pronotum with distinct constriction in front of humeral corners, medial part without blackish mark, humeral corners prominent, whole surface with numerous scattered punctures; lengths of leg segments (femur, tibia, and tarsi): fore leg: 0.71, 0.65, and 0.33 (0.07 + 0.26), middle leg: 0.91, 1.0, and 0.88 (0.3 + 0.27 + 0.31), hind leg: 1.07, 1.29, and 0.6 (0.1 + 0.2 + 0.3); forewings mainly blackish brown, posteriorly slightly surpass cauda of body, laterally adjacent to medial edge of raised connexiva, hemielytron with thick corium with two closed cells, black hairs on veins relatively short and suberect, veins Sc+R this lying adjacent to raised connexiva bright orange (Fig. 15); other characters as in apterous female.

Description of macropterous male. Ground color as in macropterous female. Body relatively larger, body length 3.45–3.49 (including fore wing); structure of head including antennae as in female, head length: 0.28–0.3, head width: 0.71–0.72, about 2.4 times head length, antennae about 0.4 times as long as body, lengths of antennal segments 1–4: 0.38, 0.3, 0.3, 0.4; pronotum length: 1.44–1.46, pronotum width: 1.51–1.53; lengths of leg segments (femur, tibia, and tarsi): fore leg: 0.78, 0.67, and 0.33 (0.04 + 0.29), middle leg: 1.08, 1.04, and 0.95 (0.31 + 0.3 + 0.34), hind leg: 1.2, 1.38, and 0.7 (0.1 + 0.24 + 0.36); grasping comb relatively long, about 0.34 times fore tibia length; other characters as in macropterous female.

Etymology. Named in honour of Prof. Leyi Zheng for his outstanding contribution to the studies on Heteroptera .

Diagnosis. P. z h e ng i sp. nov. seems to be closely related to P. asiaticus ; however, P. zhengi sp. nov. can be distinguished by these characters: ground color much more orange (Figs. 4, 7), laterotergite 5 without numerous posteriad directed, long blackish hairs (Fig. 20), hind margin of mediotergite 7 with relatively short, sparse, black, posterodorsad directed hairs (Fig. 20); further differences are found in the shape of paramere ( Fig. 43 ), paramere with relatively broad basal part and triangular distal twisted part, apically extremely acute. In the macropterous morph, P. z h e n gi sp. nov. can be distinguished from P. asiaticus by the character that veins (Sc+R) adjacent to raised connexiva are paler than those in P. asiaticus (Fig. 15).

However, it is in general very difficult to separate the macropterous females of P. asiaticus and P. zhengi sp. nov., except the difference in color of veins Sc+R; yet one needs to have experience to be sure. We have tried to search more morphological characters to separate the macropterous females of these two species. After going through several failures, Dr. Pluot-Sigwalt kindly offered her help. After checking 8 dissections of the females of the two species, she concluded that the gynatrial complex including the spermatheca does not providing reliable characters to separate the two species because of “A) the spermathecal tube is easily broken, which makes it difficult to measure the length of the tube; B) the opening of the spermathecal tube which is connected to the gynatrial dorsal sac appears somewhat variable; C) the gynatrial sac is relatively soft and its form can be varied; D) the fecundation canal is weakly sclerotized and therefore less distinct.” She has confirmed that the structure of the apex of the first gonapophysis seems a better character to distinguish the two species, in that P. zhengi sp. nov. the apex of the first gonapophysis has a relatively sharp point ( Fig. 29 ). She has also discovered that the ventral pigmented apodeme on sternite 6 in both apterous and macropterous form, is longer (at least the half of the length of sternite 6) in P. asiaticus (Fig. 28) and shorter (less than the half of the length of sternite 6) in P. zhengi sp. nov. (Fig. 27). The apodeme is associated with muscles of the genital system; thus it can be only found in females. (Pluote-Sigwalt, personal communication with the second author).

Figures

FIGURES 36 – 40. Proctigers of Perittopus spp. in dorsal view (male) 36 P. crinalis sp. nov., 37 P. falciformis sp. nov., 38 P. yunnanensis sp. nov., 39 P. zhengi sp. nov., 40 P. asiaticus Zettel, 2001. Scale 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 41 – 45. Parameres of Perittopus spp. (41 – 45 a. in lateral view; 45 b. in perpendicular view) (male) 41 P. yunnanensis sp. nov., 42 P. crinalis sp. nov., 43 P. zhengi sp. nov., 44 P. asiaticus Zettel, 2001, 45 a P. falciformis sp. nov., 45 b P. falciformis sp. nov.. Scale 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 29 – 30. Innerlobe of first gonapophysis of Perittopus spp. (female) 29 P. zhengi sp. nov., 30 P. asiaticus Zettel, 2001. Scale 0.01 mm.