Pothea berengeri, Gil-Santana, Hélcio R., 2014

Gil-Santana, Hélcio R., 2014, Pothea berengeri sp. nov. from Brazil, with taxonomic notes on Pothea furtadoi Gil-Santana & Costa and Pothea jaguaris (Carpintero) and reinstatement of Parapothea Carpintero as junior synonym of Pothea Amyot & Serville (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae), Zootaxa 3826 (3), pp. 497-516 : 500-504

Pothea berengeri sp. nov.

Figures 1–14, 15–28.

Diagnosis. Pothea berengeri sp. nov. differs from other species of Pothea by lacking sexual dimorphism in males, with first antennal segment almost completely glabrous and second antennal with short pilosity. The rounded tylus, size of male ocelli equal to females; and eyes somewhat smaller than eyes of female are also diagnostic. Females with hemelytra somewhat longer or reaching the tip of abdomen; male hemelytra shorter, not reaching the tip of the abdomen (Figs. 1, 15, 24).

Description. Male. MEASUREMENTS: Total length: 17.3; head: total length (including collum): 4.0; maximum width across the eyes: 1.6; ante-ocular length: 1.9; post-ocular length: 1.6; interocular space: 0.9; transverse width of right eye: 0.3; length of right eye, measured from above: 0.5; ocellar tubercle width: 0.6; right ocellus width: 0.18; antennal segments: I: 2.0; II: 3.0; III: 1.2; IV: 0.7; V: 0.55; VI: 0.4; VII: 0.35; VIII: 0.5; labium segments: II [first visible]: 2.5; III: 1.0; IV: 0.5. Thorax: pronotum: fore lobe length: 1.2; hind lobe: length: 2.4; width at posterior margin: 4.2; scutellum: length: 1.7; width at base: 1.9. Legs: fore legs: femur: 4.0; tibia: 4.0; tarsus: 1.4; middle legs: femur: 4.0; tibia: 4.0; tarsus: 1.5; hind legs: femur: 5.0; tibia: 5.5; tarsus: 1.7. Abdomen: length: 8.6; maximum width: 5.1. COLORATION: General coloration yellowish-orange to orange-red, with reddish, brownish or blackish markings (Figs. 1, 5). Head (Fig. 1): with reddish markings along midline, more prominent on clypeus, almost all ocellar tubercle red, antennal tubercles and around eyes also red; well marked blackish spots behind ocelli and very faint ones in front of them, both on the ocellar tubercle; eyes blackish. Antenna: first antennal segment orange-yellowish; second segment somewhat dark, orange-yellowish basally; other segments darkened to brownish, except on the joints, which are clear, yellowish to whitish. Thorax (Figs. 1, 5–6). Pronotum: anterior margin, anterior portion of longitudinal sulcus, lateral portions of the transverse sulcus, lateral stripe on anterior portion of propleura, and a somewhat rounded spot on posterior portion of propleura slightly dark to brownish. Central portion and lateral margins of scutellum dark. Meso and metapleura and sterna darkened, intersegmental sutures around metapleura marked with black. Apical third of femora somewhat reddish. Hemelytra: corium somewhat orange-yellowish, with the area adjacent to scutellum blackish except at base; a pair of short subparallel brownish-black stripes in the central portion; subapical lateral portion somewhat reddish, apex darkened; membrane dark brown. Abdomen (Figs. 1, 7). Connexivum orange in internal portion, dorsally, and reddish in external portion, dorsally and ventrally; sternites orange-yellowish, with the distal portion of sternite VII, posterior to pygophore, as reddish as connexivum; sternite II [first visible] without dark markings; intersegmental area between sternites II and III, where there are canaliculae, somewhat darkened; other sternites with small dark, brownish to blackish markings as follows: lateral subsquared or subrounded markings on segments III–VI; a pair of small dark curved stripes on mid portion of sternites III–IV; curved bands, which are larger in their median portion, on midline of sternites V and VI, the latter smaller; sternite VII with a very faint dark spot just anterior to pygophore and lateral small rounded dark markings; area around spiracles somewhat darkened as well. VESTITURE: Integument almost completely glabrous and shiny (Figs. 1–2, 5–7). Antennae with first segment almost completely glabrous, with just a small yellowish-orange seta on the middle of internal face in the right antenna; basal portion of segment II glabrous; remainder of this segment and others covered with moderately short setae and a few longer ones; on segment II, the short setae length are approximately half the width of the segment, while the length of PLATE 1. Figs. 1–7, Pothea berengeri sp. nov., male holotype, 1, dorsal view, 2, head, lateral view, 3–4, right antenna, dorsal view, 4, segment I and proximal portion of segment II, the arrow points to a setae, 5, pronotum and scutellum, dorsal view, 6, pronotum, lateral view, 7, abdomen, ventral view.

the few longer setae are approximately 1.2 times the width of the segment (Figs. 3–4). Labium with yellowish to orange sparse setae on ventral face of basal portion of labial segment II, apex of labial segment III, and on base, dorsally, and apex of labial segment IV (Fig. 2). Legs with short hairs on fore and median trochanters and a mid ventral fringe of short curved yellowish to orange very short hairs on fore and mid femora and all tibiae; apex of tibiae and tarsi covered with somewhat longer hairs with the same coloration. STRUCTURE: Head elongated; clypeus elevated and rounded; eyes moderate size; ocellar tubercle prominent, undivided; labium thick, segment II longer than the others together and surpassing posterior margin of eyes (Figs. 1–2); antennae eight-segmented (Fig. 3). Pronotum: anterior margin as a thin collar; surface smooth with a pair of short, rounded tubercles medially just between anterior and posterior lobes of pronotum; longitudinal sulcus on anterior lobe shallow, somewhat more profound in second half; in first half of posterior lobe it is represented only by four small punctures, the most anterior just below the pair of rounded tubercles; transverse (interlobar) sulcus formed by small and shallow impressions (canaliculae); both sulci interrupted medially by the pair of tubercles, not reaching each other. Lateral sulcus of posterior lobe of pronotum weak, formed by shallow canaliculae anteriorly; humeral angles rounded. Scutellum with a deep median depression; prongs short and convergent (Figs. 1, 5–6). Legs slender; fore and mid femora somewhat thicker than hind ones; these latter slightly thick subapically; protibia conspicuously thick at apex, mainly in anterior portion; other tibiae less thick PLATE 2. Figs. 8–14, Pothea berengeri sp. nov., holotype, male genitalia, 8–9, pygophore and parameres, 8, ventral view, 9, dorsal view, 10, median process of pygophore, 11, left paramere, ventral and dorsal view, respectively, 12–13, phallus, 12, lateral view, 13, dorsal view, 14, median process of endosoma, dorsal view.

at apex, mid pair a little more than hind tibiae; small spongy fossa on pro and mid tibiae; presence of a median ventral shallow and thin crest, where the ventral fringe of hairs are inserted, on fore and mid femora and all tibiae, less marked on hind ones. Hemelytra not reaching tip of abdomen (Fig. 1). Connexivum, in lateral view, with postero-lateral angles somewhat prominent, which is more accentuated in segment II. Sternites II and III separated by canaliculae; other intersternite furrow more evident in median portion and almost imperceptible laterally (Fig. 7). Male genitalia (Figs. 8–14): pygophore sub-squared, posterior margin sinuate; parameres apices close in resting position (Figs. 8–9). Median process of pygophore sclerotized, apex rounded (Figs. 9–10). Parameres symmetrical, curved, somewhat enlarged, truncated at apex, with short slots on median and medial portion and a small tooth at lateral portion of the apex (Figs. 8–9, 11). Phallus with articulatory apparatus moderately short, subretangular; phalothecal dorsal plate somewhat elongated with angles rounded, sinuous in center of anterior margin; struts rather enlarged at basal half, united at the apex, which is rounded (Figs. 12–13). Median process of endosoma subtriangular, apex rounded, with a central sclerotized structure, which has three divergent branches directed upward (Fig. 14). Female: MEASUREMENTS: Total length: 17–17.5; head: total length (including collum): 4.2–4.4; maximum width across the eyes: 1.6–1.7; ante-ocular length: 1.8–2.0; post-ocular length: 1.6–1.8; interocular space: 0.9–1.0; transverse width of right eye: 0.35; length of right eye, measured from above: 0.6–0.7; ocellar tubercle width: 0.6–0.8; right ocellus width: 0.18–0.20; antennal segments: I: 1.9–2.0; II: 3.2–3.5; III: 1.3–1.4; IV: 0.8–0.9; [V–VIII, absent in one paratype]; V: 0.6; VI: 0.4; VII: 0.4; VIII: 0.6; labial segments: II [first visible]: 2.7–2.8; III: 1.2; IV: 0.5. Thorax: pronotum: fore lobe length: 1.0 –1.3; hind lobe: length: 2.3–2.4; width at posterior margin: 4.6–4.7; scutellum: length: 1.6–1.8; width at base: 2.0–2.4. Legs: fore legs: femur: 4.0; tibia: 4.3; tarsus: 1.4–1.5; middle legs: femur: 4.1–4.2; tibia: 4.0–4.2; tarsus: 1.6; hind legs: femur: 5.4; tibia: 5.8–6.0; tarsus: 1.8. Abdomen: length: 8.5–9.3; maximum width: 5.6–5.9. COLORATION: similar to male. General coloration is reddish to clear (Figs. 15, 24). Head: the reddish markings on the head smaller than male or absent (Figs. 16, 19). Thorax: a pair of suboval faint brownish median spots present on hind lobe of pronotum (Figs. 15, 19, 24, 27); propleura with a dark faint and irregular stripe on upper portion; meso and metapleurae and sterna fairly dark; pair of short subparallel brownish-black stripes in the central portion of corium of hemelytra present (Fig. 15) and can form a darkened larger spot (Fig. 24); sternite II with a pair of sublateral brownish faint sublateral stripes, and five pairs of subquadrate to subtriangular lateral spots on sternites III–VII, and a small median spot on sternite III and median bands on sternites IV–VI, which are larger in the middle portion, especially in sternite VI and almost reach the lateral spots on sternites IV–V and right side of sternite VI, joining the lateral spot in left side of sternite VI (Fig. 22). STRUCTURE: Head somewhat larger in profile (Fig. 16); first antennal segment completely glabrous (Figs. 17–18) or with ten setae on the internal face of this segment (Figs. 25–26). Hemelytra can reach tip of abdomen (Fig. 24). Female genitalia: Posterior view of external genitalia as Fig. 23.

Distribution. Brazil, states of Mato Grosso and Bahia.

Etymology. The new species is named in honor of the French entomologist, Jean-Michel Bérenger, for his great contribution to the study of Reduviidae .

PLATE 3. Figs. 15–22, Pothea berengeri sp. nov., female paratype, specimen from Bahia, Brazil, 15, dorsal view, 16, head, lateral view, 17– 18, right antenna, proximal segments, dorsal view, 19, head and pronotum, dorsal view, 20, fore femur, lateral view, 21, fore tibia and tarsus, dorsal view, 22, ventral view.

PLATE 4. Figs. 23– 28, Pothea berengeri sp. nov., female paratype, 23, specimen from Bahia, external genitalia, posterior view, 24–28, paratype from Mato Grosso, Brazil, 24, dorsal view, 25–26, right antenna, dorsal view, 26, segment I, 27, pronotum and scutellum, dorsal view, 28, ventral view.

Discussion. The following variability was present in the female paratype of this species: the pair of short subparallel brownish-black stripes in the central portion of corium of hemelytra is somewhat smaller in one paratype (Fig. 15) and forms a darkened larger spot in the paratype with reddish coloration (Fig. 24); the reddish markings on the head was absent in the paratype with clear coloration. The sternites in the other paratype have a brighter coloration, almost yellowish, while the markings are darker, except on sternite II, in which, besides smaller, forming spots, they are fainter; the median bands are larger in the middle portion and do not reach the lateral spots in any segment; on the sternites V–VI they form subtriangular spots and not bands; the lateral markings on sternite VII are much smaller, simple dots (Fig. 28). The paratype with reddish coloration has a somewhat thicker fore and mid femora and the hemelytra reaches the tip of the abdomen. Despite the mentioned variation, all the common features between the females, particularly in the structure of head and pronotum, are prone to consider them as conspecific.

Specimens examined. Holotype: BRAZIL, Mato Grosso, Diamantino, Alto Rio Arinos (14º 25´S – 56º 29´W), 20.X.1983, J. Becker, O. Roppa & B.S. leg. [MNRJ]; 1 male. Paratypes: BRAZIL, Bahia, Encruzilhada, BR 116, Divisa, XI.[19]74, O. Roppa leg., 1 female; Mato Grosso, Diamantino, Alto Rio Arinos (14º 25´S – 56º 29´W), 10.X.1988, O. Roppa & J. Becker leg. [MNRJ], 1 female.