Zelus ruficeps Stal , 1862

Zhang, Guanyang, Hart, Elwood R & Weirauch, Christiane, 2016, A taxonomic monograph of the assassin bug genus Zelus Fabricius (Hemiptera: Reduviidae): 71 species based on 10,000 specimens, Biodiversity Data Journal 4, pp. 8150-8150 : 8150

Zelus ruficeps Stal, 1862

Zelus ruficeps Stål, 1862, p. 453-454, orig. descr.; Stål, 1872, p. 90, cat. (subgenus Diplodus ); Lethierry and Severin, 1896, p. 153, cat.; Champion, 1898, p. 256, Tab. 15. fig. 15, note and fig.; Kuhlgatz, 1902, p. 266, note; Fracker, 1913, p. 239, 240, list (subgenus Diplodus ); Wygodzinsky, 1949a, p. 50, checklist; Maldonado, 1990, p. 331, cat.

Diplodus ruficeps : Walker, 1873, p. 124, cat.; Uhler, 1886, p. 24, checklist.

Materials

Type status: Lectotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00041010 ; occurrenceRemarks: Lectotype of Zelusruficeps Stål, 1862 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016). Verbatim label info: Mexico / Salle/ ruficeps Stal / Lectotype Zelusruficeps Stal / designated by E.R.Hart / Paratypus / NHRS-GULI 000000347; recordedBy: salle; sex: Adult Male; otherCatalogNumbers: NHRS-GULI 000000347; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusruficeps; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Stål, 1862; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: None or Unknown; locality: unknown ; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: NHRS Type status: Allolectotype. Occurrence: occurrenceRemarks: Allolectotype of Zelusruficeps Stål, 1862 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016); recordedBy: salle; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusruficeps; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Stål, 1862; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: None or Unknown; locality: unknown ; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: NHRS Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: occurrenceRemarks: Paralectotype of Zelusruficeps Stål, 1862 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016); recordedBy: salle; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusruficeps; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Stål, 1862; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: None or Unknown; locality: unknown ; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: NHRS Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: occurrenceRemarks: Paralectotype of Zelusruficeps Stål, 1862 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016); recordedBy: salle; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusruficeps; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Stål, 1862; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: None or Unknown; locality: unknown ; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: NHRS Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: occurrenceRemarks: Paralectotype of Zelusruficeps Stål, 1862 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016). Bears label: Mexico, coll. Signoret/ruficeps det. Stal; recordedBy: Signoret; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusruficeps; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Stål, 1862; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: None or Unknown; locality: unknown ; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: NHMW Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: occurrenceRemarks: Paralectotype of Zelusruficeps Stål, 1862 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016). Bears label: Mexico, coll. Signoret/ruficeps det. Stal; recordedBy: Signoret; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusruficeps; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Stål, 1862; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: None or Unknown; locality: unknown ; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: NHMW

Description

Figs 173, 174, 175

Male: (Fig. 173a, b) Medium-sized, total length 13.24-16.83 mm (mean 14.93 mm, Suppl. material 2); robust. COLORATION: Orangish to reddish, with black areas. Head orangish or reddish-brown; dark areas on postocular lobe in some specimens. Anterior pronotal lobe orangish or reddish-brown; posterior margin dark, sometimes occupying more than 1/2 of surface. Posterior pronotal lobe, corium and clavus orangish-brown; sometimes with dark areas on each. Scutellum dark brown; margins yellowish-brown. Membrane dark brown. Legs not distinctly banded; femoral apical portion usually reddish, occasionally dark, single small black band subapically, sometimes very faint black marking medially. Lateral and ventral surfaces orangish to reddish-brown; variable black areas on pleura and abdomen; dark stripe along posterior margin of each segment, width variable; pygophore usually reddish. VESTITURE: Densely setose. Dorsal surface of head with fine to stiff erect setae and some recumbent setae, lateral and ventral surfaces with erect and recumbent setae. Anterior pronotal lobe with recumbent and erect setae, confined to setal tracts, erect setae predominant; posterior pronotal lobe with erect setae and some recumbent setae. Abdomen with short, recumbent setae, interspersed with erect setae. STRUCTURE: Head: Cylindrical, L/W = 2.21. Postocular lobe relatively short; in dorsal view distinctly narrowing through anterior 1/2, posterior 1/2 constant, tube-like. Eye smallish; lateral margin only slightly wider than postocular lobe; dorsal margin attaining postocular transverse groove, ventral margin removed from ventral surface of head in lateral view. Labium: I: II: III = 1: 1.4: 0.4. Basiflagellomere diameter subequal to that of pedicel. Thorax: Anterolateral angle bearing small protuberance; medial longitudinal sulcus distinct throughout. Posterior pronotal lobe with rugulose surface; disc distinctly elevated above humeral angle; humeral angle armed, with short tuberculate processes. Scutellum moderately long; apex angulate. Legs: Moderately robust. Hemelytron: Slightly surpassing apex of abdomen, not more than length of abdominal segment seven; quadrate cell large and broad; Cu and M of cubital cell converging towards R. GENITALIA: (Fig. 174) Pygophore: Rounded; slightly expanded laterally near base of paramere in dorsal view; posteriorly expanded sac-like sclerite between parameres and medial process. Medial process cylindrical; slender; moderately long; posteriorly directed; nearly straight; apex in posterior view rounded, with small sharp lateral projections. Paramere: Cylindrical; moderately long, not reaching apex of medial process; directed posteriad; nearly straight; apical part not enlarged. Phallus: Dorsal phallothecal sclerite somewhat squarish; lateral expansion arising close to base; apical portion of phallothecal sclerite not distinctly tapered, flat, lateral margin narrowly angulate; apex rounded; posterior margin of foramen broadly inversely V-shaped. Struts attached to dorsal phallothecal sclerite; apically fused; basally separate throughout. Basal plate arm moderately robust; basally fused; in lateral view very slightly curved; bridge extremely short; extension of basal plate small, marginally expanded onto arm.

Female: (Fig. 173c, d) Similar to male, except for the following. Larger than male, total length 16.46-20.01 mm (mean 17.84 mm, Suppl. material 2). Usually lighter than male and larger areas of red and yellow.

Diagnosis

The combination of relatively large size, stout body, the reddish head and parts of body can separate both sexes of this species from other species of Zelus . Among males of the Zelus armillatus species group, Z. ruficeps has some of the most delicate medial process. Females may be confused with Z. grassans , but are much larger and the humeral angle is equipped with dentate process, contrasting to the nearly rounded humeral angle of Z. grassans .

Distribution

Southern Mexico to Northern South America (Fig. 175). Countries with records: Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela.