Locoptiris taiwanensis, Rédei & Tsai, 2011

Rédei, Dávid & Tsai, Jing-Fu, 2011, The assassin bug subfamilies Centrocnemidinae and Holoptilinae in Taiwan (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 51 (2), pp. 411-442 : 427-431

Locoptiris taiwanensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 41–53, 65 )

Type locality. Taiwan: Yilan County, Fushan Botanical Garden.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♂, ‘ TAIWAN: Yilan Co., Fushan \ Bot. Garden ([‘Fushan Botanical Garden’, in Chinese script]) \ N24°45.377’ E121°35.678’ \ 640 m, forest edge’ [printed]; ‘from ferns growing on trees \ 2007. IX. 16. \ leg. Rédei D & Tsai JF’ [printed] (mounted on card, in intact condition; deposited in HNHM) . PARATYPE: ♂, ‘Taiwan Pin[g]tung [County] \ Hengchun Kenting Park \ No: II Sampling plots’ [printed]; ‘ X/3--- X/31/2007 \ C.S.Lin & W.T.Yang \ Malaise trap ( KCN)’ [printed] (mounted on card, left and right antennal segments III+IV and pregenital abdomen glued on card separately, male genitalia dissected, preserved in plastic microvial with glycerine, pinned with the specimen; deposited in NMNS) .

Description. Macropterous male. Colour. Head, antenna, and labium ochraceous, ocelli surrounded by dark spot; pronotum ochraceous, posterior lobe gradually darkened posteriorly; scutellum brownish ochraceous; thoracic pleura ochraceous, supracoxal lobes whitish; veins of corium ochraceous, cells of corium, and clavus hyaline, membrane semitransparent with veins and anterior margin widely gray, basal half with a large, rounded, piceous spot reaching nearly to fusion point of Cu and AA 1+2; coxae, trochanters, and basal third of femora whitish, middle third of femora brown, apical third ochraceous; tibiae and tarsi ochraceous; abdominal venter dark brown, hypopleurites ochraceous. Body surface and vestiture. Body smooth, subshining, covered with scattered long, thick, stiff, serrate, brown setae, originating from wart-like basal tubercles; antenna densely covered with stiff, serrate setae intermixed with long, fine, simple, whitish setae; anterior lobe of pronotum covered with dense, adpressed, tomentose, white pubescence; femora and tibiae covered with stiff, serrate setae originating from tubercles; base of hind tibia with a brush-like tuft of serrate, whitish setae; abdomen only with a few scattered setae ( Figs. 44–45 ), posterolateral angles of hypopleurites V and VI each with a tuft of 3–5 thick, serrate setae.

Structure. Head ( Figs. 42–43 ) short, transverse in dorsal view, 1.65–1.7 as wide as long, almost vertically declivent before antenniferous tubercles, widely rounded posteriad to eyes; eyes relatively small, semiglobular, protruding, width of head across eyes about 1.75 times as wide as interocular distance; antenniferous tubercles situated close to eyes, opening ventrally; frons with a median tubercle anteriorly bearing 1+1 serrate setae apically; postocular part elevated, with 5+5 serrate setae arranged in U-shaped line and a single central serrate hair; bucculae with 1+1 serrate setae at posterior angle; gula produced into 1+1 tubercles posteriorly each bearing a serrate hair apically. Labium ( Fig. 43 ) thick, basal segment (segment II) cylindrical, reaching apex of prosternum, about twice as long as combined lengths of segments III+IV. Antenna. Segment I short and stout, narrowly pedunculate at extreme base; segment II curved, about 1.1 times as long as humeral width of pronotum, about 2.5 times as long as fused segments III+IV.

Pronotum ( Figs. 42–43 ) 1.9–2.0 times as wide as median length, anterior and posterior lobes indistinctly separated; anterior lobe much shorter than posterior lobe, adpressed tomentose pubescence forming 1+1 rings in dorsal view; posterior lobe about 1.6 times as wide as anterior lobe, with a median longitudinal furrow, disc with (4–6)+(4–6) serrate setae arranged in U-shaped line, lateral margin with 3 serrate setae anteriad of humeral angle; posterior margin straight anteriad of scutellum, narrowly explanate and bearing 6 serrate setae laterad to scutellum. Scutellum ( Fig. 42 ) subtriangular, with 1+1 serrate setae at basal angle and 5+5 serrate setae along lateral margin. Fore wing ( Fig. 65 ) wide, surpassing abdomen by nearly its apical half; corium about 0.4 times as long as total length of fore wing; posterior cell of corium very narrow, approximately as wide as the diameter of the two veins delimiting it; Cu+AA 1+2 and M approaching margin of membrane; apical half of M ramifying, forming closed cells and short free branches. Legs stout; fore and mid legs relatively short, covered with relatively narrow serrate setae originating from relatively small tubercles; hind femur thick, curved at base; hind tibia long, gradually narrowing towards apex, apical part strongly curved; hind femur and tibia with thick and long serrate setae originating from large tubercles, erect in dorsal surface, more gracile and more declivous in ventral surface of tibia; base of hind tibia with a brush-like tuft of serrate, whitish setae.

Pregenital abdomen ( Figs. 44–45 ) rounded in dorsal view; tergite VII broadly triangular; segment VIII of male ( Fig. 47 : VIII) membranous dorsally. Male genitalia. Genital capsule ( Figs. 46–49 ) elongate, dorsally membranous, anterior and posterior apertures not separated by distinct dorsal sclerotized bridge-like portion therefore seemingly confluent; ventral rim forming a thick transverse ridge posteriorly, infolding of ventral rim with a flattened, broadly trilobed median projection ( Fig. 48 : mp). Parameres ( Figs. 50–51 ) symmetrical, strongly curved, hook-like, their extreme apices slightly broadened (most of the hair sensilla were broken off in the examined specimen!). Phallus ( Figs. 52–53 ): articulatory apparatus small, restricted to the extreme base of the phallus; basal plates short, thick; support bridge complex with 2+2 capitate processes of lateral position, continued in 1+1 greatly elongate, narrow support bridge prolongations ( Fig. 52 : sbp) but fused at most of their length, apically strongly bulbose; phallosoma with a large, membranous basal aula ( Fig. 52 : ba) provided with a pedicel ( Fig. 52 : ped); phallotheca relatively short, with a dorsal sclerotized plate ( Fig. 52 : dsp); phallotheca mouth opening between 1+1 large, thick ventroapical membranous lobes ( Figs. 52 : val); endosoma tubular, membranous, impossible to inflate because of rigid sclerotized elements in its wall, with processes as follows: 1+1 short and thick basal sclerites ( Figs. 52–53 : bsc); 1+1 struts subdivided into two portions, both articulated with the apex of support bridge prolongations: ventrobasal portions ( Figs. 52–53 : strvb) thick, extending to about middle of phallotheca, dorsoapical portions ( Figs. 52–53 : strda) elongate, whiplike, narrowing towards apex, far protruding from phallotheca; 1+1 elongate, folded lateral sclerites ( Figs. 52–53 : lsc).

Measurements (holotype ♂ / paratype ♂) (in mm). Body length to apex of fore wing 3.2 / 3.1, to apex of abdomen 1.9 / 1.9. Length of head 0.37 / 0.35, width across eyes 0.62 / 0.60, interocular distance 0.36 / 0.34, interocellar distance 0.22 / 0.22; lengths of antennal segments I, II, and III+IV as 0.19 / 0.19, 1.07 / 1.05, and 0.42 / 0.42; lenghts of labial segments II, III, and IV (visible segments I, II and III) as 0.25 / 0.27, 0.08 / 0.08, and 0.09 / 0.10; length of pronotum along meson 0.48 / 0.48, humeral width 0.95: 0.93; length of scutellum 0.18: 0.15, basal width 0.37 / 0.37; length of fore wing 2.33 / 2.32, greatest width 0.98 / 1.10; lengths of femur, tibia, and tarsus of fore leg as 0.51 / 0.46, 0.66 / 0.59, and 0.24 / 0.20; of mid leg as 0.59 / 0.52, 0.88 / 0.80, and 0.22; of hind leg as 0.73 / 0.71, 1.80 / 1.70, and 0.29 / 0.25, respectively.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a toponymical adjective derived from Taiwan (terra typica).

Habitat notes. A single male (the holotype) was obtained in the Fushan Botanical Garden by a canopy net through sweeping tufts of ferns growing on a tree about 4 meters above the ground. The habitat was a regularly cut meadow scattered with trees, surrounding a main road in the Botanical Garden, close to a forest edge. The paratype was captured by Malaise trap which infers the ability of the species to fly.

Distribution. Taiwan.

Comparative notes. Locoptiris taiwanensis sp. nov. is closely related to L. pendleburyi ( Miller, 1940) described from Kuala Lumpur, the holotype of which has been examined by the first author. The two species are very similar externally, but L. pendleburyi is slightly smaller, its general colouration is darker, and the central spot on the fore wing is smaller. The unique holotype has not been dissected. Two additional specimens apparently representing L. pendleburyi and tentatively identified as such from Borneo have been examined, one of them has been dissected; its male genitalia are much different from those of L. taiwanensis sp. nov. Data of the dissected specimen: Malaysia, Sabah, Mt. Kinabalu, Pouring Hot Springs (43 km E of Park Headquarters), ‘Langanan Trail’, trail to Kipungit Falls and Bat Caves, 530–650 m, 21.iii.1983, leg. C. Lienhard (Pal-83/41, MHNG).

Species of Locoptiris can be distinguished by the following key.

Figures

Figs. 65–67. Left fore wings of Holoptilinae spp. 65 – Locoptiris taiwanensis sp. nov.; 66 – Ptilocerus kanoi Esaki, 1931; 67 – P. immitis Uhler, 1896. Scales in mm.

Figs. 42-45. Locoptiris taiwanensis sp. nov, male. 42 – head, pronotum, and scutellum, dorsal view; 43 – head and pronotum, lateral view; 44 – abdomen, dorsal view; 45 – same, ventral view. Scales in mm.

Figs. 46–53. Locoptiris taiwanensis sp. nov., male genitalia. 46 – segment VIII and genital capsule, dorsal view; 47 – same, lateral view; 48 – same, posterior view, hairs omitted; 49 – apex of genital capsule, lateral view; 50–51 – left paramere, two different aspects; 52 – phallus, lateral view; 53 – same, ventral view. Legends as in Figs. 22–24, furthermore: mp = median projection of infolding of ventral rim of pygophore; strvb = ventrobasal portion of struts; strda = dorsoapical portion of struts; val = ventroapical lobe; VIII = segment VIII. Scales in mm.