Tagalis albispina, Castro-Huertas, Valentina & Forero, Dimitri, 2014

Castro-Huertas, Valentina & Forero, Dimitri, 2014, First record of the genus Tag ali s Stål, 1860 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Saicinae) from Colombia with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 3838 (4), pp. 475-485 : 481-484

Tagalis albispina sp. nov.

( Figs. 3 , 4 )

Diagnosis. Recognized by the coloration pattern of the hemelytron, with a reddish area on the pterostigma and three pale areas close to the anterior margin (fig. 3D), and by the white, apically anteriad mesoscutelar spine (fig. 3B).

Description. Female: Small (Total length, holotype: 5.2 mm, an approximate measurement, pronotum dislodged from mesothorax, and the latter from the abdomen). COLORATION: Head: Uniformly dark brown (fig. 3A). Antenna: scapus pale brown, apically dark brown. Labium: Second segment basally dark brown, apically pale brown; third, apically dark brown, and fourth pale brown (fig. 3A). Thorax: Anterior lobe of pronotum dark brown, posterior lobe pale brown with a longitudinal dark brown stripe below lateral margin (fig. 3A); coxal cavities pale brown; mesoscutellar spine whitish (fig. 3B); meso- and metanotum dark brown (fig. 3B). Legs: Proleg pale brown, procoxae with a subapical spot on posterior surface, profemur with a subapical irregular dark brown band on dorsal surface, protibia with a subbasal dark brown spot on posterior surface, apically dark brown (fig. 3A); meso- and metalegs pale brown, meso- and metacoxae and trochanters whitish, meso- and metacoxae with a subbasal dark brown spot on anterior surface (fig. 3E), meso- and meta femora with subapical wide dark brown band; meso- and metatibiae with subbasal narrow dark brown band, apically dark brown. Hemelytron (fig. 3D): Dark brown, veins pale brown, three areas of pale spots close to the anterior margin, pterostigma reddish. Abdomen: Brown, dorsolateral areas of sternites dark brown (fig. 3E). Genitalia dark brown (fig. 3F). VESTITURE: Body with rather sparse, fine, suberect setae. Head: Densely setose, setae very short; antennal scapus with very sparse, short setae; a pair of spines each on ventral margin of maxillary plate, on posteroventral margin of eye, and on gular region, the first one slightly shorter than the second, the last one about half the length of second one; two spines on each second and third segments of labium (fig. 3A). Thorax: Dorsally glabrous; proepisternal process with an anteroventrad spine and a posteroventrad delicate seta (fig. 3C). Legs: Procoxa with a dorsad basal spine and three ventral anteriad spines; protrochanter with four anteroventrad spines; profemur with a ventral row of small and long spines, intermixed with decumbent dense short setae and erect long sparse setae; anterodorsal surface with six spines, distal four ones large; protibia with three large anterodorsal spines on basal half, and one short, stout setae on the apex, close to protibial comb (fig. 3A); scopula present on apex of third tarsomere of all legs. STRUCTURE: Head: Anteocular lobe very short, postocular lobe as long as eye, globose; interocular sulcus deep, almost straight; clypeus with small protuberance (fig. 3A). Eyes: Hemispherical in dorsal view, elongate ovoid in lateral view (fig. 3A). Antenna: Scapus the longest, pedicel about half the length of scapus, basiflagellomere as long as pedicel, distiflagellomere about as half as long as basiflagellomere. Labium: Second labial segment stout, third segment basally swollen, about as long as second segment, fourth segment narrowing toward apex, about as long as third. Thorax: Pronotum longer than wide; anterior lobe subquadrate, anterior margin with collar, lateral angle with a broadly rounded projection, disc rugose, anterior margin of disc with paired elevated protuberances, posterior margin with paired low protuberances (fig. 3A), distance between these protuberances about the same on both anterior and posterior margin; posterior lobe trapezoidal, about as long as anterior lobe, disc shallowly depressed, humeral angles rounded; transverse furrow impressed, strongly emarginated medially, with a deep circular depression; mesoscutum with broad base, medially depressed, laterally forming a ridge, truncated apex, tapering into a long, erect spine apically curved anteriad ( Fig. 3 B); metanotum with an anterior short, blunt spine, and a posterior larger, straight spine (fig. 3B). Prosternum with proepisternal process projected, apex rounded; stridulitrum narrow; prosternal process very small; mesosternum about as long as prosternum; metasternum slightly shorter than mesosternum. Legs: procoxa cylindrical; protrochanter triangular; profemur stout; protibia slightly curved, apically expanded, with flat protibial comb; tarsi three-segmented, apical one globose; simple, slender, curved claws (fig. 3A); meso- and metaleg similar in structure, metaleg longer than mesoleg; meso- and metacoxa ovoid; meso- and metatrochanter triangular; meso- and metafemur and meso- and metatibia long and slender; meso- and metatarsi similar to protarsi. Hemelytron: with two closed cells (fig. 3D). Abdomen: elongate ovoid, lateral margins smooth (fig. 3E). FEMALE GENITALIA: Tergite nine (T9) not covering dorsally the gonoplac (fig. 4A); gonocoxa eight (gcx8) large, subquadrangular (fig. 4B); gonapophysis eight (gap8) about half as large as gonocoxa, subtriangular with numerous setae medially (fig. 4B); gonocoxa and gonapophysis nine not clearly discernible; gonoplac (gpl) rounded (fig. 4B), subtriangular, fused medially at base of sclerite (figs. 4A, C); vermiform gland (vg) present, inserted medially on bursa copulatrix (fig. 4A); bursa copulatrix (bc) elongate, with a pair of emarginated lateral lobes (lbs) (fig. 4A), ventral medial surface of bursa copulatrix transversely striated (figs. 4B, C), ventral surface of lateral lobes of the bursa with a field of microtrichia (fig. 4C).

Male: Unknown.

Etymology. The specific name albispina is derived from the Latin albus (white), and spinus (spine), because of the whitish mesoscutellar spine that characterizes this species.

Biology. The female holotype was collected by fogging on Gorgona Island.

Discussion. We are confident in considering T. albispina as a new species. Despite having only a female specimen, the particular coloration pattern of the hemelytron as described above (see also fig. 3D), and the large and conspicuously pale mesoscutellar spine let separate this species from all of the other known species. Given that T. albispina is based on a single specimen, it might be argued that the anteriad mesoscutellar spine be an aberration of this specimen. Although only additional specimens will test this idea, being the spine much longer than the posterior metanotal one and completely pale set it apart from other known species, even if the apex has an aberrant shape. Furthermore, having a dark brown anterior pronotal lobe and a pale brown with a lateral dark brown fascia posterior pronotal lobe, easily distinguish this species. For instance, Tagalis inornata inornata has a homogeneous pronotal color with lateral dark brown stripes on the posterior lobe. Other species, such as T. baenai , has the anterior pronotal lobe pale brown and the posterior dark brown. But more conclusively, the hemelytral color pattern will easily set apart T. albispina from other species of Tagalis . The brown hemelytron with pale veins and three anterior pale spots with a reddish pterostigma are unique among Tagalis .

We examined a badly damaged male of Tagalis also from Gorgona Island deposited at MUSENUV. It has the head dislodged from the thorax, the labium is broken, the pronotum is separated from the head and the rest of the body and is partially broken, and the anterior legs are missing. We considered it not to be conspecific with T. albispina . This male specimen differs from T. albispina in the body coloration pattern, which has overall dark brown coloration, whereas T. albispina has the posterior lobe of the pronotum pale brown with paired lateral dark brown stripes. The mesoscutellar spine is dark brown whereas in T. albispina is completely pale; and has a different structure which is nearly straight and about the same size as the metanotal one. Furthermore, the hemelytra brown, with a medial irregular pale brown area and no reddish areas on the pterostigma as described for T. albispina . Gil- Santana et al. (2010) documented the sexual dimorphism in some species of Tagalis , but in no case did the dimorphism correspond to variations in pronotal, mesoscutellar spine, or hemelytral coloration, or in the structure of the mesoscutellar spine. The male genitalia of this male exhibit a reclined, long median process of the pygophore with a wide base; the process of genital opening is triangular, with an acute apex; the parameres are in general as in most of the species of Tagalis ; and the dorsal phallothecal sclerite has an elongate prolongation, with wide base, narrowing apically. These characters place this undescribed species together with T. dichroa , T. inornata , and T. seminigra (see above under species groups). Until more specimens become available, we refrain to formally describe this species.

It is remarkable to find not only one but two species of Tagalis in this relatively small Pacific island. Gorgona is an island located about 30 km from the continent, and very close to Ecuador. Species of Tagalis are not known from continental Ecuador, being the closest localities in Panama for T. inornata inornata , and Panama and the Galapagos Islands for T. seminigra ( Gil-Santana 2011) .

Distribution. Tagalis albispina sp. nov. is only known from Gorgona Island, Colombia. Material examined. Holotype: Female: COLOMBIA: Cauca, Isla Gorgona [2.965767°N 78.184290°W], A4, sábana, 120 m, sab., nov 2007, fogging / Tagalis albispina sp. nov. Castro-Huertas & Forero 2014 (MUSENUV).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Tagalis albispina sp. nov. A. Head and prothorax, lateral view. B. Meso- and metathorax, dorsolateral view. C. Proepisternal process with anteroventrad spine, arrow points to the posteroventrad delicate seta. D. Right fore- and hindwing. E. Meso-, metathorax, and abdomen, ventral view; rectangle show detailed area. F. Detail of area indicated on E, sternite 7, gonocoxae and gonapophyses 8.

FIGURE 4. Tagalis albispina sp. nov., female genitalia. A. Dorsal view. B. Lateral view. C. Ventral view. Abbreviations: bc, bursa copulatrix; gap 8, gonapophysis eight; gcx 8, gonocoxa eight; gpl, gonoplac; lbs, lateral lobes of the bursa; T 9, tergite nine; vg, vermiform gland.