Sphodrembas fumipennis, Swanson, 2019

Swanson, Daniel R., 2019, Doomed to a vile lot: new taxa, notes, and an updated generic key for the Old World corsairs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Peiratinae), Zootaxa 4700 (2), pp. 196-228 : 211-214

Sphodrembas fumipennis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:662B8130-895A-4CDC-A27E-DF8E837D2860

(Figs. 11, 12, 13)

Diagnosis: As for genus by monotypy.

Description: Macropterous male (holotype). Coloration: Light testaceous, except posterior pronotal lobe, diffuse spots of mesopleuron and metapleuron, hemelytra, connexiva dorsally (and ventrally but less uniformly so), and ventral spots posteromesad of spiracles conspicuously fuscous. Antennae slightly darker than head. Ocelli rimmed in reddish-black. Scutellum conspicuously contrasting surrounding fuscous area.

Structure: Genitalia. Eighth ventrite with triangular medial projection caudad. Pygophore ( Fig. 13 A–D) with posterior margin more or less straight, slightly concave under parameres, more or less glabrous, median apical process narrow, elongate, spine-like, curved slightly dextral, caudal face with longitudinal carina and two small blunt teeth at base (best seen in lateral view) ( Fig. 12A , 13C ). Parameres slightly asymmetrical (left paramere slightly longer, right paramere slightly deeper), moderately large, fin-shaped, dorsal margin concave, with somewhat wide glabrous depression along dorsal margin (for reception of caudal margin of eighth tergite), external face sparsely pilose, with longer setae more abundant near margins of dorsal depression, apex with small acute prominence and minutely notched caudad ( Fig. 12B, C ). Phallus ( Fig. 13 E–H) with apex of dorsal phallothecal sclerite bluntly rounded and slightly hooked sinistrad, basal plate bifurcated into two weakly sclerotized evenly diverging arms connected apically by transverse bridge, left lateral sclerotization of phallothecal sclerite weakly sclerotized and unarmed with base obliquely truncate, right lateral sclerotization broader and strongly sclerotized with base convex and serrate.

Measurements (in mm). Total length (apex of head to apex of abdomen): Tanzania HT: 13.3, Kenya PT: 14.5; head length: Tanzania HT: 2.0, Kenya PT: 2.4; head width (across eyes): Tanzania HT: 1.7, Kenya PT: 1.9; anteocular length: Tanzania HT: 0.8, Kenya PT: 1.0; postocular length: Tanzania HT: 0.4, Kenya PT: 0.5; neck length: Tanzania HT: 0.3, Kenya PT: 0.3; scape length: Tanzania HT: 1.3, Kenya PT: 1.3; pedicel length: Tanzania HT: 2.5, Kenya PT: 2.5; basiflagellum length: Tanzania HT: 2.0, Kenya PT: 2.1; distiflagellum length: Tanzania HT: 2.1, Kenya PT: ??; antennal segment ratio: approx. 1.0: 1.9: 1.5: 1.6; eye length: Tanzania HT: 0.8, Kenya PT: 0.9; eye width: Tanzania HT: 0.5, Kenya PT: 0.6; rostral segment 1 length: Tanzania HT: 0.7, Kenya PT: 0.8; rostral segment 2 length: Tanzania HT: 1.2, Kenya PT: 1.2; rostral segment 3 length: Tanzania HT: 0.7, Kenya PT: 0.8; rostral segment ratio: 1.0: 1.5–1.7: 1.0; pronotum length: Tanzania HT: 3.2, Kenya PT: 3.5; pronotum width (across humeri): Tanzania HT: 3.3, Kenya PT: 3.7; anterior pronotal lobe length: Tanzania HT: 1.9, Kenya PT: 2.0; posterior pronotal lobe length: Tanzania HT: 1.3, Kenya PT: 1.4; scutellum length: Tanzania HT: 1.2, Kenya PT: 1.3; scutellum width (at base): Tanzania HT: 1.5, Kenya PT: 1.5; hemelytra length: Tanzania HT: 9.0, Kenya PT: 9.7; procoxa length: Tanzania HT: 1.4, Kenya PT: 1.4; protrochanter length: Tanzania HT: 0.8, Kenya PT: 0.8; profemur length: Tanzania HT: 3.1, Kenya PT: 3.1; protibia length: Tanzania HT: 2.6, Kenya PT: 2.8; protibial fossula spongiosa length: Tanzania HT: 1.1, Kenya PT: 1.1; protarsus length: Tanzania HT: 1.1, Kenya PT: 1.2; protarsal segment ratio: approx. 1.0: 2.1: 2.8; mesocoxa length: Tanzania HT: 0.8, Kenya PT: 0.9; mesotrochanter length: Tanzania HT: 0.8, Kenya PT: 0.9; mesofemur length: Tanzania HT: 2.9, Kenya PT: 3.0; mesotibia length: Tanzania HT: 2.7, Kenya PT: 2.8; mesotibial fossula spongiosa length: Tanzania HT: 0.6, Kenya PT: 0.6; mesotarsus length: Tanzania HT: 1.5, Kenya PT: 1.6; mesotarsal segment ratio: approx. 1.0: 2.7: 2.0; metacoxa length: Tanzania HT: 0.8, Kenya PT: 0.9; metatrochanter length: Tanzania HT: 1.0, Kenya PT: 1.0; metafemur length: Tanzania HT: 4.0, Kenya PT: 4.5; metatibia length: Tanzania HT: 4.6, Kenya PT: 4.8; metatarsus length: Tanzania HT: 2.0, Kenya PT: 2.2; metatarsal segment ratio: approx. 1.0: 2.7: 2.5; abdomen length: Tanzania HT: 6.1, Kenya PT: 7.1; abdomen (widest) width: Tanzania HT: 3.3, Kenya PT: 3.4; pygophore length: Tanzania HT: 1.3, Kenya PT: 1.7; pygophore width (across widest point): Tanzania HT: 1.5, Kenya PT: 1.7.

Female: unknown.

Variation: The Kenyan paratype specimen is slightly larger than those specimens from Tanzania; thus, its measurements have been included. It also has the apical half of the corium adjacent to the clavus, and radius and medial veins of the corium light testaceous, contrasting the surrounding fuscous hemelytra, as opposed to the concolorously fuscous in the Tanzanian specimens. The degree of infuscation of the posterior margin and humeral angles of the pronotum varies slightly among the Tanzanian specimens.

Type material: HOLOTYPE, ♂, TANZANIA: Mlingano , light trap, March 1966, I. A. D. Robertson, “Dona- tion from J. A. Slater Collection”, “ Cleptocoris sp. det. Wygodzinsky ”, AMNH _ IZC 00321071 ( AMNH); PARA- TYPE , ♂, Mlingano , light trap, October 1966, I. A. D. Robertson, AMNH _ IZC 00321073 ( AMNH) ; PARATYPE, ♂, Mlingano , light trap, December 1966, I. A. D. Robertson, AMNH _ IZC 00321073 ( AMNH) ; PARATYPE, ♂, Ilonga , light trap, April 1966, AMNH _ IZC 00321074 ( AMNH) ; PARATYPE, ♂, KENYA: Meru National Park, Banda 4, Bwatherongi Campsite , 3–21 March 1987, Stanton Braude ( UMMZ) .

Distribution: Kenya, Tanzania ( Fig. 14 ).

Etymology: The specific epithet is a Latin two-ending adjective fumipennis , - e, derived from the Latin adjective fumidus ‘smoky’, and the Latin feminine noun penna ‘feather, wing’ with the adjective-forming suffix - is ‘having the nature or quality of, pertaining to, with the state or condition of’. The name highlights the dark hemelytra, particularly in contrast to the ochraceous head, body, and legs.

FIGURE 11. Sphodrembas fumipennis gen. et sp. nov., male holotype (AMNH): (A) dorsal habitus; (B) lateral habitus; (C) pronotum, dorsal view; (D) metapleuron, lateral view; (E) pygophore, caudal view; (F) labels. Scale bar = 2 mm.

Remarks: The external genitalia of the male are of general peiratine structure. Similar parameres and median processes of the pygophore occur (not necessarily in combination) variously in some Peirates and Ectomocoris .

The Kenyan specimen was taken in essentially the same locality as a specimen of Brachysandalus bicolor and a specimen of Lestomerus basilewskyi .

Figures

FIGURE 12. Sphodrembas fumipennis gen. et sp. nov., male paratype (UMMZ), external genitalia: (A) pygophore, caudal view; (B) left paramere, lateral view; (C) right paramere, lateral view.

FIGURE 13. Sphodrembas fumipennis gen. et sp. nov., male paratype (AMNH), genitalia (dissected): (A–D) pygophore: (A) dorsal view; (B) ventral view; (C) left lateral view; (D) right lateral view; (E–H) phallus: (E) dorsal view; (F) ventral view; (G) left lateral view; (H) right lateral view. Abbreviations: adps (apex of dorsal phallothecal sclerite); bpa (basal plate arm[s]); bpb (basal plate bridge); bpp (basal plate pedicel); dps (dorsal phallothecal sclerite); lp (left paramere); lsps (left lateral sclerotization of phallothecal sclerite); mpp (median process of pygophore); mp8v (median process of eighth ventrite); rp (right paramere); rsps (right lateral sclerotization of phallothecal sclerite); 8v (eighth ventrite).

FIGURE 14. Distribution of Sphodrembas fumipennis gen. et sp. nov. Type locality is represented by the red square and paratypic localities are represented by blue circles.