Belostoma bergi ( Montandon, 1899 )

Ribeiro, Josė Ricardo Inacio, 2007, A review of the species of Belostoma Latreille, 1807 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Belostomatidae) from the four southeastern Brazilian states, Zootaxa 1477 (1), pp. 1-70 : 15-16

Belostoma bergi ( Montandon, 1899)

( Figs 4A–H ; 16C ; 22B )

Zaitha boops: Berg 1879: 191 (not Dufour).

Zaitha bergi Montandon, 1899: 172 .

Belostoma bergi: Kirkaldy & Torre-Bueno 1909: 190 .

Belostoma asiaticum: De Carlo 1930: 116 , plate V ( Fig. 5 ) (not Mayr).

Types.— Belostoma bergi was described based on syntypes deposited in MNHN. A female specimen (Rio Grande [?], Brazil) is herein designated lectotype. The remainder ( Rio Grande [?] and Buenos Aires Province, Argentina) has not been examined .

Material examined.— ARGENTINA. * 1 m ( MNRJ 166 ): Corrientes, San Cosme, [without date and collector], J. A. de Carlo det. * 1 m ( MZSP): Formosa [as “ Formosa Ciudad ”], XII.1949, (A. Martinez), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. BRAZIL. [?]—*1 f ( MNHN): “ Rio Grande ” [without a more precise locality and date], (G. Fallou –“n. 259-95”), A. L. Montandon det., lectotype . São Paulo — * 1 m ( MNRJ 164 ): Angatuba –“n. 3.682”, IV.1917, ([?] Azevedo and [?] Marques), J. A. de Carlo det. * 1 m ( AMNH): Cosmópolis , 25.I.1974, (J. G. Rozen, F. C. Thompson, and J. S. Moure), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. 1 f ( MZSP 21 ): Pirassununga [EEL, hot– night], 08.XI.1940, ([?] Schubart), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. * 1 m / 2 f ( MNRJ 165 ): Ribeirão Preto , III.1954, ([?] Oiticica and [?] Pearson), J. A. de Carlo det. PARAGUAY. *1 f ( MZSP): Puerto Casado , XII.1958, (A. Martinez), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999.

Distribution.— ARGENTINA ( Kirkaldy & Torre-Bueno 1909): Buenos Aires ( De Carlo 1930), Chaco ( De Carlo 1930), Corrientes ( De Carlo 1930), Entre Ríos ( De Carlo 1930), Formosa (new record), Mendoza ( Lauck 1964), San Luis ( De Carlo 1938) [as “Anchorena”], Santa Fe ( Lauck 1964). BRAZIL ( De Carlo 1930): Amazonas ( De Carlo 1932), Rio Grande do Sul ( Lanzer 1976) [but see De Carlo (1938): as “Rio Grande”], São Paulo (new record in southeastern Brazil). CHILE ( De Carlo 1930). MÉXICO ( De Carlo 1930) [a erroneous record?]. PARAGUAY: Central ( Lauck 1964), Guairá ( Lauck 1964), Paraguarí ( Lauck 1964). PERU ( De Carlo 1930): Junín ( Lauck 1964). URUGUAY: Montevideo ( Lauck 1964), Paysandú ( Ruffinelli & Pirán 1959).

Description.—Measurements (m / f). Total length (from apex of head to apex of hemelytra at rest) 21.5– 26.2 / 22.0–24.5; largest width of body 10.7–13.4 / 10.8–12.4; median length of pronotum 3.04–3.95 / 3.12– 3.50; greatest pronotal width 6.40–8.30 / 6.96–7.60.

General coloration medium brown.

Body flat and strongly elliptical. Length of anteoculus 1.03–1.26 times length of interoculus; length of rostral segment I 1.06–1.20 times length of segment II; anterior frontogenal suture varying from shorter to longer than posterior frontogenal suture; clypeus usually not reaching ocular line (0–0.24 mm); vertex without or with longitudinal median carina; posterior interocular width 1.14–1.31 times length of anteoculus, and 1.32–1.79 times width of an eye; eyes triangular. Pronotum without distinct longitudinal median carina; greatest pronotal width 2.08–2.23 times its length; scutellum not reaching nodal line (0.40–0.95 mm), with weakly longitudinal median carina; prosternal keel prominent, slightly truncated at apex ( Fig. 4A ). Pilosity not extending along genital operculum, covering about one-third of connexivum.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 4C–E ).—Dorsal arms converging, acutely rounded at apex in dorsal view; ventral diverticulum without dorsal caudal protuberance in dorsal and lateral views, and without ventroapical protuberance in lateral and ventral views; caudal lateral margins of ventral diverticulum convex, not sinuous in ventral view; width of ventral diverticulum about 1.3 times its length in ventral view.

Variation.—A specimen from the State of São Paulo is larger and agrees with the specimens of B. costalimai herein studied. In addition, the dorsal arms of the phallotheca are relatively longer and narrower, and more acute apically. The ventral diverticulum of this specimen is more narrow in ventral view than in other specimens ( Fig. 4F–H ).

Comparative notes.—The indistinct longitudinal median carina on the vertex was not mentioned by De Carlo (1938), although such a carina was reported by Schnack (1973, 1976). According to Lauck (1964), B. bergi can be distinguished from B. bosqi by the absence of a longitudinal carina on the vertex in B. bergi and the presence of one in B. bosqi . In the B. bergi material studied this carina on the vertex varies from absent to weakly present, whereas in B. bosqi it is always present. As pointed out by Lauck (1964), more reliable is the presence, although very variable (A. L. Melo pers. comm.), of pilosity on the embolium in B. bergi , which is absent in B. bosqi ; and the latter has a narrower body than B. bergi . Moreover, there is some variation between the figures of the phallus of B. bergi of Lauck (1964) and those here ( Fig. 4C–H ). I consider these differences to be at the population level, not the species. More specimens should be examined.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Belostoma bergi (Montandon, 1899) and B. bosqi De Carlo, 1932. B. bergi. 4A–B, Prosternal keel (lateral view): 4A, Specimen from São Paulo (MNRJ 165); 4B, Specimen from Corrientes, Argentina (MNRJ 166). 4C–H, Phallus: 4C–E, Specimen from Corrientes, Argentina (MNRJ 166). 4F–H, Specimen from São Paulo (MNRJ 164). B. bosqi. 4I–J, Prosternal keel (lateral view) of the specimens from Minas Gerais (DPIC). 4K–P, Phallus: 4K–M, Specimen from Minas Gerais (DPIC). 4N–P, Specimen from Mato Grosso (SEMC). 4C, 4F, 4K, and 4N, Dorsal views. 4D, 4G, 4L, and 4O, Ventral views. 4E, 4H, 4M, and 4P, Lateral views. Scale bar: 1.00 mm.

FIGURE 5. Belostoma costalimai De Carlo, 1938 and B. anurum (Herrich-Schäffer, 1848). B. costalimai. 5A–B, Prosternal keel (lateral view) of the specimens from Rio de Janeiro: 5A, DZRJ-a 469. 5B, DZRJ-a 470. 5C–H, Phallus: 5C–E, Specimen from Minas Gerais (MNRJ 113). 5F–H, Specimen from Rio de Janeiro (DZRJ-a 469). B. anurum. 5I–J, Prosternal keel (lateral view) of specimens from São Paulo: 5I, MZSP. 5J, DZRJ 15. 5K–P, Phallus: 5K–M, Specimen from Rio de Janeiro (DZRJ-a 497). 5N–P, Specimen from Rio de Janeiro (AMNH). 5C, 5F, 5K and 5N, Dorsal views. 5D, 5G, 5L, and 5O, Ventral views. 5E, 5H, 5M, and 5P, Lateral views. Scale bar: 1.00 mm.

FIGURE 16. Dorsal habitus. 16A, Belostoma anurum (Herrich-Schäffer, 1848): specimen from State of Minas Gerais (MZSP). 16B, B. aurivillianum (Montandon, 1899): specimen from State of Roraima (INPA 0020902). 16C, B. bergi (Montandon, 1899): specimen from Rio Grande [?] (MNHN, lectotype). 16D, B. bosqi De Carlo, 1932: specimen from State of Rondônia (INPA 0020940). Scale bar: 10.00 mm.

FIGURE 22. Geographic distribution map of Belostoma species in southeastern Brazil. 22A, = B. anurum, = B. aurivillianum. 22B, = B. bergi, = B. bosqi; = B. candidulum.