Belostoma dentatum ( Mayr, 1863 )

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 : 25-28

Belostoma dentatum ( Mayr, 1863)

( Figs 7A–L ; 18A ; 23B )

Zaitha dentata Mayr, 1863: 356 .

Zaitha eumorpha Dufour, 1863 [probably only in part]: 386.

Zaitha mayri Berg, 1884 [questionable]: 120.

Belostoma dentatum: Montandon 1903c [including the varieties major and mayri , mayri questionable]: 116.

Types.— Belostoma dentatum was described based on a male holotype (São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul) deposited in NHMW [not examined]. Although Lauck (1962) and Schnack (1976) indicate that the type of this species is deposited in NHMW, Dr. H. Zettel, curator at this museum, informed me that this institution did not house the B. dentatum type.

Material examined.— BRAZIL. [without a more precise locality]—* 1 m ( NHMW): “A. L. M. 1900” [?], (Signoret), Montandon, Dufour and Mayr dets as Zaitha eumorpha , [ Zaitha eumorpha holotype], “see Dufour, 1863. Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. IV (3): 386”, J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. Acre — 1 m ( MNRJ 74): Rio Branco, I.1953, (M. Alvarenga), J. A. de Carlo det. Amazonas— 1 f ( MNRJ 67): Manaus, 1941, (Parko S. [?]), J. A. de Carlo det. 1 m ( MNRJ 81): same, XI.1956, “vários cols” [?], J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. 1 m ( INPA 0020903): same, “Aux” [?], 01.VIII.1956, (N. L. Cerqueira), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. 1 f ( INPA 0021059): same, road AM 1-km 134, 10.VIII.1968, [without collector], J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. 1 f ( AMNH): same, Benjamin Constant, Javary River, III.1942, (A. Rabaut), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. 1 m ( MNRJ 76): same, Bacia do Amazonas, 15.III–15.IV.1942, (Pko. [?]), J. A. de Carlo det. 1 f ( INPA 0020904): same, Ilha de Marchantaria, 26.III.1976, (E. Castellon), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. 1 m ( INPA 0020921): same, Itacoatiara, “132” [?], 21.IV.1980, (Ulysses [?]), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. *1 f ( SEMC): same, Manacapuru, III.1928, (J. M. Klages), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. 1 f ( SEMC 28309): same, Solimões River, VI.1926, (S. M. Klages), H. B. Hungerford det. 1 f ( MNRJ 73): same, Negro River, 10–15.VIII.1941, (Pko. [?]), J. A. de Carlo det. Mato Grosso — 1 m / 1 f ( MNRJ 82): Cáceres, 02.XII.1955, (M. Alvarenga), J. A. de Carlo det. 1 m ( MNRJ 70): same, I.1941, (“Pass’i.” [?]), J. A. de Carlo det. 1 f ( MNRJ 75): Urucum, I.1955, (Comissão I. O. Cruz), J. A. de Carlo det. Mato Grosso do Sul— *2 f ( SEMC): Salobra, I.1955, (C. A. Camargo), “r exch. P. F. S. Pereira”, J. T. Polhemus det. 5 m / 1 f ( MNRJ 71): same, I.1975, (Comissão I. O. Cruz), J. A. de Carlo det. Minas Gerais— * 1 m ( MACN 39341): Barra do Paraopeba, [without date], (C. Miranda Ribeiro), J. A. de Carlo det. 1 f ( MNRJ 68): Praia da Barra do Paraopeba, [without date], ( V. R. de Souza), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1998. Pará— 1 f ( SEMC 6478): [without a more precise locality], [without date], ([?] Baker), J. R. de la Torre– Bueno collection, “ KU collection”, J. D. Lattin det. 1951. * 1 m / 1 f ( SEMC): Lago Grande, II.1939, (A. M. Olalla), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. 1 m ( INPA 0020946): Santarém, Curuauna, 21.I.1981, ( R. C. Best), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. 1 f ( MNRJ 69): same, 1965, ([?]Thomas), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. 1 f ( INPA 0020945): Tucuruí, Ilha Chorona, “5.647”, 17.VIII.1980, (Nunes de Mello group), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. Piauí— 1 f ( MNRJ 72): Teresina, IX.1958, (A. K. Oliveira), J. A. de Carlo det. 1 f ( MNRJ 79): same, IX.1953, (A. K. Oliveira), J. A. de Carlo det. Rondônia— 1 m ( MZSP): Príncipe da Beira, 19.XI–03.XII.1967, (G. R. Kloss), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. Rio Grande do Sul —*1 f ( SEMC 563): Osório, 21.XI.1941, (H. B. Hungerford), H. B. Hungerford det. *1 f ( SEMC 527): [near to Porto Alegre, River between lakes, coast region], XI.1941, (H. Kleerekoper), H. B. Hungerford det. São Paulo— 1 f ( SEMC): São Paulo, [without date], (E. D. Tcwnsend [?]), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. 1 m ( MZSP): Itu, Fazenda Pau d’Alho, 09–11.I.1961, (A. Vulcano), J. R. I. Ribeiro det. 1999. * 1 m ( MACN 50564): Rio Claro, II.1943, (Padre P. [?]), J. A. de Carlo det. ARGENTINA. 1 m ( MACN 5653): Chaco, 18.IV.1897, (S. Venturi), J. A. de Carlo det. 1 m ( MACN 41380): same, Resistência, X–XII.1936, (J. B. Daguerre), J. A. de Carlo det. 1 f ( MACN 44185): same, X–XII.1935, (J. B. Daguerre), J. A. de Carlo det. * 1 m ( MACN 52437): same, II.1936, ([?] Viana), J. A. de Carlo det. 1 m ( MACN 52438): same, II.1936, ([?] Viana), J. A. de Carlo det. 1 m ( MACN 50274): Chaco, Roca, XI.1935, ([?] Daguerre), J. A. de Carlo det.

Distribution.— ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires ( De Carlo 1930), Chaco ( De Carlo 1930), Corrientes ( De Carlo 1930), Entre Ríos ( De Carlo 1930), Misiones ( De Carlo 1930), Salta ( De Carlo 1938), Santa Fé ( De Carlo 1938). BOLIVIA ( De Carlo 1930). BRAZIL ( Mayr 1863): Acre ( Ribeiro 2005), Amazonas ( Nieser 1975), Mato Grosso ( Ribeiro 2005), Mato Grosso do Sul ( Nieser 1975), Minas Gerais ( De Carlo 1938), Pará ( Nieser 1975), Piauí ( Ribeiro 2005), Rondônia ( Nieser 1975), Rio de Janeiro ( Nieser 1975), Rio Grande do Sul ( Lauck 1962) [but see Mayr (1863): 356], São Paulo ( Ribeiro 2005). PARAGUAY ( De Carlo 1930): Asunción ( De Carlo 1938), Guairá ( Nieser 1975). PERU: Loreto ( Lauck 1962), Ucayali River ( Lauck 1962), San Martin ( Lauck 1962). URUGUAY: Artigas ( Ruffinelli & Pirán 1959). VENEZUELA ( De Carlo 1930).

Description.—Measurements (m / f). Total length (from apex of head to apex of hemelytra at rest) 44.8– 50.2 / 42.5–46.7; largest width of body 19.4–21.5 / 17.7–22.3; median length of pronotum 8.00–8.72 / 7.20– 8.48; greatest pronotal width 13.04–14.80 / 13.12–15.04.

General coloration brown.

Body elliptical. Length of anteoculus 1.37–1.66 times length of interoculus; length of rostral segment I 1.32–1.45 times length of segment II; anterior frontogenal suture longer than posterior frontogenal suture; clypeus not reaching ocular line (0.72–1.52 mm); vertex with or without longitudinal median carina; posterior interocular width 0.84–1.02 times length of anteoculus, and 1.22–1.53 times width of eye; eyes rounded. Pronotum without longitudinal median carina; greatest pronotal width 1.63–1.89 times its length; scutellum reaching nodal line, without longitudinal median carina; prosternal keel dilated, prominent, strongly rounded at apex ( Fig. 7A ). Pilosity not extending along genital operculum, covering part of connexivum.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 7D–F ).—Dorsal arms very broad, narrowed, curved at apex in dorsal view; ventral diverticulum with dorsal caudal protuberance in dorsal and lateral views, and with robust ventroapical protuberance in lateral and ventral views; caudal lateral margins of ventral diverticulum convex, not sinuous in ventral view; width of ventral diverticulum 1.25 times its length in ventral view.

Variation.—A male specimen collected in the State of Amazonas has a weakly longitudinal median carina on the posterior portion of pronotum and scutellum. Moreover, forms with a more elliptical or more acute prosternal keels are found in Rondônia and Amazonas ( Fig. 7B–C ). Specimens with dorsal arms larger at apically occur Minas Gerais and Chaco, Argentina ( Fig. 7G–L ).

Comparative notes.—According to Nieser (1975), total length and greatest width of body both vary considerably in this species. Forms with robust bodies generally are found in northern Brazil, whereas more slen- der and shorter specimens (resembling B. malkini ) tend to be found in west-central and southern Brazil, and Paraguay. However, these characters do not appear to vary clinally, as other specimens from other localities do not show either incremental or continuous change with latitude. According to Lauck (1962), B. dentatum is the second largest species of the genus Belostoma ( B. dilatatum is the first one).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Belostoma dentatum (Mayr, 1863) and B. elongatum Montandon, 1908. B. dentatum. 7A–C, Prosternal keel (lateral view): 7A, Specimen from Chaco, Argentina (MACN 5653). 7B, Specimen from Amazonas (INPA 0021059). 7C, Specimen from Rondônia (MZSP). 7D–L, Phallus: 7D–F, Specimen from Chaco (MACN 52437). 7G–I, Specimen from Chaco (MACN 52438). 7J–L, Specimen from Chaco (MACN 50274). B. elongatum. 7M, Prosternal keel (lateral view): specimen from State of Mato Grosso do Sul (DPIC 567). 7N–P, Phallus: specimen from State of Mato Grosso do Sul (DPIC 567). 7D, 7G, 7J, and 7N, Dorsal views. 7E, 7H, 7K, and 7O, Ventral views. 7F, 7I, 7L, and 7P, Lateral views. Scale bar: 1.00 mm.

FIGURE 18. Dorsal habitus. 18A, Belostoma dentatum (Mayr, 1863): [?] (NHMW). 18B, B. dilatatum (Dufour, 1863): specimen from State of São Paulo (MZSP). 18C, B. dilatatum: specimen from State of Mato Grosso do Sul (DZRJ 1). 18D, B. discretum Montandon, 1903: specimen from State of Amazonas (INPA 0020929). Scale bar: 20.00 mm.

FIGURE 23. Geographic distribution map of Belostoma species in southeastern Brazil. 23A, = B. costalimai, = B. cummingsi, = B. dallasi. 23B, = B. dentatum, = B. dilatatum, = B. discretum, = B. elongatum.