Anisops cleopatra Distant, 1914

Usinger, Robert L., 1946, Hemiptera Heteroptera of Guam, Insects of Guam II, Honolulu, Hawaii: Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Bulletin 189, pp. 11-103 : 102-103

98. Anisops cleopatra Distant , in Sarasin and Roux, Nova Caled., Zool. 1 (4): 386, pl. 11, fig. 8 , 1914.

Nine specimens, Mt. Chachao, May 16, Usinger .

These specimens are slightly over 5 mm. in length and agree in general with Lundblad's description (Arch. Hydrobiol., Suppl. 12: 171, 1933). However, the front legs of the male differ in detail from those figured, the tarsi having a few short, stiff spines in a row on inner surface. These are not shown in Lundblad's figures of A. cleopatra . Also the combs at the bases of the front tibiae are nearly at right angles to the outer margins of the tibiae. Fijian specimens before me agree with Lundblad's figures in these respects but have a row of spines on the inner ridge which extends along tibia from the comb. The front femora and tibiae are slightly more robust in the Guam males.

Differences in detail between Javan, Sumatran, New Caledonian, and Samoan specimens led Lundblad to consider this as a single variable species to be separated later, if the differences appeared to be constant, into several closely related species forming the "cleopatra-Gruppe." I am in no position to take such a step at this time but it is noteworthy that the two forms studied here from Fiji and Guam are quite constant within each series and differ in the above mentioned points from other forms thus far described.

Anisops hyperion Kirkaldy was reported from the Marianas Islands (Paris Museum) and from Fiji (Hamburg Museum) by Kirkaldy with some doubt, the type of hyperion being from Australia. Hale (South Austr. Mus., Rec. 2: 403, 1923) has redescribed hyperion and has shown that the pronotum of the male is nearly as long as broad, thus excluding the present material. Furthermore, hyperion is a larger species, though size is a somewhat variable character.

Figures

FIGURE 8.-Ademttla distincta: a, dorsal view of male showing details of venation and pilosity of first antenna! segment; b, foreleg showing pilosity and ventral spines on femur.