Elemacoris vittatus Miller, 1958

Zhao, Ping, Constant, Jerome & Cai, Wanzhi, 2007, Revision of the Papua New Guinea genus Elemacoris Miller (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae), Zootaxa 1556, pp. 51-60 : 53-59

Elemacoris vittatus Miller, 1958

(Figs. 10–18, 20–21, 23–24)

Elemacoris Miller 1958: 146; Maldonado-Capriles 1990: 194.

FIGURE 1. Elemacoris doesburgi Zhao, Constant & Cai , sp. nov., ɗ, habitus. Scale bar = 1.25 mm.

FIGURES 2–9. Elemacoris doesburgi Zhao, Constant & Cai , sp. nov., ɗ. 2, Head and pronotum, antennae removed; 3– 4, pygophore; 5–6, paramere; 7–9, phallus; 2, 4, 7, lateral view; 3, 9, ventral view; 8, dorsal view. Scale bar of 2 = 0.625 mm; of 3, 4 = 0.25 mm; of 5–9 = 0.20 mm.

Redescription. Color. Body mostly brown, color pattern changeable; head above, anterior pronotal lobe, scutellum (except apical portion) black; posterior pronotal lobe and propleural epimeron yellowish, or blackish brown (holotype), and always paler than anterior pronotal lobe and propleural episternum; first and second antennal segments (except first segment somewhat pale medially), third rostral segment reddish brown; third and fourth antennal segments light reddish brown; head (except dorsal surface), lateral margins of anterior pronotal lobe, propleural episternum, meso- and metapleura, mid and hind coxae and trochanters, forewing brown; first rostral segment light brown and second segment yellow, first and second segments of holotype mostly orange; connexival segments of abdomen yellowish to pale orange; fore leg dark reddish brown, spines and bulging portion on fore femora suffused with black; mid and hind legs (except apical portion of femora, basal and apical portion of tibia) light yellowish brown; apical portions of mid and hind femora, basal and apical portions of mid and hind tibiae yellowish brown; all femora of holotype orange with apical portion blackish brown to black; pygophore with a pale, median, longitudinal stripe.

Structure. First antennal segment sparsely covered with scattered oblique setae; second antennal segment with dense short setae; two last antennal segments densely pubescent; legs clothed with pale long thin setae; venters of femora and fore tibiae with dense short setae, particularly on fore leg; apical portion of tibia with dense, oblique, short setae; propleuron, episternum, lateral sides of head, corium clothed with short bent setae. Head with two dorsal spines before transverse constriction and with two rounded tubercles behind ocelli; first rostral segment reaching posterior margin of eye; interocellar space about 3 times as long as distance between ocellus and ipsilateral eye. Posterior portion of anterior pronotal lobe elevated on both sides of median longitudinal sulcus, elevation apically with a tubercle; anterior half of posterior pronotal lobe slightly concave in middle; lateral pronotal spines small; posterior angles rounded; posterior margin slightly convex. Fore femur with several spines ventrally (Figs. 10, 23, 24). Hemelytron not reaching abdominal tip. Pygophore oblong, median pygophore process rounded and feebly constricted subapically; apical half of paramere beneath with several setae; basal plate bridge of phallus arciform and thin; basal plate thick; phallosoma ovate; dorsal phallothecal sclerite as in Fig. 17, middle part strongly roundly concave, apical portion rounded; struts long, fused basally; apical half of endosoma with about 34 large triangular spines (Figs. 16, 18).

Measurements [in mm, ɗ (n=2)]. Body length 9.94–9.99; maximal width abdomen 1.83–1.97. Length head 1.88–1.97; length anteocular part 0.45–0.48; length postocular part 0.93–1.00; length synthlipsis 0.55– 0.62; interocellar space 0.47–0.48; length antennal segments I–IV=3.14–3.28, 1.00–1.04, 1.24–1.26, 2.66– 2.83; length rostral segments I–III=1.00–1.09, 0.66–0.69, 0.45–0.47; length anterior lobe of pronotum 0.75– 0.76; length posterior lobe of pronotum 1.35–1.38; maximal width of thorax 2.40–2.48; length scutellum 0.62–0.72; length hemelytron 6.14–6.21.

Examined material. 1ɗ, holotype, New Guinea, Biak Sorido; 12-III-1952; L. D. Brongersma leg. 1ɗ, Papua New Guinea, Madang Province, Baiteta, FOG AR50; 25-VII-1996; Olivier Missa leg. 1ɗ, Papua New Guinea, Madang Province, Baiteta, Fogging AR4; 30-IV-1996; Olivier Missa leg. All specimens except the holotype were caught by fogging in the canopy. AR4 refers to a tree the species Tristiropsis acutangula (Sapindaceae) . The other tree (AR50) has not been identified.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Papua New Guinea (Madang).

Remark. The color pattern of the species is changeable. The posterior pronotal lobe is dark brown, and the femur is brown and apically dark brown in the holotype, as in Miller’s (1958) description. In the two specimens we examined the posterior pronotal lobe is yellowish, most of the fore femur is black, the mid and hind femora are yellowish brown with the apical part somewhat dark. Color polymorphism is common in some groups of Harpactorinae .

FIGURE 10. Elemacoris vittatus Miller , ɗ, habitus. Scale bar = 1.33 mm.

FIGURES 11–18. Elemacoris vittatus Miller , ɗ. 11, Head and pronotum, antennae removed; 12–13, pygophore; 14–15, paramere; 16–18, phallus; 11, 13, 16, lateral view; 12, 18, ventral view; 17, dorsal view. Scale bar of 11= 0.625 mm; of 12–18= 0.25 mm.

FIGURES 19–24. Elemacoris spp. 19, 22, Elemacoris doesburgi Zhao, Constant & Cai , sp. nov., Ψ; 20–21, 23–24, Elemacoris vittatus Miller , ɗ; 19–21, dorsal view; 22–24, lateral view; 20, 23, the type species of Elemacoris vittatus Miller.