Orthosaldula rubroalata Gapud, 1986

Zettel, Herbert & Gapud, Victor P., 2008, Notes on the endemic Philippine genus Orthosaldula (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Saldidae), with descriptions of two new species, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 48 (2), pp. 319-329 : 321-322

Orthosaldula rubroalata Gapud, 1986

( Figs. 1 , 4 , 7-12 )

Orthosaldula rubroalata Gapud, 1986: 17-18 (description, illustration, habitats, habits, distribution, ecology) (in original description quoted as Gapud, 1977 [sic!], see Taxonomic notes on Orthosaldula ).

Type locality. Philippines, Luzon Island, Quezon province, Quezon National Park, Atimonan.

Type material examined. LECTOTYPE (present designation; VPGP): J, ‘ QUEZON NATL PARK \ ATIMONAN, QUEZON \ PROV.: 17 JAN. 1976 \ ON MOSSY ROCK \ BESIDE STREAM \ A.A. BARROSO’ . PARALECTOTYPES: 2 JJ, same label data as lectotype ( NHMW, HZWA) ; 3 JJ 2 ♀♀, ‘LUZON \ National Botanic Garden , REAL, QUEZON, 4/82 \ VP GAPUD’ ( VPGP) ; 2 JJ 2♀♀, ‘LUZON \ BICOL NATIONAL PARK, DAET, CAMARINES NORTE \ 12/4/76 \ AA BARROSO’ ( VPGP) ; 5 JJ 3 ♀♀, ‘LUZON \ MT MAYON NATIONAL PARK, ALBAY \ 12/6/76 \ AA BARROSO’ ( VPGP) ; 1♀, ‘LUZON \ Mt. Makiling \ Molawin Crk. \ MBG:8/23/78 \ F.A. MULIMBA- YAN’ ( HZWA) ; 1 ♀, ‘LUZON \ Mt. Makiling \ Molawin Crk. \ MBG: 8/27/78 \ F.A. MULIMBAYAN’ ( HZWA) ; Additional material examined. PHILIPPINES: LUZON ISLAND: Laguna Province, Mt. Makiling, from UP Los Baños campus up to ca. 800 m a.s.l., 3.xi.2002, 1 ♀, H. Zettel lgt. (# 322a) ( NHMW).

Diagnosis. Vertex finely punctured and pilose. Callus relatively flat and short. Mandibular plates completely yellow or red. Area between dorsal eye margin and anteocellar furrows with yellow spot. Corium of forewing vermilion red to pinkish with pale side margin and medium-sized black dot in centre. Antennae and legs with vermilion red traces, in some specimens of minor extent.

Additional descriptive notes. Measurements. Body length of males 2.8-2.9 mm, of females 3.3-3.4 mm. Maximum body width of males 1.20-1.31 mm, of females 1.52-1.65 mm. Head width of males 0.83-0.85 mm, of females 0.92-0.93 mm. Pronotum width of males 1.02- 1.05 mm, of females 1.21-1.23 mm.

Colour. See Figures 1 and 4 . Thorax with dark bluish to violet shimmer, almost black in some specimens. Antennomere 4 not infuscated. Clavus of hemelytron red, with broad black base and narrow black lateral margin.

Structures. Callus low, median impression not deep, median length 0.46-0.49 times median length of pronotal lobe. Posterior lobe of pronotum with dense, not coarse rugosity, strongly convex in lateral aspect ( Fig. 12 ).

Comparative notes. Orthosaldula rubroalata is unique within the genus by the punctured and pilose vertex, the relatively flat and short callus, and the combination of colour characteristics. The head width (relative to pronotum width) is slightly smaller in O. rubroalata than in the following two species.

Habitats. According to GAPUD (1986), O. rubroalata is ‘strictly confined to moist rocks with dense mossy growth in shaded areas of streams running through secondary growth forests and at relatively high elevations ranging from 800 feet to as high as 2,500 feet. On one occasion, several adults were recovered from a similar habitat along a dead [...] mountain stream [...]’. The first author collected a single specimen on a fallen log with rich mossy growth far away from any water. GAPUD (1986) emphasised that, in comparison with species of Saldula Van Duzee, 1914 which can be found in similar stream habitats, O. rubroalata is found on the moss itself.

Distribution. Luzon Island. Recorded from the provinces of Laguna, Quezon, Camarines Norte, and Albay.

Taxonomic notes. GAPUD (1986) gives the distribution of this species as ‘Mt. Makiling (Laguna side), Quezon National Park in Atimonan, Quezon, Bicol National Park in Daet, Camarines Norte, and Mt. Mayon National Park in Albay’. No types were stated by GAPUD (1986); accordingly, all specimens used for description are syntypes. A lectotype is designated here from the series originating from the Quezon National Park in Central Luzon.

Figures

Fig. 1. Orthosaldula rubroalata Gapud, 1986, female, body length 3.3 mm. (© NHMW Hemiptera Image Collection, published with permission).

Figs. 4-6. Head, frontal aspect: 4 – Orthosaldula rubroalata Gapud, 1986; 5 – O. stysi sp. nov.; 6 – O.

Figs. 7-14. 7-11 – Orthosaldula rubroalata Gapud, 1986: 7 – right forewing (ef = embolar fracture, R = radius); 8 – parandria, caudal view; 9 – proctiger, dorsal view; 10 – left paramere, lateral view; 11 – subgenital plate of female, ventral view. 12-14 – dorsal outline of pronotum, lateral view (co = collar, ca = callus, pl = posterior lobe). 12 – O. rubroalata; 13 – O. stysi sp. nov.; 14 – O. flavonigra sp. nov. Pilosity omitted, except in Fig. 10.