Zelurus ochripennis ( Stål, 1854 )

Oliveira, Jader, Alevi, Kaio Cesar Chaboli, Gil-Santana, Hélcio R. & Galvão, Cleber, 2021, Biological, ecological, morphological and cytogenetic analyses, with taxonomic notes of Zelurus ochripennis (Stål, 1854) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae Reduviinae), Zootaxa 4958 (1), pp. 345-358 : 347-352

Zelurus ochripennis ( Stål, 1854)

( Figs.1–4 , 11–15 )

Spiniger ochripennis Stål (1854: 237) (description), Stål (1869: 232) (diagnosis), Stål (1872: 115) (checklist, diagnosis), Walker (1873: 153, 157) (key, catalog), Lethierry & Severin (1896: 110) (catalog), Costa Lima (1940: 12, 24–25, 99–100, 112, Plate 7, fig. 53) (transcription of Stål’s 1869 diagnosis, key, transcription of Stål’s 1872 diagnosis, morphological remarks and material examined, transcription of a Stål’s 1860 citation, dorsal view of male specimen).

Zelurus ochripennis: Lent & Wygodzinsky (1945: 243–244) (checklist), Wygodzinsky (1949: 61) (catalog), Lent & Wygodzinsky (1957: 35–36) (checklist), Maldonado Capriles (1990: 465) (catalog), Ferreira et al. (2016: 263, 265, 266, 267) (fig. 22 A, recognized and potential geographical distribution in Brazil, potential distribution map of the species, comments on the former subject).

Comments. Zelurus ochripennis was described based on a female from “Brasilia” ( Brazil), without mentioning where it had been collected in this country (1854, 1872). In the NHRS there is a female labeled as “typus” (catalog number NHRS-GULI000008031; Figs. 1–4 ). Because the original description ( Stål 1854) did not designate a holotype , it is better to consider it as a syntype.

Morphological remarks. General length (in mm): to tip of hemelytra: 27.49 (male) 25.36 (female); to tip of abdomen 23.03 (male) 23.57 (female). General coloration dark brown ( Figs. 1–2 , 11 ); antennal segment II pale, except at dark base and blackish apex, respectively ( Fig. 11 ); tibiae and tarsi ( Figs. 1–2 , 11, 15 ) mostly yellowish pale to pale testaceous, darkened at basal portion of the tibiae, more extensively in the fore and middle tibiae, and distal portion of the third segment of tarsi; apex of tibiae sometimes slightly darkened, with a reddish tone; apical portion of the medial spines of anterior lobe of pronotum somewhat paler ( Fig. 1 ) or entirely darkened ( Fig. 14 ); hemelytra pale brownish with the veins, costal area of the coria (except at blackish basolateral portion) and the surrounding area adjacent to the veins in the membrane pale testaceous to yellowish pale ( Figs. 1 , 11 ). Head with maxillary plates (=genae, sensu Costa Lima 1940) blunt ( Fig. 13 ). Pronotum: anterior lobe with a pair of long median spines and lateral prominences that are short and conical (female; Fig. 1 ) or small and acute (male; Fig. 14 ); posterior lobe with a long and strong spine on each humeral angle ( Figs. 1–2 , 11, 14 ); scutellum with an apical long, strong, upward directed spine ( Fig. 11 ). Fore femora with two parallel rows of short numerous spines ventrally on basal portion; spongy fossa of fore tibia very long, somewhat shorter than half of its length. Posterolateral angle of sternite II spineless. Abdomen: a median keel on sternites II to V, except the distal portion of the latter, in the male and on sternites II to IV and on the VII in the female.

The specimens examined here ( Figs. 11–15 , 25 ) generally agree with the previous descriptions and diagnosis of Z. ochripennis ( Stål 1854, 1869, 1872; Costa Lima, 1940) and with its female syntype deposited in NHRS ( Figs. 1–4 ), confirming their identification as belonging to this species.

Costa Lima (1940) and Lent & Wygodzinsky (1945, 1957) examined specimens of Z. ochripennis collected in different localities of the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, situated approximately at sea level or higher altitudes (700 or 830 m a.s.l). Two specimens were attracted to light. Zelurus ochripennis was recorded from caves in these two states and also Minas Gerais ( Ferreira et al. 2016). All three are neighboring states in Southeastern Brazil.

Material examined. Zelurus ochripennis ( Stål, 1854) . BRAZIL, Rio de Janeiro State, Angra dos Reis, Ilha Grande , 4 males, 1 female and 8 nymphs, Cleber Galvão & Jader Oliveira leg. (2 males and 4 nymphs, CTIOC), (1 female, 2 males and 4 nymphs, CTJMSB) .

Measurements. The measurements of the females and males are given in Table 1 , those of nymphs are given in the following section about remarks on nymphs.

Testicular morphology and cytogenetics analysis. The testes of the examined specimens were elongated with a yellowish testicular peritoneal sheath ( Fig. 16 ). Cytogenetic analysis of meiotic metaphases 1 revealed that Z. ochripennis has a karyotype 2n = 22 (20A + XY) ( Fig. 17 , A–B).

Observation of live specimens. Both nymphs and adults were observed on rock surfaces but not aggregated, and most individuals remained relatively motionless ( Figs. 9–10 ). The general coloration of nymphs is quite different from that of the adults. Nymphs have a general color pattern in which shades of gray and light brown predominate, featuring a cryptic camouflage ( Figs. 9 , 18–21 ). All nymphs were reared to adult stage. Adults are black in color with extensive yellow coloration on tibiae and tarsi. The adults in the field and in the laboratory exhibited ambush behavior towards their prey, that is not moving until the prey came close enough to them to strike ( Fig. 10 ).

In the laboratory, it was possible to observe the metamorphosis of a fifth instar nymph to adulthood. The adult, as soon as it undergoes metamorphosis, presented a whitish general color ( Fig. 22 ) and after three hours the pigmentation fixation began ( Fig. 23 ), after six hours the tones begin to intensify ( Fig. 24 ), and after nine hours the pigmentation pattern has not changed and we believe it has fixed ( Fig. 25 ).

Remarks on nymphs.Twelve nymphs of Z. ochripennis were collected with the adults. They were of different instars: three second instar ( Fig. 18 ), two third instar ( Fig. 19 ), two fourth instar ( Fig. 20 ) and five fifth instar ( Fig. 21 ). Among the twelve nymphs that were collected, four reached adulthood in the laboratory. The average total length of the nymphs was: 6.10 mm (second instar); 9.63 mm (third instar); 10.69 mm (fourth instar); 14.25 mm (fifth instar). The nymphs showed a coloration pattern ranging from light gray to dark light brown, a color pattern directly related to the cryptic camouflage process in the field in which the habitat of these nymphs includes rocky outcrops and caves.

Distribution. Brazil, in the States of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo (caves, tropical Atlantic moist forest).

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Spiniger ochripennis Stål, 1854, female syntype deposited in NHRS, catalog number NHRS-GULI000008031, photographed by Gunvi Lindberg, © 2019 Naturhistoriska riksmuseet. Made available by the Swedish Museum of Natural History under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License, CC-BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/legalcode; 1, dorsal view, 2, lateral view, 3, genitalia, posterior view, 4, labels.

FIGURES 11–15. Zelurus ochripennis (Stål, 1854), male. 11–12, dorsal view, 11, scale bar 5.0 mm, 12–13, head, scale bar 1.0 mm, 13, lateral view, 14–15, scale bar 2.0 mm, 14, pronotum, dorsal view, 15, middle tibia, right leg, lateral view.

FIGURES 22–25. Zelurus ochripennis (Stål, 1854), adult male, live specimen recorded in subsequent times after ecdysis. 22, just after ecdysis, 23, after three hours, 24, after six hours, 25, after nine hours.

FIGURES 16–17. Zelurus ochripennis (Stål, 1854), male. 16, testis, lateral view, scale bar 1.0 mm, 17, metaphase 1 with ten pairs of autosomes and a pair of sexual chromosomes of two different cells (A–B), indicated respectively by letters X and Y. Karyotype 2n = 22 (20A + XY). Scale bar 10 µm.

FIGURES 5–10. 5–6, Small terrestrial cave named “Toca das Cinzas”, Vila Dois Rios, Ilha Grande 7–8, First (JO) and last (CG) authors collecting live specimens, 9, Zelurus ochripennis nymph camouflaged in the rock (red circle), 10, Zelurus ochripennis adult on the rock.

FIGURES 18–21. Zelurus ochripennis (Stål, 1854), nymphs, dorsal view, scale bars 5.0 mm. 18, second instar, 19, third instar, 20, fourth instar, 21, fifth instar.