Physopelta melanopyga rufifemur, Stehlík & Jindra, 2008

Stehlík, Jaroslav L. & Jindra, Zdeněk, 2008, New taxa of the Largidae and Pyrrhocoridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from the Oriental Region, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 48 (2), pp. 611-648 : 626-629

Physopelta melanopyga rufifemur subsp. nov.

( Fig. 20 ) Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♀, INDONESIA: MALUKU ISLANDS: SERAM: Solea 12 km SE of Wahai, 17.i.-6.ii.1997, J. Horák lgt. (EHIA). PARATYPE: The same data, ♀ (EHIA).

Description. Colouration ( Fig. 20 ). Black on head, labium, antennae (except of base of antennomere 4), pronotal lobe (except of margins), scutellum, clavus (except of base), transversal median stripe and oval apical spot on corium, pleura I (except of dorsal margin), II and III, posterior pleural flanges I, II (except of small spot on dorsal margin), and III (except of dorsal third), entire ventrite II, shorter but wider crescent-shaped spots laterally on ventrites IV-VI, entire ventrite VII, and membrane (partly). Callar lobe basally somewhat blackend. Median stripe and apical spot on corium very prominent, their black colouration more intense than dark colouration of scutellum and clavus. Median transversal stripe consisting medially (up to corial cleft) of large, nearly rounded spot, which merges laterally with smaller spot on lateral corial margin. Basal third of antennomere 4 whitish. Membrane basally black, then with transversal grey stripe and another grey spot near apex of corium; grey colouration sometimes nearly obsolete (holotype). Apex of corium (sometimes), callar lobe (partially), wide lateral margins of pronotal lobe, claval base, corium (except of the black spots), pronotal epipleuron, dorsal margin of pleuron I, small spot on dorsal margin of posterior pleural flange II, entire dorsal third of posterior pleural flange III, ventrites III-VI, and all femora and tibiae reddish.

Structure. Body large, parallel-sided. Pronotal margins wide, strongly rounded and gibbous.

Measurements (all in mm). Female (holotype first, paratype second). Body length 16.96/15.77; head: width (including eyes) 2.19/2.19, interocular width 2.92/2.81; lengths of antennomeres: 1 – 2.92/2.81, 2 – 3.13/2.81, 3 – 1.94/1.78, 4 – 3.29/3.02; pronotum: length 3.19/2.97, width 4.27/4.24; scutellum: length 2.27/2.05, width 2.21/1.94; corium: length 8.26/8.32, width 2.11/2.16.

Differential diagnosis. Physopelta melanopyga melanopyga Blöte, 1938 , differs from Ph. m. rufifemur subsp. nov. by having the entire clavus red (except the apex) and femora black (only bases red).

Etymology. The subspecies epithet is composed by the Latin adjective rufus (= red) and the noun femur, referring to one of its diagnostic characters; used as noun in apposition.

Distribution. Indonesia, Maluku Islands, Seram. The nominotypical subspecies occurs on the neighbouring Island of Buru ( BLÖTE 1938).

Figures

Figs.18-21. Habitus.18 – Physopelta kotheae sp. nov. (J, 14.03 mm); 19 – Ph. cincticollis Stål, 1863 (J, 12.0 mm); 20 – Ph. melanopyga rufifemur subsp. nov. (holotype, ♀, 16.97 mm); 21 – Ph. trimaculata sp. nov. (holotype, J, 13.79 mm). Photo: L. Dembický (18-19, 21) and J. Kabíček (20).