Breviphysoderes hobbyi ( Miller, 1940 ) Hwang & Weirauch, 2017

Hwang, Wei Song & Weirauch, Christiane, 2017, Uncovering hidden diversity: phylogeny and taxonomy of Physoderinae (Reduviidae, Heteroptera), with emphasis on Physoderes Westwood in the Oriental and Australasian regions, European Journal of Taxonomy 341, pp. 1-118 : 22-24

Breviphysoderes hobbyi ( Miller, 1940) comb. nov.

Figs 4–6 ; Appendix

Physoderes hobbyi Miller, 1940: 554 , fig. 92.

Diagnosis

This species is recognized among species of Breviphysoderes by the head and anterior pronotal lobe being distinctly covered with dense, short, curved, setigerous tubercles, the deeply defined pronotal paramedian carina, the hemelytron surpassing the tip of the abdomen, the medial vein of the hemelytron shaped like an inverted S, and the elongated external cell of the hemelytron (Cu +M). This species is most similar to B. tenebrosa gen. et sp. nov. and B. planicollis comb. nov. It can be differentiated from the former by the overall coloration, the diverging antero-lateral pronotal projections, and the shape of the external cell. It differs from B. planicollis comb. nov. by the overall coloration and the shape of the external cell.

Material examined

Holotype

MALAYSIA: ♂, Sarawak, Mt Dulit, Dulit Trail , 3.32388° N, 114.1475° E, 730 m, 3 Sep. 1932, B.M. Hobby and A.W. Moore leg. ( UCR_ENT 00018517 ) ( BMNH).

Redescription

Male

BODY LENGTH. Medium size, total length 8.7 mm.

COLORATION ( Figs 4–5 ). Light brown with dark brown patterns. Head brown. Scape of antenna strawcolored with light brown apex, basal half of pedicel straw-colored and apical half brown, basiflagellomere brown and distiflagellomere brown with light brown apex. Labium brown. Anterior lobe of pronotum dark brown, posterior lobe brown, scutellum dark brown with brown apex, pleuron dark brown with brown suffusion. Corium and membrane of hemelytron brown. Femora of legs straw-colored with medial dark brown annulation and apical dark brown suffusion, tibiae straw-colored with basal, medial and apical dark brown annulations, tarsi and claws straw-colored. Abdomen not examined dorsally, ventrally light brown medially with lateral suffusion to dark brown, connexivum dark brown with apex straw-colored, exposed part of pygophore brown.

VESTITURE. Sparsely setose. Head with widespread curved, setigerous tubercles, ventral surface of postocular lobe with sparse, setigerous tubercles, without pair of long, straight setae on postocular lobe posterior to ocelli. Anterior lobe of thorax with tuberculated, short, curved setae on lateral margins and along dorsal ridges, posterior lobe with short, curved, setigerous tubercles along lateral margins and sparsely distributed on dorsal surface. Corium of hemelytron with short, curved setae. Legs with two rows of spines and setigerous tubercles, tibiae with regular rows of tuberculated, stout, sharp setae. Posterior margin of connexivum with short, curved setae.

HEAD. Scape surpassing apex of clypeus; eye distinctly projecting in dorsal view, about 1/5 length of head, not attaining ventral margin of head in lateral view.

THORAX. Antero-lateral paired projections acute, diverging; median pronotal depression contiguous with transverse sulcus; paramedian carina strongly defined; posterior lobe damaged/obscured medially by pin; scutellar process long, with rounded apex; mesosternite with median irregular, tuberculated protrusion between fore and mid coxae.

HEMELYTRON. Surpassing tip of abdomen.

LEGS. Same as genus description.

ABDOMEN. Elongate ovoid, with rounded terminal margin; connexival margin slightly undulating, posterior margin slightly elevated.

GENITALIA. Not examined.

Female

Unknown.

Ecology

This species is found in old secondary forest of Borneo.

Distribution

This species is only known from the type locality of Mt Dulit in Sarawak, north-central Borneo. The type locality is shared with B. fulvopicta gen. et sp. nov., B. planicollis comb. nov., B. decora comb. nov. and B. tenebrosa gen. et sp. nov.

Remarks

This species is redescribed based only on the holotype specimen. Originally, five paratype specimens were associated with the holotype from the same area. Closer examination of these specimens showed that they are not conspecific. We here treat these specimens as the two newly described species B. fulvopicta gen. et sp. nov. and B. tenebrosa gen. et sp. nov., and also as B. decora comb. nov. Breviphysoderes hobbyi comb. nov. is removed from Physoderes here and transferred to the new genus because it possesses its synapomorphies (semicircular parascutellar lobes, males do not possess an inflated anterior pronotal lobe and have prominent setigerous tubercles on the dorsal ridges of the anterior pronotal lobe). The specimen was collected by B.M. Hobby and A.W. Moore during the Oxford University Expedition in 1932.

Figures

Fig. 4. Dorsal habitus images for species of Breviphysoderes gen. nov. For an explanation of the colored arrows, see key on page 17. Scale bars = 2 mm.

Fig. 5. Ventral habitus images for species of Breviphysoderes gen. nov. Scale bars = 2 mm.

Fig. 6. Distribution map for species of Breviphysoderes gen. nov.