Zelus sulcicollis Champion, 1899

Zhang, Guanyang, Hart, Elwood R & Weirauch, Christiane, 2016, A taxonomic monograph of the assassin bug genus Zelus Fabricius (Hemiptera: Reduviidae): 71 species based on 10,000 specimens, Biodiversity Data Journal 4, pp. 8150-8150 : 8150

Zelus sulcicollis Champion, 1899

Zelus sulcicollis Champion, 1898, p. 258-259, Tab. XV. fig. 21, orig. descr. and fig.; Fracker, 1913, p. 239, 240, key and list (subgenus Diplodus ); Wygodzinsky, 1949a, p. 50, checklist; Maldonado, 1990, p. 331, cat.

Materials

Type status: Lectotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00048760 ; occurrenceRemarks: Lectotype of Zelussulcicollis Champion, 1899 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016) Verbatim label info: Type / B.C.A.Rhyn.II. Zelussulcicollis Ch. / Sp. figured. / S. Geronimo, Guatemala. Champion. / Lectotype Zelussulcicollis Champion des. by. E.R. Hart; recordedBy: G.C. Champion; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelussulcicollis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Champion, 1899; Location: country: GUATEMALA; stateProvince: Baja Verapaz; locality: San Geronimo ; decimalLatitude: 15.13333; decimalLongitude: -90.18333; georeferenceSources: Publication; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: BMNH Type status: Allolectotype. Occurrence: occurrenceRemarks: Allolectotype of Zelussulcicollis Champion, 1899 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016) Verbatim label info: S. Geronimo, Guatemala. Champion. / B.C.A.Rhyn.II. Zelussulcicollis Ch. / Allolectotype Zelussulcicollis Champion des. by. E.R. Hart; recordedBy: G.C. Champion; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelussulcicollis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Champion, 1899; Location: country: GUATEMALA; stateProvince: Baja Verapaz; locality: San Geronimo ; decimalLatitude: 15.13333; decimalLongitude: -90.18333; georeferenceSources: Publication; Identification: identifiedBy: E.R. Hart; dateIdentified: 1972; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: BMNH Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: occurrenceRemarks: Paralectotype of Zelussulcicollis Champion, 1899 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016) Verbatim label info: l. Tepic, Mex., July, Schumann / B.C.A.Rhyn.II. Zelussulcicollis Ch., Omilteme, Guerrero, 8000 ft., July, H. H. Smith / B.C.A. Rhyn. II. Zelussulcicollis Ch. / Paralectotype Zelussulcicollis Champion des. by. E.R. Hart; recordedBy: H.H. Smith; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelussulcicollis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Champion, 1899; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Guerrero; locality: l. Tepic ; georeferenceSources: Publication; Identification: identifiedBy: E.R. Hart; dateIdentified: 1972; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: BMNH Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: occurrenceRemarks: Paralectotype of Zelussulcicollis Champion, 1899 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016) Verbatim label info: l. Tepic, Mex., July, Schumann / B.C.A.Rhyn.II. Zelussulcicollis Ch., Omilteme, Guerrero, 8000 ft., July, H. H. Smith / B.C.A. Rhyn. II. Zelussulcicollis Ch. / Paralectotype Zelussulcicollis Champion des. by. E.R. Hart; recordedBy: G.C. Champion; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelussulcicollis; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Champion, 1899; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Guerrero; locality: l. Tepic ; georeferenceSources: Publication; Identification: identifiedBy: E.R. Hart; dateIdentified: 1972; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: BMNH

Description

Figs 187, 188, 189

Male: (Fig. 187a, b) Large, total length 14.86-20.26 mm (mean 18.10 mm, Suppl. material 2); robust. COLORATION: Brown to reddish; uniform. Entire surface quite uniformly brown, appearing reddish in some specimens. Legs usually uniform, not distinctly banded; femora with faint dark markings in some specimens. Connexivum banded. VESTITURE: Densely setose. Similar to that in Z. armillatus ; dorsal setation more spine-like. STRUCTURE: Head: Cylindrical, L/W = 2.47. Postocular lobe moderately long; in dorsal view anteriorly gradually narrowing, posterior portion constant, slightly narrower. Eye smallish; lateral margin only slightly wider than postocular lobe; dorsal margin attaining postocular transverse groove, ventral margin removed from ventral surface of head in lateral view. Labium: I: II: III = 1: 1.4: 0.3. Basiflagellomere diameter subequal to that of pedicel. Thorax: Anterolateral angle bearing small protuberance; medial longitudinal sulcus distinct throughout. Posterior pronotal lobe with rugulose surface; disc distinctly elevated above humeral angle; humeral angle armed, with spinous processes. Scutellum moderately long; apex angulate. Legs: Moderately robust. Hemelytron: Slightly surpassing apex of abdomen, not more than length of abdominal segment seven; quadrate cell large and broad; Cu and M of cubital cell converging towards R. GENITALIA: (Fig. 188) Pygophore: Rounded; slightly expanded laterally near base of paramere in dorsal view; posteriorly expanded sac-like sclerite between parameres and medial process. Medial process cylindrical; slender; moderately long; posteriorly directed; straight; apex in posterior view rounded, with very inconspicuous lateral prongs. Paramere: Cylindrical; moderately long, not reaching apex of medial process; directed posteriad; slightly curved dorsad; apical part very slightly enlarged. Phallus: Dorsal phallothecal sclerite somewhat squarish; lateral expansion arising close to base; apical portion of phallothecal sclerite not distinctly tapered, flat, lateral margin narrowly angulate; apex rounded; posterior margin of foramen broadly concave, medially deeper. Struts attached to dorsal phallothecal sclerite; apically fused; basally mostly separate, moderately fused. Basal plate arm moderately robust; separate; diverging; in lateral view very slightly curved; bridge short; extension of basal plate small, marginally expanded onto arm.

Female: (Fig. 187c, d) Similar to male, except for the following. Larger than male, total length 20.59-21.91 mm (mean 21.41 mm, Suppl. material 2).

Diagnosis

Recognized by the dorsal coloration nearly uniformly brown, somewhat reddish and the posterior pronotal lobe medially depressed. Among males of the Zelus armillatus species group occurring in the same geographic range, the medial process and paramere of Z. sulcicollis are longer than that in Z. litigiosus , Z. ruficeps and Z. janus .

Distribution

Southern Mexico and Northern Central America (Fig. 189). Countries with records: Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.