Zelus mimus Stal , 1862

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 mimus Stal, 1862

Zelus mimus Stål, 1862, p. 451, orig. descr. (subgenus Diplodus ); Stål, 1872, p. 91, cat. (subgenus Diplodus ); Lethierry and Severin, 1896, p. 152, cat.; Champion, 1898, p. 257, 261, note, list and senior syn. of Z. umbratilis ; Kuhlgatz, 1902, p. 266, note; Fracker, 1913, p. 239, 240, list (subgenus Diplodus ); Williams, 1918, p. 163-173; Wygodzinsky, 1949a, p. 49, checklist; Maldonado, 1990, p. 329, cat.

Diplodus mimus : Walker, 1873, p. 124, cat.; Uhler, 1886, p. 24, checklist.

Zelus umbratilis Stål, 1862, p. 451, orig. descr. (subgenus Diplodus ); Stål, 1872, p. 91, cat. (subgenus Diplodus ); Lethierry and Severin, 1896, p. 153, cat.; Champion, 1898, p. 261, junior syn. of Z. mimus .

Diplodus umbratilis : Walker, 1873, p. 124, cat.; Uhler, 1886, p. 24, checklist.

Materials

Type status: Lectotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00075074 ; occurrenceRemarks: Lectotype of Zelusmimus Stål, 1862 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016). Verbatim label info: Mexico coll. Signoret / mimus det. Stal / B.C.A. Rhyn.II. Zelusmimus St. / Lectotype Zelusmimus Stal / designated by E. R. Hart / Lectotypus Zelusmimus STAL, 1862 etik. Hecher 1996 REDV. 480/1; recordedBy: Signoret; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusmimus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Stål, 1862; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: None or Unknown; locality: unknown ; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: NHMW Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00041012 ; occurrenceRemarks: Lectotype of Zelusumbratilis Stål, 1862 (New Designation by Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016), junior synonym of Zelusmimus Stål, 1862. Verbatim label info: Mexico / Salle / umbratilis Stal / Lectotype Zelusumbratilis Stal / designated by E.R.Hart / Zelusmimus Stal det. E.R. Hart 1972 / Typus / NHRS-GULI 000000351; recordedBy: salle; sex: Adult Female; otherCatalogNumbers: NHRS-GULI 000000351; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusmimus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Stål, 1862; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: None or Unknown; locality: unknown ; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2012; Event: eventDate: No date provided; Record Level: institutionCode: NHRS

Description

Figs 138, 139, 140

Male: (Fig. 138a, b) Small, total length 9.69-11.32 mm (mean 10.64 mm, Suppl. material 2); slender. COLORATION: Dorsum brown to dark brown; posterior pronotal lobe sometimes slightly lighter. Pale yellow or light brown on ventral surface of head, maxillary plate, lateral surface of posterior pronotal lobe, parts of pleura and medial surface of abdominal venter. Legs with yellow and brown bands. VESTITURE: Sparsely setose. Dorsum of head and anterior pronotal lobe with very sparse, short, erect or recumbent setae, nearly glabrous; ventral surface of head with sparse, long, erect and short, recumbent setae. Posterior pronotal lobe with short, erect or recument setae. Hemelytron primarily with short, recumbent setae. Pleura and abdominal venter with short, erect or recumbent setae, as well as wax-like setae. Very sparse, short setae on apical half of paramere. STRUCTURE: Head: Cylindrical, L/W = 2.17. Postocular lobe relatively short; in dorsal view distinctly narrowing through anterior 2/3, posterior 1/3 constant, tube-like. Eye prominent; lateral margin much wider than postocular lobe; dorsal margin attaining postocular transverse groove, ventral margin removed from ventral surface of head. Labium: I: II: III = 1: 1.8: 0.4. Basiflagellomere diameter larger than that of pedicel. Thorax: Anterolateral angle bearing small projection; medial longitudinal sulcus shallow near collar, deepening posteriorly. Posterior pronotal lobe with rugulose surface; disc distinctly elevated above humeral angle; humeral angle armed, with dentate projection. Scutellum long; apex angulate, slightly projected upward. Legs: Slender. Hemelytron: Surpassing apex of abdomen by about length of abdominal segment seven; quadrate cell small and slender; Cu and M of cubital cell subparallel. GENITALIA: (Fig. 139) Pygophore: Ovoid. Medial process cylindrical; slender; long; erect; apex in posterior view modified, folded posteriad. Paramere: Cylindrical; moderately long, achieving apex of medial process; directed posteriad; strongly curved dorsad, nearly vertical; apical part not enlarged. Phallus: Dorsal phallothecal sclerite shield-shaped; apical portion of phallothecal sclerite tapered, convex, laterally rounded, not forming angle; apex rounded; posterior margin of foramen broadly concave. Struts attached to dorsal phallothecal sclerite; apically separate, connected by bridge; basally almost completely fused. Basal plate arm moderately robust; basally fused; in lateral view nearly straight, very slightly curved; bridge short; extension of basal plate expanded onto arm.

Female: (Fig. 138c, d, e, f) Similar to male, except for the following. Larger than male, total length 11.81-14.06 mm (mean 13.14 mm, Suppl. material 2). Posterior pronotal lobe sometimes brownish orange or with orange longitudinal stripes; occasional specimens with entire pronotum reddish-brown. Legs banded or unicolorous.

Diagnosis

Dark brown coloration predominating dorsally in most specimens, posterior pronotal lobe laterally yellowish. Among species that have overlapping distributions (Southern Mexico and Central America), the coloration of Z. mimus is unique. Males can also be recognized by the paramere apically greatly projected dorsad (Fig. 139a); and the apex of the medial process folded posteriorly. Similar to Z. inconstans , but the medial process is much longer and more slender.

Distribution

Southern Mexico and Central America (Fig. 140). Countries with records: Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and Panama.