Zelus amblycephalus Zhang & Hart, 2016

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 amblycephalus Zhang & Hart, 2016 sp. n.

Materials

Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00022669 ; occurrenceRemarks: Holotype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016; recordedBy: A. S. Menke; sex: Adult Male; otherCatalogNumbers: LACM ENT 160232; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: COSTA RICA; stateProvince: Puntarenas; locality: Golfito ; decimalLatitude: 8.6407; decimalLongitude: -83.1686; georeferenceSources: Google Earth; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1957-07-13; Record Level: institutionCode: LACM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00009315 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016; recordedBy: Unknown; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: BRAZIL; stateProvince: Amazonas; locality: Rio Janauaca, 40 km SW Manaus ; decimalLatitude: -3.33333; decimalLongitude: -60.28333; georeferenceSources: Label; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1979-03-10; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00009316 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016; recordedBy: Unknown; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: BRAZIL; stateProvince: Amazonas; locality: Teffe ; decimalLatitude: -3.3667; decimalLongitude: -64.7; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1918-12-06; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00006070 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016; recordedBy: B. Malkin; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: BRAZIL; stateProvince: Mato Grosso; locality: Barra do Tapirape ; decimalLatitude: -10.46666; decimalLongitude: -50.51667; georeferenceSources: Gazetteer; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1962-12-30; Record Level: institutionCode: CAS Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00029368 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016. Drake Collection; recordedBy: J. E. Eger; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: BRAZIL; stateProvince: Rondonia; locality: 62 km SW of Ariquemes, near Fzda. Rancho Grande ; decimalLatitude: -10.32921; decimalLongitude: -63.46881; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1996-12-03 to 1996-12-15; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00025328 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016; recordedBy: C. Ardila, A. Montano, A. Pachon; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: COLOMBIA; stateProvince: Cundinamarca; locality: Villeta ; verbatimElevation: 799 m; decimalLatitude: 5.01444; decimalLongitude: -74.47305; georeferenceSources: Label; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 2003-05-10; Record Level: institutionCode: UNAB Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00022670 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016. Previously designated as 'allotype' of his manuscript name Zelusamblycephalus by Hart, a type status not used in the formal publication of this name (Zhang, Hart & Weirauch, 2016).; recordedBy: A. S. Menke; sex: Adult Female; otherCatalogNumbers: LACM ENT 160233; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: COSTA RICA; stateProvince: Puntarenas; locality: Golfito ; decimalLatitude: 8.6407; decimalLongitude: -83.1686; georeferenceSources: Google Earth; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1957-07-13; Record Level: institutionCode: LACM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00009473 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016; recordedBy: T. L. Erwin et al.; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: ECUADOR; stateProvince: Orellana; locality: Reserva Etnica Waorani, 1 km S. Onkone Gare Camp, Transect Ent. ; verbatimElevation: 216 m; decimalLatitude: -0.65714; decimalLongitude: -76.453; georeferenceSources: Label; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: samplingProtocol: Fogging; eventDate: 1994-10-09; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00010840 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016; recordedBy: A. Lewis; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Chiapas; locality: 10 m N of Mexico 190 Tuztla Gutierrez ; decimalLatitude: 16.90574; decimalLongitude: -93.16486; georeferenceSources: Google Earth; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1956-08-24 to 1956-08-28; Record Level: institutionCode: LACM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00034277 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016; recordedBy: G. Ortega, E. Barrera, A. Casasola; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Chiapas; locality: Reserva El Ocote ; decimalLatitude: 16.99502; decimalLongitude: -93.64056; georeferenceSources: Google Earth; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1993-12-02 to 1993-12-10; Record Level: institutionCode: IBUNAM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00009493 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016. Drake Collection; recordedBy: D.H. Jansen; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Oaxaca; locality: Temascal ; decimalLatitude: 18.23882; decimalLongitude: -96.40034; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1963-10-31; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00009494 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016. Drake Collection; recordedBy: D.H. Jansen; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Oaxaca; locality: Temascal ; decimalLatitude: 18.23882; decimalLongitude: -96.40034; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1963-10-31; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00009495 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016. Drake Collection; recordedBy: D.H. Jansen; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Oaxaca; locality: Temascal ; decimalLatitude: 18.23882; decimalLongitude: -96.40034; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1963-10-31; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00009496 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016. Drake Collection; recordedBy: D.H. Jansen; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Oaxaca; locality: Temascal ; decimalLatitude: 18.23882; decimalLongitude: -96.40034; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1963-10-31; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00009497 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016. Drake Collection; recordedBy: D.H. Jansen; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Oaxaca; locality: Temascal ; decimalLatitude: 18.23882; decimalLongitude: -96.40034; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1963-10-31; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00009270 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016. Additional label: Collected at Night.; recordedBy: J. Zetek; sex: Adult Male; otherCatalogNumbers: 41-7231; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: PANAMA; stateProvince: Canal Zone; locality: Barro Colorado ; decimalLatitude: 9.16666; decimalLongitude: -79.83333; georeferenceSources: Google Earth; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1941-04-01; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00023698 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016; recordedBy: Geyskes; sex: Adult sex unknown; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: SURINAME; stateProvince: Unknown; locality: unknown ; decimalLatitude: 5.804157; decimalLongitude: -55.149886; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1965-12-12; Record Level: institutionCode: RMNH Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00017182 ; occurrenceRemarks: Paratype of Zelusamblycephalus Zhang and Hart, 2016; recordedBy: P. & C. Vaurie; sex: Adult Female; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusamblycephalus; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: MEXICO; stateProvince: Chiapas; locality: Tuxtla Gutierrez ; verbatimElevation: 549 m; decimalLatitude: 16.75469; decimalLongitude: -93.11485; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1955-07-06 to 1955-07-10; Record Level: institutionCode: AMNH

Description

Figs 19, 20, 21

Male: (Fig. 19a, b) Large, total length 15.0-17.5 mm (mean 15.7 mm, Suppl. material 2); slender, body length/width = 4.5. COLORATION: Yellowish or greenish-brown. Head yellowish-brown to brown. Antennae and femoral apices reddish. Anterior pronotal lobe uniformly yellowish-brown or brown. Posterior pronotal lobe yellowish-brown or brown with lateral processes and surrounding area darker, brown to dark brown. Clavus and corium brown, veins yellowish-brown, membrane brown. Abdomen pale brown. Pygophore yellowish-brown. VESTITURE: Sparsely setose; sparse, short, erect setae over most of integument. Short spinelike setae on dorsal surface of head, with some short recumbent setae dorsally on posterior lobe, sparse short recument and erect setae on lateral and ventral surfaces. Anterior pronotal lobe with short, spine-like setae dorsally and short, erect and recumbent setae laterally; posterior lobe with short, recumbent and erect setae. Scutellum with short erect and recumbent setae. Corium and clavus with short, recumbent setae. Microtrichia throughout posterior margin of membrane of hemelytron. Abdominal venter with short, erect setae, interspersed with long setae. Sparse, moderately long setae on apical 1/2 of paramere. STRUCTURE: Head: Cylindrical. In dorsal view anteriorly gradually narrowing, posterior portion constant, slightly narrower; dorsal outline in lateral view gradually sloping. Eye prominent; dorsal and ventral margins removed from outlines of head. Labium: I: II: III = 1: 1.4: 0.3. Segment I surpassing anterior margin of eye. Antenna: Basiflagellomere diameter larger than that of pedicel. Thorax: Anterior pronotal lobe with indistinct collar, anterolateral angle rounded, without projection; medial longitudinal sulcus evident throughout, deepening posteriorly; slightly raised inconspicuous protuberance laterad to longitudinal medial sulcus anterior to transverse pronotal sulcus, more apparent in lateral view. Posterior pronotal lobe with smooth surface; disc distinctly elevated above humeral angle, slightly convex; humeral angle slightly expanded and wider than abdomen, armed with spinous process; margin indistinct, convex. Scutellar apex angulate, not projected. Legs: Moderately robust. Hemelytron: Surpassing apex of abdomen by about length of abdominal segment seven; costal margin somewhat concave; Sc surpassing level of apex of cubital cell; quadrate cell small and slender; 1A and Pcu intersecting; Cu and M of cubital cell subparallel. Abdomen: Segments of sub-equal sizes; segment seven much shorter than preceding segments, posterior margin in lateral view slightly concave. GENITALIA: (Fig. 20) Segment eight with nearly straight posterior margin, slightly concave in middle. Pygophore: Ovoid; posterolateral rim in lateral view straight above paramere, concave below paramere. Slender. Medial process cylindrical, slender; long; posteriorly directed, in less than forty-five degree with body axis; nearly straight; apex rounded. Paramere: Cylindrical; long, surpassing medial process; directed posteriad; not distinctly curved; apical part very slightly enlarged. Phallus: Surface flat; laterally indistinctly angulate; apex truncate; posterior margin of foramen broadly concave; basal arm short. Struts attached to dorsal phallothecal sclerite; basally separate. Basal plate arm robust; separate; basally converging; in lateral view nearly straight, very slightly curved; bridge moderately long, slender; extension expanded and extended onto arm.

Female: (Fig. 19c, d) Similar to male, except for the following. Pleura and abdominal segments with patches of whitish exudation. Basiflagellomere diameter smaller or subequal to that of pedicel. Hemelytron barely surpassing apex of abdomen.

Diagnosis

Can be recognized by the uniform pale coloration, the unpatterned legs (Fig. 19), and the relatively large size (>15mm, Suppl. material 2). Males can also be recognized by the apex of medial process with two minute prongs; the long, somewhat recurved paramere, which, viewed laterally, is at least 1.5x length of the medial process; and the dorsal phallothecal sclerite without lateral expansion close to the basal arm.

Among species of the Zelus armillatus group (Fig. 8), only Z. annulosus also possesses a paramere much longer than the medial process, but the two can be easily separated by the general aspects of coloration. Both in general appearance and in the appearance of certain characters of the male genitalia, this species appears to be most closely related to Z. umbraculus and Z. umbraculoides , which have short parameres and are known only from male specimens.

Distribution

Southern Mexico to northern South America and part of Brazil (Fig. 21). Countries with records: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Suriname.