Melucha quadrivittis Stal , 1862

Brailovsky, Harry & Barrera, Ernesto, 2014, Revisional notes on the genus Melucha (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Coreidae), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 61 (1), pp. 15-22 : 15

Melucha quadrivittis Stal, 1862 Fig. 8

Melucha quadrivittis Stål, 1862: 276, stat. restit.

Melucha quadrivittis : Stål, 1870: 133 (synonymized with Melucha phyllocnemis )

Type material examined.

Melucha quadrivittis : male (NHRS).

Distribution.

Mexico, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Atoyac and Orizaba ( Stål 1862, Walker 1871, Distant 1893, Packauskas 2010).

Material examined.

New records. Belize: 1 female, Grano de Oro, Chiquibul Forest Reserve, 4-7-IV-1995, T. King, A. Howe (UNAM). Costa Rica: 4 males, 4 females, Provincia Guanacaste, estacion Las pailas, P. N. Rincon de la Vieja, 800 m, 27-VII-12-X-1992, 15-V-11-VI-1993, 8-26-V-1994, C. Cano, D. Garcia, K. E. Taylor (INBIO); 3 males, 3 females, Provincia Guanacaste, Estacion Santa Rosa, P. N. Santa Rosa, 300 m, VIII-1980, VII-1989, II-1992, (without collector) (INBIO); 5 females, Provincia Puntarenas, Fca. Cafrosa, Estacion Las Mellizas, P. N. Amistad, 1300 m, X-1989, 7-XII-1989, 17-I-1990, M. Ramirez, G. Mora (INBIO). Honduras: 1 male, Liberia, 6-IX-1984, C. W. O’Brien (UNAM); 1 female, Olancho, La Muralla, 24-V-1995, R. Morris (UGAG); 1 male, Copan, 19 km SW Santa Rosa de Copan, 8-X-1993, R. Turnbow (UGAG); 1 female, Cedros, Francisco Morazan, 2-XII-1976 (UMSP). Mexico: 1 female, Campeche, 6 mi N de Xpujil, Chicana Ruins, 27-VII-1980, Schaffner, Weaber (TAMU); 1 male, 13.8 mi E Escarcega, 26-27-VII-1980, Schaffner, Weaber (TAMU). 1 female, Chiapas, 2 mi E Rizo de Oro, 2900', 1-VIII-1974, C. W. and L. O’Brien and Marshall (UNAM); 2 males, Chiapas, Municipio de Ocozocoautla, Reserva El Ocote, 2 km de A. Obregon, 14-IV-1994, O. Gomez (UNAM); 1 female, Chiapas, Bonampak, 21-V-1980, J. Bueno (UNAM); 1 female, Chiapas, Reserva El Ocote, 2-10-XII-1993, G. Ortega-Leon, E. Barrera and A. Casasola (UNAM); 1 male, Chiapas, Villa Corzo, 2-XI-1983, J. Morales (UNAM); 1 male, Nuevo Leon, Guadalupe, X-1980, A. Ortiz (UNAM); 2 females, Nuevo Leon, Rayones, 17-IV-1974, Patton (UNAM); 1 female, Oaxaca, Tuxtepec, 24-IX-1947 (UNAM); 1 male, Oaxaca, 2 mi N Candelaria Loxicha, 17-VII-1974, Clark, Schaffner (TAMU); 2 males, 1 female, Quintana Roo, X-Can Nuevo, 17-IX-1983, E. Welling (UNAM); 1 female, Quintana Roo, 8 mi N Felipe Carrillo Puerto, 1-VII-1970, R. E. Beer (UNAM); 1 female, Quintana Roo, 26 km SE Valle Hermoso, 22-VI-1989, A. Cadena, L. Cervantes (UNAM); 1 male, Quintana Roo, 3-VIII-1981, E. Pech (UNAM); 1 female, Quintana Roo, 2 km NE El Ramonal, 10-IX-1983, O. Canul (UNAM); 1 female, Quintana Roo, Puerto Morelos, 11-VIII-1982, V. Hernandez (UNAM); 1 female, San Luis Potosi, El Salto, IX-1959, D. Pelaez (UNAM). 1 male, Tabasco, Campo Experimental CSAT, Cardenas, 13-IX-1976, J. Rivera (UNAM). 1 male, 1 female, Tamaulipas, Ciudad Victoria, 17-XI-1977, H. Brailovsky (UNAM); 1 male, Tamaulipas, Tula, km 20 Tula-Ocampo, Colonia Guadalupe, 446 m, 22°53 ’13” N - 99°28 ’34” W, 12-V-2007, H. Brailovsky, E. Barrera and L. Cervantes-Peredo (UNAM). 7 males, 7 females, Veracruz, Estación de Biología Tropical Los Tuxtlas, III-1978, 20-XII-1984, 25-VIII-1998, 27-X-4-XI-1988, 15-27-VI-1989, 21-VII-1989, 6-IX-1989, 30-X-2007, H. Brailovsky, E. Gonzalez, E. Mejorada, H. Rojas, J. L. Colin and R. Mariño (UNAM). Nicaragua: 1 male, Chinaniloga, Volcan Casita, 10-VI-1985, Maes, Jolivet (MELN); 1 female, Matagalpa, Selva Negra, 1375 m, 28-XII-1991, A. E. Mahler (UNAM). Panama: 1 male, Chiriqui, Chiriquicito, 16-V-1996, R. Turnbow (UGAG); 1 male, Panama Prov., Cerro Campana, 11-IX-1998, Gillogly, Stockwell (TAMU).

Taxonomy.

Burmeister (1835) described Melucha phyllocnemis from Brazil, and Stål (1862) Melucha quadrivittis from Mexico. Dallas (1852) recorded Melucha phyllocnemis from Colombia and years later Stål (1870) synonymized Melucha quadrivittis under Melucha phyllocnemis and recorded this species from Mexico, Colombia (Nova Granada), Brazil and Paraguay. Packauskas (2010) summarized the known information and cited Melucha phyllocnemis s. lato from Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Paraguay. The type material of Melucha quadrivittis was examined and compared with the original description of Melucha phyllocnemis , as well as with more than 110 specimens. Two different species were clearly recognized, therefore Melucha quadrivittis was resurrected here as valid species.

Both species share the following characters: total body length over 23.00 mm; anterolateral borders of pronotum coarsely serrate; pronotal disk yellow with four longitudinal dark lines; the humeral angles prominent, laterally expanded; and antennal segments II and III pale orange to yellowish orange.

In Melucha quadrivittis the dorsal surface of hind femur is armed with two rows of black nodules and tubercles; it is distributed from Mexico to Panama (Fig. 8). In Melucha phyllocnemis the dorsal surface of hind femur is smooth. It is distributed from Colombia to Paraguay, including Bolivia and Brazil (Fig. 9).

Key to the known species of Melucha Amyot & Serville, 1843