Physoderes anamalaiensis, 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 : 69-71

Physoderes anamalaiensis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C302D0E6-40FC-446C-A044-EBFD1A76F7D2

Figs 8–9 , 13–14 , 17 ; Appendix

Diagnosis

This species is recognized among species of Physoderes by the scape reaching the apex of the clypeus, the small eye, the acute and anteriorly oriented antero-lateral projection of the anterior pronotal lobe, the wide anterior pronotal lobe, which is equal to or wider than the posterior lobe in males and only slightly narrower than the posterior lobe in females, the rounded parascutellar lobe, the dark brown scutellum with the apex thickened and raised, the straw-colored, rounded and short scutellar process, and the hemelytron reaching the tip of the abdomen. This species is most similar to P. mysorensis sp. nov., but is differentiated by the smaller size (8.91–9.82 mm), having no apodeme on mediosclerite 8, the narrow transverse bridge of the pygophore, and the margin of the anterior opening of the pygophore being angular in lateral view and with a membranous ductifer.

Etymology

The name anamalaiensis is a noun in apposition as a tribute to the type locality Anamalai Hills, Tamil Nadu, India.

Material examined

Holotype

INDIA: ♂, Tamil Nadu, Madras Co., Anamalai Hills, Cinchona , 10.28228° N, 76.97999° E, 1067 m, Sep. 1959, P.S. Nathan leg. ( UCR_ENT 00046637 ) ( AMNH).

Paratypes

INDIA: Tamil Nadu: Madras Co., Anamalai Hills: 1 ♂, 10.74944° N, 77.29888° E, 1067 m, May 1956, P.S. Nathan leg. ( UCR _ENT 00068925) ( AMNH); 2 ♂♂, same collection data as preceding but Apr. 1957 ( UCR _ENT 00068923, UCR _ENT 00068924) ( AMNH); 3 ♂♂, Kadamparai, 10.39444° N, 76.97333° E, 1067 m, May 1963, P.S. Nathan leg. ( UCR _ENT 00068918- UCR _ENT 00068920) ( AMNH).

Other material

INDIA: Tamil Nadu, Madras Co., Anamalai Hills: 1 ♂, 10.74972° N, 77.29972° E, 344 m, May 1957, P.S. Nathan leg. ( UCR _ENT 00068922) ( AMNH); 2 ♂♂, 10.38277° N, 76.92944° E, 1372 m, Sep. 1946, P.S. Nathan leg. ( UCR _ENT 00046638, UCR _ENT 00046639) ( CAS); 1 ♀, same collection data as preceding but 21 Jun. 1946 ( UCR _ENT 00046622) ( CAS); 1 ♀, 10.74944° N, 77.29888° E, 1067 m, May 1964, P.S. Nathan leg. ( UCR _ENT 00068934) ( AMNH); 2 juvs, same collection data as preceding but May 1957 ( UCR _ENT 00068938, UCR _ENT 00068939) ( AMNH); 1 ♀, same collection data as preceding but Apr. 1957 ( UCR _ENT 00068933) ( AMNH); 3 juvs, same collection data as preceding ( UCR _ENT 00068935– UCR _ENT 00068937) ( AMNH); 1 ♂, same collection data as for holotype ( UCR _ENT 00046636) ( CAS); 3 ♀♀, same collection data as for holotype ( UCR _ENT 00046642– UCR _ENT 00046644) ( CAS); 1 ♀, same collection data as for holotype but Apr. 1959 ( UCR _ENT 00046645) ( CAS); 1 ♀, same collection data as for holotype but May 1957 ( UCR _ENT 00068929) ( AMNH); 2 ♀♀, same collection data as preceding ( UCR _ENT 00046640, UCR _ENT 00046641) ( CAS); 1 ♀, Cinchona, 10.74944° N, 77.29861° E, 344 m, May 1957, P.S. Nathan leg. ( UCR _ENT 00068930) ( AMNH); 2 ♀♀, same collection data as preceding but Apr. 1956 ( UCR _ENT 00068926, UCR _ENT 00068927) ( AMNH); 1 juv., same collection data as preceding ( UCR _ENT 00068928) ( AMNH); 2 ♀♀, same collection data as preceding but Apr. 1957 ( UCR _ENT 00068931, UCR _ENT 00068932) ( AMNH); 1 ♂, Kadamparai, 10.39444° N, 76.97333° E, 1067 m, May 1965, P.S. Nathan leg. ( UCR _ENT 00068921) ( AMNH); 1 ♂, Anamalais, 10.36667° N, 77.125° E, 914 m, 25 Jan. 1912, K. Pandal leg. ( UCR _ENT 00069254) ( BMNH).

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. Medium, total length 9.27 mm, SD ± 0.36 (Appendix).

COLORATION ( Figs 14 , 17 ). Dark brown. Head dark brown. Scape of antenna brown, pedicel brown basally, straw-colored apically, basiflagellomere brown, distiflagellomere basally brown, apically straw-colored. First segment of labium brown, second segment basally brown, medially straw-colored, apically brown, third segment brown. Pronotum of thorax dark brown, scutellum dark brown, scutellar process strawcolored, pleuron dark brown, sternum dark brown. Corium of hemelytron dark brown, membrane dark brown. Legs dark brown. Abdomen dorsally yellowish-orange, ventrally dark brown with suffusion of straw-color and brown, anterior half of connexivum dark brown, posterior half straw-colored, exposed part of pygophore dark brown.

VESTITURE. Sparsely setose. Head with widespread curved setae, ventral surface of postocular lobe with sparse, setigerous tubercles, with pair of long, straight setae on postocular lobe posterior to ocelli. Anterior lobe of thorax with irregular row of tuberculated, short, curved setae on lateral margins and short, setigerous tubercles dispersed on dorsal surface, posterior lobe with short, curved setae on humeral angle and sparsely distributed along 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. Connexival margin of abdomen with no prominent setae.

HEAD. Elongate conical; maxillary plate rounded apically; scape reaching apex of clypeus; eye hemispherical in dorsal view, less than 1/5 length of head; height of anteocular lobe level with postocular lobe.

THORAX. Antero-lateral paired projections acute; surface of anterior lobe with low ridges; median pronotal depression not contiguous with transverse sulcus; paramedian carina weakly defined; anterior pronotal lobe longer than posterior lobe, wider than or equal in width to posterior lobe, higher than posterior lobe in lateral view; parascutellar lobe rounded; scutellar process short, apex rounded.

HEMELYTRON. Reaching tip of abdomen.

LEGS. Same as genus description.

ABDOMEN. Connexival margin slightly undulating, posterior margin not elevated.

GENITALIA. Anterior margin of mediosternite 8 undulating, without medial apodeme; transverse bridge of pygophore narrow, margin of anterior opening angular, apodeme present, apical margin of posterior opening smooth; cup-like sclerite apically rounded and rim ventrally sclerotized; arms of basal plate converging; ductifer membranous; endosomal struts conical, with subacute apex, divided into two arms basally; shape of dorsal phallothecal sclerite subacute with lateral broad, plate-like prolongations, short, rounded lateral plates.

Female

Similar to males except with anterior pronotal lobe slightly narrower than posterior lobe and median pronotal depression contiguous with transverse sulcus.

Ecology

Nothing is known about the biology of this species.

Distribution

This species is known only from the area around the type locality in the Anamalai Hills, Madras, Tamil Nadu, India.

Remarks

This species possesses the enlarged anterior pronotal lobe characteristic of Physoderes along with the associated pronotal modifications, and is thus placed in this genus. The females possess an enlarged anterior pronotal lobe, although not as exaggerated as that of the males, which is quite unique. The species is most likely closely related to the other Physoderes species native to India, P. mysorensis sp. nov., described below.

Figures

Fig. 8. Dorsal view of the male pygophore in species of Breviphysoderes gen. nov., Macrophysoderes gen. nov., Paraphysoderes Villiers, 1962 and Physoderes Westwood, 1845. For an explanation of the colored arrows, see keys on pages 37 and 66.

Fig. 9. Dorsal view of the phallus in species of Breviphysoderes gen. nov., Macrophysoderes gen. nov., Paraphysoderes Villiers, 1962 and Physoderes Westwood, 1845 (partial). Scale bars = 0.20 mm.

Fig. 13. Distribution map for species of Nanophysoderes gen. nov., Paraphysoderes Villiers, 1962 and Physoderes Westwood, 1845 (in part).

Fig. 14. Dorsal habitus images for species of Paraphysoderes Villiers, 1962 and Physoderes Westwood, 1845 (partial). For an explanation of the colored arrows, see keys on page 63 and 66. Scale bars = 2 mm.

Fig. 17. Ventral habitus images for species of Physoderes Westwood, 1845 (partial). Scale bars = 2 mm.