Saica lativentris Villiers, 1943

María, Valentina Castro-Huertas & Melo, María Cecilia, 2024, Saica Amyot & Serville, 1843 (Reduviidae, Emesinae, Saicini): taxonomic revision and phylogenetic analysis with morphological characters, Zoosystema 46 (32), pp. 813-845 : 826-828

Saica lativentris Villiers, 1943

( Figs 3C, D ; 5D, M ; 6C ; 7)

Saica lativentris Villiers, 1943a: 197 . — Maldonado Capriles 1990: 479 [cat.]. — Swanson 2020: 978 [cit.].

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Lectotype (here designated). Brazil • ♂; Ceará: Serra de Baturité ; 1.I.1898; Noalhier; MNHN-EH-EH-25368 (high-resolution images).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Bolivia • 1 ♂; Beni: Pucara ; 1.X.1993; JMB .

DIAGNOSIS. — Coloration reddish, pronotal spines usually with apex yellowish, veins of forewing reddish basally, femora uniformly reddish ( Fig. 3C, D ), posteromedial process of pygophore medially angulated ( Fig. 5D ), and nearly at 45° in lateral view ( Fig. 5M ).

DISTRIBUTION. — Brazil (Ceará) ( Maldonado Capriles 1990). First record for Bolivia ( Fig. 7).

REDESCRIPTION

Male

Macropterous. Measurements in Table 2 .

Coloration ( Fig. 3C, D ). Head: Red. Antenna reddish, except for the pale brown distiflagellomere. First and second labial segments reddish, third labial segment yellowish. Thorax: Reddish, spines yellowish apically. Proleg reddish, except for apical portion of protibia and protarsus yellowish; meso- and metalegs similar to proleg. Forewing yellowish, with veins basally and pterostigma reddish. Abdomen: Reddish.

Structure. Thorax ( Fig. 3D ): Humeral angle spines three or more times longer than their base. Mesonotal spine straight, three times as long as or longer than its base. Protuberance of scutellum with apex and posteriorly entire, lateral margins not expanded in caudal view. Metanotal spine straight, 0.2 times the length of mesonotal spine. Forewing with two closed cells, apex of outer discal cell extending as far as apex of pterostigma. Abdomen: Abdominal tergite 2 conspicuously narrower than posterior segments. Genitalia: Anterior region of the genital opening (go) of pygophore wide in dorsal view, posterior margin flat. Posteromedial process of pygophore (mpp) elevated basally and angulated medially ( Fig. 5D ). Ramus nearly straight and projected laterally, almost three times longer than its base, apical region narrowed, apex with a rounded and slightly projected apical process, nearly at 45° in lateral view ( Fig. 5M ). Dorsal phallothecal sclerite (dps) nearly triangular, apex rounded, subapical lateral margin slightly projected laterally, lateral projection shorter than the apex of the dps ( Fig. 6C ).

Female

Macropterous. The only feature described by Villiers (1943a) is the horizontal position of the “genital valves”; we were not able to study the female syntype nor any other female specimen of this species.

REMARKS

Saica lativentris seems closely related to S. tibialis by the position of the posteromedial process of pygophore at 45° to the base, the basally reddish veins of the forewings, and the different coloration of the apex of the thoracic spines. Nevertheless, S. lativentris can be recognized by the conspicuously narrower base of the abdomen and the flat posterior margin of the pygophore.

Villiers (1943a) described the species on the basis of a male and a female, but without designation of holotype, here we selected the male syntype as lectotype.

Figures

FIG. 3. — Saica Amyot & Serville, 1843 species, habitus: A, B, S. fuscipes Stål, 1862 female holotype, NHMW: dorsal (A); lateral (B); C, D, S. lativentris Villiers, 1943: male, dorsal (C); male, lateral (D); E, F, S. meridionalis Fracker & Bruner, 1924: female, dorsal (E); female, lateral (F); G, H, S. ochracea Distant, 1902, male holotype, BMNH: dorsal (G); lateral (H); I, L, S. recurvata (Fabricius, 1803) male dorsal (I); male, lateral (J); K, female, dorsal; L, female, lateral. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIG. 5. — Saica Amyot & Serville,1843,male genitalia,pygophore:caudal view (A‒J): A, S. apicalis Osborn & Drake,1915;B, S. carayoni Villiers,1943;C, S. erubescens Champion, 1898; D, S. lativentris Villiers, 1943; E, S. ochracea Distant, 1902; F, S. recurvata (Fabricius, 1803); G, S. rubripes Champion, 1898;H, S. subinermis Hussey,1953; I, S. tibialis Stål, 1862; J, S. tupackatari n. sp.; lateral view (K‒Q): K, S. apicalis; L, S. erubescens; M, S. lativentris; N, S. recurvata (Fabricius, 1803); O, S. rubripes Champion,1898; P, S. tibialis Stål, 1862; Q, S. tupackatari n. sp. Abbreviations: ao, anterior opening of pygophore; br, transverse bridge of pygophore; go, genital opening; mpp, medial process of pygophore; pa, paramere; pmr, posterior margin of ramus; ps, paramere socket. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIG. 6. — Saica Amyot & Serville, 1843, male and female genitalia, phallus, dorsal view (A‒G): A, S. apicalis Osborn & Drake, 1915; B, S. erubescens Champion, 1898; C, S. lativentris Villiers,1943; D, S. recurvata (Fabricius, 1803); E, S. rubripes Champion, 1898; F, S. tibialis Stål, 1862; G, S. tupackatari n. sp.; bursa copulatrix ventral view (H‒M); H, S. apicalis; I, S. erubescens Champion, 1898; J, S. meridionalis Fracker & Bruner, 1924; K, S. recurvata; L, S. rubripes Champion, 1898; M, S. tibialis Stål, 1862. Abbreviations: apt, arms of articulatory apparatus; bc, bursa copulatrix; bpb, basal plate bridge; dps, dorsal phallotecal sclerite; ese, elongate sclerites of endosome; gap8, gonapophysis 8; gcx8, gonocoxa 8; gpl, gonoplac.