Rasahus Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843

Swanson, Daniel R., 2018, Three new species of Rasahus, with clarifications on the identities of three other Neotropical corsairs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Peiratinae), Zootaxa 4471 (3), pp. 446-472 : 448-449

Rasahus Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843

Rasahus Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843: 325 . Type species: Peirates sulcicollis Audinet-Serville, 1831: 219 , by subsequent designation: Van Duzee (1916: 29).

Macrosandalus Stål, 1866: 251 , 259. Type species: Pirates albomaculatus Mayr, 1865: 438 , by subsequent designation: Van Duzee (1917: 251). Synonymized by Stål (1872: 106).

Sphodrocoris Stål, 1866: 251 , 261. Type species: Reduvius maculipennis Lepeletier & Serville, 1825: 276 , by subsequent designation: Van Duzee (1917: 251). Synonymized by Stål (1872: 106).

Diagnosis: Easily diagnosed from all New World peiratine genera but Froeschnerisca Coscarόn, 1996 by the following combination of characters: head with preocellar transverse groove deeply impressed; eyes large, as wide as or wider than interocular distance in dorsal view; metapleural sulcus distinctly curved along or near lateral margin of supporting sclerite; procoxae elongate, apical third to half extended caudad of prosternal process; protibial fossula spongiosa occupying apical half to three-quarters of protibia; and mesotibial fossula spongiosa present. Rasahus is diagnosed from Froeschnerisca by possessing a simple basal plate in the male genitalia and lacking projection on the tenth tergite of the female genitalia; see discussion under Key to Species of Rasahus and Froeschnerisca .

Remarks: The following morphological characters are present in all species herein described. This does not necessarily constitute a redescription of the genus Rasahus , as I have not examined all species in the genus and cannot account for the states of some characters in unexamined species:

Structure: Head fusiform, integument smooth, pilose (including short pile and much longer thin setae). Anteocular region triangular, long, narrower at base than postocular region, unarmed, pilose, clypeus slightly raised above mandibular plates. Postocular region with transverse, convex sulcus delimiting ocellar tubercle, region converging to distinct neck. Neck dorsally glabrous, with distinct 1+1 lateral tubercles. Ventral surface of head covered in sparse short setae, slightly tumid anteriorly in lateral view.

Antennae with all segments cylindrical. Scape slightly clavate, with pedicel and flagellum progressively thinner than previous antennomere. Scape with four long thick semi-erect setae on mesal margin in basal half, apical half with shorter thick oblique setae and appressed fine pile. Pedicel generally covered with short dense oblique setae, with a long strong seta at base and apex of pedicel, and with sparse trichobothria. Basi- and distiflagellum with short dense oblique pilosity less than diameter of segment and sparse semi-erect setae slightly longer than diameter of segment generally over whole length.

Eyes large, reniform (concave posteroventrally), glabrous.

Ocelli present. Rostrum curved, first segment cylindrical, second segment essentially cylindrical but very slightly swollen basally on ventral surface (= opposite ventral face of head at rest), third segment conical, with sparse, scattered setae on all segments.

Pronotum: Anterior pronotal lobe roundly quadrangular, integument smooth and glabrous inbetween sulci (when present), with collar having conspicuous large rounded tubercles, anterior margin concave between these tubercles, disc lacking spines or tubercles. Posterior pronotal lobe short, arcuately-trapezoidal, disc lacking spines or tubercles, humeri more or less rounded, posterior margin smoothly arcuate.

Scutellum triangular, disc slightly depressed, laterally with short, rounded carina, apex prolonged into moderately long, slightly recurved spine.

Pleura: Propleuron generally with short setae, unarmed, anteroventral corner bulging. Mesopleuron smooth to slightly wrinkled, with sparse setae, unarmed. Metapleuron with sulcus arched, bent sharply anteriorly and beginning near the posterior end of the suture separating the mesepimeron and mesepisternum.

Sterna: All sterna generally smooth and with sparse short setae. Prosternum with rostral groove margined by short and long setae. Mesosternum midlongitudinally carinate.

Hemelytra: Insect macropterous, hemelytra narrower than abdomen, distinctly exposing connexiva, costa with short dense more or less appressed setae and longer sparse oblique setae at base.

Forelegs: Procoxa elongate, separated by prosternal groove, unarmed, setose on anterior face, cavity open posteriorly. Protrochanter setose, unarmed. Profemur straight, incrassate basally, narrowed apically, much thicker than other femora, unarmed, pilose on all surfaces (more so ventrally) with ventral setae arranged in two or more rows. Protibia cylindrical, slightly recurved to apex, pilose dorsally (more densely so apically), lacking spines or tubercles, fossula spongiosa present, extending beyond apex of protibia. Protarsus three-segmented, cylindrical, pilose (more densely so ventrally). Protarsal claws simple.

Middle legs: Mesocoxa globose, mesofemur less strongly thickened than profemur. Otherwise similar to forelegs.

Hind legs: Metafemur cylindrical, not at all thickened, not reaching abdominal apex, metatibial fossula spongiosa absent, femur and tibia more regularly setose. Otherwise similar to middle legs.

Abdomen elongate-oval, connexival margin entire/smooth, venter evenly rounded, spiracles close to connexival margin and midway between anterior and posterior margin, ventrites with sparse setae along posterior margins, second ventrite carinate medially.

Included species: Rasahus abolitus sp. nov.; Rasahus aeneus ( Walker, 1873) ; Rasahus albomaculatus ( Mayr, 1865) ; Rasahus amapaensis Coscarόn, 1983; Rasahus angulatus Coscarόn, 1986; Rasahus arcitenens Stål, 1872 ; Rasahus arcuiger ( Stål, 1862) ; Rasahus argentinensis Coscarόn, 1983; Rasahus atratus Coscarόn, 1983; Rasahus bifurcatus Champion, 1899 ; Rasahus biguttatus ( Say, 1832) ; Rasahus brasiliensis Coscarόn, 1983; Rasahus castaneus Coscarόn, 1983; Rasahus costaricensis Coscarόn & Maldonado, 1988; Rasahus deliquus sp. nov.; Rasahus flavovittatus Stål, 1872 ; Rasahus grandis Fallou, 1889 ; Rasahus guttatipennis ( Stål, 1862) ; Rasahus hamatus ( Fabricius, 1781) ; Rasahus limai Pinto, 1935 ; Rasahus maculipennis ( Lepeletier & Audinet-Serville, 1825) ; Rasahus myrmecinus ( Erichson, 1848) stat. rev. et comb. nov.; Rasahus nesiotes sp. nov.; Rasahus paraguayensis Coscarόn, 1983; Rasahus peruensis Coscarόn, 1983; Rasahus setosus Bérenger, Gil-Santana , Pluot- Sigwalt & Blanchet, 2007; Rasahus scutellaris ( Fabricius, 1787) stat. rev.; Rasahus sulcicollis ( Audinet-Serville, 1831) ; Rasahus surinamensis Coscarόn, 1983; Rasahus thoracicus Stål, 1872 .

Three species are newly-described in the genus Rasahus :