Polytoxus fuscovittatus ( Stål, 1860 )

Rédei, Dávid & Tsai, Jing-Fu, 2010, A survey of the saicine assassin bugs of Taiwan (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 50 (1), pp. 15-32 : 20-24

Polytoxus fuscovittatus ( Stål, 1860)

( Figs. 1–32 )

Saica fuscovittata Stål, 1860: 262 . SYNTYPE (s) (J?, ♀!): ‘ Insulae Philippinenses’ [= Philippines], ‘ Manilla’ [= Manila]; NHRS!

Polytoxus selangorensis Miller, 1940: 426 . HOLOTYPE (J): Malaysia: Selangor, Kuala Lumpur (BMNH); syn. nov. Polytoxus ruficeps Hsiao, 1965: 114 . HOLOTYPE (J): China: Yunnan, Mang ( IZAS) ; syn. nov.

References. STÅL (1871): 701 (listed); WALKER (1873): 127 (listed); STÅL (1874): 91 (diagnosis); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN (1896): 78 (catalogue); DISTANT (1903): 219 (redescription, distribution); CHINA (1940): 207 (figure of fore wing); VILLIERS (1943b): 321 (catalogue, distribution, records); HSIAO & REN (1981): 405 ( ruficeps , redescription, figures, photo, distribution); REN (1986): 404 ( ruficeps , redescription, figures, distribution); LI et al. (1990): 12 ( ruficeps , redescription, prey, distribution, habitus); MALDONADO CAPRILES (1990): 475, 477 ( fuscovittatus , ruficeps , selangorensis , catalogue); HE (1991): 86 ( fuscovittatus , ruficeps , prey, distribution); BARRION & LITSINGER (1994): 112 ( fuscovittatus and selangorensis , in key, figures); HASSAN & IBRAHIM (1996):55 ( selangorensis , biology); HASSAN & RASHID (1997): 45 ( selangorensis , habitat); PUTSHKOV & PUTSHKOV (1996): 206 ( ruficeps , catalogue, distribution); HUA (2000): 210 ( fuscovittatus , ruficeps , listed, distribution); ISHIKAWA & YANO (2002): 345 ( selangorensis , diagnosis, male genitalia, variability, figures, records, distribution, habitat, prey), 357, 358 (in key); ISHIKAWA & OKAJIMA (2003): 134 ( selangorensis , diagnosis, records, distribution, photo), 139 (in key); LIN (2003): 124 ( fuscovittatus and ruficeps , prey, distribution); BAMBARADENIYA et al. (2004): 1737 (listed); REN (2004): 149 (record, distribution, figures); SRIVASTAVA et al. (2004): 161 (listed); OSAFUNE et al. (2005): 7 (distribution, habitat, prey, reproduction, development, immatures); ISHIKAWA & YANO (2006): 13 (as selangorensis , records, distribution); BAMBARADENIYA & EDIRISINGHE (2008): 45 (listed).

Type material examined. LECTOTYPE (♀): ‘ Manilla ’ [printed], ‘ Kinb. ’ [printed], ‘fusco-vittata \ Stål’ [handwritten] ( NHRS). Pinned, right hind leg except coxa missing; here designated.

Other material examined. TAIWAN: NANTOU COUNTY: Lienhuachi , 28.ix.1993, leg. C. W. Tsai (2 JJ, NTU) . INDIA: ASSAM: Baragolai , 16.iii.1953, leg. Neuhaus (1 J, MHNG) . MYANMAR: Bago State, Toungoo , 23.x.2003, leg. F. Buzzetti (1 J, NHMW) . VIETNAM: Cuc Phuong, Ninh Binh, No. 295, 6.–18.v.1966, ‘on lamp’, leg. Gy. Topál (1 ♀, HNHM) ; ‘ Tonkin’ , Hoa Binh, leg. A. de Cooman, coll. R. Oberthür, 1919 (1 J 2 ♀♀, MNHN) ; Thu Duc , 20.xii.1974, ‘sur riz’ [= on rice], leg. A. Delobel (1 J, MNHN) ; ‘ Saigon’ [= Ho Chi Minh City], coll. E. de Bergevin (3 ♀♀, MNHN) . PHILIPPINES: ‘ Ins. Philipp. ’, leg. Semper (1 ♀, NHRS) ; Luzon, Los Baños, No. 1, 12.xi.1993, leg. H. Schillhammer (1 J, NHMW) ; same locality, No. 2, 13.–18.xi.1992, at light, leg. H. Zettel (1 J [ Figs. 14–22 ], 1 ♀, NHMW) ; Luzon, Zambales Prov., Poonbato env., 28.ii.2000, leg. O. Safránek (1 J, MMBC > HNHM) ; Luzon, Ifugao Prov., Banaue env., 20.ii.2000, leg. O. Safránek (1 ♀, MMBC) ; Negros, Mambucal, Mt. Canlaon [= Mt. Kanlaon], 12.ii.1994, leg. F. Seyfert & M. Graindl (2 JJ, NHMW) . MALAYSIA: SARAWAK: Mulu National Park, Benarat Inn, No. 14, 3.–5.iii.1993, at light, leg. H. Zettel (1 ♀, NHMW) .

Diagnosis. Relatively small species (body length 6–8.5 mm) with dark brown median longitudinal stripe on pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) and smoky brown longitudinal stripe on fore wing ( Fig. 5 ). Metanotum carinate along meson ( Figs. 3 and 4 ). The species is best diagnosed by the male genitalia: pygophore ( Figs. 14 and 15 ) with an elongate posterior process of a characteristic shape ( Fig. 16 ) and endosoma of phallus with five sclerotized processes ( Figs. 20–32 ). The species was redescribed and figured under the name P. selangorensis by ISHIKAWA & YANO (2002).

Variability. Colour. Head red, sometimes with large black spot between eyes, or with black median spot on posterior lobe posteriorly ( Fig. 1 ), or both lobes greatly dark brown, or head generally dark brown except lateral yellowish suffusion to hind lobe; labium stramineous, or apparent first and second segments dark brown, apparent third segment brown; anterior lobe of pronotum yellowish to reddish, with wide dark brown median longitudinal stripe ( Fig. 1 ), dorsal elevated part sometimes greatly dark brown; posterior lobe of pronotum yellowish to reddish, with wide median longitudinal stripe dark brown; humeral spines whitish to stramineous, apically more or less extensively black; ventral part of proepisternum, prothoracic supracoxal lobes and ventral part of proepimeron dark brown, rest of thoracic pleuron yellowish to red; coxae and trochanters stramineous to brown; femora stramineous with apical red annulus, or with apical red and subapical brown annuli ( Fig. 11 ), or with wide apical dark brown annulus, or greatly brown throughout; tibiae stramineous, with more or less distinct brown annulus apically, with subbasal brown annulus, or with basal red and subbasal brown annuli ( Fig. 11 ), or with wide dark brown basal annulus, or greatly brown; tarsus yellowish brown to dark brown; fore wing ( Fig. 5 ) stramineous, sometimes with extreme base red, marginal vein and pterostrigma stramineous to orange, wide longitudinal stripe smoky brown. Abdomen yellowish with 1+1 dark brown sublateral longitudinal stripes occupying sternites III–VI ( Fig. 13 ), or greatly dark brown with lateral margins yellowish ( Fig. 12 ).

Structure. Length and direction of the mesonotal and humeral spines are variable as illustrated in Figs. 6–10 .

Distribution. Pakistan; India!; Sri Lanka; Japan: Honshū, Shikoku, Kyūshū, Tanegashima Is., Yakushima Is., the Ryūkyūs; China: Fujian, Guangxi, Hainan, Hubei, Yunnan; Taiwan! (new record); Myanmar!; Vietnam!; Philippines!; Malaysia!: Selangor, Sarawak!

Taxonomy. The identity of Polytoxus fuscovittatus has remained doubtful for a long time. Only VILLIERS (1943a: 195, Figs. 9, 10 , 20 ) figured the male genitalia of this species; however, he did not mention any data of the specimen(s) examined by him. Based on his figures as well as several specimens deposited in the MNHN examined by one of us (DR), it is clear that the drawings represent P. vagans Miller, 1940 , so far recorded from Malacca and Japan.

Two historical female specimens deposited in the NHRS, one of them from the type locality (‘Manilla’ [= Manila], Luzon, the Philippines), were examined by one of us (DR). In the original description it is indicated that the description of S. fuscovittata (currently Polytoxus ) was based on male(s). This suggests that the specimen in question is not a type. However, the type of S. fuscovittata was collected during the 1851–1853 expedition of the Frigate Eugenie around the world commanded by Rear-Admiral C. A. Virgin. The zoological research work aboard the Eugenie was the responsibility of J. G. H. Kinberg (1820–1908), Swedish surgeon and zoologist. According to the second label of the examined female from Manila, the respective specimen was collected by Kinberg. Because of the above circumstances we consider the specimen as a syntype and we suppose that the sex was erroneously given in the original description. We designate this specimen as a lectotype.

We could examine recently collected specimens (2 JJ 1 ♀) of a Polytoxus species from Luzon as well as other conspecific specimens from Negros, deposited in NHMW. The specimens perfectly fit with the original description of P. fuscovittatus and the specimens deposited in NHRS, therefore we consider them conspecific with the lectotype. We provide figures of P. fuscovittatus based on these specimens ( Figs. 1–5 , 11, 13–22 ).

Additional specimens from continental South-East Asia ( Myanmar and Vietnam), Borneo and Taiwan were examined. The genitalia including phalli of the examined males were identical with the Philippine specimens. Consequently, we recognize P. fuscovittatus as a widely distributed species. According to the redescription and figures by ISHIKAWA & YANO (2002), the Japanese specimens identified as Polytoxus selangorensis Miller, 1940 by the above authors also belong to P. fuscovittatus .

The strong variability of the coloration in P. fuscovittatus was stressed by ISHIKAWA & YANO (2002). ISHIKAWA & OKAJIMA (2003: 135, Fig. 3 ) photographed an extremely dark specimen from Vietnam. BARRION & LITSINGER (1994) provided diagnostic characters for P. selangorensis and P. fuscovittatus . Examination of the genitalia of several differently coloured specimens showed that these differences are not of species value. The length and direction of the humeral spines is also highly variable ( Figs. 6–10 ) and cannot serve as a diagnostic character as used by HSIAO (1965) to distinguish P. ruficeps from P. fuscovittatus .

The original descriptions of P. selangorensis and P.ruficeps , including the illustrations of the most characteristic pygophore, perfectly fit specimens of P. fuscovittatus collected at the type locality. Consequently, we place the above two species in synonymy with P. fuscovittatus . We note that P. fuscovittatus has been reported from China by REN (2004). Since her record ( REN 2004: 149, Figs. 3a–c ) contained reproductions of figures provided with an earlier redescription of P.ruficeps by HSIAO & REN (1981: 406, Figs. 1204–1206), it can be inferred that she considered previous records of P. ruficeps as referring to P. fuscovittatus .

Figures

Figs.1–10. Polytoxus fuscovittatus (Stål, 1860). 1 – head and thorax, dorsal view; 2 – same, lateral view; 3 – exposed parts of meso- and metanota, dorsal view; 4 – same, dorsolateral view; 5 – left fore wing; 6–10 – variability of the lengths of humeral and mesoscutellar processes, posterior views (6 – Myanmar, male; 7 – Philippines:Luzon, female; 8 – Malaysia: Sarawak, female; 9 – Philippines: Negros, male; 10 – Philippines: Luzon, male). Scales in mm.

Figs. 11–19. Polytoxus fuscovittatus (Stål, 1860), male. 11 – left fore leg, posterior (= outer) surface; 12–13 – abdomen, ventral view; 14 – pygophore, dorsal view; 15 – same, lateral view; 16 – superoposterior process of pygophore, lateral view; 17–19 – left paramere, three different aspects. Figs. 11, 13–19 – specimen from Philippines: Luzon; Fig. 12 – specimen from Taiwan. Scales in mm.

Figs. 20–32. Polytoxus fuscovittatus (Stål, 1860), male, Philippines: Luzon. 20 – phallus, ventral view, articulatory apparatus omitted; 21 – phallus, dorsal view; 22 – same, lateral view; 23–32 – endosomal processes in different aspects (23–25 – process ‘A’; 26–28 – process ‘B’; 29 – process ‘C’; 30–32 – process ‘D’). Scales in mm.