Physoderes esakii, Cao, Liangming, Tomokuni, Masaaki & Cai, Wanzhi, 2011

Cao, Liangming, Tomokuni, Masaaki & Cai, Wanzhi, 2011, Taxonomic notes on Physoderinae (Heteroptera: Reduviidae) from China, Zootaxa 2888, pp. 23-30 : 24-27

Physoderes esakii sp. n.

( Figs.1–12 )

Epirodera latithorax Esaki 1931: 212 (nomen nudum). Physoderes latithorax Maldonado-Capriles 1990: 380 .

Description. Color. Body generally brown; eyes, second visible labial segment, basal half of first antennal segment, four irregular spots on anterior pronotal lobe, posterior 1/3 of each connexival segment dorsally and ventrally, two semicircular spots on seventh abdominal tergite, paramedian portions of femora, basal portion of tibiae, and tarsi yellow; anterior 2/3 of each connexival segment black.

Structure. Head, first to third antennal segments, apical tubercles on lateral pronotal margins and legs with curved club-shaped setae; fourth antennal segment with short and long dense setae.

Head ( Figs. 1 , 2 ) columniform, cone-shaped anteriad to antennifers, not flat ventrally; eyes ( Figs. 1 , 2 ) small. Ocelli ( Fig. 1 ) large, located far from each other. Each antennal segment ( Fig. 1 ) subequal in length; first segment thickest, third one thinnest. First visible labial segment ( Fig. 2 ) thick, about 1/4 of second segment; second segment elongate and slender.

Collar processes ( Fig. 1 ) tuberculiform and prominent. Anterior pronotal lobe ( Figs. 1 , 2 ) swollen, wider than posterior lobe, with a row of small tubers along anterior and lateral margins, and centrally with a round deep depression; other parts smooth and slightly shining. Posterior pronotal lobe ( Figs. 1 , 2 ) distinctly lower than anterior lobe, widely concave in anteromedial area, with a transverse ridge on discal area; posterior angles semicircular, prominent backward. Hemelytra ( Fig. 1 ) just reaching base of seventh abdominal tergite; corium ( Fig. 1 ) elongatetriangular, occupied small portion of forewing. Fore femora ( Figs. 1 , 4 ) each with rows of small tubers and with two rows of large spines ventrally; mid femora ( Fig. 1 ) with just one row of spines ventrally; tibiae ( Figs. 1 , 4 ) with 7-8 rows of large or small tubers, fore tibiae each with a large process subapically, and with a cleaning comb at prominent apex.

Abdomen patulous; connexiva visible from above ( Fig. 1 ). Pygophore ( Figs. 3, 8, 9 ) nearly straight along posterior margin; pygophore process hemi-annular, middle thick ( Fig. 9 ). Paramere ( Figs. 5–7 ) flattened, elongate-triangular, swollen in anterior half, with apical margin nearly straight. Phallus as shown in Figs. 10–12 ; basal plate slender and long; basal plate bridge thin and nearly straight; pedicel short; phallosoma oblong, slightly swollen apically, with apex concave centrally; ventral phallothecal sclerite sclerotized conspicuously; struts fused each other, reaching to subapical part of phallosoma; endosoma simple.

Measurements. [3 (n=1)]. Body length 10.5; maximum width of abdomen 3.95; head length 2.2; length of anteocular portion 1.05; length of postocular portion 0.75; synthlipsis 0.6; interocellar space 0.35; lengths of antennal segments I-IV=0.55, 0.7, 0.6, 0.8; lengths of visible labial segments I-III=0.4, 1.7, 0.5; length of anterior pronotal lobe 1.5; length of posterior pronotal lobe 1.3; maximum width of thorax 3.5; length of scutellum 0.65; length of hemelytron 5.45.

Type material. Holotype, 3, China, Taiwan Province, Botol-Tobago Island, earlier than 1931, Tadao Kano leg (Kyushu University). Right antennal segments 3-4 missing, left antennal segments glued on the label, right mid tibia and tarsus missing. Esaki (1931) reported this specimen as female. He might have mistaken the patulous abdomen of the male for that of the female.

The type specimen originally bears one white rectangular label with Esaki’s handwriting “ Epirodera latithorax Esaki ” and printed “Det. Teiso Esaki, 1929,” but 29 was crossed out by Esaki and replaced by 31. As noted by Ishikawa & Yano (1999), Esaki (1931) reported 26 species of true bugs from Botol-Tobago Island (currently known as Lanyu Island) of Taiwan based on the specimens collected by Tadao Kano. In Esaki’s paper, three species of reduviids, i.e., Ectrychotes kanoi (Ectrichodinae) , Epirodera latithorax (Physoderinae) , and Polytoxus pallens (Saicinae) , were reported under “in litteris” status. Those reduviids have never been properly described except for Polytoxus pallens , which was named by Ishikawa & Yano (1999) as Polytoxus esakii . Based on the data in Esaki (1931) and Ishikawa & Yano (1999), we added a new label to the type specimen with the collecting data as “ China, Taiwan Province, Botol-Tobago Island, earlier than 1931, Tadao Kano leg.”

Distribution. China ( Taiwan).

Etymology. This species was named in honor of Dr. Teiso Esaki of Kyushu University for his contribution to heteropterology and the recognition of this new species.

Remarks. This species may easily be distinguished from its congeners by the swollen anterior pronotal lobe.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Physoderes esakii sp. n. Habitus. 3. Scale bar = 1.25 mm.

FIGURES 2 – 12. Physoderes esakii sp. n. 3. 2, Head and pronotum, antennae removed; 3, apical portion of abdomen; 4, right fore leg; 5 – 7, paramere; 8, 9, pygophore; 10 – 12, phallus. 2, 4, 8, 11, lateral view; 3, 9, 12, ventral view; 10, dorsal view. Scale bar of 2 = 0.8 mm; of 3 = 1.00 mm; of 4 = 0.77 mm; of 5 – 7 = 0.17 mm; of 8, 9 = 0.33 mm; of 10 – 12 = 0.25 mm.