Tylospilus nigrobinotatus (Berg, 1879)

Figures 1–19, 23, 25–27, 31–33, 37–41

Mormidea nigro-binotata Berg, 1879: 279 .

Podisus (Tylospilus) nigrobinotatus: Berg 1884: 19 .

Podisus nigro-binotatus: Lethierry & Severin 1893: 219 .

Podisus Borellii [sic] Montandon, 1895: 5. syn. by Thomas, 1992: 117.

Apateticus (Eupodisus) Borellii [sic]: Schouteden 1907: 71.

Apateticus (Tylospilus) nigrobinotatus: Schouteden 1907: 73; Kirkaldy 1909: 22.

Apateticus (Podisus) borellii: Kirkaldy 1909: 18 .

Tylospilus nigrobinotatus: Thomas 1992: 117; Coscarón & Grazia 1996: 24.

Tylospilus armatus Thomas, 1992: 121 . NEW SYNONYMY

Types examined. Mormidea nigro-binotata Berg, 1879: Lectotype ♀ (here designated for taxonomic stability), labels: “ Buenos Aires ”, “Typus”, “1419”, “Museo La Plata” (MLP). (Figs 1–3)

Mormidea nigro-binotata Berg, 1879: Paralectotype ♀ (here designated for taxonomic stability), labels: “ Podisus nigrobinotatus Berg ”, “BuenAir. Günther”, “Typus”, “1419”, “Museo La Plata” (MLP). ( Figs 4–6)

Tylospilus armatus Thomas, 1992: Paratype ♀, labels: “ Pque. Nac. El Palmar Entre Rios Argent . Bordón leg. 12 I 1981 ”, “Paratype Tylospilus armatus Thomas ” (DBTC). (Figs 7–10). Holotype (not examined) deposited in Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México—UNAM.

Non-types examined. ARGENTINA: Salta 1 ♀, 3–8Kms SW Campo Quijano, 17+ 18.III.1995, H. & A. How-den leg. (DBTC); Entre Ríos 1 ♀, Paraná, I.1921, Gómez del Río leg. (MACN); 1 ♀ Gualeguachú, 19.IV.1924, Excurs. Prof. M. B. Yurado (MACN); Santa Fe 2 ♀ 4 ♂, Rosario (MACN); 1 ♀ 1 ♂, Rosario, A. Stévenin leg. (MACN); 1 ♂ 19.I.1929, Bridarolli leg. (MACN); Buenos Aires 1 ♀ 3 ♂, J. Boso leg. (MLP); 1 ♂, Isla Martín García, IV.1938, M. J. Viana (MACN) ; 1 ♂, Capital, 1946, A. A. Pirán leg. (UFRG) ; 2 ♀ 1 ♂, Buenos Aires (NHMUK) (Figs 11–16).

Redescription. General body coloration reddish brown dorsally and pale brown ventrally. Body densely punctured with pale calloused and dark spots dorsally and ventrally (Figs 17–19, 23, 40–41). Head: (Figs 18, 23) wider than long; mandibular plates and clypeus subequal in length; width of head across eyes greater than anterior angle of pronotum. Ocelli situated posterior to compound eyes. Proximal half with 1+1 black, longitudinal stripes. Labial segments uniformly brown; apex of labium surpassing mesocoxae, but not reaching metacoxae; proportion of labial segments: I<II>III=IV. Antennomeres uniformly brown; proportion of antennomeres: I<II>III>IV>V. Thorax: (Figs 17, 23) Anterior angles of pronotum projected; anterolateral margins of pronotum crenulated, distinctly paler than disc on anterior two-thirds. Humeral angles strongly developed, produced laterad, upwardly-directed, acute, and darker on apices, each with a posterior tooth. Pronotum more than three times wider than long. Posterior angles of pronotum projected. Scutellum triangular, length of frenal subequal to postfrenal lobe; anterior angles with 1+1 pale calloused spots, sometimes reaching constriction of scutellum; foveae dark brown, as wide as ocelli; lateral margins of constriction of scutellum with 1+1 black macules. Each corium longer than scutellum, reaching anterior margins of connexivum VI; posterior margins of coria rectilinear; hemelytral membranes dark brown mesially, surpassing apex of abdomen; apex of radial veins with 1+1 impunctate black spots, equal to or larger than diameter of a compound eye. Ostiolar peritremes disc-like, elevated, dark at apices; median furrow of each surpassing half the length of peritreme; each metapleural evaporatorium surrounding associated peritreme, but not reaching lateral margin of pleuron; each mesopleural evaporatorium restricted to posterior margin of mesopleuron, reaching lateral mesopleural margin. Impunctate pale, elevated calloused spots at median portion of mesopleura and metapleura (right after peritreme). Legs brown, with apices of tibiae and tarsi dark brown. Abdomen: (Figs 18, 19) Pale brown ventrally, with reddish punctures. Intersegmental areas of connexivum dark brown, with posterior and anterior regions black, lateral outer margins of connexival segments pale; each (II–VII) anterior and posterior angles of ventrolateral segments of connexivum bearing a black spot; 1 + 1 lateral and interconnected black spots on III-VII segments; a mesial row of black spots on IV–VII segments. Spiracles light brown. Abdominal tubercle reaching posterior margins of mesocoxae. Female genitalia: (Figs 25–27) Laterotergites VIII subtriangular; laterotergites IX longer than wide, surpassing segment X, reaching posterior margin of sclerite VIII; posterior margins of laterotergites VIII and IX rounded; segment X subrectangular; gonocoxites IX subrectangular, posterior margin distinctly convex; gonocoxites VIII as wide as long, mesial margins parallel, juxtaposed, posterior margins sinuous; posteromesial region of gonocoxites VIII with 1+1 acute projections, distinctly visible in lateral view. Internal gonapophyses IX with 1+1 secondary sickle-like thickenings; thickening of vaginal intima with anterior region somewhat conical and posterior region horseshoe-like; ring sclerites absent; proximal part of ductus receptaculi slightly shorter than vesicular area; distal part of ductus receptaculi longer than pars intermedialis; capsula seminalis elliptical, slightly longer than pars intermedialis. Male genitalia: (Figs 31–33, 37–39) pygophore cup-like, as wide as long; anterior opening subtriangular, reaching dorsal rim; dorsal rim, concave with a median projection in dorsal view; ventral rim strongly concave mesially in ventral view; lateral margins of ventral rim with 1 + 1 concavities; parameres spatulated with apices acute, inner directed in posterior view; superior processes of dorsal rim subquadrate, with globose dorsal sculptures restricted to lateral margins. Phallus with thecal shield and basal theca subequal in length, thecal shield slightly wider than basal theca; anterior margin of thecal shield with a mesial concavity in dorsal view; 1+1 lobes of conjunctiva; vesica with 1 + 1 tabs inner directed; ductus seminis distalis not developed beyond vesica.

Comments. Berg (1879: 270–280) described Mormidea nigro-binotata from at least two specimens, indicating that he examined both sexes. We located two female specimens in MLP, one of which is much smaller (Figs 4–5). Because Berg gave a wide range of measurements, he may have assumed that the smaller specimen was a male, and as such believed that he had a male and a female in front of him (assuming that females are usually much larger than males). The male syntype was not located in the MLP. On the other hand, three specimens were located in NHMUK, one male and two female specimens collected in Buenos Aires. These specimens are of historical value, but we cannot assume that the male specimen found in the collection is the actual syntype male from Berg. Specimens found in MLP are of different sizes, but the labels are similar; therefore, we assume that these specimens are the syntypes from Berg, and we speculate that Berg errored regarding the gender assignment of his specimens. We herein designate the largest specimen (Figs. 1–3) as the lectotype, and the smaller specimen (Figs. 4–6) as the paralectotype.

Podisus (Tylospilus) borellii Montandon, 1895 was described from one female specimen, collected in Salta, Argentina (Montandon, 1895: 5); this species was later synonymized with P. nigrobinotatus by Thomas, 1992. We have not been able to examine the holotype of P. borellii (the institution of deposition is unknown). We, however, based on the detailed description provided by Montandon, accept the synonymy proposed by Thomas (1992).

Measurements: (n=5). Head length: 1.3 ± 0.13 (1.1–1.5), width: 1.43 ± 0.07 (1.3–1.5); pronotum length: 1.72 ± 0.26 (1.5–2.1), width: 5.38 ± 0.66 (4.5–6.2); scutellum length: 1.9 ± 0.26 (1.5–2.1), width: 2.11 ± 0.22 (1.8–2.4); antennomeres length: I 0.22 ± 0.05 (0.2–0.3), II 0.8 ± 0.0 (0.8–0.8), III 0.65 ± 0.5 (0.6–0.7), IV 0.6 ± 0.0 (0.6–0.6); V 0.5 ± 0.0 (0.5–0.5); labial segments length: I 0.67 ± 0.05 (0.6–0.7), II 0.77 ± 0.05 (0.7–0.8), III 0.6 ± 0.00 (0.6–0.6), IV 0.59 ± 0.08 (0.5–0.6); abdominal length: 4.93 ± 0.81 (4.0–5.5), width: 4.03 ± 0.64 (3.3–4.3); total length: 6.4 ± 0.85 (5.6–8.0).

Distribution: Argentina (Salta, Entre Ríos, Santa Fe, Buenos Aires). Thomas (1992) also cited Brazil and Uruguay, which were not confirmed in this study.