Pseudocetherinae Villiers, 1963

Castillo, Stephanie, Rédei, Dávid & Weirauch, Christiane, 2022, Pseudocetherinae (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) revisited: phylogeny and taxonomy of the lobe-headed bugs, European Journal of Taxonomy 788 (1), pp. 1-95 : 22-23

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5852/ejt.2022.788.1625
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:46C3CFCA-0CED-4432-AFD8-F4CFC1E0E1E7
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5847137
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/015D8E70-FF9E-FF92-FDFF-0054FADBBFF7
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Pseudocetherinae Villiers, 1963
status

Treatment

Subfamily Pseudocetherinae Villiers, 1963 View in CoL

Pseudocetherinae Villiers, 1963b: 531 View in CoL .

Type genus: Pseudocethera Villiers, 1963 View in CoL (= Voconia Stål, 1866 View in CoL ). Reduviinae Latreille, 1807: 126–127 (in part, new concept).

Diagnosis

Distinguished from other Reduviidae by the combination of the following characters: head and pronotum pubescent with interspersed macrosetae or setigerous tubercles; labial segment II straight, as long as remaining segments, and adpressed to head ( Fig. 3E–F View Fig ); apex of the third visible labial segment bent and slender; antennal insertion near eye, medially in lateral view ( Fig. 3E–F View Fig ); pedicel longer than scape; prosternum drawn into an anteriad-directed process ( Fig. 6 View Fig ); absence of dorsal abdominal glands on terga IV–VI; ventral surface of all femora with anterior and posterior rows of spine-like protuberances with macrosetae at base of protuberance ( Fig. 4F, I View Fig ); males with fossula spongiosa on fore and mid legs (except in V. motoensis sp. nov. where the the fossula spongiosa is absent on the midleg) ( Fig. 4G–H View Fig ); females with fossula spongiosa on fore leg, but fossula spongiosa usually absent or vestigial on mid leg; tibiae laterally compressed ( Fig. 4H View Fig ); three-segmented tarsi ( Fig. 4H View Fig ).

Redescription

Usually macropterous, only micropterous morphs are known in three species and one species includes both micropterous and macropterous morphs.

BODY LENGTH. 6.7–12.4 mm.

BODY. Either robust ( Fig. 8 View Fig , e.g., V. motoensis sp. nov.) or slender ( Fig. 8 View Fig , e.g., V. minima sp. nov.) with variable color patterns.

HEAD. Elongate or globose; pubescent with interspersed macrosetae or setigerous tubercles; interocular region with two glabrous lines; scape and pedicel with dense, short macrosetae; scape reaching or slightly surpassing head apex, 0.2–0.3 times length of pedicel; ocelli present in macropterous morphs and minute or absent in micropterous morphs; buccula with ventrolateral swelling; labial segment III drawn into bent, slender apex.

THORAX. Prosternum in lateral view drawn into anteriad-directed process; scutellar spine long, either sub-horizontal or raised.

HEMELYTRON. In macropterous individuals, Cu-An 1 cell triangular, shorter than M-Cu cell ( Fig. 4B View Fig ) or Cu-An 1 cell similar in length to M-Cu cell, slender and tapered apically ( Fig. 4A View Fig ).

LEGS. Fossula spongiosa present on fore tibia, usually present on mid tibia of males; all femora with ventral anterior and posterior rows of spine-like protuberances with macrosetae at base of protuberance ( Fig. 4I View Fig ); tibiae laterally compressed ( Fig. 4G–H View Fig ).

ABDOMEN. Posterolateral margin of dorsal laterotergites with ( Fig. 5 View Fig , e.g., Gerbelius sp. 2 ) or without single macroseta; anterior margin of terga carinulate; dorsal abdominal glands absent.

Male

PYGOPHORE. Posterior margin with a short median apical process, either straight or bent posteriorly.

PARAMERES. Sinusoidal or rounded.

AEDEAGUS. Basal plate extension long in relation to phallotheca; endosoma covered in spicules.

Habitat and collecting method

Pseudocetherinae have been collected using light traps, but records on habitat and collecting methods are scarce on specimen labels.

Distribution ( Figs 17–20 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig )

Pseudocetherinae are widespread, with species distributed in the Afrotropical, Neotropical, Oriental, and Australasian regions. The highest diversity occurs in Southeast Asia ( Fig. 20 View Fig ) and the lowest in the Neotropics ( Fig. 19 View Fig ).

Key to the genera of Pseudocetherinae

1. Cu-An 1 cell of hemelytron of macropterous individuals similar in length to M-Cu cell, slender and tapering apically ( Fig. 4A View Fig ). Maxillary plates enlarged laterally in dorsal view ( Fig. 3A View Fig ). Labium stout, morphologically ventral surface of labial segment I with dense, long macrosetae ( Fig. 3G View Fig ) ....................................................................................................... Gerbelius Distant, 1903 View in CoL

– Cu-An 1 cell of hemelytron of macropterous individuals shorter than M-Cu cell, triangular ( Figs 4B View Fig , 6C View Fig ). Maxillary plates forming ellipsoid projections in dorsal view ( Figs 3B View Fig , 6B View Fig ). Labium gracile, morphologically ventral surface of labial segment I with short macrosetae or few long macrosetae ( Figs 3E–F View Fig , 6E View Fig ) ..................................................................................................... Voconia Stål, 1866 View in CoL