Abelocephala major, Ishikawa, Tadashi, Cai, Wanzhi & Tomokuni, Masaaki, 2015

Ishikawa, Tadashi, Cai, Wanzhi & Tomokuni, Masaaki, 2015, The assassin bug subfamily Tribelocephalinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) from Japan, with descriptions of eight new species in the genera Opistoplatys and Abelocephala, Zootaxa 3936 (2), pp. 151-180 : 171-175

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.3936.2.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:157EDA4A-00A3-469F-8234-7E7175BF13E7
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6112394
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038E87FC-FFCA-137C-FF43-BECDFC82A12D
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Abelocephala major
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Abelocephala major View in CoL sp. nov.

( Figs. 49, 50 View FIGURES 41 – 51 , 61, 62 View FIGURES 59 – 64 , 69 View FIGURES 65 – 69 , 74 View FIGURES 70 – 75 , 80 View FIGURES 76 – 80 , 105–110 View FIGURES 105 – 113 , 118 View FIGURES 114 – 119 , 124 View FIGURES 120 – 125 , 130, 136, 142, 148, 153)

Diagnosis. This species is recognized by the following combination of character states: body approximately 5.5 mm long; mandibular plate nearly right-angled at anterior corner and weakly projected anteriorly in dorsal view; rostral segment I more than twice as long as segment II; posterior pronotal lobe yellowish brown; outer (larger) cell of hemelytral membrane rounded apically; and posterior process of pygophore wide with weakly curved apical margin in dorsal view.

Description. Male (macropterous). Body ( Fig. 49 View FIGURES 41 – 51 ) mostly brownish. Antennae and legs yellowish brown. Antennal flagella pale yellow. Rostrum and tibiae brownish yellow. Posterior pronotal lobe yellowish brown except for median longitudinal sulcus brown. Hemelytra dark brown except for extreme base and corial veins brownish yellow. Abdomen brownish yellow.

Head ( Figs. 49 View FIGURES 41 – 51 , 61, 62 View FIGURES 59 – 64 , 74 View FIGURES 70 – 75 ) approximately 1.5 times longer than width across eyes, as long as pronotum, roundly protuberant immediately behind eyes in dorsal view; anteoculus 1.2 times longer than postoculus; mandibular plate ( Fig. 62 View FIGURES 59 – 64 ) nearly right-angled at anterior corner and weakly projected anteriorly in dorsal view.

Eye ( Figs. 59 View FIGURES 59 – 64 , 74 View FIGURES 70 – 75 ) approximately 0.35 times as wide as interocular space in dorsal view. Antennal segment I slender, approximately 7 times longer than its maximum width, slightly shorter than segment II ( Figs. 105, 106 View FIGURES 105 – 113 ); flagellum as long as segment I ( Fig. 107 View FIGURES 105 – 113 ). Rostral segment I slender, 2.3 times longer than segment II ( Fig. 74 View FIGURES 70 – 75 ).

Pronotum ( Fig. 49 View FIGURES 41 – 51 ) approximately 0.7 times as long as humeral width; anterior lobe 0.6 times as long as posterior lobe along midline, 0.7 times as wide as humeral width. Hemelytron ( Figs. 49 View FIGURES 41 – 51 , 118 View FIGURES 114 – 119 ) wide, twice as long as its maximum width, exceeding apex of abdomen by approximately 0.2 times of its length; outer (larger) cell of membrane ( Fig. 118 View FIGURES 114 – 119 ) rounded apically.

Pygophore ( Fig. 124 View FIGURES 120 – 125 ) ovoid in lateral view; posterior process (Fig. 130) wide, with weakly curved apical margin in dorsal view. Parameres ( Fig. 136 View FIGURES 132 – 137 ) gently curved at apical two-thirds, with rounded, weakly projected apex in dorsal view. Struts of phallus ( Fig. 142 View FIGURES 138 – 143 ) tapering apicad, weakly constricted at apical one-third, rounded at apex, with lateral walls thickened throughout in dorsal view.

Female (macropterous). Almost same as male in general habitus ( Fig. 50 View FIGURES 41 – 51 ). Anteoculus ( Figs. 69 View FIGURES 65 – 69 , 80 View FIGURES 76 – 80 ) as long as postoculus. Eye ( Figs. 69 View FIGURES 65 – 69 , 80 View FIGURES 76 – 80 ) approximately 0.3 times as wide as interocular space in dorsal view. Antennal segment I stouter than that of male, approximately 5.5 times longer than its maximum width, 0.9 times as long as segment II ( Figs. 108, 109 View FIGURES 105 – 113 ); flagellum 1.2 times longer than segment I ( Fig. 110 View FIGURES 105 – 113 ). Rostral segment I slender, 2.1 times longer than segment II ( Fig. 80 View FIGURES 76 – 80 ). Abdominal tergite IX ( Fig. 148 View FIGURES 144 – 148 ) with lateral projection at each basal angle; lateral projection short and wide, abruptly narrowed in apical part, obtuse at apex. Valvifer I ( Fig. 153 View FIGURES 149 – 153 ) oblong; valvula I ( Fig. 153 View FIGURES 149 – 153 ) with 8 setae.

Measurements [in mm, ♂ (n=2) /♀ (n=1), holotype in parentheses]. Body length 5.33–5.77/5.17 (5.77). Head length 1.14–1.16/1.12 (1.14), width across eyes 0.82–0.83/0.78 (0.82). Lengths of antennal segments I and II 1.00–1.14/0.98 (1.00) and 1.00–1.17/1.02 (1.00), respectively. Lengths of rostral segments I and II 0.98–1.00/0.91 (1.00) and 0.43–0.44/0.43 (0.44), respectively. Pronotum length 1.13–1.18/1.12 (1.13), width across humeri 1.66–1.68/1.55 (1.68). Hemelytron length 4.35–4.43/4.38 (4.35). Lengths of femur and tibia of fore leg 1.42–1.48/ 1.33 (1.42) and 1.46–1.52/1.37 (1.46); of mid leg 1.43–1.47/1.30 (1.43) and 1.46–1.49/1.35 (1.46); of hind leg 1.90–2.01/1.84 (1.90) and 1.96–2.04/1.84 (1.96). Abdomen length 2.74–3.18/2.84 (3.18), maximum width 2.50–2.57/2.54 (2.57).

Holotype. ♂ ( Fig. 49 View FIGURES 41 – 51 ), “[Yona Forest] Okinawa-jima Is. The Loochoos June 4, 1966 S. Tachikawa leg.” ( LETUA IC 2014-00220) ( TUA).

Paratypes (1 ♂, 1 ♀). JAPAN [Amami-Oshima Is.] Mt. Yuwan-dake: 1 ♀ ( Figs. 50 View FIGURES 41 – 51 , 69 View FIGURES 65 – 69 , 80 View FIGURES 76 – 80 , 108–110 View FIGURES 105 – 113 , 148 View FIGURES 144 – 148 , 153 View FIGURES 149 – 153 ), 17.viii.1965, K. Mizusawa ( LETUA IC 2014-00221) ( TUA). [Okinawa Is.] Takae, Higashi-son: 1 ♂ ( Figs. 61, 62 View FIGURES 59 – 64 , 74 View FIGURES 70 – 75 , 105–107 View FIGURES 105 – 113 , 118 View FIGURES 114 – 119 , 124 View FIGURES 120 – 125 , 130, 136, 142), 7.v.2003, M. Kimura et al. ( LETUA IC 2014-00222) ( TUA).

Distribution. Japan: Ryukyu Islands (Amami-Oshima Is., Okinawa Is.).

Etymology. From the Latin major , referring to the relatively large body among the congeners of the genus Abelocephala; an adjective.

Remarks. Only the macropterous form of this species is known. In general habitus, this new species is resembles A. yaeyamensis sp. nov. However, A. major sp. nov. can be distinguished from A. yaeyamensis sp. nov. by the mandibular plate nearly right-angled at the anterior corner and weakly projected anteriorly in dorsal view ( Fig. 62 View FIGURES 59 – 64 ) [vs. acutely angled at the anterior corner and strongly projected anteriorly in dorsal view ( Fig. 60 View FIGURES 59 – 64 )], the outer (larger) cell of the hemelytral membrane rounded apically ( Fig. 118 View FIGURES 114 – 119 ) [vs. acutely angled apically ( Fig. 117 View FIGURES 114 – 119 )], the posterior process of the pygophore wide in dorsal view (Fig. 130) [vs. narrow in dorsal view (Fig. 129)], and valvula I with approximately eight setae ( Fig. 153 View FIGURES 149 – 153 ) [vs. with approximately four setae ( Fig. 152 View FIGURES 149 – 153 )].

We collected only a few specimens of A. major sp. nov. However, our observations suggest that the habitat preference of this new species is similar to those of the other Japanese members of Abelocephala. No additional information regarding the biology of this reduviid is available.