Saica apicalis Osborn & Drake, 1915

Gil-Santana, Hélcio R. & Husemann, Martin, 2023, New records of Reduviidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Paraguay, and Peru, Revista Chilena de Entomología (Rev. Chil. Entomol.) 49 (2), pp. 395-412 : 407

Saica apicalis Osborn & Drake, 1915

( Figs. 23-25 )

Material examined. Saica apicalis . 1 female. PERU, Amazonas, RodrÍguez de Mendoza , IV.1997, P. Sanchez, leg. [ MNRJ] .

Saica apicalis was described from Guatemala ( Osborn and Drake 1915), and has been recorded from several Neotropical countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana and Panama ( McAtee and Malloch 1923; Maldonado Capriles 1990; Melo and Coscarón 1994; Gil-Santana and Marques 2005; Gil-Santana 2008). Elkins (1951) recorded this species from Texas, USA, based on a single specimen collected at light. However, Blinn (1994) considered the presence of S. apicalis in Texas could be a result of an accidental introduction of an exotic species, or a labeling error. Therefore, its natural occurrence in the USA remains to be confirmed. The variability of posterior pronotal spines, from long to imperceptible, in S. apicalis , was recorded by Gil-Santana and Marques (2005). The female examined here ( Figs. 23-25 ) showed to have short posterior pronotal spines ( Fig. 24 ). The presence of three completely closed cells, including the basal cell, in the forewing ( Fig. 25 ), as recorded in the specimen from Peru, was considered as a diagnostic characteristic to the species by McAtee and Malloch (1923).

Distribution. Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Guatemala, Panama, Peru (new record), USA (?).

Figures

Figures 23-26. 23-25. Saica apicalis Osborn & Drake, 1915 from Peru, female. 23. Lateral view. Scale: 5.0 mm.24-25. Dorsal view. Scales: 1.0 mm.24. Pronotum and scutellum, the arrow points to the right posterior pronotal spine. 25. Scutellum and forewings. 26. Kodormus bruneosus Barber, 1930, male from Peru, dorsal view. Scale: 5.0 mm. / 23-25. Saica apicalis Osborn & Drake, 1915 de Peru, hembra. 23. Vista lateral. Escala: 5,0 mm. 24-25. Vista dorsal. Escalas: 1,0 mm. 24. Pronoto y escutelo, la flecha apunta a la espina pronotal posterior derecha. 25. Escutelo y alas anteriores. 26. Kodormus bruneosus Barber, 1930, macho de Perú, vista dorsal. Escala: 5,0 mm.