Caunus noctulus Hsiao 1977

Cao, Liangming, Zhao, Ping & Cai, Wanzhi, 2011, Redescription of a little known assassin bug Caunus noctulus Hsiao (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Stenopodainae), with special reference to its sexual dimorphism, Zootaxa 2887 (1), pp. 50-56 : 51-56

Caunus noctulus Hsiao 1977

( Figs. 1 –28)

Caunus noctulus Hsiao 1977: 74 , 81; Hsiao & Ren 1981: 477; Maldonado-Capriles 1990: 497; Putshkov & Putshkov 1996: 209; Ishikawa et al. 2005: 264.

Redescription. Color. Body generally dark brown, dorsally somewhat pale; eyes, ocelli area (male), median clavus, spots on pentagonal cell and outer cell on membrane black; tibiae dull yellow with two fuscous annulations.

Structure. Male: Antennae clothed with long yellow erect setae on ventral surface and short black thick setae on dorsal surface ( Figs. 2 , 11, 12, 14); apex and lateral sides of head, legs, exposed portion of pygophore with black setae. Head oblong; a process at outside of antennifer prominent, its apex with thick setae; eyes large, nearly touch each other on ventral surface; ocelli area large, protuberant, ocelli themselves large, prominent laterally; first antennal segment slightly longer than head, second segment a little longer than first; first rostral segment shorter than second, reaching anterior margin of eye ( Figs. 2 , 4, 6, 8); anterior pronotal lobe shorter than posterior, with faint sculptures; posterior lobe anteriorly slightly concave medially between two small ridges, discal area flat, bilaterally concave and lateral angles triangular, sharp, surpassing anterior margin of corium; scutellum elongate triangular, apical spine long slender and obliquely erect (Fig. 18); hemelytron reaching or slightly surpassing abdominal tip; abdominal tip triangular concave centrally; anterior angles of prosternum small tuberculiformed; median ventral abdomen with a longitudinal ridge ( Fig. 2 ). Paramere club-shaped, median portion nearly right-angled curved, apical half with setae, sub-apex with a dentate process (Figs. 22–24); genital capsule oblong, posterior margin slightly concave in middle (Figs. 19–20), subapical portion distinctly swollen (Fig. 21); basal plate long, nearly parallel, basal plate bridge thick (Fig. 25); pedicel long (Fig. 28); phallosoma elongate oblong, struts reaching submedian portion, parallel (Figs. 26–28).

Female: Head columniform, eyes small, far away from each other on ventral surface; postocular obviously broad, ocelli area not very protuberant, ocelli small, flat ( Figs. 1 , 3, 5, 7); first antennal segment curved, shorter than anteocular portion, with few setae, second segment as long as anteocular (Figs. 9, 10, 13); anterior pronotal lobe as long as posterior, median with high and low small irregular tubers; lateral angles of pronotum not very sharp and prominent; apical spine of scutellum blunt and flat; anterior angles of prosternum long cone-shaped, ventrally with several small dents; abdomen oblong, extending bilaterally; hemelytron reaching anterior portion of seventh abdominal tergite ( Fig. 1 ); female genitalia shown in Figs. 15–17.

Measurements. [♂ (n=9) / ♀ (n=8)] Body length 14.5–15.5/16.6–17.2; maximum width of abdomen 3.6–3.8/ 4.1–4.8; length of head 2.2–2.5/2.4–2.7; length of anteocular portion 1.1/1.2–1.4; length of postocular portion 0.55–0.65/0.6–0.8; length synthlipsis 0.7–0.8/0.9–1.0; interocellar space 0.2–0.3/0.25–0.3; length of antennal segments I–IV= 2.7–3.0/1.0–1.2, 2.9–3.1/1.8–2.1, 0.4–0.5/0.4–0.45, 0.7–0.9/0.6–0.7; length of rostral segments I– III=1.05–1.0/1.1–1.2, 1.1–1.2/1.2–1.3, 0.55–0.6/0.6–0.7; length of anterior pronotal lobe 1.1–1.2/1.5–1.6, length of posterior lobe 1.4–1.5/1.5–1.6; width of thorax 2.8–3.2/2.9–3.0; length of scutellum 1.3–1.5/1.4–1.45; length of hemelytron 10.2–10.7/9.5–9.8.

Type material. Holotype, ♂, “ China, Yunnan, Jingdong , 1170 m, 29.V.1956, Kryzhanovsky leg, by light trap ” [printed white label]; “IOZ(E)200842” [printed blue label]; “ Caunus noctulus Hsiao , type, Hsiao det. 1965” [handwritten red label].

Other materials examined. 1♂, China, Fujian, Xiaowuyishan, 30. VI .1979, Yang Chi-kun leg ( CAU); 1♂, China, Fujian, Fuzhou, Xihu, 30. V .1960, Fang Shumin leg ( CAU); 1♂, China, Hainan, Baisha, Hongxincun , FIGURES 3–14. Caunus noctulus Hsiao , 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13 , ♀; 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 14, ♂. 3–8, Head , antennae removed; 9–12, first antennal segment; 13–14, second antennal segment. 3, 4, 10, 12, lateral view; 5, 6, 9, 11, 13, 14, dorsal view; 7, 8, ventral view. Scale bar = 0.83 mm .

10.X.2008, Zhang Wenjie leg ( CAU); 1♂, China, Guizhou, Rongjiang, Pingyang , 3. VI .2005 , Zhao Ping leg ( CAU); 1♂, China, Hainan, Danzhou, Zhiwuyuan , 8. V .2007 , Zhang Wenjie leg ( CAU); 1♂, China, Yunnan, Xishuangbanna, Yexianggu , 27. V .2006 , Wang Hesheng leg ( CAU); 1♂, China, Shangdong, Taishan , 18.VII.1980, Li Qiang leg ( CAU); 1♂, China, Hunan, Hupingshan , 6. VI .2008 , Zhang Kuiyan leg ( CAU, in ethanol); 1♂, China, Hainan, Yinggeling , 15.IX.2008, Chen Liusheng leg ( CAU, in ethanol); 1♀, China, Guizhou, Maolan, Libo , 11. VI .2005 , Zhao Ping leg ( CAU); 1♀, China, Yunnan, Mengla ( CAU); 1♀, China, Guizhou, Maolan, Libo , 17. V .1999 , Song Qiongzhang leg ( CAU); 1♀, China, Guizhou, Rongjiang, Pingyang , 3. VI .2005 , Zhao Ping leg ( CAU); 1♀, China, Yunnan, Xishuangbanna, Yexianggu , 27. V .2006 , Wang Hesheng leg ( CAU); 1♀, China, Zhejiang, Tianmushan , 20. VI .1984 , Li leg ( CAU); 1♀, China, Hunan, Hupingshan , 6. VI .2008 , Zhang Kuiyan leg ( CAU, in ethanol); 1♀, Guizhou, Maolan , 11. VI.2005, ( CAU, in ethanol).

FIGURES 15–28. Caunus noctulus Hsiao , 15–17, ♀; 18–28, ♂. 15–17, 19, apical part of abdomen; 18, scutellum; 20, 21, genital capsule; 22–24, paramere; 25, basal plate and basal plate bridge; 26–28, phallus. 15, 18, 25, 26, dorsal view; 16, 19, 20, 27, ventral view; 17, 21, 28, lateral view. Scale bar of 15–19 = 0.83 mm; of 20, 21 = 0.50 mm; of 22–24 = 0.36 mm; of 25–28 = 0.25 mm.

Distribution. China (Fujian, Guizhou, Hainan, Henan, Hunan, Shandong, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang), Japan

(Honshû, Tsushima Is.).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Caunus noctulus Hsiao, ♀. Habitus. Scale bar = 2.50 mm

FIGURE 2. Caunus noctulus Hsiao, ♂. Habitus. Scale bar = 2.50 mm