Racelda moerens Breddin, 1898

Gil-Santana, Helcio R. & Oliveira, Jader, 2022, A new species of Racelda Signoret, with taxonomical notes and a key to the males of the genus (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Ectrichodiinae, Ectrichodiini), ZooKeys 1122, pp. 53-79 : 53

Racelda moerens Breddin, 1898

Figs 9 , 10

Type material examined.

Male holotype: Racelda / Racelda moerens [letters " mo " underlined with green] / Bredd. [handwritten label] // Espirito-Santo / Brasil. / ex coll. Fruhstorfer. [printed green label] // Tyqus [sic] [printed red label] // Holotypus [printed red label] // Coll. / Breddin [printed label] (SDEI).

According with the original description ( Breddin 1898), R. moerens was described based on a unique male from state of Espírito Santo, Brazil ( Breddin 1898). It is deposited in SDEI and bears two red labels, one reading “Tyqus” [certainly meaning “Typus”, a mere typo] and other “Holotypus” (Figs 9 , 10 ). Gaedike (1971) listed this type specimen as the holotype of the species. It is known that several type specimens described in that time currently bear “typus”, holotypus" or “paratypus” labels, although these were not attached by the author of the species, but subsequently in curatorial practice. In any case, taking into account that the evidence supports that Breddin’s description was based on this single specimen, even not stated as the holotype in the original publication, it is considered fixed as such by monotypy (ICZN, Art. 73.1.2) and also in accordance with Gaedike (1971).

Dougherty (1995) recorded a large variation in the size of males of R. moerens , with a range in total length from 9.5 to 18.2 mm, although the individuals were otherwise identical. The collecting of variously sized individuals on the same date and at the same locality implies that they belonged to the same population ( Dougherty 1995).

Racelda moerens has been recorded so far only from Brazil ( Maldonado 1990; Dougherty 1995).

Figures

Figures 1 - 10. 1, 2 Racelda aberlenci Berenger & Gil-Santana, 2005, male from French Guiana. 1 dorsal view 2 abdomen, ventral view. 3 - 8 Racelda alternans Signoret, 1863, male specimens deposited in NHMW. 3 - 5 syntype 3 dorsal view 4 ventral view 5 labels 6 - 8 potential syntype 6 dorsal view 7 ventral view 8 labels. 9, 10 Racelda moerens Breddin, 1898, male holotype deposited in SDEI 9 dorsal view 10 labels. Scale bars: 2.0 mm (2, 3, 6); 1.0 mm (1).