Zelus umbraculoides Zhang

Zhang, Guanyang, Hart, Elwood R & Weirauch, Christiane, 2016, A taxonomic monograph of the assassin bug genus Zelus Fabricius (Hemiptera: Reduviidae): 71 species based on 10,000 specimens, Biodiversity Data Journal 4, pp. 8150-8150 : 8150

Zelus umbraculoides Zhang sp. n.

Materials

Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00026160 ; occurrenceRemarks: Drake Collection; recordedBy: L. Pena; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusumbraculoides; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: BOLIVIA; stateProvince: La Paz; locality: Tres Esteros, Guanay ; decimalLatitude: -15.4833; decimalLongitude: -67.8833; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1989-08-19 to 1989-08-25; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00017040 ; recordedBy: A. Maller; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusumbraculoides; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2017; Location: country: BRAZIL; stateProvince: Parana; locality: Caviuna ; decimalLatitude: -23.2; decimalLongitude: -51.36666; georeferenceSources: GeoLocate Software; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1947-08-01; Record Level: institutionCode: AMNH Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00029367 ; occurrenceRemarks: Drake Collection; recordedBy: G. Arriagada; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusumbraculoides; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: PARAGUAY; stateProvince: Alto Parana; locality: Alto Parana ; decimalLatitude: -25.60752; decimalLongitude: -54.96117; georeferenceSources: GeoLocate Software; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1990-11-12 to 1990-11-16; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UCR_ENT 00009314 ; recordedBy: J. B. Heppner; sex: Adult Male; Taxon: scientificName: Zelusumbraculoides; family: Reduviidae; genus: Zelus; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhang and Hart, 2016; Location: country: PERU; stateProvince: Madre de Dios; county: Tambopata; locality: Rio Tambopata Reserve, 30 air km SW Pto. Maldonado ; verbatimElevation: 290 m; decimalLatitude: -12.74338; decimalLongitude: -69.49339; georeferenceSources: Google Earth; Identification: identifiedBy: G. Zhang; dateIdentified: 2013; Event: eventDate: 1979-11-16 to 1979-11-20; Record Level: institutionCode: USNM

Description

Figs 196, 197, 198

Male: (Fig. 196) Moderately large; total length 14.03-15.05 mm (mean 15.03 mm, Suppl. material 2); robust. COLORATION: Entire surface greenish-brown, lateral surfaces lighter; dark brown area on hemelytron adjacent to quadrate cell, inversely v-shaped. VESTITURE: Sparsely setose. Similar to that in Z. umbraculus . STRUCTURE: Head: Cylindrical, short, somewhat robust, L/W = 1.93. Postocular lobe short; in dorsal view distinctly narrowing through anterior 1/2, posterior 1/2 constant, tube-like. Eye prominent; lateral margin much wider than postocular lobe; dorsal margin removed from postocular transverse groove, ventral margin attaining ventral surface of head in lateral view; ocellus situated on prominent elevation. Labium: I: II: III = 1: 1.29: 0.32. Basiflagellomere diameter slightly larger than that of pedicel. Thorax: Collar indistinct; anterolateral angle rounded, without projection; medial longitudinal sulcus evident only on posterior 1/2, deepening to transverse sulcus of pronotum. Posterior pronotal lobe rugulose; disc elevated above humeral angle, surface strongly convex as viewed from posterior angle; humeral angle armed, with short dentate processes. Scutellum moderately long; apex angulate, slightly projected in some specimens. Legs: Moderately robust. Hemelytron: Slightly surpassing apex of abdomen, not more than length of abdominal segment seven; quadrate cell small; Cu and M of cubital cell subparallel, converging only anteriorly. GENITALIA: (Fig. 197) Pygophore: Rounded; not expanded laterally in dorsal view. Medial process cylindrical; base broad; moderately long; straight; posteriorly directed; apex in posterior view rounded, with minute sharp lateral projections. Paramere: Cylindrical; not reaching apex of medial process; directed posteriad; gradually thickened towards apex; not distinctly curved. Phallus: Dorsal phallothecal sclerite elongated; lateral margins subparallel; apical portion of phallothecal sclerite not distinctly tapered, slightly convex; apex truncate; posterior margin of foramen broadly angulate. Struts attached to dorsal phallothecal sclerite; separate. Basal plate arm moderately robust; mostly separate, in contact before bridge; converging; in lateral view very slightly curved; bridge very short; extension of basal plate moderate, expanded onto arm.

Female: Unknown.

Diagnosis

Recognized by the body surface greenish-brown; the area of hemelytron adjacent to the quadrate cell dark brown, inversely U-shaped in appearance; the head short and stout (L/W=<2.1); the ocellus situated on conspicuous elevation (the same set of characters are also present in Z. umbraculus ). Characters separating Z. umbraculoides and Z. umbraculus are discussed in the diagnosis of the latter.

Etymology

The specific epithet indicates its close resemblance to Z. umbraculus , another new species described in the current study.

Distribution

South America (Fig. 198). Countries with records: Bolivia, Brazil, Peru and Paraguay.

Taxon discussion

Hart (1972) did not discover this species and included some of the specimens under Z. umbraculus . Upon a close examination of these and several new specimens collected after 1972, we found several major differences that can reliably separate Z. umbraculoides and Z. umbraculus (see diagnosis of the latter). Although specimen records are still sparse, the two species do not overlap in distribution. Zelus umbraculoides is known from southern Peru and south of Peru in Bolivia, Paraguay and southern Brazil, while Z. umbraculus from Ecuador and northern Peru.