Sphodrembas, Swanson, 2019

Swanson, Daniel R., 2019, Doomed to a vile lot: new taxa, notes, and an updated generic key for the Old World corsairs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Peiratinae), Zootaxa 4700 (2), pp. 196-228 : 210-211

Sphodrembas gen. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:89F35DA3-F6B8-4C77-95E3-0D28914CA719

(Figs. 11, 12, 13)

Type species: Sphodrembas fumipennis sp. nov.

Diagnosis: Easily separated from all other Peiratine genera by the unicarinate metapleuron, apically rounded scutellum, and widely separated metacoxae. The taxon also is distinctive in the thickened pedicel and the testaceous coloration.

Description: Head. Head fusiform, integument smooth, wholly covered in short pilosity. Anteocular region triangular, unarmed, clypeus slightly elevated above mandibular plates. Interocular region with arcuate convex sulcus at posterior border of eyes with short Y-shaped midlongitudinal sulcus reaching between eyes. Postocular region smoothly rounded to neck, not angulate. Neck slightly tumid anterolaterally, tubercles not conspicuous. Ventral surface of head tumid before eyes. Antennae with all segments cylindrical, scape and pedicel of same thickness, thicker than basi- and distiflagellum, with short hairs and sparse setae. Eyes large, reniform (concave posteroventrally), hairy, in lateral view reaching dorsal margin and not quite reaching ventral margin. Ocelli large, raised, separated from each other by slightly less than three times diameter of single ocellus, separated from eye by less than diameter of one ocellus. Rostrum curved, with second segment slightly tumid on surface opposing head, sparsely covered with longish setae.

Thorax. Anterior lobe of pronotum subquadrate, with collar angles distinct, directed cephalad and bluntly round- ed, integument minutely granulose, with short pilosity, disc sulcate in posterior half, unarmed. Posterior pronotal lobe arcuately quadrate, integument slightly rugulose, covered with short pilosity, disc unarmed, humeri rounded, posterior margin smoothly rounded, posterior angles non-existent. Scutellum triangular, raised, edges rounded, slightly sulcate medially, integument pilose, not at all prolonged or with spine at tip. All pleura sparsely pilose, with integument smooth. Propleuron separated from dorsal surface by inconspicuous carina. Metapleuron with sulcus absent, represented only by single curved carina. All sternites moderately hairy. Mesosternum with raised portion diamond- or lance-shaped. Metasternum slightly emarginated posteriorly, with 1+1 shallow depressions posteriorly. Macropterous, hemelytra surpassing abdominal apex, exposing connexiva, corium pilose, especially along costa.

Legs. Procoxa elongate, separated from each other by rostral groove, procoxal cavity open posteriorly, unarmed, sparsely pilose. Protrochanter unarmed, sparsely pilose and with spine-like setae. Profemur straight, incrassate, more so basally, much thicker than other femora, armed only with pilosity and spine-like setae, sparsely pilose dorsally, even more so laterally. Protibia cylindrical but gradually thickened to apex, straight, armed with fossula spongiosa and spine-like setae, hairy dorsally, more so at apex, fossula spongiosa present, occupying slightly more than one-third of protibial surface. Protarsus three-segmented, cylindrical, sparsely setose on all surfaces but with denser short pilosity ventrally. Claws simple. Middle legs with mesocoxa globular, mesofemur less thickened, protibia with short whitish pilosity for whole length, mesotibial fossula spongiosa present, all else as forelegs. Hind legs with metacoxae separated from each other by width of metacoxa, metafemur cylindrical, not at all thickened, not reaching abdominal apex, dense brush of setae limited to apex of tibia, all else as middle legs.

Abdomen. Abdomen elongate oval, connexiva with margins entire. Venter sparsely pilose, spiracles near connexival margin and halfway between anterior and posterior margins.

Etymology: This synecdochic name is derived from the Greek adjective σφοδρός, -ά, -όν, Latinized sphodrus, - a, - um, ‘violent, vehement’ and the Greek feminine noun ἐμβάς, -άδος, Latinized embas, ‘felt-shoe, slipper’. The initial root Classically personifies the predatory habits of assassin bugs. The second root references the fossula spongiosa, an often prominent morphological feature of peiratine assassin bugs. Following the Greek, the generic name is feminine.

Remarks: Sphodrembas gen. nov. appears to be most closely related to Peirates and Microsandalus Stål, 1866 . However, it may be separated from those genera, and most other Old World peiratine genera, by two characters: a unicarinate metapleuron and widely separated metacoxae. The former is a condition unknown to me in any other peiratine genus. Typically the metapleuron has two closely situated carinae, thus creating a valley-like sulcus between them; however, I have not been able to assess this condition in many of the less speciose genera. The latter condition, viz. widely separated metacoxae, is possessed by Lamotteus Villiers, 1948 but otherwise an apparently rare condition among Peiratinae . Additionally, Sphodrembas gen. nov. differs from Peirates in possessing a thickened pedicel, although this is shared with Microsandalus . Sphodrembas gen. nov. further differs from Microsandalus in the shape of the head (rounded posteriorly in Sphodrembas gen. nov. vs. angulate in Microsandalus ), general size (smaller [14–15 mm] in Sphodrembas gen. nov. vs. larger [18–20 mm] in Microsandalus ), and length of the fossula spongiosa (over one-third of protibia in Sphodrembas gen. nov. vs. one-fourth in Microsandalus ), in addition to being strongly disjunct biogeographically. Sphodrembas gen. nov. also might be distinct in having the second tarsomere of the meso- and metatarsi the longest; however, this condition has not been rigorously assessed in species of Peirates and other closely related peiratines, and the tarsal ratios have been shown to vary interspecifically in at least one New World peiratine genus (i.e., Rasahus Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843 ; see Swanson 2018). The pale ochraceous body coloration is not known to me among African species of Peirates , although it is known at least among members of Phalantus and Brachysandalus bicolor .