Review and reclassification of the Old World genus Physopelta (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Largidae)
Author
Stehlík, Jaroslav L.
Department of Entomology, Moravian Museum, Hviezdoslavova 29 a, CZ- 627 00 Brno – Slatina, Czech Republic
text
Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae
2013
2013-11-15
53
2
505
584
journal article
2413
10.5281/zenodo.5739959
956fa4e4-8b18-4c70-94b2-5722d5348180
0374-1036
5739959
8D64B275-C6AF-411E-B79D-A3EBEB3D093FD
Physopelta
(
Afrophysopelta
)
flavofemoralis
sp. nov.
(
Fig. 80
)
Type
localtiy.
Reunion Island
, Bois Rouge.
Type material.
HOLOTYPE
:
♂
(
BMNH
), ‘RHe.63 [hw, vertical line at left margin] /
REUNION
[p] /
Bois Rouge
/
22.vii.1951
[p] /
J.R.Williams
[p] / Cane field [hw, white label] // COM. INST. ENT. / COLL. NO. 12284 [p, white label] // Pres. by / Com. Inst. Ent. / B.M.1952-305 [p, white label] // ♂ [p, white label] // Holo- / typus [p, red label with black frame submarginally] //
Physopelta
/ flavofemoralis / sp. n. [hw, divided by black line] / det. J.L.Stehlík [p] 2009 [hw, red label]. Specimen pinned through scutellum, abdomen partly broken off from the body, both antennomeres 4 missing.
Description.
Colouration
(Fig. 80). Head (darker), antennomere 1 and base of antennomere 2, labium, pronotum, femora, tibiae (except apices), scutellum (darker), clavus, corium up to the posterior part of central spot, abdominal dorsum and venter, red. Corium posteriorly white with orange tinge. Black central spot on corium elongate, anteriorly reaching apex of scutellum. Small, elongate, black spot in apical part of distal margin of corium.
Pilosity.
Dorsal side of body (except callar lobe of pronotum and membrane), entire ventral side of the body, femora, and tibiae covered by semierect pubescence. Lateral margins of pronotum also with long, thin setae. Meso- and metatibie ventrally with sparse, spine-like setae.
Punctation.
Pronotal lobe, scutellum, clavus, and corium up to apical part of the central spot deeply punctured, apical portion of corium without punctures.
Fig.80.
Physopelta
(
Afrophysopelta
)
flavofemoralis
sp. nov.
, male, holotype. (Photo: L. Dembický).
Structure.
Labium slightly surpassing hind coxae. Profemora with two strong teeth apically, and small denticles nearly along its entire length ventrally.
Pygophore. Ventral portion of ventral wall distinctly convex, dorsal portion of ventral wall projecting posteriorly (in lateral view), densely setose.
Measurements
of the male
holotype
(mm). Body length 9.61; head: width (including eyes) 1.67, interocular width 1.03; lengths of antennomeres: 1 – 1.35, 2 – 1.62, 3 – 1.08 (antennomere 4 missing); pronotum: length 1.73, width 3.08; scutellum: lenght 1.35, width 1.84; corium: length 5.08, width 1.73.
Differential diagnosis.
Physopelta flavofemoralis
sp. nov.
differs from the most similar congeners (
Ph. madecassa
and
Ph. melanoptera
) in its larger extent of the red colouration dorsally.
Physopelta melanoptera
and
Ph. madecassa
differ in having the head, antennomere 1 and base of the antennomere 2, labium, pronotum (except lateral and posterior margin), clavus, femora, tibiae, and abdominal sterna, all black. In
Ph. madecassa
also the sternites are black.
Physopelta rufialata
differs by absence of black spot on corium.
Etymology.
The species epithet is the Latin adjective composed of
flavus
, -
a
, -
um
(= yellow) and
femoralis
, -
is
, -
e
(= of the femur, femoral), referring to the characteristic pale colouration of the femora.
Bionomics.
The
holotype
was collected in a field of sugar cane (
Saccharum officinarum
).
Distribution.
Endemic on Island of
Reunion
.