Valdasus stygius Distant 1883
Creators: name: Wolski, Andrzej
name: Chérot, Frédéric
name: Carpintero, Diego Leonardo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Miridae
Valdasus
Valdasus stygius

description: Valdasus stygius Distant 1883
(Figs 7, 17)
Valdasus stygius Distant, 1883: 245, pl. 24, fig. 9 (as new species, DV), Atkinson 1890: 49 (catalog); Carvalho & Dolling 1976: 807 (catalog of types in BMNH). Cylapus stygius: Distant 1893: 420 (fauna); Poppius 1909: 43; Bergroth 1920: 71; Carvalho 1952 c: 15. Cylapus (Cylapus) stygius: Carvalho 1957: 31 (catalog). Peltidocylapus stygius: Carvalho & Fontes 1968: 276; Carvalho & Dolling 1976: 807 (catalog of types in BMNH); Schuh 1995: 32 (catalog).
Examined specimens. Lectotype (♂): Bugaba, Panama, Champion; Valdasus stygius; B.C.A. Hem. I, Cylapus stygius; BMNH (E) 1705774 (BMNH).
Diagnosis. Recognized by the following set of features: antennal segment I dark red with yellow annulation basally; mesepimeron punctate; exocorium with relatively large yellow patch near medial part (Fig. 7); femora and tibiae with long, erect setae, longer than diameter of femora.
Redescription. Male. Measurements (mm). Body. Total length in dorsal view (vertex apex to membrane apex): 4.3, total width hemelytra median: 1.5. Head. Vertex width in dorsal view: 0.3, width of head across eyes in dorsal view: 0.9. Antenna. Length segment: I 0.6, II 1.5, III 1.45, IV missing. Labium. Obscured by glue and immeasurable. Pronotum. Length (including collar): 0.7, posterior width (between humeral angles): 1.6. Scutellum. Length (including mesoscutum): 0.7, anterior width: 0.8. Cuneus. Length: 0.7, width: 0.4.
COLORATION. Head. Dirty yellow; vertex tinged with dark brown; remainder of head tinged with red; antennal segment I dark red, yellow basally; segment II dark yellow, tinged with yellow, apex with narrow, contrastingly pale yellow annulation; segments III and IV dark yellow; labial segment I dark brown; remainder of labium obscured by glue and impossible to study (Figs 7, 17). Thorax. Pronotum. Dark brown. Mesoscutum and scutellum. Dark brown; scutellum with small, yellow patch apically. Thoracic pleura. Dark brown; evaporative area on metepisternum yellow. Hemelytron. Mostly dark brown; exocorium with relatively large patch near base; cuneus yellow dark grey apically; membrane dark grey. Legs. Procoxa castaneus; meso- and metacoxae yellowish; femora castaneus, tinged with yellow; tibiae castaneus; metatarsus dark yellow; remaining tarsi missing (Figs 7, 17). Abdomen. Castaneus, broadly tinged with yellow. TEXTURE, AND VESTITURE. Head. With long erect setae; antennal segment I shiny, covered with several long, erect, stiff setae; remaining antennal segments and labium missing (Figs 7, 17). Thorax. Pronotum. Calli matte, impunctate; disc shiny. Mesoscutum and scutellum. Mesoscutum with medial part impunctate and lateral portions rugopunctate; scutellum shiny. Thoracic pleura. Covered with long, erect setae; mesepisternum rugose; mesepimeron with deep, sparse punctation; metepisternum rugose. Hemelytron. Covered with long, erect setae, matte. Legs. Coxae sparsely covered with semi recumbent setae; femora and tibiae with long, erect setae, longer than diameter of these segments (Figs 7, 17). Abdomen. Covered with long, erect setae. STRUCTURE. Head. Antennal segments I and II cylindrical. Thorax. Pronotum. Calli short. Scutellum. Broadly convex medially. Hemelytron. Parallel-sided on basal half, weakly arcuate on apical half. Legs. Pretarsal claw with subapical tooth (Figs 7, 17).
Biology. Unknown.
Distribution. Panama.
Discussion. Based on such characters as the oval peritreme, moderately upraised above the evaporatorium, and the dense, erect dorsal vestiture we herein exclude V. stygius from Peltidocylapus and we place it in the genus Valdasus. We consequently restore the original combination. Among the Valdasus species with a totally dark pronotum, a dorsal length inferior to 6 mm and a patch on exocorium, V. stygius is separated from V. erebeus by the wide yellow ring on the first antennal segment.
description: Published as part of Wolski, Andrzej, Chérot, Frédéric & Carpintero, Diego Leonardo, 2020, Review of the genus Valdasus Stål, 1860 (Heteroptera, Miridae, Cylapinae), with descriptions of four new species from Brazil, Ecuador and French Guiana, pp. 187-206 in Zootaxa 4869 (2) on pages 204-205, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4869.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/4418535