Baranowskiobius elegans Walker 1873
Creators: name: Pablo M. Dellapé
name: María C. Melo
name: Thomas J. Henry
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Rhyparochromidae
Baranowskiobius
Baranowskiobius elegans

description: BARANOWSKIOBIUS ELEGANS (WALKER, 1873)
COMB. NOV.
(FIGS 43 A, 44A, 45A–D, 46A, 47)
Nabis elegans Walker, 1873a: 144.
Heraeus cincticornis Stål, 1874: 147; Berg, 1892: 162; Lethierry & Severin, 1894: 191; Osborn, 1904: 201; Osborn & Drake, 1915b: 537; Pennington, 1921: 19; Slater, 1964: 1082; Scudder, 1977: 30; Harrington, 1980: 108; Melo et al., 2004: 67 (misidentification); Dellape, 2014: 438. (NEW SYNONYMY).
Heraeus guttatus: Distant, 1903: 254, 255; Slater, 1964: 1083.
Heraeus elegans: Scudder, 1967: 264; Scudder, 1970: 100 (raised from syn with H. guttatus); Harrington, 1980: 108; Slater & O’Donnell, 1995: 147.
Redescription (Fig. 43 A)
Lectotype: ♂. Total length 7.79.
Head: Porrect, convex dorsally, brown, shiny, coriaceous, with abundant short recumbent and long semi-erect and erect setae dorsally. Postocular region longer than preocular length. Head length 1.44, width 1.09. Postocular length 0.42. Eyes with setae between ommatidea. Ocelli large, placed just behind an imaginary line across the posterior margin of eyes. Interocular width 0.53, interocellar width 0.35. Labium pale brown, surpassing procoxae, almost extending to mesocoxae, with sparse short erect setae. Labial segment lengths: I 0.69, II 0.99, III 0.83, and IV 0.50. Antennal tubercles slightly divergent. Antennae pale brown, apical region of basiflagellomere and distiflagellomere darker, distiflagellomere with a wide pale stripe sub-basally; setae abundant, short, and recumbent. Antennal lengths: scape 0.80, pedicel 1.68, basiflagellomere 1.63, and distiflagellomere 1.49. Length of pale band on distiflagellomere 0.58.
Thorax: Pronotum with short recumbent adpressed setae, anterior lobe with sparse long erect setae; anterior pronotal lobe brown, posterior pronotal lobe paler, with irregular pale spots. Maximum width of anterior pronotal lobe behind middle. Collar length 0.14, anterior lobe length 0.74, posterior lobe length 0.64; anterior lobe width 1.09, posterior lobe width 1.68. Pleurae brown, with acetabular areas paler; setae short and recumbent. Scutellum brown, punctate, with setae similar to those on anterior lobe of pronotum. Hemelytra with short recumbent setae, general colour pale brown, except for anterior three-quarters of corial margins and a small subapical spot paler (Fig. 43 A). Corial margins slightly concave and serrate. Membrane brown, veins paler. Legs: Coxa yellowish brown, remainder of legs pale brown, except apical two-thirds of profemur, about distal half of meso- and metafemora, subproximal dark band of meso- and metatibia, apex of tibia and tarsus, and pretarsus darker. Darker region of profemora weakly mottled (Fig. 44 A). Femora with short semi-erect setae. Protibia with small denticles and four spiniferous tubercles, each bearing a spiniform seta on distal half.
Abdomen: Brown, with abundant short recumbent setae. Male genitalia: Pygophore (Fig. 45 A, B) rounded, elongate, anterior margin of dorsal aperture rounded, inner projections produced posteriorly. Parameres: Figure 45 (C, D). Aedeagus (Fig. 46 A) unspined, vesica with two lobes weakly sclerotized laterally; ejaculatory ductus wide; processus gonopori slightly broadened towards apex.
Variability observed in females
Similar to males in all respects, except labium extending to mesocoxae, and without or barely apparent spiniform tubercles on protibia; some specimens with all tibiae having a sub-basal dark band.
Variability observed in other material studied General colour darker and more contrasting than in lectotype; hemelytra with a small pale spot on middle inner corial margin.
Distribution
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala; and Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela (NEW RECORDS) (Fig. 47).
In his world catalogue, Slater (1964) erroneously credited Osborn (1904) with a record of this species from British Guiana and Berg (1892) with a record from Uruguay. Osborn (1904) actually mentioned only Cochabamba, Bolivia, and Berg (1892) recorded this species only from Chacabuco, Buenos Aires, Argentina. All previous records of this species (as Heraeus cincticornis) from Argentina are erroneous, and here we record B. elegans only from Misiones Province. Berg’s (1892) record from Buenos Aires is uncertain; his description is vague, so we are not convinced the record is accurate. Melo et al. (2004) recorded H. cincticornis from Corrientes (Argentina), but we have concluded that the specimens they examined were misidentified and should be referred to H. chamamecinus sp. nov.
Taxonomy
Distant (1903) synonymized H. elegans under H. guttatus. Scudder (1967) designated a lectotype for Nabis elegans Walker, 1873 and determined the correct generic combination for this species as: ‘ Heraeus elegans (Walker) ’. Slater & O’Donnell (1995) misinterpreted Scudder’s treatment as raising H. elegans from synonymy under H. guttatus; Scudder (1970) later formally made this systematic change.
According to Stål’s original description of H. cincticornis, the specimen (or specimens) examined should be at the Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm (NHRS), as indicated after the geographic distribution ‘(Mus. Holm.)’. Scudder (1977) mentioned that the type material is not present at NHRS. We also confirm that Stål’s type material is apparently lost. Also because Stål did not give the number of specimens he examined when describing species, it is not certain how many specimens he used to describe H. cincticornis (he reported the sex: a female, and single measurements). But the listing of a single sex, single measurements, and a single museum does not necessarily mean he had only one specimen.
Most of Stål’s collection was deposited in the NHRS, but he also described some species from Signoret’s collection deposited in the International Research Institute of Entomology, Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria (NHMW), and a few from Dohrn’s collection, which should now be in the Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland (ZMPA). We checked with the curators of these two museums, and in addition with the Museum für Naturkunde Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany (ZMHB), without success, indicating that the type material of H. cincticornis is lost. Thus, Scudder’s (1967) lectotype and interpretation of H. elegans is followed.
Type material examined
Lectotype: ♂, BRAZIL, Petropolis, Feb. 1857, J. Gray, 31. Nabis elegans, Walker’s catal. Nabis elegans Distant, 1873, G.G.E. Scudder, 1965 (BMNH).
Additional material studied
ARGENTINA: Misiones: 1♂, PN Iguazú, X-1980, luz,
D.J. Carpintero (MACN); 1♀, Puerto Iguazú, 12/13-
II-2007, E. Lestani (MLP); 3♂, 2♀, Apartado, XI-
[19]80 (USNM); 1♂, without head, Iguazú, XI-
[19]88, Drake (USNM); 3♂, 2♀, XI-[19]86, Drake
(USNM).
BOLIVIA: Cochabamba: 1♀, Cochabamba, VIII/IX- [18]99 (OSUC); La Paz: 3♂, Rio Zongo, 1400 m a.s.l., 24/30-X-[19]84, L.E. Peña (USNM).
BRAZIL: 1♂, Monat, IV-1935, P. Sandig (USNM); Minas Gerais: 1♂, Carmo do R. Claro, 15-VI- [19]43, Carvalho (USNM); 1♂, Viçosa, 25-IV- [19]33; E.J. Hambleton (USNM); 1♂, 1♀, 13-X/1- XI-1985, T.J. Henry & S.P. Fiuza F. (USNM); 2♀, Viçosa, Corrego da Paraiso (Mata do Prefeitura), 10- III-1993, T.J. Henry (USNM); 6♂, 6♀, 26/27-III- 1993, T.J. Henry (USNM); Santa Catarina: 1♂, 2♀, Corupa, Hansa Humbolt, I-1945, A. Maller, Frank Johnson donor (AMNH); 1♀, XI-1944, A. Maller, Frank Johnson donor (AMNH); 1♀, XII-1944 (AMNH); Sao Paulo: 1♀, Santos, S.A., 23-V-1919 (AMNH); Roraima: 1♂, Mt Roraina, alt. 6000 ft, Glycon Swamp, 10-XI- 1927 (AMNH); Estado do Rio: 1♂, Mendés, 92 km Rio de Janeiro, De Moldt (MNHN); Espirito Santo: 1♀, Espirito Santo (MNHN).
COLOMBIA: Cundinamarca: 1♀, La Mesa, 14-VIII- 1965, J.A. Ramos (USNM); Magdalena: 1♀, Socorpa Mission, Sierra de Perija, 5/25-VIII-1968, B. Malkin (AMNH).
ECUADOR: Loja: 1♀, Celica, 2200 m a.s.l., 16/18- VIII-1977, L.E. Peña G. (USNM); Napo: 1♀, Sierrazul, 2200 m a.s.l., SW of Baeza, 0°40 ′ S, 77°5 ′ W, 2/30-I- 1996, T.J. Henry (USNM); 1♀, Yanayacu, 400 m a.s.l., IX/X-1977, L.E. Peña G. (USNM); Tungurahua: 1♂, 1♀, Baños, 30 km E, 25-I-1976, 4200 ft, blacklight, Spangler et al. Ecuador Peace Corps, Smithsonian Institution Aquatic Insect Survey (USNM); 2♂, (one without head), Baños, 12 km E, 1570 m a.s.l., 1°24 ′ S, 78°20 ′ W, seepage, 15-IX-1990, P.J. Spangler, #22 (USNM).
PARAGUAY: Alto Paraná: 1♂, 2♀, Itabó Res., 19- VI-1984, st. 105, L. Baert & J.P. Maelfait (IRSN); 1♀, Itabó Res., 19-VI-1984, st. 105, L. Baert & J.P. Maelfait (IRSN); Caaguazú: 1♂, Pastoreo, 3/5-I-1972, L.E. Peña (USNM).
PERU: Huánuco: 1♀, Tingo Maria, Turista Hotel, 2500 ft, 11/17-IV-1987, J.E. Eger (USNM); 1♀, Avispas, X-1962, L.A. Peña (USNM); Cuzco, 2♂, 1♀, Santa Isabel, valley of river Cosñipata, 16-XI-1951, F. Woytkowski (USNM); 1♀, 30-XI-1951, F. Woytkowski (USNM); 1♂, 22-XI-1951, F. Woytkowski (USNM).
VENEZUELA: Bolivar: 1♀, 26 km N Rio Yuruani, Gn. Sabana, 29-VI/10-VIII-[19]87, forest grassland edge, S. & J. Peck (AMNH); Lara: 1♀, Yacambu National Park, 13 km SE Sanare, 4800 ft, 4/7-III- 1978, blacklight, cloud forest, J.B. Heppner (USNM); Portuguesa: 1♀, Acarigua, VI-[19]81, Drake (USNM).
description: Published as part of Pablo M. Dellapé, María C. Melo & Thomas J. Henry, 2016, A phylogenetic revision of the true bug genus Heraeus (Hemiptera: Rhyparochromidae: Myodochini), with the description of two new genera and 30 new species, pp. 29-134 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 177 (177) on pages 111-115, DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12362, http://zenodo.org/record/269748