Brontostoma herczeki Gil-Santana 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Gil-Santana, Hélcio R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Reduviidae
Brontostoma
Brontostoma herczeki

description: Brontostoma herczeki sp. nov.
(Figs. 36–64)
Diagnosis. The male most closely resembles that of Brontostoma diringshofeni. The latter species and B. herczeki sp. nov. differ from other species of Brontostoma by their similar general brownish-black coloration and the orange connexivum. Nevertheless, they can be separated by several characteristics (Table 1).
Description. Male. MEASUREMENTS (holotype and paratype, in mm): total length: to tip of abdomen 22.5/19.2; to tip of hemelytra 22.0/18.2; head: length: (excluding neck) 3.4/2.7; length of anteocular portion 1.6/1.2; length of postocular portion 0.5/0.4; width across eyes 3.4/2.9; minimum dorsal interocular distance (synthlipsis) 1.3/1.0; width of eye 0.9/0.9; length of eye 1.3/1.2; height of eye 1.6/1.5; distance between external margins of ocelli 1.0/0.9; distance between ocelli 0.3/0.3; maximum width of ocellus 0.3/0.3; lengths of antennal segments: scape 3.5/3.0; pedicel 3.9/3.5; basiflagellomere I 1.5/absent; basiflagellomere II 0.9/absent; distiflagellomeres absent/ absent; lengths of labial segments: II (first visible) 1.9/1.8; III 1.1/1.0; IV 0.8/0.7. Thorax: pronotum: fore lobe: length at dorsal midline 1.9/1.5; maximum width 4.3/5.0; hind lobe: length at dorsal midline 2.5/1.9; maximum width 6.1/5.5; scutellum length 2.0/2.2. Fore legs: length of femur 4.5/4.0; maximum width 0.9/0.8; length of tibia 5.0/4.2; length of spongy fossa 0.9/0.8; length of tarsus 1.7/1.8; middle legs: length of femur 4.8/4.0; maximum width 0.7/0.6; length of tibia 5.2/4.5; length of spongy fossa 0.5/0.5; length of tarsus 1.8/1.9; hind legs: length of femur 7.0/5.8; length of tibia 8.5/7.0; length of tarsus 2.1/2.2. Abdomen: length 12.8/11.0; maximum width 9.0/7.3. COLORATION generally brownish black, with pale or paler portions as follows (Figs. 36–40, 42–43). Head (Figs. 36, 38–40, 42–43): membranous portion between apex of antennifer and scape base pale yellowish; basal portion of first segment of labrum pale whitish; distal half of first and second visible labial segments (paratype), last visible labial segment, distal half of pedicel, basiflagellomeres and ocelli paler. Thorax (Figs. 36, 38–40): hind lobe of pronotum (paratype) and apices of all tibiae slightly paler; anterior portion of fore supracoxal lobe paler; all tarsi pale; medial portion of hemelytron above and where the corium and membrane meet, including variable distal portions of corial veins and basal portions of the membranal veins, paler, more extensively in paratype. Abdomen (Figs. 36–39): connexivum orange, with a faint reddish tinge on its external half, more evident in paratype; dorsally, in holotype, small dark markings just below intersegmental suture on segments IV–VII, narrow or absent on external margin, and on mid distal portion of segment VII (Fig. 36). Sternites laterally pale in the portion adjacent to connexivum; in holotype, sternites III–VI with large pale markings on median portions, except on approximately distal half (III) distal third (IV–V), distal fourth (VI), and basal margins of these segments (Fig. 37); in paratype, sternites III–VII almost completely paler, with dark portions on sublateral portions and margins of segments adjacent to intersegmental sutures (Fig. 39). Exposed portions of male genitalia (pygophore and parameres) brownish (Figs. 37, 39). VESTITURE (Figs. 36–45): Body mostly glabrous. Head (Figs. 41–43): few sparse, curved, somewhat stout pale setae on ventrolateral portions of base of first visible labial segment; last labial segment with few scattered erect or slightly curved, thin, pale setae, most of them on its distal half; paratype with a single small seta on ventral surface, below eye. Antenna (distiflagellomeres absent): mid-dorsal portion of scape almost completely glabrous, with only scattered short thin adpressed setae (Fig. 42); remaining portions of present antennal segments, covered by very numerous short, oblique or adpressed pale to yellowish thin setae; scape (Fig. 42), pedicel (Fig. 43), and basiflagellomeres also covered by numerous long, erect setae, which are approximately twice (scape), twice to thrice (pedicel and basiflagellomeres) the width of the respective segment, forming a pubescence, with more numerous setae on scape and pedicel, where they are yellowish to golden colored, while on basiflagellomeres these setae are less numerous and paler; additionally, a few longer similar setae, reaching four (pedicel) to almost ten times (distal and basal portions of first and second basiflagellomeres, respectively) as long as the width of the segment. Thorax: Pronotum and scutellum glabrous, except for a tuft of red-brownish setae on inner margin of posterior border of pronotum beside lateral margin of scutellar base; pleurae and hemelytra glabrous; thoracic sterna mostly glabrous; on prosternum, laterally to stridulitrum, a pubescence formed by very short, thin, pale setae; borders of posterior prolongation of prosternum with numerous thin longer, pale setae. Legs mostly glabrous. All coxae with some thin setae on their distal margins. Fore and middle trochanters with two and one rows, respectively, of pale, thin, straight, or somewhat curved setae on ventral surface; additionally, some very short pale thin setae at distal margin of fore trochanter (Figs. 44–45). All femora mostly glabrous; base of ventral surface of fore femur with a single row of few moderately elongated, straight, pale setae just posterior to median crest (Fig. 44); middle femur with a group of numerous moderately elongated, thin, straight, or somewhat curved pale setae, on the ventrobasal slightly elevated portion of the segment (Fig. 45). All tibiae mostly glabrous, with a mid-ventral fringe of short, straight, somewhat stouter, golden to darkened setae, absent at basal portion and formed by few setae basally, which become progressively more numerous and somewhat longer towards apical portion; apical portion of all tibiae, with exception of middorsal surfaces and spongy fossa of middle and hind tibiae, covered by golden decumbent setae around the segment, with some numerous longer setae beside glabrous spongy fossa of fore and middle tibiae and forming a ventral tuft at apex of hind tibia; middorsal surfaces with only some scattered setae on distal margin. All tarsi covered with numerous yellowish and golden setae, which are longer on ventral surface. Abdomen glabrous. STRUCTURE: Integument mostly shiny. Head (Figs. 40–43): moderately elongated, subtriangular in dorsal, lateral and ventral views, shorter than pronotum (excluding neck); anteocular portion approximately thrice longer than postocular portion (excluding neck); total length (excluding neck) approximately as long as the maximum width across eyes; minimum distance between eyes in dorsal view (synthlipsis) slightly longer than the width of each eye; clypeus moderately elevated at median portion in lateral view; wider basally and elongated in dorsal view; integument somewhat rugous at base of antennifer adjacent to the anterior margin of the eye; between antennifers and posteriorly for a short distance, integument presenting several parallel transverse thin linear impressions, forming striations; integument of maxillary plate and lateral and ventral portions of the head mostly smooth, vertex not elevated; eyes prominent, rounded in dorsal view, in lateral view reaching or slightly surpassing dorsal margin of head and far from ventral margin, suboval; antenna inserted closer to anterior margin of eye than to the apex of the head; scape enlarged towards apex, shorter than pedicel and quite longer than anteocular portion of head; pedicel almost straight, slightly curved at midportion; basiflagellomeres slender and thinner than pedicel. Transverse sulcus anterior to the ocellar tubercle narrow, somewhat deeper laterally; ocellar tubercle more prominent in paratype, undivided, ocelli rounded. Labium thick, length ratio between labial (visible) segments (holotype / paratype) approximately 2.3:1.3:1.0 / 2.5:1.4:1.0; labial segment II (first visible) somewhat larger towards apex, which is approximately at the level of mid-distance between anterior and middle third of eyes, longer than segment III, the apex of the latter about level of upper posterior margin of eye; labial segment IV shorter, tapering, reaching stridulatory sulcus at its basal portion. Postocular region with a ventrolateral rounded protuberance, just behind posterior margin of eye. Constriction between postocular region and neck distinct. Thorax (Figs. 36–40, 44–48): integument shiny, slightly rugous on both lobes of pronotum (holotype) or smooth on fore lobe of pronotum (paratype); collar very thin, indistinct at median portion in holotype, anterolateral angles rounded and small; fore lobe rounded on anterior and lateral margins, shorter and narrower than hind lobe; midlongitudinal furrow on fore lobe represented by a thin line, which becomes somewhat larger and deeper just above an elevated portion of the integument which interrupts the furrow and lies above a median fovea; remaining posterior part of the mid-longitudinal sulcus, on hind lobe, including few punctations, the two more anterior ones deeper and larger, followed by several progressively smaller and shallower punctations towards posterior margin (holotype) or a shallow thin sulcus (paratype), ending on basal portion of posterior half of the hind lobe; transverse sulcus shallow, double curved, interrupted at median portion by the median fovea and a pair of short and shallow ridges beside the small median fovea; at its mid-lateral portion, several short, shallow parallel ridges; continuing laterally on propleura, where it forms a curved sinuous lateral furrow which ends on posteroventral elongated processes of propleura. Posterolateral furrows of pronotum well marked, curved, more pronounced towards posterior portion; humeral angles prominent, rounded; posterior margin of pronotum straight. Scutellum sculptured, with a shallow, wrinkled, moderately large median depression; scutellar prongs short, narrowly separated at the base and slightly convergent towards their apices. Supracoxal lobe of propleura somewhat prominent, those of meso and metapleura not; integument of posterior portion of supracoxal lobe with linear shallow parallel striations. Propleura with posteroventral elongated processes, directed posteromedially, just posterior to the laterodistal third of fore coxa, above lateral portion of anterior margins of mesosternum, its integument slightly rugose on its anterior portion and with few deep irregular punctations. Integument of mesopleura somewhat rugose, mostly smooth on central portion; metapleura coarsely rugose, with several linear subparallel irregular ridges on its central portion; superior margin thickened and curved. Prosternum wider on approximately its anterior half, in which there is a pair of very shallow lateral prominences; on posterior half, the prosternum forms a cylindrical median process, which surpasses fore coxae by about its distal third and reaches mesosternum, with its median portion mostly occupied by the stridulitrum. Mesosternum posterior to its elevated anterior margin mostly flattened; the median portion depressed just posterior to apex of process of prosternum, below which, a small depression on midline, with elevated borders; above middle coxae, integument smoother and somewhat elevated; middle coxae bordered by elevated sharp margins anteriorly and medially; between them and hind coxae, mesosternum and metasternum continuous, with a median moderately elevated subrectangular area; integument shiny with scattered linear transverse impressions, more numerous laterally, between middle and hind coxa. Fore coxae close, separated by a distance shorter than approximately half the width of each of them; middle and hind coxae distant from each other by a distance approximately somewhat larger than the width of each of them, respectively. Ventral surface of fore (Fig. 44) and middle trochanters with a pair and one elongated group of papillae, respectively; the papillae small, barely visible. Fore and middle femora slightly thickened; fore femur with a median ventral thin and very shallow crest (Fig. 44); middle femur with a narrow basoventral somewhat elevated area, covered by setae (Fig. 45); hind femur slender, with a subdistal small ventral rounded prominence. Fore and middle tibiae generally straight, slightly curved outwards at apex; hind tibiae somewhat curved at distal third. Apex of fore tibia thicker; its anterior surface slightly prominent; inner surface depressed with a subdistal mesal comb. Middle and hind tibiae slightly thickened apically. Spongy fossa on fore and middle tibiae occupying approximately 1/5 and 1/10 of length of the segment, respectively (Figs. 47–48). All tarsi slender, three-segmented. Hemelytra generally dull; somewhat far from reaching distal margin of abdomen (Figs. 36, 38). Abdomen (Figs. 36–39, 49): connexivum with posterolateral angle between segments II and III somewhat prominent. Sternites with smooth, shiny integument; sternite II narrower than the following segments, median portion somewhat elevated and with the integument slightly rugous; sternites with several thin shallow transverse linear striations; sternites II and III separated by canaliculae, less evident or absent laterally in the paratype; other intersternite furrows well marked as thin lines and somewhat enlarged at lateral portions, with very shallow and short canaliculae laterally in the holotype. Spiracles on sternites II–VII elliptical, diagonally oriented in relation to the abdominal margin, close to the connexival suture; on sternite II, the spiracle is at the midportion of basal half of the segment; on sternites III–VI, the spiracles are placed approximately at the medial point between the intersegmental furrows; on sternite VII, the spiracle is slightly above mid-distance just below the level of the basal portion of pygophore and last intersegmental furrow. Segment VIII completely concealed, sclerotized on ventral portion, which becomes wider towards posterior margin, which is somewhat elevated and narrowly larger at lateral portions (Fig. 49); dorsal portion membranous and narrower; spiracles on dorsal margin of ventral portion. Male genitalia (Figs. 50–64): pygophore in ventral and lateral views: exposed portion of pygophore subpentagonal (Fig. 50) and rounded, respectively, integument glabrous, smooth, and shiny; not pigmented in the ventral non-exposed portion; in dorsal view (Fig. 51): between anterior and posterior genital openings, a moderately broad dorsal (transverse) bridge (br); membranous areas of posterior genital opening smooth; proctiger (pt) subrectangular, posterior margin straight, with an apical row of thin elongated setae; medial process of pygophore sclerotized, subrectangular, short, apical margin curved at midline, more pronounced in the holotype (Fig. 52) and acute at lateral angles in the paratype (Fig. 53). Parameres (pa) mildly exposed when genital capsule is in situ or in ventral view (Fig. 50), their apices in contact in resting position (Figs. 50–51); symmetrical, elongated, very curved at approximately middle third, with apex truncated and a very short subapical blunt tooth on apex of anterodorsal margin (Figs. 54–55); mostly glabrous, with a row of few subapical thin short setae along or just below anterodorsal margin and a tuft of even shorter but somewhat thicker setae just above and beside the tooth (Figs. 54–55). Phallus (Figs. 56–59): articulatory apparatus with basal plate extension (bpe) enlarged, shorter than basal plate, the latter with curved basal plate arms (bpa) connected by a narrow basal plate bridge (bpb); dorsal phallothecal sclerite (dps) symmetrical, enlarged and more sclerotized towards apex, smooth on dorsal surface, curved at anterior margin, which is continuous with apico-lateral portions; the latter moderately thickened, prominently elongated and curved (ap), acute at its tip (Figs. 57, 59, 62); endosomal struts (es) formed by a pair of parallel arms, proximate at base and fused at apex; larger at basal or apical portions in the holotype and the paratype, respectively (Figs. 60–61); at apex, a pair of divergent branches, which are shorter in the holotype (Figs. 56, 60, 62) and longer and thinner in the paratype (Figs. 58, 61, 63). Endosomal wall longitudinally striated on basal portion, ventrally (Fig. 57) and mostly densely rugous by very numerous minute small rounded protuberances; endosoma with a basal large process (bp) (Fig. 59), denser laterally, and a pair of symmetrical suboval to subrounded median processes (mp), united at median portion, with most of their surface minutely spiny and with ventral blunt prominences (Figs. 56–59, 64).
Distribution. Brazil, in the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.
Etymology. The new species is named in honor of Prof.Aleksander Herczeck (University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland) because of his valuable contributions to the knowledge of Heteroptera.
Type material. BRAZIL. Male holotype: Minas Gerais, Juiz de Fora Municipality, X. 1997, leg. J. da Silva; male paratype: Rio de Janeiro, Nova Friburgo Municipality, Macaé de Cima, III. 1995, leg. A. dos Santos (MNRJ).
Comments. The inclusion of B. herczeki sp. nov. in Brontostoma is in accordance with the characteristics assigned to species of this genus by Dougherty (1995), Carpintero & Maldonado (1996) and Forthman & Gil-Santana (2021). The general structure and especially the coloration of B. herczeki sp. nov. seem more similar to B. diringshofeni than other congeners. However, despite the general similarity in coloration between them, the validity of B. herczeki sp. nov., taking into account the structural differences recorded in the diagnosis, can be considered as being in accordance with previous observations about the taxonomic value of certain characteristics among species of Brontostoma and even Ectrichodiini in general.
The variation recorded between the holotype and the paratype, mainly in the extent of pale coloration of the sternites (Figs. 37, 39), and in some structural characteristics, is similar to the intra-specific variation recorded in other species of Brontostoma. On the other hand, the more evident faint reddish tinge on the external half of the connexivum in the paratype (Fig. 38) may have another reason. As commented above, a male of B. diringshofeni examined by Gil-Santana et al. (2013a) showed a similar faint reddish tinge at basolateral portions of connexivum, which was not evident in the holotype of the same species (Fig. 24). In these cases, although these differences may be intra-specific variations, it is also possible that they can occur as a result of faded tinges or tones in conserved specimens. In the male genitalia, differences in the medial process of pygophore (Figs. 52–53) and struts (Figs. 60– 61) were recorded. Similar cases were recognized as intraspecific variations in other reduviids. While in B. herczeki sp. nov. the medial process of pygophore had the apical margin more curved at the midline in the holotype (Fig. 52) and was acute at lateral angles in paratype (Fig. 53), in B. doughertyae the apical margin of this process was recorded as more or less rounded (Gil-Santana et al. 2005; Gil-Santana & Baena 2009; this work), and in Pothea jaguaris the apex of medial process of pygophore showed to be rounded to slightly subtriangular or almost straight, with intermediate or gradual states without association with color pattern or geographical origin (Gil-Santana 2014, 2020a). In relation to the struts of B. herczeki sp. nov., the difference between their apical portion, larger and with longer and thinner divergent branches in the paratype (Figs. 58, 61, 63), was noteworthy. Lent & Jurberg (1985) compared the male genitalia of several males of Triatoma dimidiata and Triatoma infestans from diverse locations and recorded intra-specific variability in the struts and processes of endosoma of both species. In their cases, the differences were believed to be due to the different geographic origins of the specimens. In regard to the differences recorded in B. herczeki sp. nov., the possible examination of more specimens will allow ascertaining if it is due to a geographic variation, taking into account that the type specimens were collected in different Brazilian states or are just an inter-individual variation as well as if there is any additional variation in B. herczeki sp. nov.
Interestingly, the short divergent branches on the apex of the struts of the holotype of B. herczeki sp. nov. (Figs. 56, 60, 62) seemed quite similar to those recorded in B. diringshofeni (Gil-Santana & Baena 2009: their fig. 45).
description: Published as part of Gil-Santana, Hélcio R., 2023, A new species of Brontostoma Kirkaldy, description of the male of Brontostoma bahiensis Gil-Santana, Costa & Marques and notes on Brontostoma doughertyae Gil-Santana et al. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae), pp. 62-86 in Zootaxa 5382 (1) on pages 76-84, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5382.1.9, http://zenodo.org/record/10279822