Saica Amyot & Serville 1843
Creators: name: María, Valentina Castro-Huertas
name: Melo, María Cecilia
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Reduviidae
Saica

description: KEY TO THE SPECIES OF SAICA AMYOT & SERVILLE, 1843 EXCEPT FOR SAICA CRUENTATA BERGROTH, 1913 (ADAPTED FROM CHAMPION 1898 & MCATEE & MALLOCH 1923)
1. Macropterous ............................................................................................................................................... 2
— Micropterous (female) .................................................................................................. S. elkinsi Blinn, 1994
2. Forewing with three closed discal cells (Fig. 1D) .......................................................................................... 3
— Forewing with two closed discal cells (Fig. 1C) ............................................................................................ 4
3. Posterolateral margins of abdominal segment 7 of female with spiniform caudal projections (Fig. 3E) ............ .......................................................................................................... S. meridionalis Fracker & Bruner, 1924
— Posterolateral margins of abdominal segment 7 of female flat .................... S. apicalis Osborn & Drake, 1915
4. Humeral angle spines nearly three times (or more) longer than the width of their base ................................ 5
— Humeral angle spines as long as the width of their base ………............................ S. subinermis Hussey, 1953
5. Body coloration pale brown to yellowish (Figs 2 I-L), apex of outer discal cell usually shorter than pterostigma, abdomen slender and narrow basally ............................................................... S. erubescens Champion, 1898
— Body coloration different, apex of outer discal cell extending as far as apex of pterostigma, abdomen less slender and not narrowed basally (except in S. lativentris) ........................................................................................ 6
6. Body coloration ochraceous to brown, membrane of forewing usually dark, posteromedial process of pygophore not elevated and medially concave ................................................................................................................ 7
— Body coloration reddish, with some parts darker or paler but mostly red, membrane of forewing concolorous, posteromedial process of pygophore variable ................................................................................................. 8
7. Thorax ochraceous, anterior portion of posterior lobe and lateral margins of pronotum dark brown, legs uniformly dark brown except protibiae and protarsi orange (Fig. 3H), ramus of posteromedial process of pygophore of the same width along its length (Fig. 5E) ........................................................... S. ochracea Distant, 1902
— Thorax entirely dark brown, legs uniformly reddish except tibiae and tarsi yellowish (Fig. 4 G-H), ramus of the posteromedial process of pygophore tapering apically (Fig. 5J) ......................................... S. tupackatari n. sp.
8. Posterior process of scutellum with apex entire, semicircular in caudal view ................. S. elkinsi Blinn, 1994
— Posterior process of scutellum with apex conspicuously emarginated (Fig. 1I) .............................................. 9
9. Posterior process of scutellum inverted scoop-shaped, and deeply emarginated (Fig. 1I) ............................ 10
— Posterior process of scutellum more or less arcuate laterally and notched but not conspicuously expanded (Fig. 1H).................................................................................................................................................... 11
10. Pro- and mesonotal spines with the apex yellowish, legs uniformly reddish brown, metanotal spine near as long as the width of its base; posterolateral margins of ramus (pmr) with a pair of conspicuous tubercles (Fig. 5G) .......................................................................................................................... S. rubripes Champion, 1898
— Pro- and mesonotal spines with the apex reddish, legs uniformly reddish, metanotal spine nearly three times longer than the width of its base, posterolateral margin of ramus flat, without processes (Fig. 5B) .................. ................................................................................................................................ S. carayoni Villiers, 1943
11. Body coloration pale red, coxae, trochanters and tibiae (except basally), antennae, and forewings paler (Figs 4 IL); posteromedial process of pygophore medially forming an obtuse angle and ramus directed more laterad than upwards (Fig. 5I) ............................................................................................................. S. tibialis Stål, 1862
— Body coloration not as above, posteromedial process of pygophore medially concave and ramus different as above ......................................................................................................................................................... 12
12. Body coloration dark red; antennae, medial and apical region of femora, tibiae, and forewings dark brown with the pterostigma reddish .................................................................................................. S. fuscipes Stål, 1862
— Body coloration red or pale red, forewings yellowish or paler .................................................................... 13
13. Body coloration pale reddish, pronotal spines usually with the apex reddish or brownish, veins of forewings yellowish, femora uniformly brownish (Figs 3 I-L), posterior margins of ramus (pmr) with a pair of short blunt tubercles, posteromedial process of pygophore deeply concave medially (Fig. 5F), and nearly vertical in lateral view (Fig. 5N) ................................................................................................... S. recurvata (Fabricius, 1803)
— Body coloration red, pronotal spines usually with the apex yellowish, veins of the forewing basally reddish, femora uniformly reddish (Fig. 3C), posterior margins of ramus flat, posteromedial process of pygophore angulated medially (Fig. 5D), at 45° position in lateral view (Fig. 5M)................................... S. lativentris Villiers, 1943
description: Published as part of María, Valentina Castro-Huertas & Melo, María Cecilia, 2024, Saica Amyot & Serville, 1843 (Reduviidae, Emesinae, Saicini): taxonomic revision and phylogenetic analysis with morphological characters, pp. 813-845 in Zoosystema 46 (32) on page 820, DOI: 10.5252/zoosystema2024v46a32, http://zenodo.org/record/14532160