Saica tibialis Stal 1862
Creators: name: María, Valentina Castro-Huertas
name: Melo, María Cecilia
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Reduviidae
Saica
Saica tibialis

description: Saica tibialis Stål, 1862
(Figs 4 I-L; 5I, P; 6F, M; 8)
Saica tibialis Stål, 1862: 441. — Champion 1898: 178 [key and remarks]. — McAtee & Malloch 1923: 250 [key]. — Maldonado Capriles 1990: 479 [cat.]. — Castro-Huertas & Melo 2023: 6 [phylogenetic analyses].
MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Lectotype (here designated). Mexico • ♀; Coll. Signoret; tibialis det. Stål; B.C.A. Rhyn. II, Saica tibialis ♀; Syntypus Saica tibialis Stål, 1862, etik. Hecher 1996; NHMW; REDV.723/1 (high-resolution images).
Paralectotype. Mexico • ♀; Signt; tibialis Stål; 197 53; NHRSGULI000001761 (high-resolution images).
OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Colombia • 1♀; La Sierra; 7.I.1996; García Parra; UNAB • 1 ♂; Cundinamarca, Arbelaez; 4°16’37”N, 74°24’35”W; 1417 m; 22.X.1989; H. Parra; UNAB • 1 ♂; La Mesa; 22.IX.1992; D. Rodríguez; UNAB • 1 ♂; Sasaima, Vda. Nariz Alta, Finca El Tapaz; 4°58’N, 74°26’W; 1150 m; 21.VI.2012; L. Sánchez; jama en arbusto; UNAB • 1 ♀; Silvania; 15.XI.2009; Jhon Delgado; manual en hoja; UNAB • 1 ♂; W a Fusagasugá, Vda. Mesitas; cultivo de café; 6.XI.1997; J. Cuellar; UNAB; Meta: San Juan de Arama • 1 ♀; Ropain; 23.III.1997; UNAB • 1 ♂; Risaralda: Pueblo Rico; Montezuma Ecolodge; 5.9 km WbN de Pueblo Rico Bosque húmedo; 5.23016°N, 76.0836°E; 1336 m; 2-7.IX.2018; C. Cubillos, trampa de luz UV; MPUJ _ENT • 1♂; Valle del Cauca: Cali, Univalle; 3°22’46.3”N, 76°31’86.9”W; 970 m; 15.II.2005; Entomophilo, manual sobre Pithecellobium dulce; MUSENUV • 1 ♂; Dagua, Reserva Chicoral; 03°33’12.0”N, 76°35’49.2”W; 1982 m; Juan D. Kuri, manual; MUSENUV. Argentina • 1 ♀; Misiones, Piñalito; 1952; Viana; MACN.
DIAGNOSIS. — Coloration pale red with antennae, third visible labial segment, coxae, trochanters, apical region of tibiae, and forewings whitish (Fig. 4 I-L); posteromedial process of pygophore elevated and medially angulated, rami laterally projected (Fig. 5I), nearly at 45°, and with apex slightly curved anteriorly (Fig. 5P); gonoplac with a blunt projection at apex (Fig. 6M).
DISTRIBUTION. — Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, and Argentina (Champion 1898; McAtee & Malloch 1923; Maldonado Capriles 1990; Carpintero et al. 2006). First record for Colombia (Fig. 8).
REDESCRIPTION
Male
Macropterous. Measurements in Table 2.
Coloration (Fig. 4 I-J). Head: Red, postocular tuff of setae yellowish to orange. Scape dark brown with a yellowish basal band; pedicel dark brown, basi- and distiflagellomeres pale brown. First labial segment red, second and third segments yellowish. Thorax: Red to dark orange, lateral margins and spines whitish with their base red and apex brown. Procoxal cavity red with posterior margins whitish; procoxa and protrochanter whitish, profemur red, protibia red with apical portion whitish, protarsus yellowish; meso- and metalegs similar to proleg. Forewing yellowish, base of veins and pterostigma reddish to orange. Abdomen: Red, except whitish medial region of sternites 3 to 5.
Structure. Thorax (Fig. 4J): Humeral angle spines long, three times longer than their base. Mesonotal spine straight, three times longer than its base. Protuberance of scutellum with apex and posteriorly entire, lateral margins not expanded in caudal view. Metanotal spine straight, nearly 0.2 times the length of mesonotal spine. Forewing with two closed cells, apex of outer discal cell extending as far as apex of pterostigma. Genitalia: Anterior region of genital opening (go) wide in dorsal view, posterior margin flat. Posteromedial process of pygophore (mpp) elevated basally and angulated medially. Ramus almost straight and projected laterally, nearly three times longer than its base, apical region narrowed with an acute and projected apical process (Fig. 5I), nearly at 45°, with apex slightly curved anteriorly (Fig. 5P). Dorsal phallothecal sclerite (dps) nearly triangular, apex rounded, subapical lateral margin not projected (Fig. 6F).
Female
Macropterous (Fig. 4 K-L). Similar to male in most respects
Coloration. Thorax: Entirely red.
Structure. Abdomen: Posterolateral angles of tergite 7 triangular and angulated. Genitalia: Tergite 9 nearly oval. Apex of gonoplac with a blunt process, with the external margins sinuate (Fig. 6M).
REMARKS
Saica tibialis is easily recognized by its unique coloration pattern. In addition, the structure of the posteromedial process of pygophore and the shape of the gonoplac are very useful taxonomic characters to separate this species. Champion (1898) suggested that S. tibialis could be allied to S. erubescens, considering probably the paler coloration of some regions of the body, and the similar posteromedial process of pygophore. However the coloration pattern is conspicuously different as well as the structure of the endosomal sclerites.
Stål (1862) described the species based on male and female specimens from Mexico. However, he did not indicate the number of specimens. Two female syntypes are deposited in the NHMW and NHRS collections, but the male specimen was not found in the collections where Stål material is deposited. Here, we selected the female from NHMW as lectotype.
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 pages 834-835, DOI: 10.5252/zoosystema2024v46a32, http://zenodo.org/record/14532160