Heraeus pulchellus Barber 1954
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
Heraeus
Heraeus pulchellus

description: HERAEUS PULCHELLUS BARBER, 1954
(FIGS 36 I, 39F, 41E–H, 42)
Heraeus pulchellus Barber, 1954b: 342 –343; Slater, 1964: 1084; Harrington, 1980: 109; Slater, 1988: 50, 59; Baranowski & Slater, 1998: 79, 87; Baranowski & Slater, 2005: 143.
Diagnosis
Small species, total length less than 5 mm. Labium extending to mesocoxae or metacoxae. Antennae pale brown to brown, with the apex of basiflagellomere and distiflagellomere darker. Distiflagellomere without a pale band. Membrane with an apical pale spot. Metafemur with a subapical dark band. Anterior margin of dorsal aperture of pygophore straight. Pygophore apex pointed dorsally in lateral view. Aedeagus unspined.
Heraeus pulchellus, together with H. plebejus and H. pacificus, are the only species in the group that lack a pale band on distiflagellomere (although in some specimens of H. pulchellus a band is vaguely apparent). In H. plebejus and H. pulchellus, the antenna is pale brown to brown, with the apex of basiflagellomere and distiflagellomere darker, and the ocelli are placed at the level of an imaginary line passing the posterior border of the eyes, whereas in Heraeus pacificus the antenna is uniformly dark brown and the ocelli are placed posterior of an imaginary line passing the posterior border of the eyes. Heraeus pulchellus can be distinguished from H. plebejus based mainly on body size (H. plebejus over 5.25 mm long and H. pulchellus less than 5 mm long) and the male genitalia.
Redescription (Fig. 36 I)
Head: Eyes not surpassing the dorsal margin of head in lateral view. Ocelli at level of an imaginary line passing the posterior border of eyes. Labium extending to mesocoxae or metacoxae. Antennae pale brown to brown, with the apex of basiflagellomere and distiflagellomere darker. Distiflagellomere without a pale band.
Thorax: Posterior pronotal lobe with pale spots and a pale spot on each humeral angle. Anterior pronotal lobe with long erect setae. Evaporative area extend- ed. Scutellum with erect setae. Hemelytra: inner corial spot diffuse and with a subapical corial spot; costal margin pale on proximal three-quarters. Membrane brown, with veins paler and an apical pale spot. Legs: Profemur dark, at most with apices paler, metafemur with a subapical dark band (Fig. 39 F). Profemur with long erect setae. Protibiae and mesofemur without spines.
Abdomen: Brown, with abundant short recumbent setae. Male genitalia: Pygophore (Fig. 41 E, F) rounded, apex with a protuberance pointed dorsally; anterior margin of dorsal aperture rounded, inner projections quadrangular, more pronounced posteriorly. Parameres: Figure 41 (G, H). Aedeagus with minute spines on conjunctiva and sclerotized vesical lobes; processus gonopori long and slender.
Distribution
Bahamas, Cayman Island, Cuba, and Saba Island (Fig. 42).
Type material examined
Holotype: ♂, CUBA, ‘Capitolio’, Rio Yara, May 15–19 [19]48, Elev. 1150 ft appr., J. Ferrás, type #61922 (USNM).
Additional material studied
BAHAMAS: 1♂, Mayaguana Isl., 28-VIII-[19]63,
blacklight trap, C. Murvosh (AMNH); 1♀, 26-VIII-
[19]63, blacklight trap, C. Murvosh (USNM).
CUBA: 1♀, Soledad, Santa Clara Prov., 24/30-V- 1939, C.T. Parsons (AMNH); 1♀, Central Soledad, 1-VII-1932, B.B. Leavitt (AMNH); 1♂, Guantanamo, Imias, 10 m.s.n.m., 16-VII-[19]90, a la luz, L.F. Armas & V. Becker (USNM).
GRAND CAYMAN ISLAND: 1♂, 1-XI-[19]92, BLT, P. Fitzgerald (USNM); 1♂, South Sound, 23-VIII- 1987, BL trap, P. Fitzgerald (USNM); 1♀, 2-VIII-1987, BL trap, P. Fitzgerald (USNM); 1♀, 30- XI-1987, BL trap, P. Fitzgerald (USNM); 1♀, Grand Cayman, 17-V-[19]92, B.L.T., P. Fitzgerald (USNM); 1♀, 8-V-[19]92, B.L.T., P. Fitzgerald (USNM); 1♂, 1♀, VI-[19]86, R.M. Baranowski (USNM); 1♀, Savannah, 12/13-XI[19]85, R.M. Baranowski (USNM).
CAYMAN BRAC ISLAND: One without abdomen, The Creek, 5-VI-[19]96, blacklight trap, E.A. Dilbert (USNM); 1♀, 8-V-[19]97, blacklight trap, E.A. Dilbert (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 109-110, DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12362, http://zenodo.org/record/269748