Fusius Stal 1862
Creators: name: Liu, Yingqi
name: Li, Hu
name: Cai, Wanzhi
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Reduviidae
Fusius

description: Genus Fusius Stål, 1862
Figs 1–16
Fusius Stål, 1862: 458. Type species by monotypy: Pirates rubricosus Stål, 1855.
Fusius – Stål 1865: 115. — Jeannel 1919: 243. — Schouteden 1931: 145. — Villiers 1948: 236. — Miller 1957: 59. — Dispons 1969: 1. — Maldonado Capriles 1990: 358.
Fusius – Stål 1874: 57, as subgenus of Pirates.
Diagnosis
Macropterous, body color bright with black, red or yellowish brown in large part. Head roughly conical in dorsal view with postocular part elliptical; eye small, transverse width of eye shorter than half width of interocular space; ocelli tiny and not elevated, separated from each other; neck without lateral tubercle. Pronotum somewhat trapezoidal with anterior lobe slightly narrower than posterior lobe, collar process reduced; ventral surface of fore femora with a row of small denticles; fore tibia with fossula spongiosa occupying about 2/5 of tibial length, mid tibia with fossula spongiosa occupying about 1/3 of tibial length. First seven abdominal sternites strongly compressed; total length of eighth abdominal sternite of female combined with female genitalia about half length of abdomen in ventral view; male genitalia large, about 1/3 length of abdomen in ventral view. Parameres broad, left paramere subtrapezoidal, right paramere subtriangular; phallus with basal plate longer than basal plate bridge; lateral phallothecal sclerite moderately sclerotized with a process on lower right corner; struts fused and long, nearly reaching end of phallosoma; venter of phallosoma with two transverse slender sclerites at basal portion.
Redescription
Macropterous male and female (Figs 1–4, 6–8, 10–14).
COLORATION. Black and red (Figs 1–4, 6–8, 12–14), or black and yellowish brown (Figs 10–11) in large part; hemelytron with some yellowish white markings (Figs 1–4, 6–8, 10–14).
STRUCTURE. Body robust, small sized; body surface densely covered with golden to yellowish brown setae, except dorsal surface of anterior lobe of pronotum generally glabrous; anteocular part of head covered with yellowish white, decumbent, short pubescence; corium of hemelytron densely covered with yellowish brown, decumbent, short setae; legs covered with golden to yellowish brown, suberect, long setae (Figs 1–4, 6–8, 10–14).
HEAD. Roughly conical in dorsal view, anteocular part longer than postocular, postocular part elliptical; eye small, transverse width of eye shorter than half width of interocular space in dorsal view, reniform in lateral view, not reaching dorsal and ventral margins of head; ocelli tiny and not elevated, separated from each other; antenna with scape thickest and slightly curved, pedicel longest and slender, basiflagellomere and distiflagellomere gracile; first and second visible labial segments thick, second segment longest and slightly swollen, third segment tapered; neck without lateral tubercle (Figs 1–4, 6–8, 10–14).
THORAX. Pronotum somewhat trapezoidal, collar process reduced; anterior lobe nearly twice as long as posterior lobe, slightly narrower than posterior lobe, flat with a median, longitudinal, thin sulcus on posterior portion, sculpture thin and shallow; pronotal transverse sulcus deep; dorsal surface of posterior lobe of pronotum coarse and shallowly punctate; humerus round, posterior margin of pronotum arcuate, but nearly straight in middle. Scutellum subtriangular, width greater than length, Y-shaped ridges thick with apex of scutellar process knob-shaped and horizontal, disc of scutellum with an oval depression. Stridulitrum long with total-striate type of sculpture. Surfaces of pleura and sterna finely wrinkled and granulose; metapleural sulcus arcuate, located close to supporting sclerite; meso- and metasterna with a median longitudinal ridge. Fore femur strongly thickened but compressed laterally, ventral surface of fore femora with a row of small denticles; fore and mid tibiae clavate, gradually thickened to apex, fore tibia with fossula spongiosa occupying about 2/5 of tibial length, mid tibia with fossula spongiosa occupying about 1/3 of tibial length. Hemelytron extending beyond tip of abdomen (Figs 1–4, 6–8, 10–14).
ABDOMEN. Ellipsoidal, only slightly wider than posterior lobe of pronotum, with connexivum not dilated; first seven abdominal sternites strongly compressed (Figs 1–4, 6–8, 10–14); total length of eighth abdominal sternite of female combined with female genitalia about half length of abdomen in ventral view (Figs 2B, 7B); male genitalia large, about 1/3 length of abdomen in ventral view (Figs 1B, 3B, 4B, 6B, 8B, 10B, 11B, 12B, 13B).
MALE GENITALIA. Pygophore oval in ventral view (Figs 5A, 9A, 15A), median pygophore process long, more than half length of pygophore (Figs 5C, 9C, 15C), oblique to right side in caudal view, ventral surface with a longitudinal ridge (Figs 5B, 9B, 15B). Parameres broad, left paramere subtrapezoidal (Figs 5D, 9D, 15D), right paramere subtriangular (Figs 5E, 9E, 15E), left paramere longer than right paramere; phallus with basal plate longer than basal plate bridge (Figs 5F, 9F, 15F), pedicel slightly curved and shorter than basal plate (Figs 5H, 5I, 9H. 9I, 15H, 15I); dorsal phallothecal sclerite strongly sclerotized and bent inward (Figs 5F, 5H, 5I, 9F, 9H. 9I, 15F, 15H, 15I); lateral phallothecal sclerite moderately sclerotized with a process on lower right corner (Figs 5I, 9I, 15I); struts fused and long, nearly reaching apex of phallosoma (Figs 5F, 9F, 15F); venter of phallosoma with two transverse slender sclerites at basal portion (Figs 5G, 5H, 9G, 9H, 15G, 15H).
Diversity and distribution
Four species, occurring in the Afrotropical Region (Fig. 16).
Key to species of Fusius Stål, 1862
1. Body color black and yellowish brown in large part (Figs 10–11); apical part of clavus without yellowish white marking (Figs 10A, 11A) ............ F. hflavus stat. rev. et comb. nov. (Reuter, 1881)
– Body color black and red in large part (Figs 1–4, 6–8, 12–14); apex of clavus yellowish white (Figs 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 6A, 7A, 8A, 12A, 13A, 14) .......................................................................... 2
2. Anterior lobe of pronotum entirely black (Figs 6A, 7A, 8A); legs black, without yellow markings (Figs 6–8) .................................................................................................... F. distinctus Miller, 1957
– Anterior lobe of pronotum black and red (Figs 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 12A, 13A, 14); legs blackish brown to black, with yellow markings (Figs 1–4, 12–14) ........................................................................... 3
3. Red stripes on anterior lobe of pronotum thin and obscure or even only anterior margin of anterior lobe red (Figs 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A); fifth abdominal sternite of male with a small process on left side (Figs 1B, 3B, in red circles); sub-apical margin of sixth abdominal sternite of male normal (Figs 1B, 3B, 4B) ............................................................................................................ F. dilutus Miller, 1957
– Red stripes on anterior lobe of pronotum distinct (Figs 12A, 13A, 14); fifth abdominal sternite of male without small process (Figs 12B, 13B); sub-apical margin of sixth abdominal sternite of male strongly sclerotized and distinctly irregular (Figs 12B, 13B) .................... F. rubricosus (Stål, 1855)
description: Published as part of Liu, Yingqi, Li, Hu & Cai, Wanzhi, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the African assassin bug genus Fusius (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Peiratinae), pp. 25-55 in European Journal of Taxonomy 910 on pages 27-28, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2023.910.2357, http://zenodo.org/record/10259349