Brachysandalus sepulchralis
Creators: name: Liu, Yingqi
name: Cai, Wanzhi
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Reduviidae
Brachysandalus
Brachysandalus sepulchralis

description: Brachysandalus sepulchralis (Distant, 1902)
(Figs. 46, 47)
Pirates sepulchralis Distant, 1902: 285. Type locality: Australia.
Peirates sepulchralis: Maldonado Capriles (1990: 366); Cassis & Gross (1995: 343).
Brachysandalus sepulchralis: Coscarón (1997: 42).
Type specimen examined. Lectotype (present designation), macropterous female, Type, Australia. 95-64., sepulchralis Dist., NHMUK 013586670 (NHM).
Other specimens examined. [all macropterous]. QUEENSLAND. 2 females, Julia creek, ii.54, J. Arden, Pirates (Brachysandalus) sepulchralis Dist., N.C.E. Miller et. 1955 (QM), 1 male, same locality, 14.xii.1954, I.G. Filmer (QM); 3 females, H. Bell J.CK 4.4.46, Julia Creek N. W. Qld. (NHM); 1 male, 6 km W of Windorah, 4.ix.1988, G.B. Monteith (QM); 1 male, Hughenden, K.R. Eagle (QM); 2 males, 23.13S 144.04E, Darr River, 31 km NW by N of Longreach, 10.v.1773, Upton & McInnes (ANIC); 1 male, Barabon, ii.1938, E.G. Chandler (QM); 1 female, Wyandra, 26.x.1939, A.M. Elliot (QM). NORTHERN TERRITORY. 3 males (1 dissected), 14.31S 132.22E, Tindal, 1–20.xii.1967, light trap, W.J.M. Vestjen (ANIC); 1 female, Alligator River, 22.ix.1904, from P. Cahill (MV); 1 female, Alexandria, N. Australia W. Stalker. 13–20. III. 06 1907 -261. (NHM); 1 male, Alexandria, N. Australia W. Stalker. Jan. 1906 1907-261. (NHM). WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 1 male, Nullagine, 19–20. i.1974, A.M. & M.J. Douglas (WAM); 1 (abdomen missing), 200 mi N of Carnarvon Yannarie Ck, 24.x.1965, W.H. Butler (WAM); 1 male, 23.49S 114.00E, 4 km NE by E of Minilya HS, Minilya R., 29.iii.1971, M.S. Upton (ANIC); 1 male, 1 female, W. Australia, Nicol Bay Dist. Dr Clement. 1900-220 (NHM); 1 male, Western Australia, Roebourne (MV).
Diagnosis.
Macropterous male and female known, body large sized. Black, shiny (Fig. 46), hemelytron greyish brown, with a yellow, oval spot involving apical 1/2 of clavus and adjoining area of corium between veins Pcu+1A and Cu (Fig. 46A). Generally lacking hairs (Fig. 46); fore femur armed below with two irregular rows of black tubercles, outer tubercles large and tooth-like, inner ones minute, rows separated by a faint median furrow, ventral surface of mid femur densely covered with short blackish brown tooth-like bristly setae (Fig. 46B&C); fore tibia with fossula spongiosa occupying about 2/5 tibial length, mid tibia with fossula spongiosa occupying about 1/3 its length (Fig. 46B&C); in male, left side of sternite VII with a large, curved triangular extragenital process, median part depressed, located near posterior margin of sternite VII (Figs. 55A, 56A); male genitalia with median pygophore process long, straight and slightly oblique to right side, venter strongly ridged in caudal view (Fig. 47B), broadly spatulate, widest predistad and apex pointed, base of blade distinctly narrowed to neck-like in lateral view (Fig. 47C); inner margin of lateral phallothecal sclerite slightly corrugated (Fig. 47I).
Redescription.
Macropterous male and female (Fig. 46)
Colouration (Fig. 46): Black, shiny. Apical three antennal segments and third visible labial segment dark brown; legs with tarsi brown; hemelytron greyish brown, with a yellow, oval spot involving apical 1/2 of clavus and adjoining area of corium between veins Pcu+1A and Cu, membrane paler, with a yellowish white, thin, curved stripe near base of costal margin; each connexival segment with a tiny, yellow spot at outer apex of anterior margin.
Structure (Figs. 46, 47): Body large sized, generally lacking hairs. Outer margins of head, lateral margins of pronotum, disc of scutellum, corium and abdominal sternites covered with yellowish white, short, procumbent pubescence; antenna with yellowish, pubescence and yellowish brown, suberect, short setae; legs relatively glabrous, only apices of tibiae and tarsi with yellowish brown to brown setae of varying lengths, ventral surface of mid femur with blackish brown, short bristles.
Head: Anteocular region elongate triangular, clypeus near its base slightly knobbed above mandibular plates. Interocular region with arcuate convex sulcus at posterior border of eyes, a small pit near base. Postocular region almost rounded to neck. Neck with lateral tubercles tiny. Antennae with all segments covered with short yellowish pilosity and sparse longer setae; scape thickest, pedicel thinner, then basi- and distiflagellum thinnest. Eye reniform, not reaching dorsal and ventral margins of head in lateral view, width of eye more than half width of interocular space in dorsal view in male but slightly shorter than half width of interocular space in female. Ocelli moderately developed, slightly raised, separated from each other by more than diameter of single ocellus, separated from eye by about diameter of single ocellus in male while separated from eye by more than diameter of single ocellus in female. Labium with ventral surface covered with several longish setae.
Thorax:Anterior lobe of pronotum with stripes indistinct, sulci also indistinct, except median longitudinal sulcus on basal half thin but deep. Posterior pronotal lobe short, arcuately quadrate, integument slightly rugulose, humeri rounded, posterior margin of pronotum arcuate in middle and slightly concave laterally. Scutellum disc rugulose, with a median oval depression, scutellar process knobbed, strongly directed obliquely in lateral view. Thoracic pleura hairless. Propleuron with integument finely faintly granulate, set off from dorsal surface by a faint carina. Mesopleuron integument minutely granulate. Metapleuron with integument more finely granulate and granules distinctly striate, metapleural sulcus distinctly bicarinate, arcuate with median part straight. All thoracic sternites with tiny granules, moderately covered with golden pubescence. Mesosternum carinate in middle, metasternum with disc tumid. Hemelytron well developed, slightly exceeding tip of abdomen in male and nearly reaching tip of abdomen in female.
Legs: Fore leg with trochanter unarmed; femur strongly fusiform, greatly incrassate near base narrowing distally, much thicker than other femora, armed below with two irregular rows of black tubercles, outer tubercles large and tooth-like, inner ones minute, rows separated by a faint median furrow; tibia gradually thickened to apex, more or less straight but apex slightly reflexed, fossula spongiosa occupying about 2/5 tibial length. Mid leg with coxa globular; femur only slightly thickened, ventral surface densely covered with short blackish brown tooth-like bristly setae; tibia with fossula spongiosa occupying about 1/3 its length. Hind coxae separated from each other by less than width of one coxa; femur cylindrical. Tarsi cylindrical, covered with short pilosity ventrally.
Abdomen: In male, venter of abdomen with a median ridge running from posterior portion of second abdominal sternite to posterior portion of seventh abdominal sternite, curved to right side of body, distinctly carinated and forming a knobbed preapical point on sternite VII; left side of sternite VII with a large, curved triangular extragenital process, median part depressed, located near posterior margin of sternite VII (Figs. 55A, 56A). Abdomen nearly glabrous with extremely sparse hairs on sternites (Fig. 46B). Spiracles situated below connexival suture, about halfway between anterior and posterior margin of each segment. Each spiracle with two impressed shiny roundish spots / areas, one postero-ventrally and one anteriorly near anterior margin of segment. In female, same as male, venter of abdomen flat, all sterna appearing narrow medially except VII very enlarged, sternite VII with many transverse wrinkles (Fig. 46B).
Male genitalia (Fig. 47): Median pygophore process long, straight and slightly oblique to right side, venter strongly ridged in caudal view (Fig. 47B); broadly spatulate, widest predistad and apex pointed, base of blade distinctly narrowed to neck-like in lateral view (Fig. 47C). Parameres (Fig. 47D&E) with outer surfaces densely covered with brown hairs, left paramere (Fig. 47D) broadly falcate with apex truncate, right paramere (Fig. 47E) subtriangular. Phallus (Fig. 47F–I) in resting condition with basal plate distinctly longer than basal plate bridge (Fig. 47F), pedicel slightly curved and shorter than basal plate (Fig. 47H&I); length of struts distinctly longer than half length of phallosoma (Fig. 47F); apex of dorsal phallothecal sclerite bluntly rounded (Fig. 47F); lateral phallothecal sclerite subquadrangular, inner margin slightly corrugated (Fig. 47I); pair of slender sclerites near base of venter of phallosoma weakly sclerotized (Fig. 47G).
Measurements: [ranges of three males and six females] Body length 19.70–20.55 (♂), 22.03–23.83 (♀); maximum width of abdomen 5.50–6.70 (♂), 6.34–7.59 (♀); length of head 2.70–3.11 (♂), 3.20–3.37 (♀); length of anteocular region 1.20–1.37 (♂), 1.48–1.55 (♀); length of postocular region 0.50–0.50 (♂), 0.59–0.72 (♀); width of head across eyes 2.03–2.21 (♂), 2.25–2.38 (♀); width of interocular space 0.65–0.73 (♂), 0.99–1.12 (♀); width of interocellar space 0.39–0.40 (♂), 0.42–0.43 (♀); length of eye in dorsal view 0.94 (♂), 0.98 (♀); width of eye in dorsal view 0.66–0.75 (♂), 0.59–0.62 (♀); lengths of antennal segments I–IV 1.98–2.19 (♂), 1.90–2.09 (♀) / 3.61– 4.22 (♂), 3.52–4.01 (♀) /?–4.59 (♂), 3.86–? (♀) /?–? (♂),?–? (♀); length of visible labial segments I–III 1.09–1.44 (♂), 1.40–1.43 (♀) / 1.91–2.17 (♂), 2.00–2.18 (♀) / 0.84–0.89 (♂), 0.91–1.02 (♀); length of pronotum 4.50–5.25 (♂), 5.50–5.74 (♀); length of anterior pronotal lobe 2.73–3.19 (♂), 3.48–3.58 (♀); length of posterior pronotal lobe 1.82–? (♂), 2.01–? (♀); width of anterior pronotal lobe 3.38–4.09 (♂), 4.28–4.62 (♀); width of posterior pronotal lobe 5.00–5.99 (♂), 5.69–6.13 (♀); length of scutellum 1.96–2.20 (♂), 1.93–2.12 (♀); maximum width of scutellum 2.47–2.85 (♂), 2.58–2.69 (♀); length of hemelytron 13.32–14.89 (♂), 14.07–15.61 (♀); length of fore tibia 3.99 (♂), 4.18 (♀); length of fossula spongiosa on fore tibia 1.33 (♂), 1.44 (♀).
Distribution. Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia). Cassis & Gross (1995) recorded this species also from South Australia, but these specimens were not located and examined in the present study.
Comparative notes. This species is more similar to B. helluo Stål, 1867, see details under comparative notes of B. helluo above.
description: Published as part of Liu, Yingqi & Cai, Wanzhi, 2024, Revision of Australian Brachysandalus with the description of nine new species including one cavernicolous species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae), and observations on male extragenital structure and leg teratology, pp. 1-112 in Zootaxa 5490 (1) on pages 87-91, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5490.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/13211621