Lasiochilinae Carayon 1972
Creators: name: Carpintero, Diego Leonardo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Lasiochilidae

description: LASIOCHILINAE Carayon, 1972a
(Restored subfamilial rank)
LASIOCHILINAE Carayon, 1972a: 334. Type genus: Lasiochilus Reuter, 1871.
LASIOCHILIDAE: Schuh & Štys, 1991: 326.
DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS: Ostiolar peritreme short, curved backward, sometimes straight (Plochiocorini), never prolonged by a carina. Pilosity generally abundant, long, dense only on lateral margins of pronotum and hemelytra. Antennal segments III and IV filiform, with long and erected setae (twice width of these segments) and clearly more slender than I or II. Males with foretibiae armed with a row of teeth or spines on their inner margin (absent in Plochiocorini). Left paramere slightly to extremely curved (Plochiocorini) “...usually with a median sulcus. Phallus relatively thick and complex; endosome varied, commonly bifid apically and with membranous lateral lobes or with diverse sclerotized process. Ductus seminis generally grooved transversally because of the presence of ctenidia. Females always with a well-developed ovipositor. Vagina voluminous, transverse, having dorsally a parietal gland and a vermiform gland (modified spermatheca)” (Carayon, 1972a).
DISTRIBUTION: Lasiochilinae are distributed worldwide throughout the tropics and subtropical areas but they are especially diverse at generic level in the neotropics. The genus Dilasia, included in the author’s Catalogue of Neotropical Fauna (2002) as a subgenus of Lasiochilus, is the only genus distributed worldwide and is comprised of nearly 50 species.
DISCUSSION: The functions of some known and new sexual characters here mentioned for the first time, are still to be determined e. g. the secondary structures in males (spines or teeth), median punctuations on seventh sternite in females and the structure of aedeagus and left paramere, “usually with a median sulcus” (Carayon, 1972a) as in Anthocorinae. Lasiochilinae is, according to most of modern specialists, the sole group of Heteroptera having a single paramere with neither traumatic nor extragenital fecondation. It is unusual that a so important structural modification of pygophore is seemingly not functionally modified as in other Cimicoidea (Anthocorinae, Cimicidae or Polyctenidae). In addition, the structure of the aedeagus was not clearly defined nor compared between different genera of this subfamily. It is interesting to note the number of sexual secondary structures present in the males: the teeth or spines on the foretibiae, a character that represents for this author, one of clearest synapomorphies of the Anthocoridae, the teeth or spines that I have called “copulatory”, present only in the Lasiochilini, on apical margin of sixth sternite, having an evident copulatory function, and those teeth or spines present on the fore-coxae and fore-trochanters of some species, and also apparently linked to sexual activity. For all these reasons, it is not certain that Lasiochilinae have a typical intragenital fecondation. These particular structures with a still unknown function, demonstrate that characters related to genitalia should be better studied both in structure and in functioning. Consequently they, and other characters, will be discussed in detail in the latter section.
KEY TO THE TRIBES AND GENERA OF WORLD LASIOCHILINAE
1. Ostiolar peritreme straight but directed posteriorly (Fig. 1). Left paramere short and extremely curved (Fig. 28). Presence of sexual dimorphism, especially as regards the shape of the head. Males with large eyes nearly touching ventrally; long antennae: segment II, 4.5x longer than I; in females, 3x. In this case, setae on this segment more than three times longer than width of segment. Forelegs always unarmed; pads absent (Fig. 24)............................. PLOCHIOCORINI n. tr... 2
- Ostiolar peritreme curved posteriorly (Fig. 15). Left paramere straight or slightly curved (Fig. 55). No sexual dimorphism of head; shorter antennae: segment II 2–3x longer than I. Setae of segment II never more than twice width. Foretibiae of males with a row of teeth or spines (Fig. 62); pads present............................ LASIOCHILINI Carayon, 1972a .. 3
2. Eyes in male smaller, separated from pronotum by a distance equal to 75% the length of one eye (in females by a distance equal to the length of one eye) (Fig. 23). Second labial segment twice length of third............. Dolichiella Reuter, 1908
- Eyes in male larger, separated from pronotum by a distance of less than 50% the length of one eye (in females by a distance equal to 75% the length of one eye) (Fig. 29). Second labial segment 2.5x length of third..... Plochiocoris Champion, 1900
3. Hemelytra covered by long, squamiform, dense setae. (Africa).................................. Iella Carayon, 1958
- Hemelytra not covered by setae or, if these are present, then never squamiform.................................... 4
4. Base of ostiolar peritreme large, apex narrower and strongly curved backward (Fig. 3, 4). Labium short, barely surpassing forecoxae. Pronotum with deep, longitudinal, median sulcus extending from anterior to posterior margin............................................................................................... Eusolenophora Poppius, 1909
- Ostiolar peritreme of almost the same width throughout its length (sometimes with apex acute) and slightly bent backward (Fig. 11). Labium always reaching or surpassing middle of mesosternum. Pronotum lacking a longitudinal median sulcus or if so, sulcus extending across anterior lobe only............................................................... 5
5. Pronotal collar wide, situate in front of anterior angles of pronotum. Hemelytra strongly punctured; setae emerging among punctures. Labium slender, reaching hindcoxae. Antennal segment II 3x or more the length of I. Metasternum apically angular............................................................................... Lasiocolpus Reuter, 1884
- Pronotal collar narrow, situated between anterior angles of pronotum. Hemelytra if strongly punctured (Lasiochilus), then with a seta emerging from each puncture. Labium thicker, slightly surpassing midcoxae. Antennal segment II 2–2.5x the length of I. Metasternum apically elongate or short and rounded, never angular.............................................. 6
6. Small species (less than 2 mm). Antennal segment II twice the length of I. Foretibiae in males with row of slightly thicker setae on the inner margin. No other sexual modification in males........................................ Anaelia n. gen.
- Species longer: nearly 3 mm or more. Antennal segment II 2.5x the length of I. Foretibiae in males armed with a row of teeth or spines on the inner margin; foretrochanters also armed with series of teeth or spines; grouping of copulatory teeth or spines present on left margin of sixth sternite; pads present.......................................................... 7
7. Hemelytra dorsally smooth or rugose, sometimes punctured (D. punctipennis) but not easily distinguishable macroscopically. Males with row of spines on the inner margin of foretibiae, series of spines on foretrochanters and grouping of copulatory spines on apical left margin of sixth sternite, apically acute, spiniform, making them appear longer..... Dilasia Reuter, 1871
- Hemelytra dorsally with strong punctures on clavus and endocorion, easily distinguishable in macroscopical view. Males with row of teeth on the inner margin of foretibiae, series of teeth on foretrochanters and grouping of copulatory teeth on apical left margin of sixth sternite, apically rounded, tooth-like, giving a shorter appearence............... Lasiochilus Reuter, 1871
description: Published as part of Carpintero, Diego Leonardo, 2014, Western Hemisphere Lasiochilinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) with comments on some extralimital species and some considerations on suprageneric relationships, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 3871 (1) on pages 7-9, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3871.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4947859