Valleriola asiatica Li, Polhemus & Ye 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Li, Zihe
name: Jin, Zezhong
name: Polhemus, Dan A.
name: Ye, Zhen
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Leptopodidae
Valleriola
Valleriola asiatica

description: Valleriola asiatica Li, Polhemus & Ye, sp. nov.
(Figs. 2, 7, 16–18, 30, 37–39, 53, 54, 65)
Material examined. Holotype: male, CHINA, Hainan Prov., Bawangling Nature Reserve, 28 July 2017, Zhen Ye leg. (NKUM); Paratypes: 3 males, 3 females, CHINA, Hainan Prov., same data as holotype (NKUM); 3 males, 3 females, LAOS, Attapu, Sae Pra Waterfall, 18 August 2019, Yanfei Li leg. (NKUM). 1 male, VIETNAM, Lam Dong Prov., stream below Suõi Vàng hydro project (= Gold Stream), 16 km. N. of Dalat, 1430 m., 11°59'26"N, 108°22'06"E, 9 May 1998, CL 3078, J. T. Polhemus (USNM); 7 males, 6 females, VIETNAM, Lam Dong Prov., Pongour Falls, 62 km. SW of Dalat, 825 m., 11°41'19"N, 108°15'55"E, 13–16 May 1998, CL 3091, J. T. Polhemus (BPBM, USNM); 1 male, 1 female, VIETNAM, Dong Nai Prov., Cat Tien National Park, Dong Nai River, cascade upstream of park HQ, 110 m., 7 May 1998, CL 3073, J. T. Polhemus (USNM); 1 male, 3 females, VIETNAM, Dong Nai Prov., Cat Tien National Park, Dong Nai River, cascade area behind first ranger station, 120 m., 8 May 1998, CL 3077, J. T. Polhemus (BPBM, USNM); 3 males, 7 females, VIETNAM, Lai Châu Prov., Nam Na River and Nam Ceung stream trib. 15.5 km. N. of Lai Châu, 200 m., 22°08'52"N, 103°11'33"E, 11 April 2000, 10:00– 13:00 hrs., CL 4409, D. A. Polhemus, J. T. Polhemus and P. Nguyen (BPBM, USNM); 10 males, 11 females, 1 immature, VIETNAM, Gia Lai Prov., Ya Rung waterfall, Ngoe Ba Riv., 30 km. S. of An Khe, 345 m., 13°46'02"N, 108°31'29"E, 10 March 2001, CL 4287, J. T. Polhemus & P. Nguyen (BPBM, USNM); 2 males, 4 females, 1 immature, CAMBODIA, Kampong Spoe Prov., An Long Rot river at granite rapids, ~ 4.5 km. NW of Chambok village, 95 m., 12°24'45"N, 104°05'025"E, 21 May 2016, 11:00–12:15 hrs., CL 6034, D. A. Polhemus (BPBM).
Diagnosis. Body length: 6.04–6.50, ground color black with yellowish spots and stripes dorsally. Venter of head and labiomere II with dense, long, white hairs. Femora yellowish with black spots and stripes. Parameres slightly twisted, apical part spoon-like, with long, straight hairs.
Comparative notes. Valleriola asiatica sp. nov. is the largest species of Leptopodini known from Southeast Asia, with the body length of both sexes exceeding 6.0 mm. In comparison to the similar V. cicindeloides from India, V. asiatica sp. nov. may be distinguished by its darker grey ground color, and a shorter antennal segment III in relation to segment II, the ratio of segment II/segment III being 1.00/2.00– 2.20 in V. asiatica sp. nov., versus 1.00/3.00 in V. cicindeloides. Based on figures made by the late J. T. Polhemus of the holotype of V. cicindeloides, housed in the Natural History Museum, London, the male parameres of the two species are rather similar in form, including the presence of a small, angular projection on the basal third of the paramere when seen in inner ventral view. The third author (DP) has in his collection additional species of similar size and appearance to V. asiatica sp. nov. from the Indonesian islands of Timor, Sumba, Celebes and Sumatra, as well as Nepal. All of these examples have relatively large body sizes (over 5.5 mm); dark-brown to dark-blackish-grey dorsal ground coloration; a pair of pale spots arranged horizontally across the posterior portion of the corium on each hemelytron; and the legs and lateral pronotum set with numerous erect, pale setae that are much longer than the diameters of the leg segments on which they arise. Within these populations, however, there are geographically correlated differences in paramere shape in comparison to the Indochinese material, and they are therefore not presently considered conspecific. Instead, they will be dealt with in a separate work already partially completed.
Description. Male. Color: ground color black (Figs. 2, 7). Head mainly black, clypeus yellowish with black marks; bucculae yellowish; labiomere I completely hidden beneath bucculae, labiomere II yellowish-white with black apex, labiomeres III–IV black; compound eyes and ocelli black to dark-red; antennomere I yellowish with black stripes, antennomeres II–IV dark-brown (Figs. 2, 7, 16–18). Pronotum mainly blackish-brown, collar and callus black, median part of collar with a yellow spot, posterior lobe of pronotum blackish-brown, posterior margin yellowish, median part with a yellowish stripe, posterior angles of pronotum shinning black; scutellum blackish, with a yellowish apex (Figs. 2, 7). Hemelytra mainly blackish-brown, clavus with a yellowish stripe in middle and a yellowish spot on apex, lateral margin of hemelytra pale, spots and stripes on corium and membrane yellowish, middle part of corium with two spots on both sides of R+M vein, sometimes the outer one absent; apical part of sc cell and membrane cell IV with yellowish spots, sometimes with a small spot in r cell (Fig. 30). Legs yellowish, femora with black stripe and spots; tibiae and tarsi blackish-brown, except fore tibia and tarsus yellowish-brown (Figs. 2, 37–39). Abdominal segments black, with white sutures. Paramere yellowish, infuscated apically (Figs. 53, 54). Structural characteristics: body elongated, bearing sparse, short, pale setae dorsally (Figs. 2, 7). Head short and wide, dorsally bearing dense, short pubescence except two circular areas, venter of head bearing dense, long, white hairs, with three spines beneath compound eyes on each side; compound eyes distinctly large, without sparse, short, spine-like setae; bucculae clearly visible; labium short, labiomere I completely hidden beneath bucculae, labiomere II bearing dense, long, white hairs, with two spines on each side; antennomere I short and stout, antennomeres II–IV extremely long and slender (Figs. 2, 7, 16–18). Pronotum sub-triangular, densely punctured except callus; callus relatively rough, distinctly swollen, with a deep impression on median line; posterior angles of pronotum glossy, without punctures; scutellum triangular, medially with a sub-circular depression, laterally serrated, with a distinct process on each side (Figs. 2, 7). Hemelytra elongated, clavus and outer cell of corium with dense punctures; membrane opaque, with four closed cells (Fig. 30). Legs long and slender, fore coxa strong, slightly elongated, with two long spines anteriorly directed; fore femur incrassate, ventrally with seven large spines (three spines on the outer side and four on the inner side) and two rows of dense, small, black spines; fore tibia ventrally with a row of dense, brown spines (Figs. 37–39). Middle and hind legs distinctly elongated. Abdomen slender, tubular-like. Paramere slightly twisted, with a spoon-like apex, covered by dense punctures and long, straight hairs (Figs. 53, 54).
Female. Color and structural characteristics similar to male. Genital segments of female hidden in abdominal segment VII, not visible in vitro.
Measurements. Male. Body length: 6.26–6.50 (holotype: 6.50), body width across hemelytra: 1.70–1.84. Head width: 1.31–1.40, head length: 0.78–0.83, head width about 1.69 times head length; antenna about 1.05 times as long as body, length of antennomeres I–IV: 0.41, 1.36, 2.69, 2.38. Pronotum width across collar: 0.57–0.59, pronotum width across posterior angles: 1.63–1.64, pronotum length: 1.24–1.29; scutellum width: 0.74–0.77, scutellum length: 0.68–0.72; length of femur, tibia and tarsus (tarsomeres I+II+III): fore leg: 2.28, 1.69 and 0.60 (0.16+0.24+0.20), middle leg: 2.44, 2.26 and 0.62 (0.16+0.21+0.25), hind leg: 2.57, 3.52 and 0.82 (0.14+0.31+0.37). Female. Body length: 6.04–6.35, body width across hemelytra: 1.67–1.79. Head width: 1.32–1.35, head length: 0.77–0.82, head width about 1.06 times head length; antenna about 1.18 times as long as body, length of antennomeres I–IV: 0.37, 1.21, 2.74, 2.42. Pronotum width across collar: 0.59–0.62, pronotum width across posterior angles: 1.61–1.68; pronotum length: 1.20–1.26; scutellum width: 0.78–0.81, scutellum length: 0.75–0.79; length of femur, tibia and tarsus (tarsomeres I+II+III): fore leg: 2.21, 1.66 and 0.57 (0.13+0.26+0.18), middle leg: 2.50, 2.43 and 0.69 (0.14+0.33+0.22), hind leg: 2.66, 3.66 and 0.77 (0.17+0.36+0.24).
Etymology. The specific epithet “ asiatica ” refers to the wide distribution of this species in Southeast Asia; an adjective.
Distribution. China (Hainan), Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia (Fig. 61).
description: Published as part of Li, Zihe, Jin, Zezhong, Polhemus, Dan A. & Ye, Zhen, 2023, Two new species of Valleriola (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Leptopodidae) and taxonomic notes on the tribe Leptopodini Brullé, 1836 from East and Southeast Asia, pp. 329-344 in Zootaxa 5256 (4) on pages 340-342, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5256.4.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7755108