Abstract
The Australian species of the genus Ectomocoris Mayr, 1865 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Peiratinae), are revised. A total of 13 species are recognised, including nine new species: E. binotatus Malipatil & Liu, sp. nov., E. borealis Malipatil & Liu, sp. nov., E. fuscatus Malipatil & Liu, sp. nov., E. fuscifemoralis Malipatil & Liu, sp. nov., E. interiorius Malipatil & Liu, sp. nov., E. latus Malipatil & Liu, sp. nov., E. luteolus Malipatil & Liu, sp. nov., E. major Malipatil & Liu, sp. nov. and E. spinosus Malipatil & Liu, sp. nov. Redescriptions of E. australicus (Reuter, 1881), E. decoratus (Stål, 1863), E. ornatus (Stål, 1863) and E. truculentus (Stål, 1863) are presented. Callisphodrus patricius Stål, 1867 is treated as a new junior synonym of E. ornatus (Stål, 1863). Lectotypes are designated for Eumerus (Eumerus) australicus Reuter, 1881, Pirates decoratus Stål, 1863, P. ornatus Stål, 1863, P. truculentus Stål, 1863 and C. patricius Stål, 1867. A key to species is provided together with images of dorsal habitus of males and females of different wing forms and major structures of the male genitalia to assist distinguishing these species. Based on morphology, brief comments are provided on putative species groups within the studied species. A male extragenital structure, present in almost half of the species studied, is described in detail and its potential value in diagnosis and analysis of phylogenetic relationships within the genus as well as between related peiratine genera is discussed.
References
- ABRS (2022) Australian Faunal Directory. Subfamily Peiratinae. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Available from: https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/PEIRATINAE/checklist (accessed 1 August 2022)
- Ambrose, D.P. (1999) Assassin Bugs. Science Publishers Inc., Enfield, 337 pp.
- Bergroth, E. (1912) New or little known Hemiptera, chiefly from Australia, in the American Museum of Natural History. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 31, 343–348.
- Cai, W. & Lu, J. (1991) A taxonomic revision of the Chinese species of Ectomocoris Mayr (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Peiratinae). Entomotaxonomia, 8, 241–254.
- Cai, W. & Tomokuni, M. (2004) Taxonomic notes on Vietnamese Peiratinae, with description of a new species (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Oriental Insects, 38, 85–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/00305316.2004.10417377 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00305316.2004.10417377
- Cassis, G. & Gross, G.F. (1995) Hemiptera: Heteroptera (Coleorrhyncha to Cimicomorpha). In: Houston, W.W.K. & Maynard, G.V. (Eds.), Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 27.3A. CSIRO Australia, Melbourne, pp. i–xv + 1–506.
- Chłond, D. (2007) Classification of the true bugs of the subfamily Peiratinae (Heteroptera: Reduviidae). Genus Supplement, 14, 67–69.
- Chłond, D. (2018) A taxonomic revision of the genus Sirthenea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) of the Old World. Zootaxa, 4520 (1), 1–85. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4520.1.1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4520.1.1
- Davis, N.T. (1961) Morphology and phylogeny of the Reduvioidea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). Part II. Wing venation. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 54, 340–354. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/54.3.340
- Distant, W.L. (1902) Rhynchotal notes.—XV. Heteroptera: Family Reduviidae (continued), Piratinae, and Ectrichodiinae. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 10, 282–295. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00222930208678673
- Ghauri, M.S.K. (1964) A remarkable phenomenon amongst the males of Piratinae (Reduviidae, Heteroptera). Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 13, 7 (Issue 84), 733–737. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222936408651525 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00222936408651525
- Haridass, E.T. (1985) Feeding and ovipositional behavior in some reduviids (Insecta-Heteroptera). Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences, 94, 239–247. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03186266 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03186266
- Hsiao, T.Y. & Ren, S.Z. (1981) Reduviidae. In: Hsiao, T.Y., Ren, S.Z., Zheng, L.Y., Jing, H.L., Zou, H.G. & Liu, S.L., A handbook for the determination of the Chinese Hemiptera-Heteroptera. Volume II. Science Press, Beijing, pp. 390–538, pls. 55–81.
- Klug, J.C.F. (1830) s.n. In: Symbolae physicae, seu icones et descriptiones insectorum, quae ex itinere per Africam Borealem et Asian F.G. Hemprich et C.H. Ehrenburg studio novae aut illustratae redierunt. Decas secunda. Mittler, Berolini [Berlin], fols. a–f, pls. 11–20. [unpaginated]
- Lent, H. & Wygodzinsky, P. (1979) Revision of the Triatominae (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) and their significance as vectors of Chagas’ disease. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 163, 125–520.
- Lethierry, L.F. & Severin, G. (1896) Catalogue Général des Hémiptères. Vol. III. Friedläder & fils, Musée Royal d’Histoire naturelle de Belgique, Bruxelles, 275 pp.
- Liu, Y., Chen, Z., Webb, M.D. & Cai, W. (2020) Revision of the assassin bug genus Neopirates (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Peiratinae), with descriptions of two new species from Namibia. European Journal of Entomology, 117, 343–351. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2020.039 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2020.039
- Liu, Y., Lemaître, V.A. & Cai, W. (2021) Revalidation of the Australasian genus Microsandalus Stål stat. rev., with redescription of M. umbrosus Stål (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Austral Entomology, 60 (3), 505–513. https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.12555 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.12555
- Maldonado, J.C. (1990) Systematic Catalogue of the Reduviidae of the World (Insecta: Heteroptera). A special edition of Caribbean Journal of Science, Mayagüez, 694 pp.
- Mayr, G.L. (1865) Diagnosen neuer Hemipteren. II. Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 15, 429–446.
- Miller, N.C.E. (1958) Reduviidae of New Guinea. On the Reduviidae of New Guinea and adjacent islands (Hemiptera Heteroptera). Parts I and 2. Results of the Archbold Expeditions. Nova Guinea, 9, 33–143, 145–229 + 322–678.
- Putshkov, P.V. & Moulet, P. (2009) Hémiptères Reduviidae d’Europe occidentale. (Faune de France, vol. 92.) Fédération Française des Sociétés de Sciences Naturelles, Paris, 668 pp.
- Putshkov, P.V. & Putshkov, V.G. (1996) Family Reduviidae. In: Aukema, B. & Rieger, C. (Eds.), Catalogue of the Heteroptera of the Palearctic Region. Vol. 2. The Netherlands Entomological Society, Wageningen, pp. 148–265.
- Reuter, O.M. (1881) Ad cognitionem Reduviidarum mundi antique. Unknown publisher, 71 pp. [also published in Acta Societatis Scientiarum Fennicae, 1883 (12), 269–339]
- Schouteden, H. (1909) Reduviidae novae africanae. Annales de la Société entomologique de Belgique, 53, 407–417.
- Slater, J.A. (1975) On the biology and zoogeography of Australian Lygaeidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) with special reference to the southwest fauna. Journal of the Australian entomological Society, 14, 47–64. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-6055.1975.tb02002.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-6055.1975.tb02002.x
- Stål, C. (1863) Formae speciesque novae reduviidum. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, 4, 25–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/00379271.1863.11755426 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00379271.1863.11755426
- Stål, C. (1867) Bidrag till Reduviidernas kännendom. Öfversigt af Kongliga Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar, 23, 235–302. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.61897 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.61897
- Stål, C. (1874) Enumeratio Hemipterorum. Bidrag till en förteckning öfver alla hittills kända Hemiptera, jemte systematiska meddelanden. 4. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens Handlingar, 12 (1), 1–186.
- Swanson, D.R. (2019) Doomed to a vile lot: new taxa, notes, and an updated generic key for the Old World corsairs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Peiratinae). Zootaxa, 4700 (2), 196–228. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4700.2.2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4700.2.2
- Villiers, A. (1948) Faune de l’Empire Français. IX. Hémiptères Réduviidés de l’Afrique Noire. Éditions du Muséum, Paris, 489 pp.
- Walker, F. (1873) Catalogue of the specimens of Hemiptera Heteroptera in the collection of the British Museum. Part VII. Trustees of the British Museum, London, 213 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.9254 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.9254
- Weirauch, C., Bérenger, J.-M., Berniker, L., Forero, D., Forthman, M., Frankenberg, S., Freedman, A., Gordon, E., Hoey-Chamberlain, R., Hwang, W.S., Marshall, S.A., Michael, A., Paiero, S.M., Udah, O., Watson, C., Yeo, M., Zhang, G. & Zhang, J. (2014) An illustrated identification key to assassin bug subfamilies and tribes (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification, 26, 1–115.