Abstract
The description of Platymeris biguttatus (Linnaeus 1767) nymphal instars as well as the prediction of the potentially suitable ecological niche was the main goal of this study. Our research was based on 258 specimens of P. biguttatus species of museum collections. A set of 23 environmental predictor variables covering Africa was used at ecological niche modeling - a method performed using the Maxent software to prepare potential distribution maps for this species. Theresults suggested the most suitable areas seen as potentially suitable ecological niche for P.biguttatus in Africa. A jackknife test showed that temperature seasonality and percentage of tree cover were among the most importantenvironmental variables affecting the distribution of the species. The analysis of climate preferences shows that most of the potentially suitable niches for this species were located in the area of tropical savanna climate, with a small participation of tree vegetation. P.biguttatus wasonly known to be widely distributed in the tropical part of continental Africa. Thanks to the ecological niche modeling methods and the museum data on the occurrence of the species, we introduced new information about potentially suitable ecological niches and the possible range of distribution.
Highlights
The description of Platymeris biguttatus (Linnaeus 1767) nymphal instars as well as the prediction of the potentially suitable ecological niche was the main goal of this study
P. biguttatus (L.) is widely distributed in the tropical part of continental Africa, and it can be recognized amongst the other representatives of this genus by the white spots on the hemelytra, yellow bands on the legs and black connexiva
Antennae with black scapus and pedicellus, both segments covered by black setae
Summary
The description of Platymeris biguttatus (Linnaeus 1767) nymphal instars as well as the prediction of the potentially suitable ecological niche was the main goal of this study. A set of 23 environmental predictor variables covering Africa was used at ecological niche modeling - a method performed using the Maxent software to prepare potential distribution maps for this species. Platymeris biguttatus (Linnaeus 1767) is one of thirteen species of the genus Platymeris Laporte 1833 described so far. It is a medium-sized genus belonging to the subfamily Reduviinae, and all known species of these assassin bugs are large-sized insects, distributed exclusively in Africa (Maldonado Capriles 1990). The article contains pictures and presents the biology of nymphs of this species, it does not provide a description of each nymphal instars.
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