Re-description of the assassin bug species Pygolampis striata Miller, 1940 with new distributional records from Japan and Indonesia (Heteroptera, Reduviidae, Stenopodainae)

Kyosuke Okuda

doi:10.3897/bdj.9.e63695

Abstract

BackgroundPygolampisstriata Miller, 1940 was previously described, based on a single male specimen. However, there are no records of the species since then. The females and nymphs were not described and knowledge about their habitat is insufficient.New informationThis is the first record of the assassin bug Pygolampisstriata Miller, 1940 from Japan and Indonesia. Here, this species has been re-described and, for the first time, the female has been described. The species was collected from the surfaces of dried Poaceae grasslands using the "Gasa-Gasa collecting method".

Highlights

The subfamily Stenopodainae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) comprises more than 720 species in 115 genera worldwide and is primarily found in the Tropics (Ishikawa and Miyamoto 2012, Weirauch et al 2014)
Most species are attracted by light and have been collected with lights or using light traps, but little is known of their biology (Schuh and Weirauch 2020)
Conservation In Honshu, Japan, there is no specimen of the collection since 1981, indicating the likelihood that the species might be extinct in the region

Summary

Introduction

The subfamily Stenopodainae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) comprises more than 720 species in 115 genera worldwide and is primarily found in the Tropics (Ishikawa and Miyamoto 2012, Weirauch et al 2014). Ethiopian and Oriental Regions are especially species-rich, with approximately 74 known species (Gupta and Kauntey 2007, Ishikawa and Miyamoto 2012, Maldonado 1990, Swanson and Chordas 2018, Tomokuni and Cai 2003). This genus can be distinguished from other genera in the subfamily by the following characters: lack of spines on its anterior femora and first visible labial segment longer than the second and third segments combined (Tomokuni and Cai 2003). I identified the species as P. striata Miller, 1940, based on morphological characters from the original description (Miller 1940) This species was described, based on a single male specimen. I re-describe the male and describe the female of this species for the first time

Materials and methods

Discussion