GENUS HERAEUS STÅL, 1862

Type species: Lygaeus (Plociomerus) triguttatus Guérin-Méneville, 1857, by monotypy.

Heraeus Stål, 1862: 314 –315; Stål, 1874: 147; Distant, 1882: 204; Provancher, 1886: 80; Berg, 1892: 162; Lethierry & Severin, 1894: 191; Van Duzee, 1917: 178–179; Barber, 1918: 75; Blatchley, 1926: 389; Barber, 1928: 175; Barber, 1939: 349, 354; Froeschner, 1944: 640; Torre Bueno, 1946: 64, 69–70; Slater & Hurlbutt, 1957: 73; Scudder, 1957: 155; Sweet & Slater, 1961: 339; Slater, 1964: 1081–1082; Slater, 1972: 149; Slater, 1974: 167, 170; Sweet, 1967: 225; Brailovsky, 1979: 549; Harrington, 1980: 108; Brailovsky, 1981: 219; Froeschner, 1981: 43; Froeschner, 1985: 22; Harrington, 1987: 81; Ashlock & Slater, 1988: 227; Slater & Baranowski, 1990: 130; Baranowski & Slater, 1998: 79; Froeschner, 1999: 244; Baranowski & Slater, 2005: 136; Dellapé 2014: 428, 431; Henry et al. 2015: 488, 499.

Abbreviations: APLL, anterior pronotal lobe length; APLW, anterior pronotal lobe width; BFL, basiflagellomere length; CL, collar length; DFL, distiflagellomere length; DFBL, distiflagellomere band length; HL, head length; HW, head width; IOcW, interocular width; IOclW, interocellar width; PL, pedicellus length; POcL, postocular length; PPLL, posterior pronotal lobe length; PPLW, posterior pronotal lobe width; R1, rostral segment-I length; R2, rostral segment-II length; R3, rostral segment-III length; R4, rostral segment-IV length; SCL, scapus length; TL, total length.

Diagnosis

The species included in Heraeus are recognized by the anteriorly extended collar on the ventral region (Fig. 4 A), which is a synapomorphy for the genus. All species have: an elongate head with a postocular region longer than the interocular space; the dorsally narrowed and ventrally broadened collar, extending forwards beneath the head (Figs 1, 4 A); and the aedeagus with a bilobed vesica and a simple conjunctiva, showing relatively small spines in most of the species.

Redescription

Head elongate, postocular distance longer than interocular distance. Buccular juncture V-shaped. Juga rounded. Collar narrow dorsally and broadening ventrally, extending forwards beneath the head. Procoxa with a spine. Profemur with two rows of spines ventrally. Mesofemur with or without spines. Protibia without spines or with small denticles or spines. Tibiae with spiniform setae. Corial margin smooth. Clavus with more than three rows of punctures. Mesepimeron emergent. Evaporative area extensive, not restricted to a small portion of metapleuron surrounding the auricle. Male genitalia: aedeagus without spines or with relatively small spines, with two lobes on vesica lateral to the ejaculatory reservoir.

Distribution

The genus is widely distributed from Canada to Argentina, including the West Indies and the Galapagos Islands. Most of its 39 species are distributed on continental areas. Heraeus plebejus, H. guttatus, and H. triguttatus are also found on at least one island of the West Indies, and some species are known only from the West Indies. Heraeus dominicanus sp. nov. is only known from the Dominican Republic, Heraeus steineri sp. nov. is known from Turks and Caicos Islands, and the islands of the Bahamas, H. caliginosus is known from the Dominican Republic and Haiti, H. hollyae is known from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Antigua Island; H. pulchellus is recorded from the Bahamas, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and H. concolor is recorded from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Antigua, Saba, and the Nevis islands. Heraeus pacificus is known only from the Galápagos islands.

INCLUDED SPECIES GROUPED ACCORDING TO EXTERNAL APPEARANCE AND PHYLOGENETIC

RELATIONSHIPS

The coquilletti group

Heraeus cinnamomeus Barber, 1948

Heraeus coquilletti Barber, 1914

Heraeus costalis sp. nov.

Heraeus itzelae sp. nov.

Heraeus setosus sp. nov.

The caliginosus group

Heraeus caliginosus Slater & Baranowski, 1994

Heraeus dominicanus sp. nov.

The guttatus group

Heraeus guttatus (Dallas, 1852)

Heraeus hollyae Baranowski, 2005

Heraeus steineri sp. nov.

Heraeus triguttatus (Guérin-Méneville, 1857)

The illitus group

Heraeus annulatus sp. nov.

Heraeus antennalis sp. nov.

Heraeus chamamecinus sp. nov.

Heraeus illitus Distant, 1882

Heraeus inca sp. nov.

Heraeus panamaensis sp. nov.

Heraeus similis sp. nov.

Heraeus spinosus sp. nov.

Heraeus splendens sp. nov.

Heraeus tiputini sp. nov.

The plebejus group

Heraeus alvarengai sp. nov.

Heraeus apicalis sp. nov.

Heraeus bahiensis sp. nov.

Heraeus baranowskii sp. nov.

Heraeus bolivianus sp. nov.

Heraeus brevirostris sp. nov.

Heraeus concolor Slater & Baranowski, 1994

Heraeus ecuatorianus sp. nov.

Heraeus loja sp. nov.

Heraeus mesoamericanus sp. nov.

Heraeus mexicanus sp. nov.

Heraeus morganae sp. nov.

Heraeus nicaraguensis sp. nov.

Heraeus pacificus Barber, 1925

Heraeus pallidinervis sp. nov.

Heraeus penai sp. nov.

Heraeus plebejus Stål, 1874

Heraeus pulchellus Barber, 1954