Podisus punctiger Stål, 1860

Brugnera, Ricardo, Sampaio, Vinícius, Campos, Luiz Alexandre & Grazia, Jocelia, 2024, Searching for the identity of Podisus Herrich-Schäffer, 1851 (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae): examination of type specimens leads to taxonomic updates and description of five new species, Insect Systematics & Evolution 56 (1), pp. 64-89 : 10-11

Podisus punctiger Stål, 1860 stat. rev.

Podisus punctiger Stål 1860: 52 (Holotype female in NHRS, Figs 5a–c , removed from the synonymy with Podisus tinctus ( Dallas, 1851)) .

Apateticus (Eupodisus) tinctus Schouteden 1907 b: 72 .

Apateticus (Eupodisus) punctiger Schouteden 1907 b: 72 .

Apateticus (Podisus) punctiger Kirkaldy 1909: 20 .

Types examined. Podisus punctiger Stål 1860 , Holotype ♀, labels: Columbia // Thorey. // Type // Typus // Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet Stockholm Loan no 2/90 // NHRS-GULI 000067361, ( NHRS), Figs 5a–c .

Arma tincta Dallas 1851 , Syntype ♀, labels: Columbia // Bogotá // 18. Arma tincta , // a // Type // ♀ // Syntype // NHMUK 010592335 , ( NHMUK) Figs 5d–f .

Non-types examined. Podisus punctiger Stål, 1860 – Country unknown: 1♂, I-IV // AMNH _IZC 00319653, ( AMNH).

Podisus tinctus ( Dallas, 1851) – COLOMBIA: Cundinamarca [Bogotá] 1♀, Colombia Cundinamarca Bogotá D.C. EAAB Quebrada La Vieja (04°38’N 74°02’W) 26-VIII- 2001 ±2850m D. Forero, leg., ( UNAB); 1♂, QUA 2.14 Acaciad Junio 22, (MPUJ) .

Comments: Thomas (1992) synonymized Podisus punctiger with Podisus tinctus , and both types were examined by him. However, the provided description of P. tinctus is partially incongruous with the features observed in the type and other specimens examined by us. Thomas stated that in P.tinctus “the femora are maculate, but the hemelytra membrane is clear” (page 86), but in the identification key (page 83) the diagnostic features presented are “humeri thick, cornute; legs pale, immaculate”. In the type of P.tinctus , the legs clearly show dark spots in the femur and tibia, diverging from the immaculate legs present in the type of P.punctiger . Other features also differ in the two species: the presence of a dark spot in the apex of the radial vein in P.punctiger (absent in P.tinctus ), the reddish punctures in the dorsal surface of P.punctiger (dark punctures in P.tinctus ), the reddish punctures, and two series of dark spots in the urosternites of P.punctiger (urosternites completely pale in P.tinctus ). Based on the above mentioned features, we propose the revalidation of Podisus punctiger . This species is very similar to P.crassimargo , differing only by the anterolateral margin of pronotum, which is distinctly inflated in P.crassimargo , and slender in P.punctiger . Also, the two species are distributed in different regions of South America, P.crassimargo ranging from southeastern to southern Brazil, and P.punctiger occurring in Colombia.

Figures

Fig. 5. Type specimens of Podisus punctiger Stål (a–c), 1860 and Arma tincta Dallas, 1851 (d–f). a–c photographed by Gunvi Lindberg (© 2019 NHRS); d–e photographed by Talita Roell (© 2019 NHMUK); original photos cropped, light levels and contrast adjusted. Scales: 2 mm.