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Rasahus nesiotes sp. nov., adult female (holotype): (A) dorsal habitus; (B) lateral habitus; (C) pronotum, dorsal view; (D) terminalia, caudal view; (E) labels. Scale bar = 2 mm.

Rasahus nesiotes sp. nov., adult female (holotype): (A) dorsal habitus; (B) lateral habitus; (C) pronotum, dorsal view; (D) terminalia, caudal view; (E) labels. Scale bar = 2 mm.

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Article
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Three new peiratine species in the genus Rasahus Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Peiratinae) are described: Rasahus nesiotes sp. nov. from Grand Bahama, Rasahus deliquus sp. nov. from Panama, and Rasahus abolitus sp. nov. from French Guiana. Rasahus castaneus Coscarón, 1983 is reported for the first time from Fre...

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Context 1
... nesiotes sp. nov. (Fig. 1) Diagnosis: Easily separated from all other species of Rasahus by the small size, the black connexiva, and the presence of a small pale macula occupying the apex of the medial cell of the hemelytral membrane. Coloration: Black, except the following reddish-testaceous: all antennal segments (lighter apically), femora to tarsi of all legs ...
Context 2
... gone unnoticed by Coscarόn (1983a), as she purportedly examined Erichson's holotype. The length of the protibial fossula spongiosa is the most conspicuous morphological difference between Pirates myrmecinus and species of Rasahus. In both the male and the female from Belize, the fossula spongiosa covers at most half of the length of the protibia (Fig. 10A). The protibial fossula spongiosa also appears to be a similar length in Erichson's holotype (Fig. 8D). This contrasts other species of Rasahus, which have the protibial fossula spongiosa occupying three-fourths of the tibial length (Fig. 10B). The state of this character is heavily relied upon for segregating peiratine genera (e.g., ...
Context 3
... male and the female from Belize, the fossula spongiosa covers at most half of the length of the protibia (Fig. 10A). The protibial fossula spongiosa also appears to be a similar length in Erichson's holotype (Fig. 8D). This contrasts other species of Rasahus, which have the protibial fossula spongiosa occupying three-fourths of the tibial length (Fig. 10B). The state of this character is heavily relied upon for segregating peiratine genera (e.g., Stål 1872Stål , 1874Villiers 1948;Gil-Santana & Costa 2003). However, some genera well-delimited by other morphologies (i.e., Sirthenea Spinola, 1837; Tydides Stål, 1866) are known to possess limited degrees of intrageneric variation in the ...
Context 4
... protarsi differ markedly as well. In the Belizean specimens, the protarsi are long, being 1.2-1.3 mm, with a relatively longer apical tarsomere (segmental ratio: 1.0 : 1.8 : 2.5) (Fig. 9C, F); again, this is present in the Erichson's holotype (Fig. 8D). This contrasts the ratio in some similar-sized Rasahus, such as R. abolitus sp. nov. (Fig. 10B) and R. nesiotes sp. nov., in which the penultimate and ultimate tarsomere are subequal (segmental ratio: 1.0 : 1.6 : 1.6) and the protarsi are shorter, being only 0.6 mm (other appendages remain similar in size). However, the segmentation ratio of the protarsi differs interspecifically in ways previously unappreciated; for example, R. ...
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... the form of the metapleural sulcus has been an important character for generic diagnoses, albeit exclusively for New World taxa. Most genera, including Rasahus, possess a curved marginally-positioned metapleural sulcus. However, in the Belizean specimens, the sulcus appears wider and the anterior end starts higher on the metapleuron (Fig. 11A, B) than in examined species of Rasahus (Fig. 11C-G) and other genera (Fig. 11H, I). Despite being out of focus, this appears to be the form of the sulcus in Erichson's holotype too (Fig. 8E). However, this structure has largely been characterized bimodally (straight/medially-positioned vs. curved/laterallypositioned), and it remains ...
Context 6
... been an important character for generic diagnoses, albeit exclusively for New World taxa. Most genera, including Rasahus, possess a curved marginally-positioned metapleural sulcus. However, in the Belizean specimens, the sulcus appears wider and the anterior end starts higher on the metapleuron (Fig. 11A, B) than in examined species of Rasahus (Fig. 11C-G) and other genera (Fig. 11H, I). Despite being out of focus, this appears to be the form of the sulcus in Erichson's holotype too (Fig. 8E). However, this structure has largely been characterized bimodally (straight/medially-positioned vs. curved/laterallypositioned), and it remains questionable to what extent this character varies in ...
Context 7
... for generic diagnoses, albeit exclusively for New World taxa. Most genera, including Rasahus, possess a curved marginally-positioned metapleural sulcus. However, in the Belizean specimens, the sulcus appears wider and the anterior end starts higher on the metapleuron (Fig. 11A, B) than in examined species of Rasahus (Fig. 11C-G) and other genera (Fig. 11H, I). Despite being out of focus, this appears to be the form of the sulcus in Erichson's holotype too (Fig. 8E). However, this structure has largely been characterized bimodally (straight/medially-positioned vs. curved/laterallypositioned), and it remains questionable to what extent this character varies in other peiratine genera. The ...

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