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ISSN: 1989-6581
Grosso-Silva et al. (2023)
ARQUIVOS ENTOMOLÓXICOS, 26: 209-212
209
NOTA / NOTE
Polytoxus Spinola, 1850 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Saicinae), new
genus for Portugal, with records of Polytoxus sanguineus (A.
Costa, 1842) and Polytoxus siculus (A. Costa, 1842)
José Manuel Grosso-Silva 1, Thijs Valkenburg 2, Francisco Barros 3 &
Torsten van der Heyden 4
1 Museu de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade do Porto (MHNC-UP) / PRISC, Praça Gomes Teixeira,
4099-002 Porto, Portugal. e-mail: jmgrossosilva@mhnc.up.pt
2 Associação Vita Nativa - Conservação do Ambiente. Sítio Pinheiros de Marim, 247A, 8700-225 Olhão, Portugal.
e-mail: thijsvalkenburg@vitanativa.org
3 Rua da Eira 3, S. Salvador, 2550-251 Cercal, Portugal. e-mail: francbarros@gmail.com
4 Immenweide 83, 22523 Hamburg, Germany. e-mail: tmvdh@web.de
Abstract: The two European species of the saicine assassin bug genus Polytoxus Spinola, 1850 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae:
Saicinae), Polytoxus sanguineus (A. Costa, 1842) and Polytoxus siculus (A. Costa, 1842), are reported from Portugal for
the first time, greatly extending the known distribution range of both in the Iberian Peninsula. The global and the
Iberian (Portuguese districts and Spanish provinces) distribution of both species is reviewed and updated.
Key words: Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Polytoxus, Polytoxus sanguineus, Polytoxus siculus, first records, Portugal.
Resumen: Polytoxus Spinola, 1850 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Saicinae), nuevo género para Portugal, con registros de
Polytoxus sanguineus (A. Costa, 1842) y Polytoxus siculus (A. Costa, 1842). Se citan las dos especies europeas del
género Polytoxus Spinola, 1850 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Saicinae), Polytoxus sanguineus (A. Costa, 1842) y Polytoxus
siculus (A. Costa, 1842), por primera vez de Portugal, ampliando considerablemente su distribución conocida en la
Península Ibérica. Se revisan y actualizan las distribuciones global e ibérica (distritos portugueses y provincias españolas)
de las dos especies.
Palabras clave: Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Polytoxus, Polytoxus sanguineus, Polytoxus siculus, primeros registros, Portugal.
Recibido: 1 de mayo de 2023 Publicado on-line: 21 de mayo de 2023
Aceptado: 11 de mayo de 2023
Introduction
The genus Polytoxus Spinola, 1850 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Saicinae) includes around 80 species
distributed in the Afrotropical, Oriental and Australian Regions, as well as in some areas of the
Palaearctic Region (namely southern Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia) (RÉDEI & TSAI, 2010). In
Europe, the genus is represented by Polytoxus sanguineus (A. Costa, 1842) and Polytoxus siculus (A.
Costa, 1842), while a third species (Polytoxus jeanneli Villiers, 1942, only recorded once from Spain by
RIBES, 1974), was considered not established by PUTSHKOV & MOULET (2009).
In this study, we present the first Portuguese records of both European species of Polytoxus, a
genus previously unrecorded from Portugal, based on specimens deposited in the collection of MHNC-UP
(Museu de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade do Porto, Portugal) and photographs uploaded
to the citizen science online platform iNaturalist.org.
Grosso-Silva et al. (2023): Polytoxus Spinola, 1850 (Hem.: Reduviidae: Saicinae), new genus for Portugal, with records of…
210
Polytoxus sanguineus (A. Costa, 1842)
Polytoxus sanguineus was considered a very rare species by PUTSHKOV & MOULET (2009). Its
distribution includes Europe [France (mainland and Corsica), Italy (mainland, Sardinia, and Sicily), and
Spain] and Africa (Algeria and Ethiopia) (PUTSHKOV & PUTSHKOV, 1996; PUTSHKOV & MOULET,
2009). Up to now, the Iberian known distribution (Map 1) was limited to the Spanish provinces of
Alicante (RIBES & SAULEDA, 1979) and Barcelona (RIBES, 1990). New species for Portugal with two
records from the southernmost Portuguese district of Faro (Map 1).
Material examined:
Faro district:
Lagoa municipality: Arrozal da Nossa Senhora do Rosário - Estômbar (37.167222, -8.488333;
MGRS: 29SNB4513), 09/09/2021, 1 specimen photographed by Thijs Valkenburg during the night
next to a reedbed [Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin ex.Steud.]:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/94259619.
Loulé municipality: Vilamoura marshes (37.088758, -8.134745; MGRS: 29SNB7605), 08/01/2023,
2 ♂♂, Thijs Valkenburg leg. (MHNCUP-ART-41099 and MHNCUP-ART-41100). The specimens
were detected using a beating tray along reedbeds [Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin ex.Steud.]
and photographed by Thijs Valkenburg: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/146143304 and
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/146143310. Fig. 1 shows the specimen MHNCUP-ART-
41099.
Polytoxus siculus (A. Costa, 1842)
Polytoxus siculus is known from Europe [Croatia, France (Corsica only), Greece, Italy, and Spain] and
from northern Africa (Egypt) (PUTSHKOV & PUTSHKOV, 1996; PUTSHKOV & MOULET, 2009;
DUHAZÉ et al., 2021).
The known Iberian distribution of P. siculus is restricted to the Spanish province of Barcelona
(RIBES, 1961) (Map 2). The threat status of this species in the Iberian Peninsula was evaluated by
GOULA et al. (2011) as “Data Deficient”, revising the “Vulnerable” status previously attributed by
RIBES (2005). New species for Portugal based on a photographic record (Fig. 2) from central Portugal
(Map 2).
Material examined:
Lisboa district:
Cadaval municipality: Cercal (39.210453, -8.996995; 29SND0040), 03/10/2011, 1 ♂ photographed
by Francisco Barros: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/14817230.
References
DUHAZÉ, B., MOULET, P. & DANFLOUS, S. 2021. Une nouvelle espèce pour la faune de France,
présence de Polytoxus siculus (A. Costa, 1842) en Corse (Hemiptera Reduviidae Saicinae).
L’Entomologiste, 77(4): 225-230.
GOULA, M., RIBES, J. & BAENA, M. 2011. Polytoxus siculus (A. Costa, 1842), pp. 1244-1247. In: Verdú,
J.R., Numa, C. & Galante, E. (eds.). Atlas y Libro Rojo de los Invertebrados amenazados de España
(Especies Vulnerables). Dirección General de Medio Natural y Política Forestal, Ministerio de Medio
Ambiente, Medio rural y Marino, Madrid. 1318 pp.
ARQUIVOS ENTOMOLÓXICOS, 26: 209-212
211
PUTSHKOV, P.V. & MOULET, P. 2009. Hémiptères Reduviidae d’Europe Occidentale. Faune de France:
France et régions limitrophes, 92. Fédération Française des Sociétés de Sciences Naturelles, Paris. 668
pp. + 24 pr.
PUTSHKOV, P.V. & PUTSHKOV, V.G. 1996. Family Reduviidae Latreille, 1807 - assassin-bugs, pp. 148-
265. In: Aukema, B. & Rieger, C. (eds.). Catalogue of the Heteroptera of the Palaearctic Region. Volume
2. Cimicomorpha I. The Netherlands Entomological Society, Amsterdam. 361 pp.
RÉDEI, D. & TSAI, J.-F. 2010. A survey of the saicine assassin bugs of Taiwan (Hemiptera:
Heteroptera: Reduviidae). Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae, 50(1): 15-32.
RIBES, J. 1961. I. – Contribución al estudio de los Reduviidae de Cataluña. Miscelánea Zoológica, 1(4):
57-73.
RIBES, J. 1974. Hemípteros de la zona de Algeciras (Cádiz). III. Miscelánea Zoológica, 3(4): 11-19.
RIBES, J. 1990 (1989). Miscel.lània hemipterològica ibèrica (Heteroptera). Sessió Conjunta
d’Entomologia ICHN-SCL, VI: 19-35.
RIBES, J. 2005. Polytoxus siculus (A. Costa, 1842), pp. 199-200. In: Verdú, J.R. & Galante, E. (eds.).
Libro Rojo de los Invertebrados de España. Dirección General de Conservación de la Naturaleza, Madrid
(online version: https://cibio.ua.es/lrie/fichas/PolytoxusSiculus.pdf, last accessed on 30 April 2023).
RIBES, J. & SAULEDA, N. 1979. Heterópteros de Alicante y zonas adyacentes. Mediterránea, 3: 123-
158.
Fig. 1.- Male specimen of Polytoxus sanguineus (A.
Costa, 1842) collected in the Vilamoura marshes (Loulé,
Portugal) on 08/01/2023 (MHNCUP-ART-41099). Photo:
Thijs Valkenburg.
Fig. 2.- Specimen of Polytoxus siculus (A. Costa, 1842)
photographed in Cercal (Cadaval, Portugal) on
03/10/2011. Photo: Francisco Barros.
1
2
Grosso-Silva et al. (2023): Polytoxus Spinola, 1850 (Hem.: Reduviidae: Saicinae), new genus for Portugal, with records of…
212
Map 1.- Iberian distribution of Polytoxus sanguineus (A. Costa, 1842) (grey: previously known Spanish
provinces; green: new Portuguese district; orange: new Portuguese MGRS 100 km2 squares).
Map 2.- Iberian distribution of Polytoxus siculus (A. Costa, 1842) (grey: previously known Spanish province;
green: new Portuguese district; orange: new Portuguese MGRS 100 km2 square).
