Michael D. Webb’s research while affiliated with Natural History Museum, London and other places

The leafhopper genus Smyga Dworakowska (Typhlocybinae, Empoascini) is reviewed and a new species, S. brevipenis Webb & Xu, sp. nov. from Brunei and Malaysia, is described based on specimens previously identified as “aberrant specimens” of Smyga distincta Dworakowska. Images of the types of S. brevipenis and S. distincta are given for the first time. A checklist and key to known species of Smyga are also provided.

The thread-legged bug genus Onychomesa Wygodzinsky 1966 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae: Emesini, formerly Metapterini) and its three described species are reviewed. The Sri Lankan species Ischnonyctes alatus Distant 1903 is resurrected from the synonymy with Schidium marcidum (Uhler, 1896) and transferred to Onychomesa, and O. susainathani Wygodzinsky, 1966 is considered a junior synonym of this species, resulting in the following taxonomic changes: O. alata (Distant 1903), stat. rev. et comb. nov. = O. susainathani Wygodzinsky 1966, syn. nov. The lectotype of I. alatus is designated. A new species, O. schuhi Chen et Cai, sp. nov., is described from Hainan Island, southern China. An updated key to the species of Onychomesa is provided.

Simple Summary The assassin bug subfamily Stenopodainae is the fifth largest group of Reduviidae, with about 770 valid species known worldwide. Many taxa of Stenopodainae have been poorly studied and are therefore in need of revision. Argolis Stål, 1861 is a medium-sized genus of Stenopodainae with native species occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The Asian fauna of Argolis is revised in this study, resulting in the recognition of two species, and the Oriental genera Bardesanes Distant, 1909 and Neoklugia Distant, 1919 are here considered junior synonyms of Argolis. Taxonomic changes are proposed accordingly in the present study, and the significant sexual dimorphism, systematic relationships, and distribution of Argolis are also discussed. Abstract The assassin bug genus Argolis Stål, 1861 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Stenopodainae) has a disjunct distribution in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In the present study, the Asian species of Argolis are revised. Two species are recognized, redescribed, and illustrated, with the following new subjective synonyms and new combination proposed: Argolis Stål, 1861 = Bardesanes Distant, 1909, syn. nov. = Neoklugia Distant, 1919, syn. nov.; A. farinator (Reuter, 1882) = N. typica Distant, 1919, syn. nov. = B. sericenotatus Livingstone & Ravichandran, 1989, syn. nov.; A. signata (Distant, 1909), comb. nov. (transferred from Bardesanes) = Caunus noctulus Hsiao, 1977, syn. nov. Lectotypes for C. farinator, B. signatus, and N. typica are designated. A key to separate the two Asian species of Argolis is provided. The sexual dimorphism, systematic relationships, and distribution of Argolis are discussed. Argolis is newly recorded from Laos, Pakistan, and Vietnam.

The nominate subgenus Pediopsoides (Pediopsoides) Matsumura, 1912 is widely distributed in the Oriental region but has high species diversity only in southern China. The present paper describes and illustrates six new species of Pediopsoides (Pediopsoides) namely, P. (P.) ailaoshanensis Li & Dai, sp. nov. , P. (P.) quadrispinosus Li & Dai, sp. nov. , P. (P.) flavus Li & Dai, sp. nov. , and P. (P.) pianmaensis Li & Dai, sp. nov. all collected in Yunnan Province, southwestern China, P. (P.) maoershanensis Li & Dai, sp. nov. , found in Guangxi Autonomous Region, southern China, and P. (P.) huangi Li & Dai sp. nov. , from Taiwan, previously incorrectly recorded as a new name by Li & Dai, 2018 in Dai et al. 2018: 203 for P. (P.) femorata Huang & Viraktamath, 1993 (nec Pediopsis femorata Hamilton, 1980). Two new junior synonyms of Sispocnis Anufriev, 1967 are proposed, i.e., Digitalis Liu & Zhang, 2002, syn. nov. and Neosispocnis Dmitriev, 2020, syn. nov.

Brochosomes derived from the specialized glandular segments of the Malpighian tubules (MTs) form superhydrophobic coatings for insects of Membracoidea, and have multiple hypothetical functions. However, the constituents, biosynthesis and evolutionary origin of brochosomes remain poorly understood. We investigated general chemical and physical characteristics of the integumental brochosomes (IBs) of the leafhopper Psammotettix striatus, determined the constituents of IBs, identified the unigenes involved in brochosomal protein synthesis, and investigated the potential associations among brochosomal protein synthesis, amino acid composition of food source, and the possible roles of endosymbionts in brochosome production. The results show that IBs are mainly composed of glycine- and tyrosine-rich proteins and some metal elements, which contain both essential and non-essential amino acids (EAAs and NEAAs) for insects, including EAAs deficient in the sole food source. All 12 unigenes involved in synthesizing the 12 brochosomal proteins (BPs) with high confidence are exclusively highly expressed in the glandular segment of MTs, confirming that brochosomes are synthesized by this segment. The synthesis of BPs is one of the key synapomorphies of Membracoidea but may be lost secondarily in a few lineages. The synthesis of BPs might be related to the symbiosis of leafhoppers/treehoppers with endosymbionts that provide these insects with EAAs, including those are deficient in the sole diet (i.e., plant sap) and could only be made available by the symbionts. We hypothesize that the functional modification of MTs have combined with the application of BPs enabling Membracoidea to colonize and adapt to novel ecological niches, and evolve to the dramatic diversification of this hemipteran group (in particular the family Cicadellidae). This study highlights the importance of evolutionary plasticity and multiple functions of MTs in driving the adaptations and evolution of sap-sucking insects of Hemiptera.

Two new leafhopper species of Pediopsis Burmeister, Pediopsis albopicta Li & Dai, sp. nov. from Hunan and Guizhou provinces of central China and Pediopsis pianmaensis Li & Dai, sp. nov. from Yunnan Province of southwestern China, are described and illustrated. Ambiguity in the original description of P. bannaensis Yang & Zhang is discussed, and figures of the female holotype of P. femorata Hamilton are provided for the first time. A checklist and key to Chinese species of Pediopsis are also given.

We present an annotated and illustrated type catalogue of the predacious shieldbugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae), housed in the collection of the Natural History Museum, London. This work involves recognising types and their status, recording their label data and providing images of both the types and their labels. Although we personally refrain from designating lectotypes as the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature recommends that it should be done “as part of a revisionary or other taxonomic work” (ICZN 1999: Recommendation 74G), we have nevertheless accepted that lectotypes were designated before 2000 (see ICZN 1999: Art. 74 §§ 5 and 6), for the following 43 species: by Distant (1880) for Apateticus halys Dallas, Arma fuscescens Dallas, Arma modesta Dallas, Arma tincta Dallas, Oplomus rutilus Dallas, Oplomus ventralis Dallas, Stiretrus ornatus Dallas, Stiretrus ruficeps Dallas; by Synave (1969) for Mecosoma floridum Distant and Podisus volxemi Distant; by Thomas (1992) for Arma ampla Walker, Arma grandis Dallas, Arma lateralis Walker, Arma nigrispina Dallas, Arma obscura Dallas, Mormidea semialba Walker, Oplomus equestris Distant, Oplomus festivus Dallas, Oplomus nigripennis Dallas, Oplomus pulcher Dallas, Oplomus stellatus Distant, Oplomus violaceus Dallas, Platynopus conspersus Walker, Podisus amulae Distant, Podisus falcatus Distant, Podisus gaumeri Distant, Podisus insignis Distant, Podisus nigriventris Distant, Podisus sculptus Distant, Podisus smithi Distant, Stiretrus annulatus Distant, Stiretrus caeruleus Dallas, Supputius typicus Distant, Tynacantha marginata Dallas, Tynacantha splendens Distant, Zicrona cuprea Dallas and Zicrona marginella Dallas; and by Thomas (1994) for Anasida funebris Distant, Damarius bicolor Distant, Neoglypsus opulentus Distant, Neoglypsus viridicatus Distant, Incitatus primus Distant, and Jalloides versicolor Distant. We have also found out that Synave (1969) had designated the lectotype of Glypsus erubescens Distant before Linnavuori (1975). A syntype of Oplomus distinctus Distant, 1880 is located and Thomas’s (1992: 57) synonymy of this species with O. catena (Drury, 1782) is confirmed. Informations regarding labels used by the first five curators of Hemiptera at the Natural History Museum, London (Adam White, William S. Dallas, Francis Walker, William L. Distant and William E. China) are provided. In total, we list herein 248 specimens examined in NHMUK (49 holotypes, 41 lectotypes, 84 syntypes, 17 paratypes, 25 paralectotypes, and 32 non-types which are historical specimens), representing 149 nominal species or 104 currently valid species (ca. 34% of the just over 300 valid Asopinae species worldwide).