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Issue: Vol. 2651 No. 1: 20 Oct. 2010
Type: Articles
Published: 2010-10-20
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2651.1.2
Page range: 27–42
Abstract views: 67
PDF downloaded: 3

A new Oncylocotis Stål (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Enicocephalidae) from Sabah: a predacious species associated with the yellow crazy ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Viničná 7, CZ-128 44 Praha 2, Czech Republic
Moravian Museum, Department of Entomology, Hviezdoslavova 29a, Brno, CZ-627 00 & Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Department of Forest Protection, Jíloviště – Strnady, Praha 5 – Zbraslav, CZ-156 04, Czech Republic
University of Wuerzburg, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biozentrum, Am Hubland, Wuerzburg, D-97074, Germany
Hemiptera Oncylocotis inexpectatus n. sp. taxonomy morphology clypeus abdomen clavus field ecology myrmecophily

Abstract

We describe Oncylocotis (Oncylocotis) inexpectatus n. sp. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Enicocephalomorpha: Enicocephalidae) from Malaysia (Sabah). It is the first species of this widely distributed Old World genus from Borneo. Some plesiomorphic anatomical features of the species are discussed and illustrated; e.g., the clypeus subdivided into well delimited anteclypeus and postclypeus; prescapite present; male abdominal segment 8 not modified for genital purposes, and abdominal segments 1–8 bearing spiracles in both males and females. New data on subdivision of the abdomen and venation of the clavus in enicocephalids are provided. The predacious O. inexpectatus n. sp. was found in association with the invasive 'yellow crazy ant', Anoplolepis gracilipes (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) which is ranked among the 100 most devastating invaders worldwide. We bring together the information on this association and review the known cases of myrmecophily in the infraorder Enicocephalomorpha. A list of insect species found as inquilines of A. gracilipes in Sabah is included.

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