no. 3614 HESPEROLABOPS — FROESCHNER 3 



The frequent listing of these bugs from "Opuntia" suggests that 

 they occur promiscuously on the various species of that genus ; however, 

 when the available specimens were arranged according to the present 

 taxonomic treatment, the limited associated ecological data suggested 

 the possibility of each species confining its attentions to one or at 

 most a few species of cacti. At least, where specifically determined 

 cactus hosts were found on specimen labels, one species of bug occurred 

 on one cactus host: H. gelastops on 0. engelmannii; H. nigriceps on 



0. megacantha; and the new species on 0. tomentosa. The single host 

 note for H. periscopis was for a cactus of another genus, Acanthocereus 

 horridus. Field observations are needed to confirm or refute this 

 theory of host specificity. 



The species may be arranged in two groups by the following 

 characters : 



Group A Group B 



(includes nigriceps, sanguineus, mexica) (includes gelastops, periscopis) 



hemelytron wholly fuscous hemelytron not wholly fuscous 



frons strongly tumid (fig. 6) frons weakly tumid (fig. 7) 



male genital capsule with a long, male genital segment without this 

 slender process at right posterodorsal process (fig. 3) 



angle (figs. 16, 18, 26) 



Nymphs associated with adults of H. gelastops and H. sanguineus, 

 and therefore tentatively identified as these species, show the greatly 

 elongated eye stalks characteristic of the imagos of the genus. In 

 addition, the H. sanguineus nymphs show a much more tumid frons 

 than do the nymphs of H. gelastops — even as do their respective 

 adults. 



Key to the Species of the Genus Flesperolabops 



1. Hemelytra wholly fuscous to black (teneral specimens sometimes slightly 



paler along costa) ; male genital segment with a very long, slender process 



on right posterodorsal angle (figs. 16, 18, 26) 2 



Hemelytra not wholly fuscous; male genital segment without a long, slender 

 process on right posterodorsal angle (figs. 3, 31) 4 



2. Calli and/ or collar blackened, at least laterally; scutellum fuscous to black 



except in depressed basal areas; right clasper of male without a long, 



slender, upcurved hook at apex (figs. 14, 20) 3 



Calli, collar and scutellum wholly red to orange red, in no part blackened; 

 apex of right clasper of male with a long, slender, upturned hook that is 

 almost as long as stout basal part (fig. 24); length 5.6-6.4 mm. 



sanguineus Carvalho 



3. Calli with outer third or more of dorsal surface strongly fuscous to black; 



male genital segment with a small, slender hook laterad of base of long 

 curved process at posterodorsal angle (fig. 18) ; length 6.3-7.3 mm. 



nigriceps Reuter 



Calli with fuscous to black coloring restricted to outer face, not invading 



dorsal surface; male without a hook at this point (fig. 16) ; length 6.2-7.0 mm. 



mexica, new species 



