Diagnosis and Specialized Morphology

Species of Visayanocorinae are characterized by:

1. small size
2. glabrous integument
3. pyriform head (in lateral view)
4. lack of ocelli and transverse sulcus
5. flat eyes
6. long first visible labial segment
7. anterior tibia with spur-like flange
8. second tarsomeres extremely long

Taxonomic History

Visayanocorinae Miller, 1952 were created by Miller (1952) for one monotypic genus of small, delicate, and long-legged assassin bugs from the Philippines; the genus was later synonymized with Carayonia Villiers, 1951 and included in the Saicinae (Villiers, 1958). China and Miller (1959) did not agree with this classification and retained the Visayanocorinae. Subsequently, the group was either treated as distinct subfamily (Putshkov and Putshkov 1985, 1986-89) or as a part of the Saicinae (Maldonado 1990). The small and widely-distributed group currently comprises the genera Carayonia Villiers, 1951 (9 species; Afrotropical, Southeast Asia, Australia) and the monotypic genus Wardamanocoris Malipatil, 1990 (Australia). Villiers (1969) provided a key to the African species of Carayonia. The cladistic analysis of Weirauch (2008), based on morphological character data, recovered Carayonia as the sister taxon of Oncerotrachelus, which together form the sistergroup of the remaining Saicinae + Emesinae.

Natural History/Biology

Females in Carayonia camerunensis may be micropterous (Villiers, 1958). Specimens of Carayonia australiensis Malipatil, 1990 were collected using window or flight intercept traps or sieving rainforest leaf litter (Maliptail, 1990). Wardamanocoris formous Malipatil, 1990 is only known from MV light (Malipatil, 1990). Nothing else is known on their natural history.

References

China, W.E., Miller, N.C.E. 1959. Check-list and keys to the families and subfamilies of the Hemiptera-Heteroptera. Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Entomol. 8: 1-45.

Maldonado, J. 1990. Systematic catalogue of the Reduviidae of the world (Insecta: Heteroptera). Caribb. J. Sci. Special Edition: 1-694.

Miller. N.C.E. 1952. Three new subfamilies of Reduviidae (Hemiptera-Heteroptera). EOS 28: 85-90.

Putchkov, V.G., Putchkov, P.V. 1985. A Catalog of Assassin-Bug Genera of the World (Heteroptera, Reduviidae). [Published by the authors], Kiev. 137 pp.

Putchkov, V.G., Putchkov, P.V. 1986-1989. A Catalog of the Reduviidae (Heteroptera) of the World. Vinity, Lyubertsy. 6 vols.

Villiers, A. 1958.

Villiers, A. 1969.