Madagascar's millipede assassin bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae): Taxonomy, phylogenetics, and sexual dimorphism

Circumtropical millipede assassin bugs in the subfamily Ectrichodiinae are a diverse group of specialized millipede predators, representing the fifth largest subfamily of Reduviidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). More than 660 species in ~120 genera have been described from the Neotropics, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Currently, ten species are reported from Madagascar, one of the world’s premier biodiversity hotspots of critical conservation priority. The California Academy of Sciences’ Terrestrial Arthropod Inventory of Madagascar Project has been established to address the need for taxonomic exploration of Malagasy arthropods. This project has yielded 1,457 ectrichodiine specimens, providing an opportunity to explore delimitation of new taxa. A revision of the Malagasy Ectrichodiinae is currently in progress. Ectrichodiinae are unusual among reduviids in that species frequently display strong sexual dimorphism, rendering association of males and females difficult. Molecular approaches have been utilized to associate dimorphic sexes in Peiratinae (Reduviidae) [Zhang & Weirauch, 2011] and are incorporated as part of the Malagasy Ectrichodiinae revision. A molecular phylogeny is constructed to assess Malagasy Ectrichodiinae monophyly and test generic limits.