D3224: Converging evolution: Madagascar's novel Saicini genus mirrors traits of Emesini

 The tribe Saicini (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae) comprises ~25 genera and 155 species, and can be found in tropical environments worldwide. The ecology and life history of species within the tribe is not well studied, and most are found at lights or in leaf litter. We here present a new genus and species of Saicini from Madagascar that is easily distinguished from other members of Saicini. This species shares with non-saicini Emesinae the dramatically elongated forecoxa that has been shown to be a convergent evolutionary origin of a hyper-elongated forecoxa. This species is additionally important for our interpretation of foreleg armature in Saicini, indicating that the last common ancestor of Saicini was armed with spines. We here document the morphology of this new taxon using SEM and macro imaging, focusing on general habitus and details of various structures.