REVISION OF THE GENUS PEIRATES SERVILLE, WITH A CLADISTIC AND BIOGEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS (HETEROPTERA, REDUVIIDAE, PEIRATINAE)

The genus Peirates Serville is revised. A total of 32 species are reco gnized. Its species are assigned to the P. quadrinotatus, P. singulari s and P. lepturoides species groups. The P. quadrinotatus species grou p includes P. argenteopilosus Schouteden and P. quadrinotatus Fabriciu s; the P. singularis species group comprises its sole species P. singu laris Stal, and the P. lepturoides species group is formed by P. atrom aculatus (Stal) (= P. buruanus Miller, P. consobrinus Miller, Fl excel sus Miller, P. immaculatus Miller. P. sordidus Miller, syn. n.), P. mo nodi Villiers, P, mundulus Stal, Fl nanus Miller, P, niger Signoret, F I nitidicollis Reuter, P. ochripennis Jeannel, P. perinetensis Villier s, P. strepitans Rambur, P. stridulus (Fabricius), P. tellini Schouted en, P. turpis Walker, I? aurigans Distant, Fl balteatus Germar, P. cas taneipenis Reuter, Fl cinctiventris Horvath, P. collarti Schouteden, F t confusus Schouteden (= I? amieti Villiers, syn, n.), FI crudelis sp. n., P. dimidiatus Walker (= P. areatus Miller. syn. n.), P. diola Lin dberg, Fl hybridus (Scopoli), P. lepturoides (Wolff) (= P. mimulus Mil ler, P. musculus Miller, P. sparsus Miller, syn. n.), P. macilentus Mi ller, P. marginiventris Distant, P. maurus Stal, P. monodi Villiers, P . mundulus Stal, FI nanus Miller, P. nigerrimus sp. n., P. nitidicolli s Reuter, P. ochripennis Jeannel, P. perinetensis Villiers. P. strepit ans Rambur, P. stridulus (Fabricius), Fl tellini Schouteden, and P. tu rpis Walker. Besides, P. sepulchralis Distant and P. sin Linnavuori ar e transferred to Brachysandalus Stal, and Fl barbarus Miller, P. bicol or Distant, P. bicoloripes Breddin, P. flavipes (Walker), P. montivagu s Distant, P. pallens Miller, and P. semifasciatus to Lestomerus Amyot & Serville, and P. umbrosus Stal to Microsandalus Stal. P. concinnus Walker cannot be assigned to any existing genus. P. cyaneonitens Bredd in was not studied, and P. parvulus (Signoret), Fl punctum (Fabricius) , P. vittatus Reuter are considered as nomina dubia. Species are descr ibed, illustrated, and their geographical distribution is mapped. A ke y for separating all the species is given. A phylogenetic analysis of the species is presented. In the cladogram, the P. quadrinotatus, FI s ingularis and P. lepturoides species groups are monophyletic and a sis ter group relationship exists between the P. quadrinotatus group and t he combined P. singularis + P. lepturoides groups. The geographical di stribution of the species shows an African-Indopacific generalized tra ck with an Indian Ocean baseline. The genus Peirates is hypothesized t o have a tropical Gondwanan origin, with subsequent spread into the Pa learctic region.