Published May 14, 2021 | Version v1
Taxonomic treatment Open

Malayamiridius Yasunaga & Chérot & Schwartz 2021, new genus

Description

Malayamiridius, new genus

Type species. Malayamiridius nigrotenuis Yasunaga, Chérot & Schwartz, new species.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from superficially similar mirine genera (e.g., Adelphocoris Reuter, Creontiades Distant, Megacoelum Fieber, Orientomiris Yasunaga) by the following combination of characters: Remarkably slender, parallel-sided body more than 3.5× as long as maximum width; moderate size (4.8−6.6 mm in total length); uniformly fuscous, shagreened, almost glabrous dorsum (Fig. 1A) with minute, reticular surface structure (cf. Fig. 2C, L); smooth, roundly vertical head with a longitudinal mesal sulcation on vertex (Fig. 2I, J); a sharp spine at base of each claw (Fig. 2 E−G); developed, lamellate parempodia (Fig. 2E); narrow pygophore with apical spine ventrally (Fig. 2D); generally short parameres (Fig. 3A, B); membranous endosoma with pair of narrow sclerotised supports on posterior surface and pair of small spiculate fields on membrane basad of secondary gonopore (Fig. 3C, D); broad, spade-shaped apex of gonapophysis I (Fig. 9B); and wide, broadly ovoid interramal lobe (Figs. 3F, 8A).

Description. Male. Body medium-sized, remarkably slender and elongate, parallel-sided, not sexually dimorphic in general shape. COLOURATION: Dorsum generally fuscous. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum somewhat matte, weakly shining, covered with micro-reticulate structure, almost glabrous, pronotum, scutellum, hemelytron, and thoracic pleura with similar reticular structure (Fig. 2L); sparsely distributed, minute sensory setae, or trichobothria (which are invisible using light microscopy, cf. Fig. 2C). STRUCTURE: Head: Somewhat bulbous, vertical in lateral view; eyes removed from anterior margin of pronotal collar; vertex with a shallow, longitudinal sulcus mesally; frons and clypeus flattened. Antenna: Longer than body, almost linear, not incrassate; segment I about as long as width of head across eyes, slightly longer than IV; segments II–IV almost uniform in thickness; segment III slightly shorter than II. Labium: Relatively short, reaching or slightly surpassing apex of mesocoxa, slightly shorter than antennal segment II. Thorax: Pronotum moderately rounded posteriorly; calli reduced, indistinct, with slightly raised posterior half; collar flattened, about as thick as base of antennal segment I; propleuron not margined nor carinate; metathoracic scent efferent system subtriangular, with narrow mesothoracic evaporatorium (or accessory evaporatorium, sensu Yasunaga & Duwal, 2019) (Fig. 2B, K); scutellum rather flat; mesoscutum without reticulation, only roughened. Hemelytron: Parallel-sided, weakly constricted at middle; cuneus small, about 1.5× as long as basal width. Legs: Long, generally slender; tibial spines short, sparse; meta-tarsomere I shorter than II or III; pretarsus with noticeable spine subbasally on each claw (Fig. 2E–G); parempodia lanceolate, lamellate, rather widened; pulvilli absent. Abdomen: Slender, parallel-sided, with apex reaching middle of forewing membrane (at level of apex of cuneus) in ventral view (as in Fig. 1B, C). Genitalia (Fig. 3A–D): Pygophore short, slender, narrowly produced, somewhat flattened apically, with flat apical spine ventrally (Fig. 2D). Parameres generally short (Fig. 3A, B); left paramere C-shaped, with stout sensory lobe and L-shaped hypophysis terminated in a blunt, flattened tip. Phallotheca smooth; endosoma (vesica) membranous, supported on posterior surface by pair of long, narrow sclerites; anterior surface of membrane with pair of small spiculate or dentate fields basad of either side of secondary gonopore, membrane with larger basal field of spicules and with some apical spicules (Fig. 3C, D); ductus seminis weakly expanded apicad.

Female. As in male. Genitalia (Figs. 3E, F, 8 A−C, 9A, B): Ovipositors generally stout (Fig. 9A, B); gonapophysis I with apical part significantly broadened, spade-shaped (Fig. 9B); gonapophysis II (Figs. 8C, 9A) with apical half expanded towards minutely teethed, sword-shaped apex. Lateral oviduct obscure. Sclerotised ring (Fig. 3E) crescent, rather thin-rimmed, with broadened posterolateral corner; dorsal labiate plate with spiculate posterior sclerite spanning bursa copulatix; ventral labiate plate broad laterally, narrow in middle, supporting spiculate intersegmental membrane continuous with dorsal structure of posterior wall. Posterior wall (Figs. 3F, 8A, B) with thick, broadly ovoid interramal lobe; dorsal structure reduced.

Etymology. Named for Malaya, combined with mirine genus Miridius Fieber (with similarly slender-bodied representatives); most of the specimens of the type species were collected in Malaysia and neighbouring areas; gender masculine.

Discussion. This unique genus is herein established for a single representative which has the following combination of distinct characters: Body fuscous, remarkably slender; dorsum shagreened, impunctate, nearly glabrous; ventral basal surface of each claw with noticeable spine; pygophore with flat ventral spine; endosoma [vesica] small-sized, almost entirely membranous, with a row of sharp spicules along gonoporal rim; female genitalia with apical region of gonapophysis I broadened, arrowed; dorsal labiate plate with spiculate sclerite on posterior margin spanning bursa copulatrix and interramal lobe of posterior wall wide, strongly developed, broadly ovoid.

Malayamiridius is most similar in general appearance to Creontiades Distant or Orientomiris Yasunaga, from which the present new genus can be distinguished by the abovementioned characters. Judging from the male and female genitalic structures, relationships between these three genera are considered to be only superficial (cf. Yasunaga, 1997; Yasunaga et al., 2001; Chérot & Malipatil, 2016).

The shagreened dorsal surface in Malayamiridius is formed by reticulated cuticle ultrastructure (cf. Fig. 2C, L). Ficinus Distant, 1893 and Jornandes Distant, 1884, two genera of New World Orthotylini (Schaffner & Schwartz, 2008) have similar dorsal sculpturation, caused rather by minute punctation (see Schaffner & Schwartz, 2008: figs. 6A, 17A, 20A, 28A).

Notes

Published as part of Yasunaga, Tomohide, Chérot, Frédéric & Schwartz, Michael D., 2021, New genera and species of the Oriental mirine plant bugs from Southeast Asia, with six new combinations (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirinae: Mirini), pp. 137-155 in Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 69 on pages 138-141, DOI: 10.26107/RBZ-2021-0012, http://zenodo.org/record/5351998

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Linked records

Additional details

Biodiversity

Family
Miridae
Genus
Malayamiridius
Kingdom
Animalia
Order
Hemiptera
Phylum
Arthropoda
Scientific name authorship
Yasunaga & Chérot & Schwartz
Taxonomic status
gen. nov.
Taxon rank
genus
Taxonomic concept label
Malayamiridius Yasunaga, Chérot & Schwartz, 2021

References

  • Yasunaga T & Duwal RK (2019) Reassessment of taxonomic characters for the plant bug genus Hypseloecus Reuter, with descriptions of new species of Hypseloecus and the related genus Lasiolabops Poppius (Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae). Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, 159: 41 - 65.
  • Yasunaga T (1997) Revision of the mirine genus Creontiades Distant and allies from Japan (Heteroptera, Miridae). Part I. True members of Creontiades. Japanese Journal of Entomology, 65: 541 - 555.
  • Yasunaga T, Takai M & Kawasawa T (eds.) (2001) A Field Guide to Japanese Bugs II. Zenkoku Noson Kyoiku Kyokai, Publishing Co. Ltd., Tokyo, 351 pp.
  • Cherot F & Malipatil MB (2016) A review of Adelphocoris - Creontiades - Megacoelum complex (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirini), with descriptions of two new genera and four new species. Zootaxa, 4126 (2): 151 - 206. http: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 4126.2.1
  • Schaffner JC & Schwartz MD (2008) Revision of the Mexican genera Ficinus Distant and Jornandes Distant with the description of 21 new species (Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae: Orthotylini). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, No. 309: 1 - 87.