Perissobasis heroni Ferreira & Coelho

Ferreira, Paulo Sérgio F., Uceli, Lorena F., Coelho, Lívia A. & Pirovani, Victor D., 2009, Description of a new species Perissobasis heroni (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Deraeocorinae), found on Coffea arabica, and with a key to Neotropical species of the genus, Zootaxa 2127, pp. 50-58 : 51-56

Perissobasis heroni Ferreira & Coelho new species

( Figs. 2–3 )

Diagnosis. Hemelytra with two black traverse stripes on corium crossing from base of cuneus to embolial suture; underside with mesosternum bright red. Male genitalia with two spiculate processes, one large, flat, and acute apically, the other shorter with apex and dorsal margin indented. The left paramere hooked, apex truncate with a small spine laterally; sensory lobe well developed and tumid.

Description. Male ( Figs. 2–3 ): Measurements taken from six specimens. Holotype first, followed by average and range (minimum and maximum).

Holotype ( Fig. 2 ): Deraeocorinae , Hyaliodini . Body shiny and oval. General color light brown to reddish, with stripes and areas black, red and fuliginous. Vestiture with pale and semi-erect hairs. Head and pronotum shiny, except collar dull. Abdomen and legs with erect setae. Antennae covered with setae longer than diameter of segments (except antennal segment I). Head ( Fig. 2 , C) broader than long, weakly convex dorsally, shiny, broad at base and weakly acuminate between antennal sockets to apex; basal margin slightly concave, contiguous with anterior margin of pronotum; dorsal and ventral vestiture with erect and pale setae. Vertex flattened, posterior margin carinate with a median longitudinal furrow ( Fig. 2 , C). Frons smooth and declivous; clypeus convex, parallel sided, delimited at base from frons; eyes sessile, large, contiguous to anterior margin of pronotum, occupying almost all lateral view; internal margin of eyes concave outlining the antennal sockets; sockets very close but not touching adjacent eye. Antennae ( Fig. 2 , D) with first antennal segments very tumid, the other segments cylindrical; second antennal segment sinuous; antennae with erect hairs longer than diameter of segments (except segment I, equal to or shorter than diameter of segment); relative lengths of antennal segments from shortest to longest: III-IV-I-II; antennal segment I longer than vertex width; segments III and IV shorter, and subequal in length; segment II longer than the combined lengths of segments I, III and IV. Gula short. Rostrum reaching middle of mesosternum. Pronotum shining, deeply punctuate, except for smoothly polished calli, with long, semi-erect, dense pubescence. Collar dull, well delimited, convex, separated from reminder of pronotum by punctate suture, extending to lateral margins of pronotum. Calli weakly delimited, bright, polished. and impunctate.

Lateral margins of pronotum rounded, not carinate; posterior margin slightly convex medially exposing small part of mesoscutum; discal area moderately convex. Legs with femora and tibiae with semierect setae equal to or longer than diameter of segments; tibiae with lines of dark micro spines. Mesoscutum smooth and slightly exposed. Scutellum smooth, shining. and slightly convex; lateral margins enlarged and flat; apex acute. Hemelytra subparallel, lateral margins straight, slightly rugose, shining, more or less hyaline with dense semierect pubescence; claval and embolial sutures punctate; embolium large, flattened, clearly delimited to apex. Cuneus as long as wide. Membrane covered with very short pubescence.

General coloration brownish with fuscous areas and red markings. Head predominantly light brown with area behind clypeus whitish; head whitish beneath. Antennae uniformly reddish with segments III and IV darker. Rostrum predominantly light brown becoming darker to apex. Pronotum brown, with two black spots on calli. Hemelytron light brown with clavus and area of endocorium close to apex of clavus brownish; one band on corium from base of cuneus to embolial suture fuscous; claval commissure, claval suture, embolial suture, internal margins of cuneus reddish. Membrane somewhat uniformly fuscous with large veins red. Scutellum uniformly light brown with median basal area whitish.

Underside ( Fig. 2 , B) whitish with propleuron brown; mesosternum bright red; mesepisternum, mesepimerum, metepisternum, and lateral first abdominal segment black; ostiolar peritreme pale; genital capsule darker. Legs uniformly light brown with tarsal claws fuscous.

Genitalia ( Fig. 3 ): Vesica of aedeagus ( Fig. 3 , A) with two spiculate processes, one large, flat and acute apically; the second, shorter with apex and dorsal margin indented. Secondary gonopore inconspicuous with complex sclerotized structures ( Fig. 3 , A). Left paramere ( Fig. 3 , B) hook-shaped, apex truncate with a small spine laterally; sensory lobe well developed and tumid. Right paramere greatly reduced. Theca simple, without ornamentations and open longitudinally.

Female: Measurements taken from 5 specimens. Average and range (minimum and maximum).

Females similar to males in general color and morphology. Females lack the two black spots on calli; the calli are uniformly brown; a few specimens have the shining black line on posterior borders. Underside with mesepisternum, mesepimerum,, and metepisternum brown, not black as in male.

Discussion. Some exemplars show the general coloration varying from brown to reddish brown. The femora vary from uniformly light brown to light brown becoming reddish to apex. The reddish areas of cuneus in some specimens differ from internal to external margins and few specimens include the apex of cuneus. The membrane of hemelytra varies from somewhat uniformly fuscous to fuscous with a spot on internal basal area of larger cell darker to black.

The species can be distinguished from other species in Perissobasis by the following characters: first antennal segment ( Fig. 2 , D) tumid, not flat or leaflike; second antennal segment ( Fig. 2 , D) sinuous and four times the length of first segment. And by male genitalia ( Fig. 3 , A) with two spiculate processes, one large, flat, and acute apically; the second, shorter with apex and dorsal margin indented. Left paramere ( Fig. 3 , B) hook shaped, apex truncate with a small spine laterally; sensory lobe well developed and tumid.

Most members of the Deraeocorinae are predaceous on other insects. Knight (1923, 1968) reported specimens of Clivinema sericea Knight from New Mexico “preying on Orthezia sp.” (a scale). Henry (1979) indicated that species of “ Bothynotus genus are, as most other deraeocorine mirids, predators of certain coexisting arthropods”. Henry et al. 1986 outlined the habits of Stethoconus japonicus Schumacher as a predator of lace bug ( Tingidae ). Ferreira (1998) observed several specimens of Ambracius dufouri Stal preying on scales ( Orthezia sp.) found on Hybiscus sp. ( Malvaceae ). There are several records of Deraeocoris species as aphid predators. Knight (1921) emphasized the predacious tendencies of Nearctic Deraeocoris and found D. fasciolus Knight closely associated with the rosy apple aphid ( Dysaphis plantaginea ). Other examples are Deraeocapsus ingens Van Duzee ) that prey Cinara ponderosae (Williams) on Ponderosa pine in California, USA, and Hyaliodes vittaticornis Bruner that prey on aphids in an unspecified plant host at Cuba (Wheeler 2000). Nymphs of P. h e ro n i were also found in the coffee crop described above where the adults were collected. Although other coffee crops were investigated near Campos Altos city, these mirids were not found. However, more studies are necessary to establish the true value of P. heroni in the biocontrol of coffee crop pest arthropods.

No specimens of P heroni specimens were found outside of coffee plants.

Geographic distribution: The genus occurs in Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil (BA, MT, MG, RJ, SP, RS), Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela ( Maldonado 1971; Carvalho & Gomes 1972; Carvalho 1982, 1990).

Host Plant: Coffea arabica .

Etymology: This species is named in honor of my good friend Heron Reger de Carvalho who has been giving support to me and my students in his farms at Campos Altos City, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, to develop entomological researches.

Material examined: Holotype, male, Campos Altos, MG, BR. Faz. Heron Carvalho, 14-20/11/2004, Café Catuaí (20 anos), col. P.S. Fiuza F. Paratypes: 20 females and 12 males, same label data from holotype. The type material is deposited in the collection of Museu Regional de Entomologia, Federal University of Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Perissobasis heroni, male, holotype. A—dorsal habitus; B—ventral habitus; C—head and D – antenna.

FIGURE 3. Perissobasis heroni, male genitalia. A—Vesica of aedeagus with two spiculate processes and complex sclerotized structures; B—Left paramere.