Felisacus lordhowensis, Namyatova & Cassis, 2016

Namyatova, Anna A. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2016, Revision And Phylogeny Of The Fern-Inhabiting Genus Felisacus Distant (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Bryocorinae) Anna A. Namyatova And Gerasimos Cassis, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2016 (403), pp. 1-169 : 110-112

Felisacus lordhowensis , sp. nov.

Figures 5 , 8R , 12S, T , 14W , 19

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the following combination of characters: cylindrical antennal segment I (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 8A), vertex upraised (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 6D); head, clavus, and pronotum whitish yellow to yellow, head without dark marking dorsally, pronotum sometimes with narrow pale brown to brown marking along posterior margin, clavus uniformly colored; cuneus mostly colorless; labium reaching or surpassing posterior margin of metasternum; antennal segment II ca. 1.6–1.9× as long as head width; cuneus 3× as long as wide; medial part of right paramere shorter than apical and basal parts combined (fig. 12S); apical part of left paramere ca. 3× as long as wide (fig. 12T), vesica with six spicules, including spicules B and E, spicule B short and widened (fig. 8R).

DESCRIPTION: Male. Total length 3.5–4.0. COLORATION (fig. 5): Head: Mostly whitish yellow to yellow, often with reddish tinge or red markings; clypeus often pale brown or red apically. Eye brown with reddish tinge or red. Labium: Whitish yellow to yellow, segment II often reddish ventrally. Antenna: Segment I yellow with reddish tinge; segment II yellow with pale brown or reddish apex; segment III yellow basally and pale brown to brown apically; segment IV pale brown to brown. Thorax: Pronotum whitish yellow to yellow, often pale brown or brown posteriorly, punctures between anterior and posterior parts yellow to pale brown; scutellum and mesoscutum whitish yellow to yellow, often with reddish stripe between them; thoracic pleura yellow; scent gland evaporative area whitish yellow, rarely green apically. Hemelytron: Mostly translucent, colorless; inner part of clavus whitish yellow to yellow, sometimes opaque, often brown basally, with pale brown, brown, or red margins; area along inner margin of corium brown; embolium with yellow to pale brown margins; cuneus with pale brown outer margin; membrane with grayish tinge; membrane cell red. Legs: Coxae whitish yellow; femora whitish yellow, often yellow apically, sometimes with reddish tinge; tibiae yellow, often whitish yellow apically, sometimes with reddish tinge basally, rarely uniformly whitish yellow or yellow; tarsi pale brown. Abdomen: Whitish yellow, often yellow or red dorsally, rarely greenish basally. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Corium smooth, with shallow scarce punctures. Dorsum; antennal segment I and femora with suberect setae shorter than antennal segment II diameter; abdomen clothed with suberect mostly short simple setae. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body ca. 4.6–4.7× as long as pronotum width. Head: Depression delimiting occipital region present dorsally and laterally (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 4E); distance between depression and pronotum distinctly shorter than eye diameter; longitudinal sulcus on dorsal surface longer than eye diameter; distance from eye to pronotum eye longer than eye diameter, not swollen laterally (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 4E); vertex ca. 2.0– 2.4× as wide as eye, upraised (Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 6D). Labium: Reaching or slightly surpassing posterior margin of metasternum; segments I and II strongly reduced, combined shorter than half of segment III; segment I shorter than wide (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: figs. 6D, 9C); dorsal surface of segment II elongate posteriorly, elongate dorsally; segment III slightly longer than ventral side of head; segment IV ca. 1.5× as long as segment III. Antenna: Segment I cylindrical (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 8A), ca. 1.6–1.9× as long as head width, ca. 1.0–1.1× as long as pronotum width; segment II ca. 2.0–2.3× as long as head width, ca. 1.3–1.4× as long as pronotum width; segment III subequal to or slightly longer than segment II; segment IV ca. 0.25–0.3× as long as segment IV. Thorax: Anterior part of pronotum slightly shorter than posterior part; collar delimited; posterior part slightly upraised; posterior margin concave; pronotum ca. 1.1–1.2× as wide as long and ca. 1.5–1.8× as wide as head; mesoscutum exposed. Hemelytron: Area along inner margin of corium almost flat; inner margin of cuneus convex (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 13E), outer margin of cuneus ca. 3× as long as base. Abdomen: Genital capsule rotated left at right angle relative to rest of abdomen. Genitalia: Genital capsule (fig. 14V) twice as long as wide; ventral wall ca. 1.5× as long as dorsal wall, its posterior margin smooth, semioval, without outgrowth, rounded, not curved; sides of genital capsule not modified; right paramere socket slightly acute, left paramere socket rounded; distance between paramere sockets subequal to half of genital capsule width at base. Right paramere (fig. 12S) distinctly curved in apical half; apex slightly concave posteriorly; medial part only slighter wider than basal part, bearing setae, with outer margin slightly concave and inner margin convex; outer angle distinct, widened; inner angle rounded, without setae; basal part of paramere ca. 0.15–0.2× as long as rest of paramere. Left paramere (fig. 12T) L-shaped; apical part not flattened, with toothlike outgrowth on posterior side medially (as in fig. 11G) and without outgrowth on dorsal surface; middle part widened, without swelling or outgrowth(s); setae only on middle part near outer margin. Aedeagus (general view as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 22I) conjunctiva weakly sclerotized, secondary gonopore placed at base of vesica in repose; sclerotization of ductus seminis around secondary gonopore shorter than wide; vesica with six spicules, including spicules B and E (fig. 8R), spicule B short and widened.

Female. Total length 3.9–4.5. COLORATION (fig. 5): Similar to male, scent gland evaporative area always whitish yellow; abdomen uniformly yellow, often red dorsally, sometimes only apical part of dorsal surface red. SURFACE AND VES-

TITURE: As in male. STRUCTURE AND MEA-

SUREMENTS: Structure as in male; body ca. 4.2–4.8× as long as pronotum width; vertex ca. 1.8–2.1× as wide as eye diameter; antennal segment I ca. 1.6–2.1× as long as head width, ca. 1.0–1.1× as long as pronotum width; segment II ca. 2.0–2.3× as long as head width, ca. 1.2–1.5× as long as pronotum width; pronotum ca. 1.2× as wide as long and ca. 1.5–1.8× as wide as head. Genitalia (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 23F, G): Dorsal labiate plate wider than distance between apodemes of second valvula; mostly smooth, without distinct striations, with semicircular sclerite and distinct sclerotized rings laterally; lateral oviducts placed almost medially, very close to each other, spermathecal gland placed between lateral oviducts; dorsal labiate plate with distinct tubercles, without membranous lobe medially.

DISTRIBUTION: Lord Howe Is. (fig. 19).

HOST PLANTS: Unknown.

ETYMOLOGY: The species is named after Lord Howe Island, where it was collected.

DISCUSSION: Felisacus lordhowensis is similar to F. caledonicus , F. elegantulus , F. schuhi , and F. tanna in pale coloration (figs. 5, 6). In contrast to F. lordhowensis , F. caledonicus has the labium reaching the middle of the mesosternum, the collar often pale brown to brown laterally (fig. 4), the apical part of the left paramere is broad, twice as long as wide (fig. 11Q) and four vesical spicules, including spicules A and B are present (fig. 8F). Felisacus elegantulus differs from F. lordhowensis by the labium reaching the posterior margin of the metasternum, the humeral angles of the pronotum are pale brown to dark brown, and the presence of five vesical spicules, including spicule B (fig. 8H). Felisacus schuhi can be separated from F. lordhowensis by the inner part of the clavus mostly brown, the labium slightly surpasses the middle of the mesosternum, and the vesica has five spicules, including spicules A, B, and C (fig. 9J). Felisacus tanna is most similar to F. lordhowensis , and differs from it by having five vesical spicules, including spicules A, B, and E. (fig. 9M)

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype: AUSTRA- LIA: New South Wales: On SW spur of Mt Lidgebird, Lord Howe Island, 31.56666 ° S 159.08333 ° E, 122m, 12 Sep 1975, Lambkin, 13 (00017833) ( AM). Paratypes: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Lord Howe Is., Old Settlement, 31.519 ° S 159.05083 ° E, 21 Feb 1971, D.K. McAlpine, 23 (00017836, 00017837) ( AM). Lord Howe Island, 31.552 ° S 159.081 ° E, A.M. Lea, 33 (00038900), 6♀ (00038900) ( SAMA). On SW spur of Mt Lidgebird, Lord Howe Island, 31.56666 ° S 159.08333 ° E, 122m, 12 Sep 1975, Lambkin, 33 (00017832, 00017834, 00017835), 6♀ (00017838–00017843) ( AM).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Habitus of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 8. Vesical spicules of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 12. Parameres of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 14. Genital capsule of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 19. Distribution of Felisacus species.