Felisacus ponaponensis (Carvalho)

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 : 138-139

Felisacus ponaponensis (Carvalho)

Figures 6 , 10L , 13I, J , 15H, 20 Felisacoris ponaponensis Carvalho, 1956: 24 (original description), comb. nov.

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the following combination of characters: collar not delimited; anterior margin of pronotum distinctly raised and covering head, almost reaching eyes; mostly yellow coloration, marking along inner margin of corium yellow to pale brown, narrow, not extending toward R+M (fig. 6), widened antennal segment I (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 8B), dorsal surface of labial segment II not elongate posteriorly (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 6E), right paramere sickle shaped, without outer angle and with inner angle (fig. 13I), left paramere with flattened apical half, with widened and serrate outgrowth on inner margin (fig. 13J), ductus seminis elongate, straight apically (fig. 10L).

DESCRIPTION: Male. Total length 3.5–3.6. COLORATION (fig. 6): Head: Mostly yellow. Eye dark brown with reddish tinge. Labium: Uniformly yellow. Antenna: Segment I yellow, sometime with reddish tinge, segment II red, segments III–IV reddish brown. Thorax: Often uniformly yellow, pronotum and scutellum sometimes with reddish tinge dorsally. thoracic pleura and scent gland evaporative area whitish yellow to yellow. Hemelytron: Mainly whitish yellow, translucent; clavus yellow, inner part opaque; marking along inner margin of corium yellow to pale brown; embolium whitish yellow, opaque, yellow to pale brown apically; cuneus whitish with yellow tinge, sometimes opaque; membrane with brown tinge, membrane cell yellow to brown. Legs: Whitish yellow to pale brown, tarsi sometimes pale brown. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Corium smooth without punctation. Dorsum, femora, and abdomen with setae longer than antennal segment II diameter; antennal segment I with suberect setae shorter than antennal segment II diameter. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body ca. 3.5–3.7× as long as pronotum width. Head: Depression delimiting occipital region present dorsally and laterally; distance between depression and pronotum distinctly shorter than eye diameter; longitudinal sulcus on dorsal surface of head shorter than eye diameter; distance from eye to pronotum shorter than eye diameter, not swollen laterally; vertex ca. 1.5– 1.8× as wide as eye, upraised; head slightly swollen dorsally. Labium: Reaching or almost reaching posterior margin on prosternum; segments I and II combined subequal to segment III; segment I shorter than wide, segment II slightly longer than wide, its dorsal surface not elongate posteriorly (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 6E); segment III subequal to half of head length ventrally; segment IV ca. 0.3× as long as segment III. Antenna: Segment widened (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 8B), ca. 1.4– 1.5× as long as head width, ca. 0.8–0.9× as long as pronotum width; segment II ca. 1.7–1.8× as long as head width, ca. 1.0–1.1× as long as pro- notum width; segment III slightly longer than segment II. Thorax: Anterior part of pronotum distinctly shorter than posterior part, distinctly raised above head; collar not delimited; posterior part slightly upraised; posterior margin concave, pronotum ca. 1.0–1.1× as wide as long and ca. 1.7–1.8× as wide as head; mesoscutum not exposed; inner margin of cuneus convex (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 13F), its outer margin ca. 2.5× as long as base. Abdomen: Genital capsule rotated left 45° relative to the rest of abdomen. Genitalia: Genital capsule (fig. 15H) slightly longer than wide; ventral wall ca. 1.5× as long as dorsal wall, posterior margin of genital capsule not curved, right side folded, left side not widened; paramere sockets distinctly acute; distance between paramere sockets ca. 0.3× as long as genital capsule width at base; paramere sockets distinctly acute; distance between paramere sockets ca. 0.25× as long as genital capsule width at base. Right paramere (fig. 13I) sickle shaped; apex concave; medial part as wide as basal part, without setae, outer margin of medial part convex, inner margin concave, without swelling; outer angle absent; inner angle present, without outgrowth; basal part of paramere slightly shorter than rest of paramere. Left paramere (fig. 13J) apical part flattened, with toothlike outgrowth apically, without outgrowth on dorsal surface; inner margin with wide, short, serrate outgrowth. Aedeagus (general view as in Namyatova et al.: fig. 22M) vesica without spicules; apical half of ductus seminis sclerotized, hooked apically, secondary gonopore placed near phallotheca mouth in repose (fig. 10L).

Female. Total length 3.6–3.8. COLORATION: As in male. STRUCTURE AND MEASURE- MENTS: As in male, segment IV ca. 0.3x as long as segment III. STRUCTURE AND MEASURE- MENTS: Structure as in male; body ca. 3.4–3.5× as long as pronotum width; vertex ca. 2.8–2.9× as wide as eye; antennal segment I ca. 1.5× as long as head width, ca. 0.8× as long as pronotum width; segment II ca. 1.6–1.7× as long as head width, ca. 0.9× as long as pronotum width; pro- notum ca. 1.1× as wide as long and ca. 1.9× as wide as head. Genitalia: Not dissected.

DISTRIBUTION: Ponape Is. ( Micronesia) (fig. 20).

HOST PLANTS: Unknown.

DISCUSSION: Felisacus ponaponensis was originally described in the monotypic genus Felisacoris ( Carvalho, 1956) . Namyatova and Cassis (2016) tentatively placed this genus into the tribe Felisacini on the basis of the structural similarity. Felisacus ponaponensis has the same structural autapomorphies of Felisacus (see diagnosis of the genus), it also has an aedeagus very similar to other species of Felisacus (cf. fig. 10L with figs. 10C, D, F–I, J, K, O) and the parameres are very similar to those of F. bismarckensis (cf. fig. 11L, M with fig. 13I, J). On this basis we synonymize Felisacoris with Felisacus . Felisacus ponaponensis cannot be confused with any other species of Felisacus and we treat it as a distinct species within it, as a new combination.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Paratypes: MICRONE- SIA: Pohnpei: Mt. Dolennankap, 518 m, 10 Aug 1946, H.K. Townes, 13 (00341131) ( USNM). Ponape Is., Matalanium [Matalanim], 6.87835 ° N 158.22799 ° E, 11 Aug 1946, R.G Oakley, 13 (00338820), 2♀ (00341132, 00338821) ( USNM).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Habitus of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 10. A, C–L, O, P. Apical part of aedeagus of Felisacus species B, E, M. Vesica of Felisacus species. N. Aedeagus of F.webbi.

FIGURE 13. Parameres of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 20. Distribution of Felisacus species.