Felisacus ovalau, 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 : 134-135

Felisacus ovalau , sp. nov.

Figures 6 , 9G , 13E, F , 15F, 19 DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the following combination of characters: transverse depression on head present only dorsally; head and pronotum mostly yellow; antennal segment I yellow with reddish tinge; posterior part of pronotum yellow with pair of brown marking near humeral angles; labium reaching abdominal segment V; inner margin of corium convex (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 13E); apex of ventral wall of genital capsule slightly curved dorsally (fig. 15F); right paramere sickle shaped (fig. 13E); left paramere wide, with three rounded outgrowths (fig. 13F); sclerotization around ductus seminis distinctly elongate, secondary gonopore placed at base of vesica in repose; vesica with a number of small toothlike spinules and two large sclerites (fig. 9G).

DESCRIPTION: Male. Total length 3.2. COLOR- ATION (fig. 6): Head: Mostly yellow with reddish tinge, mandibular and maxillary plates whitish yellow. Eye dark brown with reddish tinge. Labium: Uniformly yellow. Antenna: Segment I yellow with reddish tinge, whitish yellow basally and reddish apically; segment II uniformly reddish. Thorax: Pronotum yellow with brown marking near humeral angle; scutellum and mesoscutum yellow with reddish tinge; thoracic pleura yellow; scent gland evaporative area whitish yellow, with reddish marking apically. Hemelytron: Mainly whitish yellow, translucent; clavus yellow, outer part paler than inner part; marking along inner margin of corium yellow to pale brown, narrow, not reaching R+M; embolium whitish yellow, yellow apically; cuneus whitish with yellow tinge; membrane translucent with brown tinge, membrane cell pale brown. Legs: Mostly whitish yellow; apical parts of femora yellow with reddish tinge, tibiae yellow with reddish tinge basally and apically; tarsi brown. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Corium with distinct punctation. Dorsum with setae subequal to or slightly longer than antennal segment II diameter; antennal segment I with suberect setae shorter than antennal segment II diameter; femora with suberect setae longer than antennal segment II diameter; abdomen clothed with short erect setae. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body ca. 4.6× as long as pronotum width. Head: Depression delimiting occipital region present only dorsally; 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 longer than eye diameter, not swollen laterally; vertex ca. 2.0× as wide as eye, upraised. Labium (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: figs. 6D, 9C): Reaching abdominal sternum V; segments I and II combined longer than half of segment III; segment I shorter than width; segment II twice as long as wide, its dorsal surface elongate posteriorly; segment III longer than ventral side of head; segment IV ca. 0.3× as long as segment III. Antenna: Segment I distinctly longer than head width, slightly widened, ca. 1.4× as long as head width, 0.9× as long as pronotum width; segment II ca. 1.8× as long as head width, 1.3× as long as pronotum width; antennal segments III–IV lost. Thorax: Anterior part of pronotum somewhat shorter than posterior part, collar delimited; posterior part of pronotum slightly upraised; posterior margin concave, pronotum ca. 1.1× as wide as long and ca. 1.5× as wide as head; mesoscutum exposed. Hemelytron: Area along inner margin of corium flat; inner margin of corium convex (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 13E), its outer margin ca. 3× as long as base. Abdomen: Genital capsule rotated left at right angle relative to rest of abdomen. Genitalia: Genital capsule (fig. 15F) ca. 1.5× as long as wide; ventral wall ca. 1.5× as long as dorsal wall, with posterior margin of ventral wall acute apically, smooth, without outgrowth, its apex placed almost medially, curved dorsally; right side of genital capsule not curved, left side not widened; right paramere socket acute, left one angulate; distance between paramere sockets ca. 0.3× as long as genital capsule width at base. Right paramere (fig. 13E) distinctly curved in apical half; apex concave posteriorly; medial part narrower than basal part with setae near inner margin, its outer margin convex and inner margin concave; paramere slightly swollen dorsally; outer and inner angles rounded, not bearing setae; basal part of paramere ca. 0.4× as long as rest of paramere. Left paramere (fig. 13F) irregularly shaped; apical part curved, flattened, without outgrowth posteriorly; middle part with three rounded swellings, setae placed on middle part near outer margin. Aedeagus conjunctiva sclerotized basally and with sclerotized teeth apically; secondary gonopore place at base of vesica in repose, sclerotization of ductus seminis around secondary gonopore as long as wide, its dorsal wall distinctly longer than ventral part; vesica with teeth apically and two spicules (fig. 9G).

Female. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION: Tahiti (fig. 19).

HOST PLANTS: Unknown.

ETYMOLOGY: The species is named after Ovalau Is. ( Fiji), where it was collected.

DISCUSSION: Felisacus ovalau is similar to F. bradi , F. usingeri , and F. webbi in coloration and structure (figs. 4, 7). Felisacus bradi can be separated from F. ovalau in the antennal segment I mostly brown, the pronotum without brown markings, the left paramere with a single outgrowth posteriorly (fig. 11O), the sclerite around the ductus seminis distinctly longer than wide (fig. 10B). Felisacus webbi differs by from F. ovalau by the ventral wall of the genital capsule not curved apically, and with an outgrowth dorsally and to the right-hand side (fig. 15N), the left paramere sickle shaped, without outgrowths (fig. 13AA), and the vesica has a long curved spicule, and without toothlike spinules (fig. 10N). Felisacus usingeri differs from F. ovalau by antennal segment I yellow, brown apically, the pronotum without brown markings, and the labium reaches the middle of the mesosternum.

Felisacus vitilevu also inhabits Fiji and is closely related to F. ovalau . However, F. vitilevu differs in the pronotum mostly dark brown with a yellow stripe medially (fig. 7), the left paramere without a rounded outgrowth, only with a single outgrowth posteriorly (fig. 13W), and sclerotization of the ductus seminis around the secondary gonopore longer than wide (fig. 9N).

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype: FIJI: Central Division: Levuka , Ovalau Is., 17.68039 ° S 178.82994 ° E, 100 m, Dec 1978, N.L.H. Krauss, 13 (00042352) ( BPBM).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Habitus of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 9. Vesical spicules of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 13. Parameres of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 19. Distribution of Felisacus species.