Phymacysta stysi, Golub & Popov & Guilbert, 2008

Golub, Viktor B., Popov, Yuri A. & Guilbert, Eric, 2008, Phymacysta stysi, a new species of lace bug from Dominican amber (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Tingidae: Tinginae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 48 (2), pp. 485-490 : 486-488

Subfamily Tinginae Laporte, 1832 Genus Phymacysta Monte, 1942

Phymacysta stysi sp. nov. ( Figs.1-2 ) Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♀, DOMINICAN AMBER, Typ. Kat. Nr. Do-5506-M, V. B. Golub & Yu.A. Popov det.,

coll. Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Germany.

Description ( Fig. 1 ). Body elongate, its common outline distinctly widening from head towards apex of hemelytra, 2.26 times as long as wide at midlength of abdomen and 1.36 times as long as at level of maximal width (close to apices) of hemelytra folded in repose. Areolate structures of pronotum and hemelytra glass-like, transparent. Body nude, without hairs and spines.

Head dark brown, short, 2.05 times as wide as long from clypeal apex to posterior margin of eyes and 1.46 times as wide as long from apex of bucculae to posterior margin of eyes. Head with five very thin spines (two frontal, one median and two occipital). Frontal spines very long and acuminate, conspicuously projecting forward beyond clypeal apex, median one longest among them, extended to apex of bucculae and strongly projecting forward. Occipital spines completely adpressed to head and placed along inner side of eye, their apices not reaching anterior margin of eyes. Antennal tubercles small, with apices curved mediad. Antennae very long (0.67 of body length measured from head apex to hemelytron apex) and very thin, especially segment 3; antennae almost nude, only segment 4 covered with short and scarce hairs. Areolate bucculae closed anteriorly, high and strongly projecting beyond clypeal apex. Rostrum moderately long, extended most probably to hind coxae (the holotype has rostrum turned backwards).

Pronotal disc convex, covered with rather large punctures; pronotum with three very low longitudinal carinae without distinct cells; median carina slightly higher, lateral carinae reaching vesicula and posterior margin of pronotum. Areolate vesicula tectiform and concealing most part of vertex and occiput from above (its anterior and upper parts are broken up by fossilization). Paranota quite wide, reflected on pronotal disc, strongly elevated and inflated, covering lateral pronotal carinae from above, markedly projecting outwards beyond lateral angles of pronotal disc in the widest part (around midlength), with eight irregular longitudinal rows of polygonal areolae; distal margins of paranota sinuate along most of their length and elevated high above pronotal disc; areolate posterior pronotal process with obtuse apex covering hemelytral clavi from above.

Hemelytra almost flattened, very long and extended much beyond abdominal apex, widening from base towards apex (hemelytral apices diverging), with outer margins distinctly sinuate in their posterior part and with apical parts slightly bent upwards. Hemelytra clearly subdivided by raised veins Hc, R + M, Cu and R = M + Cu into costal, subcostal, discoidal and sutural areas. Costal area very wide, slightly sinuate, with large angular areolae, located in three rows in anterior third of hemelytra, in four rows near midlength, and five rows in the widest part. Subcostal area narrow, broadly sinuate at apex, with two rows of small, mostly quadrangular-hexagonal areolae from almost its base up to abdominal apex; one row of large quadrangular areolae enlarging from abdominal apex to hemelytral apex, with additional areolae in second row near hemelytral apex; subcostal areas of both hemelytra in repose forming X-like pattern. Discoidal area slightly emarginated, with 5-6 rows of rather small, angulate areolae at widest part. Posterior pronotal process entirely covered by hemelytral clavi from above. Hypocostal lamina very narrow, with a single row of areolae.

Body fuscous black ventrally. Peritreme rather narrow and long. Legs slender, very long and very thin; pale, lighter than abdomen.

Measurements of holotype (all in mm). Body length 3.5; width of hemelytra folded in repose at midlength of abdomen 1.55, in broadest place 2.55; head length from apex of clypeus to posterior eye margin 0.2, head length from apices of bucculae to posterior eye margin 0.28, head width 0.41, vertex width 0.2, eye width 0.105; length of antennal segments I: II: III: IV = 0.21: 0.12: 1.57: 0.43; pronotum length 1.24, pronotum width 0.85; length of fore femur 0.48, length of hind femur 0.86 (parts of other legs cannot be measured precisely because they are facing downwards and the distorted rays of light in the amber interfere with the process).

Figures

Figs. 1-2. Phymacysta stysi sp. nov. 1 – reconstruction of holotype; 2 – photography of amber inclusion (photo D. E. Shcherbakov). Scale bar: 1.0 mm.