Guianella, Carvalho, 1946

Chérot, F., Costa, L. & Touchet, M., 2011, Miscellanea Miridologica II. New combinations and new synonymies in the tribe Mirini (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae), Zootaxa 3004 (1), pp. 57-62 : 57-58

Guianella

Guianella Carvalho 1946: 4–5 (n. gen.). Type species: Guianella marmorata Carvalho, 1946: 5 (n. sp.) by original designation and monotypy.

Boliviomiris Carvalho 1987: 594 (n. gen.). Type species: Boliviomiris antennalis Carvalho, 1987: 594 (n. sp.) by original designation and monotypy. NEW SYNONYM .

Pilosicerus Carvalho 1992: 583 (n. gen.). Type species: Pilosicerus rondoniensis Carvalho,1992: 583 (n. sp.) by original designation and monotypy. NEW SYNONYM .

Discussion. Guianella was described by Carvalho (1946) to accommodate his new species G. marmorata , the type species, based on the male holotype from Paramaribo, Brazil. Subsequently, six species were described in Guianella : G. vicosensis Carvalho, 1947 , from Minas Gerais, Brazil, four species from Panama by Maldonado & Carvalho (1981) — G. nematocerata , G. pilosa , G. trimaculata and G. tuberculifrons —and G. paraibensis Carvalho & Costa (1992) from Paraiba, Brazil. These species are easily separated by the dorsal and antennal pilosity, the shape of the three last antennal segments, frons, and humeral angles and the dorsal coloration.

Based on the female holotype, Carvalho (1987) described Boliviomiris for his new species, B. antennalis , the type species from Bolivia. The discussion accompanying the original description is truncated as the result of a makeup mistake. It did not include hypotheses on the relationships of the new genus within the tribe Mirini , similarly no explicit character information was provided to separate Boliviomiris from related genera. Subsequent to the original description (Carvalho, op. cit.), there are no citations to the genus or species, except in the most recent World catalog ( Schuh, 1995: 702).

Pilosicerus was described by Carvalho (1992) to accommodate his new species P. rondoniensis from Ouro Preto, Brazil, the type species, based on the female holotype alone. The catalog citation in Schuh (1995) is the only subsequent citation since the original description (Carvalho, op. cit.) of P. rondoniensis . According to Carvalho’s (op. cit.) short discussion, Pilosicerus is very close to Guianella , the two genera being separated by antennal pilosity only. On the basis of this minor character state, Carvalho (op. cit.: 583) suggested the transfer of G. pilosa to Pilosicerus , a new combination omitted by Schuh (1995: 916).

Based on our observations, Guianella can be diagnosed as follows: body elongate, slightly rounded laterally; head wider than long; vertex not marginate, sulcate medially, sulcus sometimes shallow, obscure; eyes slightly separated from pronotal collar; first antennal segment thick and relatively short, shorter than width of head across eyes, with slightly curved inner margin and very thin base; second antennal segment relatively long, 2.5 to 4 times segment I, and thick, always narrower than segment I, sometimes club-like apically; third and fourth antennal segments relatively thick, almost as thick as segment I, club-like to drop-like; pronotal collar relatively large, frequently with four black spots; lateral margins of pronotum concave; humeral angles prominent and frequently pointed; pronotal callosities large, with lateral margins adjacent to lateral margin of pronotal disk in dorsal view; mesoscutum uncovered, large; femora and tibiae with short black denticles; cuneus as long as wide basally; and short, recumbent dorsal pilosity. Some species, e.g. G. vicosensis , possesses a few thin, erect, and elongate setae. All antennal segments bear, at least, very short recumbent pubescence; sometimes, some segments bear also few erect setae.

The three nominal species Boliviomiris antennalis ( Fig. 1 ), Pilosicerus pilosa ( Fig. 2 ) and Pilosicerus rondoniensis ( Fig. 3 ) largely conform to our diagnosis of Guianella . They differ from the majority of Guianella species exclusively by the long, erect setae on the second antennal segment, the pronotal disk, and the hemelytra. The holotypes of these three species all have very similar setae of this type. Carvalho (1987, 1992) did not provide any other characters to separate Boliviomiris and Pilosicerus from Guianella and our examination did not reveal any diagnostic characters. The presence or absence of long setae on some body parts is not sufficient evidence to substantiate three separate Mirini genera. Consequently, we suggest the following synonymies: Guianella Carvalho, 1946 (valid name) = Boliviomiris Carvalho, 1987 (new junior subjective synonym) = Pilosicerus Carvalho, 1992 (new junior subjective synonym). This action provides for the two new combinations: Guianella antennalis ( Carvalho, 1987) and Guianella rondoniensis (Carvalho, 1992) .

In addition, the taxonomic validity of G. antennalis and G. rondoniensis seems doubtful. These nominal species are very similar and close to G. pilosa . They differ essentially by subtle shades of colour. Guianella antennalis is comparatively duller than the two other nominal species, some of its red exocorial patches verging on brown. Guianella pilosa and G. rondoniensis are brighter, G. pilosa being darker on the pronotum and scutellum than G. rondoniensis . The shape of the red patch on the vertex also differs between the latter two nominal species.

We interpret these minor differences as intraspecific color variations and, consequently, suggest the following synonymies: Guianella pilosa Maldonado & Carvalho, 1981 = G. antennalis ( Carvalho, 1987) (new junior subjective synonym) = G. rondoniensis (Carvalho, 1992) (new junior subjective synonym).

Specimens examined. Guianella nematocerata : Type: Holotype (♂): Panama: Canal Zone, Colón, Coco Solo Hospital, 15.ix.1972, D. Engleman leg. ( USNM) [Coordinates: 09°21’N., 79°51’W.]. Guianella pilosa : Types: Holotype (♀): Panama: Canal Zone, Colón, Coco Solo Hospital, 12.ix.1972, D. Engleman leg. ( USNM) [Coordinates: 09°21’N., 79°51’W.]. Holotype (♀) of G. antennalis : Bolivia: Sara, leg. S. Steibach ( USNM) [Coordinates of Sara Province - unknown locality -: about 16°55’S., 63°37’W.]. Holotype (♀) of G. rondoniensis : Brazil: Rondonia, Preto, vii.1986, leg. Roppa (MNRJ) [Coordinates of Ouro Preto de Oeste: 10° 43’S., 62°15’W.]. Guianella trimaculata : Type: Holotype (♂): Panama: Canal Zone, Colón, Coco Solo Hospital, 07.ix.1972, D. Engleman leg. ( USNM) [Coordinates: 09°21’N., 79°51’W.]. Guianella tuberculifrons : Type: Holotype (♂): Panama: La Cumbres, 14.vi.1974, light trap, H. Wolda leg. ( USNM) [Coordinates: 09°06’N., 79°32’W.]. Guianella vicosensis : Type: Holotype (♂): Brazil: Minas Gerais, Viçosa, ix.1943, J. C. M. Carvalho leg. ( MNRJ) [Coordinates: about 20°45’S., 42°52’W.]. Other specimens: 2♀♀: Brazil: Minas Gerais, Rio Doce Park , iv.1978, collector unknown, compared with the type by J. C. M. Carvalho ( MNRJ) [Coordinates: about 19°55’S., 43°58’W.] .

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. Dorsal habitus of examined taxa. 1–3. Holotypes of Guianella pilosa and its junior synonyms. 1. Female holotype of Boliviomiris antennalis. 2. Female holotype of Guianella pilosa. 3. Female holotype of Pilosicerus rondoniensis. 4–5. Urucuiana tuberculata. 4. Male holotype. 5. Male specimen identified by Carvalho as Bahiamiris cajabianus. Scales = 1 mm.