Phytocoris mcivor, Menard & Schwartz, 2023

Menard, Katrina L. & Schwartz, Michael D., 2023, Four new species of Phytocoris Fallen (Hemiptera, Miridae) from the Davis Mountains in Texas and further documentation of known species of Jeff Davis County, ZooKeys 1174, pp. 97-139 : 97

Phytocoris mcivor sp. nov.

Fig. 2

Type material.

Holotype male, pinned. Original label: "United States: Texas: Jeff Davis Co.: Davis Mountains Nature Preserve, McIvor Conservation Center, 30.694554 -104.121378, 5902 ft, 17.v.2022, K Menard, UV light" (TAMU). Paratypes: United States: Texas: Jeff Davis Co., Davis Mountains Resort, 5800 ft, (Marqua residence), UV, 30.62842°N, 104.08360°W, 14.x.2011, EG Riley, X0893871 (TAMU), 1 ♂; same collecting event as holotype (USNM), 1♂; Davis Mountains Nature Preserve, McIvor Conservation Center, 30.694554, -104.121378, 5902 ft, 17.v.2022, K Menard, found on Quercus grisea ( Fagaceae ) (UCONN), 1♂ 1♀.

Diagnosis.

Recognized by the following characteristics of the Phytocoris junceus species group, but unique in lacking a blunt tubercle on the male genital capsule: the large, elongate body form; short, elliptical head with large eyes, the slightly shiny dorsal surface, vestiture and scutellum without scale-like setae, the elongate right paramere, and the large and coarsely serrate sclerotized process of the endosoma.

Description.

Male (n = 3): Macropterous, medium sized, lateral margins parallel-sided. Total length apex to apex membrane 4.63-4.88 mm, widest point across hemelytra 1.5-1.63 mm; general coloration dark brown (Fig. 2A ).

Coloration. Head: yellowish white with dark brown to black mottling across vertex and frons increasing in coverage ventrally, apical portion dark brown and ventral margins of clypeus, maxillary plate, and buccula white, labrum golden-brown; first segment of labium pale with thin red stripe along length, second and third segments yellowish, apical segment dark brown; antennal segment I primarily dark brown to black with relatively widely distributed pale maculae along length, segments II and III dark brown with narrow band of white at basal joint with previous segments, segment IV completely dark brown; eyes brownish burgundy. Thorax: dorsum of propleura dark brown on apical three-fourths with whitish coloration on ventral 1/4 adjacent to xyphus and part of procoxae, mesopleura dark brown excluding white margins of spiracle, metapleura dark brown with ventral ½ of ostiolar peritreme and all of spiracle whitish yellow (Fig. 2B ), anterior of pronotum and collar whitish yellow with burgundy-brown maculation increasing in coverage distally towards posterior portion, posterior portion of pronotum primarily dark brown with medial horse-shoe-shaped area of paler coloration whose distal apices on posterior margin of pronotum transition to white coloration and interior margin of shape possesses irregular dark brown line adjacent to distal white line to form weak spine-like pattern in dorsal view, mesoscutellum dark brown with two lateral whitish yellow spots, scutellum primarily whitish yellow with two thin dark brown vertical lines adjacent to median that separate posteriorly to form inverted Y-shape pattern; all coxae pale yellowish white with dark brown spot on anterior-basal surfaces, all femora pale whitish yellow basally with increasing dense coverage of black maculae distally, pro-tibiae with basal margin pale yellowish white followed by three bands of dark annuli terminating in dark band at apex of tarsomeres, meso-tibiae matching in pattern to pro-tibiae except terminating in pale band at apex, meta-tibiae completely dark brown with partial white band on ventral surface medially, all tarsal segments dark brown. Hemelytra: predominantly pale grey with dark grey and white patches and black mottling, clavus primarily dark grey on anterior 1/2 transitioning to large white patch mainly distributed along claval suture, corium grey with diffuse brown patches more defined in shape distally, costal margin with dark and pale checkerboard pattern, area of corium adjacent to medial 2/3 of cuneus with large whitish yellow patch extending distally into basal margin of cuneus, with remaining surface coloration of cuneus dark brown with white maculae, membrane with dense brown maculae and single white patches along lateral margins adjacent cuneus apex, veins brown to dark brown. Abdomen: dark brown, margins of gonopore paler brown.

Surface and vestiture. dorsal surface of head, pronotum, mesoscutum, scutellum and hemelytra with long black erect setae mixed with silvery-sericeous setae and some dark setae in defined patches on apex of clavus and interior margin of cuneus, hemelytral surface texture relatively smooth and shiny. Structure: Head: tylus and clypeus not visible in dorsal view, vertex relatively rounded and slightly declining posteriorly and dorsal surface of eyes surpassing vertex in lateral view, eyes relatively large with total height> 1/2 total height head in lateral view, interocular distance less than width of single eye, antennal segment I length greater than width of head, apex of labium extending to genital capsule. Thorax: collar relatively thin but well developed, pronotum trapezoidal in shape with developed calli and posterior margin weakly concave, mesoscutum and scutellum relatively flat with declining margins towards clavus, legs relatively narrow with hind legs elongate, pretarsus with convergent parempodia and developed pulvillus. Hemelytra: lateral margins parallel sided, cuneus with shallow declivity. Abdomen: ~ <1/2 of total body length, apex not reaching apex of wing membrane, genital capsule relatively small being 1/3 total length of abdomen. Genitalia: genital capsule without a tubercule on left margin of gonopore. Endosoma with primary membranous sac developed into three well developed lobes, two of whose apices extend past adjacent sclerotized process anterior margin; right sclerotized process overall shape cone-like, with serrated margin on interior lateral edge comprised of nine “teeth” curved medially, bean-shaped sclerotized patch adjacent to median with spine-like processes (Fig. 2D ). Left paramere C-shaped with post-medial indentation on dorsal surface, broadening distally until abruptly terminating into ventrally oriented, hook-like apex (Fig. 2F ). Right paramere elongate and narrow with angulate anterior curvature at apex also terminating into defined point (Fig. 2E ).

Females (n = 2). Same as males in coloration, surface, vestiture and structure aside from being slightly smaller and having relatively wider interocular distance relative to width of head (Fig. 2C ).

Measurements. Table 1 .

Hosts.

Quercus grisea Liebmann ( Fagaceae ).

Distribution.

Davis Mountains, Jeff Davis County and Brewster County, Texas.

Etymology.

Named for the McIvor Conservation Center of the Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve, where this species was discovered on an adjacent oak tree and light sheet. Noun in apposition.

Remarks.

Phytocoris mcivor sp. nov. appears to be most closely related to Phytocoris quercinus Stonedahl and Phytocoris intermontanus Stonedahl of Stonedahl’s (1988) Phytocoris junceus species group, and in fact keys to the couplet separating the two. The apices of the tibiae are pale in coloration which should key it out to P. quercinus , but the shaft of the left paramere is narrow in P. quercinus whereas and has a “dip” medially in P. mcivor . Further, the right paramere in P. quercinus does not have the hook-like apex of P. quercinus . Lastly, P. mcivor only has eight serrations on the sclerotized process of the endosoma versus the 13 or more of P. quercinus . The other species, P. intermontanus , has dark apices of the tarsi and differs by the shape of the serrations of the sclerotized process, being larger, more elongate serrations particularly on the lower half of the structure despite the similar number as P. mcivor . The apex of the right paramere in P. mcivor is also more similar in shape to P. intermontanus , with the hook-like apex, but the curvature is more angulate. Phytocoris decurvatus Knight also looks superficially similar to P. mcivor but can be separated by the cone-like shape of the sclerotized process and relatively wide right paramere. All four species also have host plants in the genus Quercus L. ( Fagaceae ), which differs from the primarily coniferous hosts of other members of the Phytocoris junceus species group ( Stonedahl 1988).

As Stonedahl (1988) summarized, the Phytocoris junceus species group was established by Knight (1974) for a more widely distributed group of taxa beyond the Western United States and including taxa from southern Canada and the northern United States. These taxa are unified by the large, elongate body form; short, elliptical head with large eyes, the slightly shiny dorsal surface, vestiture and scutellum without scale-like setae, and the structure of the male genitalia, particularly the elongate right paramere, large and coarsely serrate sclerotized process of the endosoma, and the genital capsule usually with a large, blunt tubercle above the paramere bases. Phytocoris mcivor possesses all these characteristics except the blunt tubercle, which is absent.

Figures

Figure 2. Phytocoris mcivor sp. nov. A male dorsal habitus B male lateral view C female dorsal habitus D endosoma E right paramere in lateral view F left paramere in lateral view.