Charagochilus Fieber, 1858

Gapon, D. A., 2014, Revision of the genus Polymerus (Heteroptera: Miridae) in the Eastern Hemisphere. Part 1: Subgenera Polymerus, Pachycentrum subgen. nov. and new genus Dichelocentrum gen. nov., Zootaxa 3787 (1), pp. 1-87 : 44-52

Genus Charagochilus Fieber, 1858

Type species by monotypy: Lygaeus gyllenhalii Fallén, 1807

Studied species: Ch. angusticollis Linnavuori, 1961 ; Ch. gyllenhalii ( Fallén, 1807) ; Ch. pallidicollis Zheng, 1990 ; Ch. spiralifer Kerzhner, 1988 ; Charagochilus sp. ( Japan, Ryukyus, Ishigaki I.).

Diagnosis. According to Reuter (1886), Carvalho (1955), Odhiambo (1959) and Wagner (1961, 1974), this genus is recognised by collar wider than diameter of first and second antennal segments, pronotum coarsely punctuate, first and second segments of hind tarsi equal in length. I consider the mention of the latter character as an error (see the diagnosis of Polymerus ). The first two characters can be supplemented by the following ones: hypophysis of left paramere dolabriform ( Fig. 20 B, C ); posterior part of vesica with left serrate carina (except for Ch. aureus comb. nov.), medial right lobe (except for Ch. aureus ) and lamellar medial spicule (except for Ch. aureus and Ch. consanguineus comb. nov.); anterior and posterior left lobes absent (except for Ch. aureus and Ch. consanguineus ) ( Fig. 21 A, B ); inner horizontal fold in gynatrium absent ( Fig. 25 A, B ). Also Charagochilus can be distinguished by the following combination of characters: body covered with slightly widened, easily removed, silvery or golden setae; head not prolonged anteriorly; diameter of second antennal segment in males less than collar width and slightly greater that diameter of third segment; right paramere small, with cylindrical or obconic, distally hyaline body and very small pointed hypophysis ( Fig. 20 A ); hypophysis of left paramere flattened laterally; apical margin of theca with single blade ( Fig. 5 E ); anterior right lobe of vesica long, with very small superior branch; anterior spicule of vesica, if present, not branched; posterior spicule present (except for Ch. aureus ); baso-apical sclerotised band long, branched (except for Ch. aureus ), its posterior branch not reaches posterior apex of vesica and not strongly dilated before distal end; posterior apex of vesica without posterior bladder and fields of microtrichia; secondary gonopore with complete ring of subequal concentrically curved spinulae; roof of gynatrium without dorsal sac (except for Ch. consanguineus ), medial lobe, inner horizontal and transverse folds; ring sclerites without triangular plates on external margins; posterior wall of gynatrium without medial process, dorsal structure and lateral lobes.

Description of male and female terminalia. Right paramere ( Fig. 20 A ) small, with rather short and narrow apodeme. Body of paramere round in section, widening distad, widely rounded apically, without processes and setae, with sclerotised walls in basal part and hyaline in apical part. Hypophysis very small, sclerotised, pointed, directed aside.

Left paramere ( Fig. 20 B, C ) large, with long, narrow apodeme. Body from lateral view almost straight, narrow, tapering distad. Its external wall with rather large sensory process. Hypophysis large, flattened laterally, directed and widening anteriad, dolabriform from lateral view. Its inferior margin concave in posterior part, straight in anterior part. Anterior margin straight, anterio-superior angle almost right, roundish. Superior margin slightly convex in posterior part and slightly concave before apex. The latter pointed, extreme apex slightly curved interiad (to right). Interior surface of hypophysis without carinae. Staring setae on paramere absent.

Aedeagus. Phallobase and basal part of theca as in Polymerus . Apical margin of theca forms only one long anterior blade turning down when vesica inflating ( Fig. 5 D ). In this state lobe directed anteriad. Its apex with small notch on left side; lateral walls of lobe with thin sclerotised longitudinal carinae. Anterior (inferior) surface of lobe weakly sclerotised. Latero-apical margins of theca subequal in length.

Vesica ( Fig. 21 A, B ) subdivided into anterior and posterior parts, separated by impressions on right and left sides with baso-apical sclerotised band and secondary gonopore respectively. Secondary gonopore slightly shifted on anterior left wall of vesica, entirely visible from left view, not closed by lobes of vesica, with complete ring of subequal concentrically curved spinulae. Baso-apical sclerotised band in apical part divided into anterior and posterior branches. Anterior part of vesica only with anterior right lobe having long anterior and shorter right branches. Superior surface of anterior branch in Ch. pallidicollis bearing short, slightly thickened anterior spicule with membranous anterior wall. This spicule is continuation of anterior branch of the baso-apical sclerotised band. In Ch. gyllenhalii , Ch. spiralifer and Charagochilus sp. anterior branch of this band also continued at superior surface of anterior branch of anterior right lobe but not forming spicule. Very small membranous tubercle located at place of anterior spicule in these species. Posterior part of vesica with distinctly convex left wall, short posterior apex directed posteriad and to right, and with two lobes. Posterior apex conical in Ch. angusticollis , Charagochilus sp. and rounded in other species. Medial right lobe lies on anterior right side of posterior part of vesica. This lobe wide and rather short, with one or two (in Ch. angusticollis and Ch. pallidicollis ) very short branches and rather large lamellar, dilated apically medial spicule directed to left or posteriad. Apex of this spicule spirally curved in Ch. pallidicollis and Ch. spiralifer . Medial left tubercle absent. Long or moderately long posterior right lobe directed upwards or to right lies behind medial right lobe. In Ch. angusticollis , Ch. gyllenhalii and Ch. spiralifer posterior right lobe with two branches, in Charagochilus sp. it with three and in Ch. pallidicollis with four ones. Between bases of medial and posterior right lobes located short acicular posterior spicule directed anteriad. In Ch. gyllenhalii this spicule very short, lies at base of left branch of posterior right lobe and is continuation of slender sclerotised band located at anterior left wall of this lobe. Posterior branch of basi-apical sclerotised band reaches base of posterior spicule in Charagochilus sp. , reaches only base of posterior right lobe in Ch. gyllenhalii and Ch. spiralifer and indistinct in other species. Left wall of posterior part of vesica with long sclerotised carina, covered with very fine denticles. Generally left serrate carina extends from inferior margin of secondary gonopore posteriad to apex of posterior part of vesica. In Ch. pallidicollis left carina not reaching secondary gonopore and forms long sclerotised spicule directed to right at posterior apex. In latter species, in Ch. gyllenhalii and Ch. spiralifer carina very fine, vanishing or interrupted in middle of length. Posterior wall of vesica sclerotised in basal part, without tubercle.

Gynatrium ( Fig. 25 A, B ). Ventral labiate plate forms rather short horizontal fold directed posteriad in cavity of gynatrium. Round sclerites with thin edging, connected with each other (except Ch. pallidicollis ) by evenly wide ( Ch. spiralifer ) or narrow straight sclerotised band. External margins of ring sclerites without triangular plates. Tectal sclerite large, bifid medially into two sclerites. Their internal margins extended into triangular or subrectangular (in Ch. pallidicollis ) protrusions. Posterior margins of tectal sclerites slightly convex, their internal parts curved upwards as narrow plates. In Ch. pallidicollis posterior margins laterally form large rounded protrusions with curved upwards margins. Dorsal sac absent. Membrane between tectal sclerites slightly (or more distinctly in Ch. pallidicollis ) convex. Inner horizontal fold absent. Ch. spiralifer and Ch. pallidicollis with small horseshoe-shaped fold under convex area of roof. Contiguous posterior ends of these folds approximate with internal angles of tectal sclerites. Transverse fold absent. Bases of lateral oviducts lye near posterior margin of gynatrial roof. They directed posteriad or laterad. Spermatheca as in Polymerus and Proboscidocoris . Medial lobe absent. Posterior margin of roof with slightly convex lateral parts. Interramal sclerite wide, with long narrowing lateral angles reaching margins of rami of second gonocoxites. Dorsal margin of interramal sclerite laterally slightly concave and with trapezoidal or triangular protrusion in middle. Lateral margins of this sclerite straight, ventral margin convex laterally and concave or with rather deep notch medially. Anterior walls of internal lobes membranous of sclerotised in Ch. pallidicollis . Dorsal margin of their openings with narrow sclerotised edging connecting with lateral corners of interramal sclerites in Ch. spiralifer and Ch. pallidicollis ; in other species without such edging. Medial process, dorsal structure and lateral lobes absent. Only in Ch. pallidicollis interramal sclerites with small smooth and rather strongly sclerotised tubercle on the place of medial process. Small oval anterior vestibular sclerites are only in Ch. pallidicollis ; posterior ones absent in all species.

Discussion. Four species from the Eastern Hemisphere described in the genera Polymerus or Poeciloscytus were later transferred in the genus Charagochilus : Poeciloscytus antennatus Distant, 1904 (Queensland) by Akingbohungbe (1978), Poeciloscytus vittatus Reuter, 1907 (Moliro) and Poeciloscytus voelzkovi Reuter, 1907 ( Madagascar) by Linnavuori (1973 and 1977 respectively) and Poeciloscytus pygmaeus Distant, 1904 ( Sri Lanka) was synonymised with Ch. longicornis Reuter, 1885 (Nicobar Is.) by Poppius (1911). Here I transfer another six African, Indian and Australian species from Polymerus into Charagochilus .

Figures

FIGURE 5. Structure of theca. A, theca of Polymerus nigrita; B, theca of Dichelocentrum longirostre; C, apical blade of theca of Dichelocentrum longirostre; D, apical blade of theca of Charagochilus gyllenhalii. Anterior (A, B) and anterio-inferior view (C, D). Scale bare: 0.14 mm.

FIGURE 20. Parameres of Charagochilus species. Right (A, F, I, L, O) and left (B–E, G, H, J, K, M, N, P, Q) parameres. A- C, Ch. spiralifer; D, E, Ch. flavipes; F–H, Ch. bimaculatus; I–K, Ch. obscuratus; L–N, Ch. consanguineus comb. nov.; O–Q, Ch. aureus comb. nov. Left (B, D, G, J, M, P) and posterior (C, E, H, K, N, Q) view. Scale bare: 0.14 mm.

FIGURE 21. Vesica of Charagochilus species. A, B, Ch. spiralifer; C, D, Ch. flavipes comb. nov. Left (A, C) and right (B, D) view. ab.bab—anterior branch of baso-apical sclerotized band; arl—anterior right lobe; as—anterior spicule; lsc—left serrate carina; mrl—medial right lobe; ms—medial spicule; pa—posterior apex of vesica; pb.bab—posterior branch of baso-apical sclerotized band; prl—posterior right lobe; ps—posterior spicule. Scale bare: 0.14 mm.

FIGURE 25. Inner female genitalia of Charagochilus species. A, B, Ch. spiralifer; C, D, Ch. flavipes comb. nov. Gynatrium, dorsal view (A, C), posterior wall of gynatrium(B, D), ventral view. ts—tectal sclerites. Scale bare: 0.14 mm.