Knightopiella, SCHUH, 2004

SCHUH, RANDALL T., 2004, Revision of Europiella Reuter in North America, with the Description of a New Genus (Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae), American Museum Novitates 3463, pp. 1-59 : 52-55

Knightopiella , new genus

Type species: Europiella albipubescens Knight.

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the relatively large size, length 3.38–3.64; body very elongate­oval and relatively broad. Coloration weakly greenish, including appendages, with a few diffuse dark markings on femora and weakly dark bases of tibial spines. Vestiture of dorsum with pale reclining simple setae and recumbent, woolly, silvery, shining setae (figs. 2, 13A–D); head weakly produced and not overlapping anterior margin of pronotum. Sexually dimorphic, females much more strongly ovoid than males and with hemelytra more strongly conforming to shape of body. Most easily confused with pale­colored species on Europiella and Megalopsallus on the basis of coloration, form of vestiture, and structure of head. Head and vertex both greater in width than in any Europiella species. Separated from Europiella spp. by its larger size and the form of the male genitalia, Europiella spp. always with two apical spines (figs. 2–5), Knightopiella with a spinose, cauliflowerlike, membranous apex (fig. 12); separated from Megalopsallus spp. also by its larger size and by the much smaller pygophore and more delicate vesica in that group terminating in a single attenuation (see Schuh, 2000).

DESCRIPTION: Male: Relatively large, very elongate­oval, relatively broad total length 3.38–3.64, width pronotum 1.05–1.17; dorsal surface of body weakly convex. COLORA­ TION (fig. 2): Coloration pale greenish, including all appendages and ventral body surface; femora with some diffuse, weakly contrasting dark spots; tibial spines dark with weakly dark bases. Mesoscutum often dark mesially; phallotheca heavily sclerotized and intensely dark. SURFACE AND VESTI­ TURE (fig. 13A–D): Dorsum smooth, dull, clothed with pale, reclining, simple setae and recumbent, woolly, silvery, shining setae. STRUCTURE (fig. 13): Head transverse, frons bulging, clypeus barely visible from above; eyes bulging, nearly spherical as viewed from above, occupying slightly more than half of height of head in lateral view (fig. 13A), showing only weak sexual dimorphism; antennal segment 2 slender, tapering to slightly greater diameter distally, sexual dimorphism very weak; labium reaching to apex of middle coxae; claws nearly straight over most of length, strongly curving near apex, parempodia setiform, pulvilli relatively large, occupying most of length of claw, basal two­thirds of pulvillus adnate to claw (fig. 13 E, F); abdomen flattened, broad, lateral margins of pregenital segments strongly convexly rounded. GENITALIA (fig. 12): Pygophore and genitalia moderately large; vesica formed of two chitinous bands with weakly sclerotized apical ornamentation; secondary gonopore located near apex of vesica, relatively small and only moderately sclerotized; phallotheca heavily sclerotized, strongly ‘‘hump­backed’’ on dorsal margin (fig. 13H); left paramere boat­shaped, typical of Phylini ; right paramere decurved apically, unlike all species placed in Europiella under the diagnosis adopted in the present paper.

Female: Elongate ovoid, of more robust appearance than male; total body length 3.31–3.51. Coloration and vestiture as in male.

ETYMOLOGY: A combination of Knight and Europiella , in recognition of H. H. Knight, the author of the type species, and its genus of original placement.

DISCUSSION: Knight (1968: 46) indicated that his new species Europiella albipubescens could be ‘‘Distinguished from allied species by having only white pubescent hairs and silvery, sericeous pubescence.’’ Not only is the exact meaning of this statement unclear to me, but it is made in the absence of a clear characterization of the diagnostic characters for Europiella . Comparison of the vestiture of Knightopiella albipubescens (figs. 2, 13C) with that of E. stigmosa and other Europiella spp. (figs. 1, 2, 7, 9–11) indicates that the type of vestiture is rather similar in Europiella and Knightopiella and does not form a strong basis for unequivocally recognizing K. albipubescens . The male genitalia, on the other hand, are absolutely distinctive for the taxa and do not ally K. albipubescens closely with either Europiella or Megalopsallus , for both of which Knight included many species under his concept of Europiella .

Knightopiella albipubescens (Knight) , new combination Figures 2 , 12 , 13

Europiella albipubescens Knight, 1968: 46 (n. sp., host).

Megalopsallus albipubescens: Schuh et al., 1995: 389 (n. comb.).

DIAGNOSIS: As for genus.

REDESCRIPTION: As for genus.

Female: As for genus.

HOSTS: Tetradymia glabrata , T. spinosa , Chrysothamnus nauseosus (Asteraceae) .

DISTRIBUTION: Widely distributed in the Great Basin. Also known from the Mojave Desert near Rosamond , California .

DISCUSSION: See generic discussion.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: USA: California: Kern Co.: 4 mi N of Rosamond, April 23, 1971, Oman, 103, 5♀ (OSU). Mono Co.: 8 mi W of Nevada state line on Rt 359, 6700 ft, July 2, 1983, R. T. Schuh and M. D. Schwartz, Tetradymia sp. (Asteraceae) , 153, 4♀ (AMNH). Nevada: Elko Co.: Utah state line on Utah Rt 30, 4760 ft, July 25, 1983, R. T. Schuh and M. D. Schwartz, Tetradymia sp. (Asteraceae) , 123, 20♀ (AMNH). Nye Co.: Atomic Test Site, 6.8 mi SE of Mercury Hiway on Orange Blossom Rd (A11), 4000 ft, June 8, 1983, Schuh, Schwartz, Stonedahl, Tetradymia sp. (Asteraceae) , 103, 21♀ (AMNH). Atomic Test Site, Mercury Hwy at Angle Rd. (A3), 3800 ft, June 8, 1983, Schuh, Schwartz, Stonedahl, Tetrydymia sp. ( Asteraceae ), 163, 23♀ (AMNH). Atomic Test Site, Tweezer Rd at Orange Blossom Rd. (A6), 4750 ft, June 8, 1983, Schuh, Schwartz, Stonedahl, Tetradymia sp. (Asteraceae) , 63, 18♀ (AMNH). Mercury, 16 M, June 11, 1965, H. Knight and J. Merino, Tetradymia spinosa (Asteraceae) , 163, 12♀ (USNM). Mercury, 17 M, June 12, 1965, H. Knight and J. Merino, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus (Asteraceae) , 163, 15♀ (USNM). Mercury, 401 M, June 11, 1965, H. Knight and J. Merino, Chrysothamnus nauseosus (Asteraceae) , 193, 16♀ (USNM, CNC).

Plagiognathus lividellus Kerzhner , revised combination Figure 12

Plagiognathus lividellus Kerzhner, 1979: 51 (n. sp.); Kerzhner, 1988: 854, 855 (key, figs., host).

Europiella lividella Schuh, Lindskog, and Kerzhner, 1995: 391 (n. comb.).

DISCUSSION: Schuh et al. (1995) transferred Plagiognathus lividellus Kerzhner to Europiella on the assumption that it possessed the diagnostic characteristics of that genus. I now judge this action to be in error, because the right paramere does not possess the diagnostic features found in all other species of Europiella (compare figs. 2–5 and 12). Although some features of the vesica such as the sawtooth edge of the vesica strap (fig. 12) are not typical of what is found in any species placed in Plagiognathus by Schuh (2001), this appears to be the most satisfactory generic placement for the moment.

Figures

Fig. 2. Habitus views of Europiella spp.: decolor–unipuncta. Habitus of Knightopiella albipubescens. See appendix 1 for localities.

Fig. 12. Male genitalia of Knightopiella albipubescens and Plagiognathus lividellus.

Fig. 13. Scanning electron micrographs of Knightopiella albipubescens (3). A. Head, lateral view. B. Head, dorsal view. C. Setae on hemelytra, detail view. D. Mesothoracic spiracle and metepisternal scent­efferent system, lateral view. E. Pretarsus, frontal view. F. Pretarsus, lateral view. G. Hind femura, distal half, dorsal view. H. Phallotheca, in situ, dorsal view.