Myiomma apicalis, Henry & Carpintero, 2012

Henry, Thomas J. & Carpintero, Diego L., 2012, Review of the jumping tree bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Isometopinae) of Argentina and nearby areas of Brazil and Paraguay, with descriptions of nine new species, Zootaxa 3545, pp. 41-58 : 47-48

Myiomma apicalis , n. sp.

( Figs. 11–15)

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished by the reddish-brown eyes with a distinct narrow, white, posterior margin ( Figs. 13–15); dark brown antennal segment I; pale antennal segment II, fuscous to black pronotum, with a white, subapical, humeral mark ( Figs. 11, 13); and pale legs with the apical one fourth to one third of each femur dark brown ( Fig. 12).

Myiomma apicalis is similar to M. scutellata in having a dark antennal segment I and pale segment II, a fuscous pronotum with a distinct pale, subapical, humeral spot, and pale legs with brown subapical or apical areas on the femora, but can be distinguished from M. scutellata by the distinct white posterior margin of the eyes, the yellowish-brown frons (rather than black), the white apex on the scutellum (rather than uniformly black), the more translucent white hemelytra with much more subtle brown accents, and by the dark brown apical fourth of the fore and middle femora (rather than having narrow subapical brown bands).

Description. Male (holotype): Length 2.43 mm, width 1.06 mm; cuneus inner length 0.48 mm, width 0.32 mm. Head: Length 0.27 mm, width 0.56 mm, interocular width across ocelli 0.14 mm. Labium: Not measured, obscured under body on card. Antenna: Segment I length 0.08 mm, II 0.61 mm, III 0.17 mm, IV missing. Pronotum: Length 0.37 mm, basal width 0.99 mm.

COLORATION: Head: Eyes dark brown, tinged with red; ocelli clear, with a weak red tinge centrally; narrow posterior margin white; interocular area anterior to ocelli yellowish brown, becoming darker brown before frons; frons and clypeus yellowish brown, darker brown laterally on frons and behind eyes below white area. Labium: Yellowish brown (partially obscured by body on card). Antenna: Segment I dark brown; segment II pale dirty white; segment III pale dirty white, with apical fourth slightly darker brown dorsally and brown ventrally; segment IV missing. Pronotum: Shiny black, posterior angle with a distinct subapical white mark. Mesoscutum: Uniformly shiny black. Scutellum: Shiny black, with apex white. Hemelytron: Translucent dirty white, weakly tinged with brown; basal one fourth of clavus, a small cloud at apex of corium, and narrow costal margin darker brown. Ventral surface: Propleura shiny black with posterior margin, except apex, white; remainder of thorax, except a white patch above ostiolar auricle, and abdomen shiny fuscous to black. Ostiolar evaporative area: Brown; auricle white. Legs: Fore coxa white, middle and hind coxae brown on basal halves, whitish distally; femora pallid or very pale brownish yellow, with apical fourth of fore and middle femora and apical half of hind femur (except apex) dark brown; tibiae brown on basal fourth to one half, becoming paler yellowish brown distally; tarsi and claws yellowish brown.

STRUCTURE, TEXTURE, AND VESTITURE: Head: Eyes nearly holoptic in front, separated by a distance less than the diameter of an ocellus; hind lateral margin with a row of five bristlelike setae; ocelli large, contiguous with inner margin of eyes, nearly contiguous with each other, set slightly above eyes on a swollen, transversely rugose mound ( Figs. 13, 15); interocular area transversely rugose; frons smooth, sparsely punctate, with scattered short, recumbent setae, becoming slightly longer ventrally. Labium: Obscured under body, extending to middle of abdomen. Antenna: Segment I, short, barrel-shaped; segment II long, weakly bowed, with short, dense, recumbent setae, length about one fourth the diameter of segment; segment III slender, fusiform; segment IV missing. Pronotum: Weakly convex, shiny, evenly punctate and weakly, transversely rugose; calli indistinct; lateral margins straight, carinate, narrowly explanate, becoming wider posteriorly, with edges weakly curved upward; posterior margin sinuate through middle; with relatively long, dense, recumbent setae. Mesoscutum: Evenly and finely punctate, with scattered recumbent setae. Scutellum: Transversely rugose, less so on pale apex; evenly scattered with recumbent setae. Hemelytron: Weakly convex laterally; with short, dense, semierect, brown setae.

Male genitalia: Unique male not dissected.

Female: Unknown.

Etymology. This species is named apicalis to denote the brown apices of the femora.

Distribution. Known only from Encarnacion, Paraguay.

Type Material. Holotype ♂, Paraguay, Encarnacion , Dec. [19]95, [D. L.] Carpintero ( MACN).