Biromiris Schuh

Menard, Katrina L. & Schuh, Randall T., 2011, Revision Of Leucophoropterini: Diagnoses, Key To Genera, Redescription Of The Australian Fauna, And Descriptions Of New Indo-Pacific Genera And Species (Insecta: Hemiptera: Miridae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2011 (361), pp. 1-159 : 74-76

Biromiris Schuh Figure 13 ; plates 4, 5, 8

Biromiris Schuh, 1984: 206 (n. gen., diag., descr.).

TYPE SPECIES: Biromiris enarotadi Schuh, 1984 , by original designation.

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by carina on lateral margins of pronotum, double chin– like gula, terete antennal segments 3 and 4, white dorsolateral process of metepisternum dorsal to scent gland, long ommatidial setae, partial transverse fascia composed of transparent patches on anterior of corium, combination of long erect setae and short silvery setae, and flat hemelytron.

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous, medium sized, elongate, weakly medially constricted. Total length 3.12–3.56, width pronotum 1.01–1.06, maximum width across hemelytra 0.99–1.04. COLORATION: Orange, dark brown or castaneous. Head: Dark brown, castaneous or orange. Eyes silver or dark purple. Labium golden to brown. Antennal segment 1 golden, segment 2 golden basally and pale brown distally, segments 3 and 4 completely brown. Thorax: Pronotum, scutellum and thorax dark brown, castaneous, or orange. Dorsolateral margin of metepisternum with small white-colored protuberance, scent gland paler than thorax or similar. Legs: Coxae variable, either all brown or with brown basally and pale distally for pro- and metacoxae. Pro- and mesofemora pale brown to golden, metafemur usually darker. All tibiae dark brown basally, golden distally, metatibia with parallel rows of dark spicules. Basal tarsomeres golden, distally dark brown to completely golden or completely brown. Hemelytra: Anterior margin of corium castaneous to golden with an incomplete transparent fascia that occupies most of anterior portion of corium, posterior margin of transparent areas with dark brown margin that may or may not extend across median of clavus. Remainder of hemelytron castaneous, orange to pale brown, lateral posterior margins of hemelytra completely opaque, reddish brown to brown. Between M and J of total area of cuneus white posterior to claval fracture, with lateral margins sometimes possessing yellowish tinge, posterior of cuneus darker than majority of corium. Membrane pale to dark brown with or without dark brown pigmentation around veins. Abdomen: Castaneous to dark brown. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsal surface of body and hemelytron covered with long, erect pale brown to black setae, hemelytron also possessing scattered, short and silverish to golden setae and sometimes patches of erect black setae. Medial portion of hemelytron and median of claval suture with reflective patches. Ommatidia setae long and obvious. STRUCTURE: Head: Clypeus weakly projecting beyond anterior margin of frons in lateral view, barely visible in dorsal view. Vertex weakly concave to convex, with posterior margin raised for medial half and lateral margins declining, forming shelflike appearance, width nearly width of one eye to nearly two times width of an eye. Cyberial muscle attachment sites visible on frons. Eyes weakly removed from anterior margin of vertex, vertex partially visible in lateral view by anterior surface of eyes, eyes greater than half of total height of head, and posterior margin of eyes obscure anterior margin of pronotum. One-third to J of total height of head below eyes, gula short and with an additional ridge forming a double-chin appearance. Antennal segment 1 inverted-cokebottle shaped, length surpassing apex of head; segment 2 long and wider in diameter than segment 1, increasing in diameter distally toward segment 3. Length of antennal segment 2 nearly equal to head width to nearly 1.33 times head width, weakly curving medially. Antennal segments 3 and 4 nearly equal in diameter as antennal segment 2, tubular to terete, less than half length of segment 2. Labrum thin. Labial segment 1 extending past posterior margin of head, apex of segment 4 reaching apex of meso- or metacoxa. Thorax: Pronotum less than two times as wide as long, dorsal surface swollen dorsally and convex, without dorsal indentation separating anteri- or and posterior lobes, dorsal lateral margins narrowed anteriorly and widening distally forming bell-shaped pronotum in dorsal view or straight and forming trapezoidal shape in dorsal view. Lateral sides of pronotum with narrow to broad shelflike carina along medial line for first third of length of pronotum entire length (pl. 4, Biromiris binjour , B. cassisi ), anterior lobes weakly to easily visible dorsally. Thin, partially reflexed collar present. Mesoscutum obscured by posterior margin of pronotum, scutellum weakly protruding medially. Scent gland less than J total area of metepimeron. Legs: Elongate, narrow, metafemur widest preapically, kneelike. Claws of moderate length and width, pulvilli less than half of claw length. Parempodia parallel and setiform. Hemelytra: Elongate, lateral margins constricted medially, dorsally flat, with lateral margins of corium anterior cuneus expanded to form lobe over fracture. Cuneus triangular, length approximately less than or greater than M total length of hemelytral membrane, cuneal fracture angled anteromesially, and with partial thickening on lateral margins of cuneus in area occupied by white margin. Abdomen: Narrow for most of length, expanding in diameter to pygophore. Pygophore less than one-fifth to M total length of abdomen. GENITALIA: Endosoma: Relatively large, slender at base and wider at apex, twisted, S-shaped, composed of two sclerotized straps, fused into tube toward base and separating toward apex, unified by membrane. Secondary gonopore small, weakly sclerotized, located at apex of endosoma. Phallotheca: C-shaped, relatively short at base, apex tapering to narrow point ( Schuh 1984: fig. 760). Right Paramere: Not examined. Left Paramere: Moderately sized; posterior process relatively wide, wider than base of paramere, with spicules, directed ventrally with concave curvature along dorsal margin, relatively elongate compared to anterior process; anterior process stout but without spicules on interior margin, dorsal surface subequal to midline of total height of paramere; dorsal surface of median portion between anterior and posterior processes convex ( Schuh 1984: fig. 759).

Female: Unknown.

HOSTS: Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION: Eastern coast of Australia, New Guinea.

DISCUSSION: This genus was previously only known from Papua New Guinea; however, at least three new species have been identified in Australia based on synapomorphies of the pronotal carina, and the white process on the dorsolateral surface of the metepisternum. The presence of terete antennal segments 3 and 4, and the double chin– like gula are synapomorphies of the Papua New Guinea species that are also present in the Australian species B. scheyville .

Figures

Figure 13. Distribution map of Biromiris spp.