Physophoropterella, POPPIUS, 1914

Namyatova, Anna A. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2016, Systematic revision and phylogeny of the plant bug tribe Monaloniini (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Bryocorinae) of the world, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 176 (1), pp. 36-136 : 113-114

PHYSOPHOROPTERELLA POPPIUS

Figures 9, 10E, 11K, 12D, 13G, I, 17E–H, 20S, T, 22

Physophoropterella Poppius, 1914: 128 (gen. nov.; type species: Physophoropterella bondroiti Poppius, 1914 by monotypy); Bergroth, 1922: 54 (cat., syn.); China, 1944: 174 (key to gen.); Carvalho, 1952: 59 (cat.); Carvalho, 1955: 39 (key to gen.); Carvalho, 1957: 142 (cat.); Schmitz, 1968: 10 (key to gen.); Schuh, 1995: 522 (cat.); Schuh, 2002 –2013 (cat.); Namyatova et al., in press (phylogeny).

Mandragora Schumacher, 1917: 449 (gen. nov.; type species Mandragora venefica Schumacher, 1914 by initial designation, synonymized by Bergroth, 1922: 54); Carvalho, 1957: 142 (cat.); Schuh, 1995: 522 (cat.).

Diagnosis: Physophoropterella belongs to the Monalonion - complex, and is distinguished by the following characters: distinctly swollen scutellum with bifurcated outgrowths on it ( Figs 11K, 12D); swelling on corium posteriorly (as in fig. 12F in Namyatova et al., in press); ASII swollen apically, with tubercles also basally; ASIII– IV distinctly clavate; eyes stylate ( Fig. 10E); medial margin of clavus as long as scutellum length; foretibia longer than head and pronotum combined; sclerotized part of phallotheca wide basally and distinctly tapering towards apex; ductus seminis with distinct coils ( Fig. 17E).

Redescription: Male: Body length 7–9 mm. COLORA- TION ( Fig. 9). Head. Mostly yellow with brown to black markings, with reddish markings on antennae. TEXTURE. Body mostly smooth, without punctures, wrinkles and tubercles; vertex without flattened areas; striations on scutellum laterally present; semicircular depression between scutellum and mesoscutum absent. VESTITURE. Setae mostly absent, only present on costal margin of hemelytron anteriorly, antenna, legs and abdomen with short simple adpressed or suberect setae; black spinules on femora absent, spinules on tibia irregularly distributed (as in fig. 19F in Namyatova et al., in press). STRUCTURE. Head. Distance between eye and pronotum slightly shorter than eye diameter ( Fig. 10E); occipital region delimited with shallow depression; longitudinal depression on vertex almost subequal to eye diameter, often shallow; eyes stylate, directed outwards and forward, subequal to forth part of head width ( Fig. 10E); distance between antennal fossae subequal to or slightly longer than antennal fossa diameter; frons straight or only slightly convex, without ridges, outgrowths or longitudinal depression ( Fig. 10E); anterior view of head c. 1.3–1.5× as wide as high; eye height subequal to distance from eye to apex of clypeus; antennal fossa oval, almost subequal to eye height, not raised (as in fig. 6D–F in Namyatova & Cassis, 2013b), inferior margin placed slightly above inferior margin of eye; base of clypeus placed slightly below inferior margin of eye; delimited with very shallow depression; head convex dorsally in lateral view; gula subequal to buccula length, straight. Labium. Reaching middle of mesosternum; LSI c. 1.5× as long as wide; LSII twice as long as wide, subequal to LSII, LSIII c. 1.5× as long as wide subequal to or slightly shorter than LSII; LSIV c. 2–3× as long as wide, slightly longer than LSIII. Antenna. Reaching or almost reaching apex of membrane; ASI distinctly longer than wide, c. 1.8× as long as head width, swollen apically with additional swelling medially; ASII c. 0.9× as long as ASI, c. 1.1–1.2× as long as head and pronotum combined, swollen apically and with small tubercle near base; ASIII c. 0.6× as long as ASII, distinctly swollen, but narrow basally; ASIV c. 0.6× as long as ASIII, clavate (fig. 8G in Namyatova et al., in press). Thorax. Collar not delimited; calli separated, flat, almost indistinct ( Fig. 10E); depression delimiting calli posteriorly absent ( Fig. 10E); humeral angles of pronotum acute ( Fig. 10E); posteri- or margin of pronotum straight, with paired large swellings ( Fig. 10E); scutellum distinctly swollen with bifurcate outgrowth, distinctly obtuse apically, without longitudinal outgrowth or ridge medially ( Figs 11K, 12D); metepimeron enlarged, twice as long as wide, angulate and subtriangular (as in Fig. 13E); metasternum rounded posteriorly, without medial projection on to abdominal segment II (fig. 17B in Namyatova et al., in press). Hemelytron. Costal margin of hemelytron straight, hemelytra slightly tapering posteriorly; claval commissure c. 0.9–1× as long as scutellum, slightly concave; R + M distinct, reaching posterior margin of corium; medial fracture subparallel to R + M (as in fig. 12F in Namyatova et al., in press); corium with distinct swelling posteriorly (as in fig. 12F in Namyatova et al., in press); cuneus c. 2.2–2.3× as long as wide, c. 1.1–1.2× as long as pronotum, medial margin slightly concave (as in fig. 13C in Namyatova et al., in press); membrane cell c. 1.5× as long as pronotum, forming acute angle (as in fig. 13C in Namyatova et al., in press); auxiliary vein absent; distance from cell to apex of membrane subequal to half of cell length. Legs. Forecoxae separated (as in fig. 17B in Namyatova et al., in press); femora distinctly swollen apically, fore- and middle femora almost straight, hind femora curved; swellings on femora in apical half and on tibiae in basal part present ( Fig. 13G); foretibia longer than head and pronotum combined; segment I of hind tarsus c. 3× as long as segment II and III each, segment II subequal to segment III ( Fig. 13I); claw broadly rounded (fig. 10H in Namyatova & Cassis, 2013b); basal tooth on claw short, triangular (as in fig. 10B in Namyatova & Cassis, 2013b). Genitalia ( Fig. 17E–H). Genital capsule as long as wide, without outgrowth(s), its ventral wall shortened anteriorly; left paramere only slightly curved, c. 2.5× as long as right paramere; phallobase sclerite of primary gonopore subtriangular or suboval, without outgrowth(s); ductus seminis longer than phallotheca, not sclerotized basally or apically, with distinct coils forming wide tube, attached to phallobase on lefthand side; sclerotized part of phallotheca wide basally, tapering towards apex and acute apically, without outgrowths or ridges; endosoma with sclerotized area basally.

Female: Body length 10–11 mm. Coloration, surface, vestiture and structure as in males ( Fig. 9). Genitalia ( Fig. 20S, T). DLP with sclerotized bands thin, indistinct posteriorly; DLP with some striations medially and posteriorly; lateral oviducts placed in posterior half near lateral margins, distinctly removed from each other, spermathecal gland placed close to posterior margin, medially; posterior wall of bursa copulatrix with small tubercles; without outgrowths or sclerotizations; base of second valvula distinctly concave; ventral wall of bursa copulatrix membranous.

Distribution: Known from tropical Africa ( Fig. 22).

Host plants: Physophoropterella denticollis and P. poppiusi were recorded damaging Dacryodes edulis H.J.Lam ( Burseraceae ) ( China, 1945; Ndindeng et al., 2006).