Physophoroptera, POPPIUS, 1910

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 : 112-113

PHYSOPHOROPTERA POPPIUS

Figures 9, 12C, 17A–D, 20Q, R, 24

Physophoroptera Poppius, 1910: 26 (gen. nov. type species Physophoroptera mirabilis Reuter, 1910 by monotypy); Reuter, 1910: 153 (cat.); Reuter & Poppius, 1911: 208 (descr.); Poppius, 1912: 175, 184 (key to gen., descr.); Bergroth, 1922: 52 (cat.); China, 1944: 174 (key to gen.); Carvalho, 1952: 59 (cat.); Carvalho, 1955: 38 (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).

Diagnosis: Physophoroptera belongs to the Monalonion - complex (see discussion for tribe), but among genera of this group it differs by: distinctly swollen scutellum with round swelling on it ( Fig. 12C, fig. 12F in Namyatova et al., in press); swelling on corium posteriorly (fig. 12F in Namyatova et al., in press); ASII with apex swollen, without any tubercles, ASIII–IV distinctly swollen (fig. 8G in Namyatova et al., in press); eyes stylate (fig. 4D in Namyatova et al., in press); sclerotized part of phallotheca wide basally and distinctly tapering towards apex; ductus seminis without coils ( Fig. 17A).

Redescription: Male: Body length 5 mm. COLORATION ( Fig. 9). Head. Reddish with brown to black markings. TEXTURE. Body mostly smooth, without punctures, wrinkles and tubercles; vertex without flattened areas; striations on scutellum laterally absent; semi- circular depression between scutellum and mesoscutum absent. VESTITURE. Setae mostly absent, only short dark adpressed simple setae on ASII–IV and legs present; black spinules on femora and tibiae absent. STRUCTURE. Head. Distance between eye and pronotum slightly longer than eye diameter (fig. 4D in Namyatova et al., in press); occipital region not delimited with transverse depression; longitudinal depression on vertex indistinct; eyes stylate, directed outwards and forward, subequal to fifth part of head width (fig. 4D in Namyatova et al., in press); distance between antennal fossa twice as long as antennal fossa diameter; frons distinctly swollen, without ridges, outgrowths or longitudinal depression (fig. 4D in Namyatova et al., in press); anterior view of head c. 1.3–1.5× as long as wide; eye c. 0.8× as high as distance from eye to apex of clypeus; antennal fossa oval, subequal to 2/3 of eye height, not raised (as in fig. 6D–F in Namyatova & Cassis, 2013b), inferior margin on the same level with inferior margin of eye; base of clypeus placed at the same level with inferior margin of antennal fossa, distinctly delimited with depression; head convex dorsally in lateral view; gula almost subequal to buccula length, straight. Labium. Reaching posterior margin of mesosternum or slightly surpassing it; LS I twice as long as wide; LSII c. 3× as long as wide, subequal to LSI; LSIII c. 1.5× as long as slightly shorter than LSII; LSIV c. 3–4× as long as wide, c. 1.5× as long as LSIII. Antenna. Reaching base of cuneus or slightly surpassing it; ASI distinctly longer than wide, length subequal to head width, swollen apically (fig. 8G in Namyatova et al., in press); ASII c. 1.2–1.3× as long as ASI, c. 0.6× as long as head and pronotum combined, swollen apically; ASIII subequal to half of ASII, clavate; ASIV subequal to or slightly longer than ASIII, clavate (fig. 8G in Namyatova et al., in press). Thorax. Collar weekly delimited, fused with callosite region posteriorly, flat (fig. 4D in Namyatova et al., in press); calli separate, flat, almost indistinct (fig. 4D in Namyatova et al., in press); humeral angles of pronotum not dilated, rounded or acute (fig. 4D in Namyatova et al., in press); depression delimiting calli posteriorly absent; posterior margin of pronotum slightly concave (fig. 4D in Namyatova et al., in press); scutellum distinctly swollen with round swelling medially (fig. 12F in Namyatova et al., in press), distinctly rounded apically, without longitudinal depression or ridge medially; metepimeron enlarged, c. 1.5× as long as wide, angulate and subtriangular (as in Fig. 13E); metasternum rounded, without medial projection on to abdominal segment II (as in fig. 17B in Namyatova et al., in press). Hemelytron. Costal margin of hemelytron straight; hemelytra tapering apically; margins of claval commissure c. 0.8–1× as long as scutellum, curved posteriorly (fig. 12F in Namyatova et al., in press); R + M distinct, reaching posterior margin of corium; medial fracture subparallel to R + M; corium with distinct swelling posteriorly (fig. 12F in Namyatova et al., in press); cuneus twice as long as wide, c. 0.8× as long as pronotum, medial margin concave; membrane cell distinctly surpassing apex of cuneus, forming right angle, c. 1.1–1.3× as long as pronotum; auxiliary vein absent; distance from cell to apex of membrane c. 0.5–0.7× as long as membrane. Legs. Forecoxae separated (as in fig. 17B in Namyatova et al., in press); femora distinctly swollen apically, forefemora almost straight, middle and hind femora distinctly curved; tibia without swellings; foretibia shorter than head and pronotum combined; segment I of hind tarsus distinctly longer than segment II and slightly longer than segment III (as in fig. 19A in Namyatova et al., in press); apical half of claw curved; basal tooth on claw elongate, straight (fig. 10H in Namyatova et al., in press). Genitalia ( Fig. 17A–D). Genital capsule slightly longer than wide, without outgrowth(s), ventral wall shortened anteriorly; left paramere only slightly curved, twice as long as right paramere; phallobase sclerite of primary gonopore heart-shaped, without outgrowth(s); ductus seminis not sclerotized basally or apically, shorter than phallotheca, without coils, attached to phallobase medially; sclerotized part of phallotheca wide basally tapering towards apex, acute apically, with swelling on right-hand side; endosoma without sclerotization.

Female: Body length 5–7 mm. Coloration, surface, vestiture and structure as in males. Genitalia ( Fig. 20Q, R). DLP without sclerotized rings or bands, only with curved sclerite anteriorly; DLP entirely striated; lateral oviducts placed anteriorly near lateral margins of DLP, distinctly removed from each other; spermathecal gland in anterior half, above midpoint; posterior wall of bursa copulatrix with small tubercles, without outgrowths or sclerites; ventral wall of bursa copulatrix membranous; base of second valvula concave.