Rhopaliceschatus, REUTER, 1903

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 : 122-123

RHOPALICESCHATUS REUTER

Figures 8, 19R, 24

Rhopaliceschatus Reuter, 1903: 1 (gen. nov.; type species: Rhopaliceschatus quadrimaculatus Reuter, 1903 by monotypy); Kuhlgatz, 1906: 29 (key to gen.); Reuter, 1910: 153 (cat.); Oshanin, 1910: 647 (cat.); Hsiao, 1942: 250 (key to gen., list); Carvalho, 1952: 60 (cat.); Carvalho, 1955: 42 (key to gen.); Miller & China, 1957: 430 (key to gen.); Carvalho, 1960: 193 (cat.); Schuh, 1995: 574 (cat.); Schuh, 2002 –2013 (cat.).

Ropaliceschatus Kirkaldy, 1906: 156 a (error pro Rhopaliceschatus Reuter, 1903 ).

Diagnosis: Rhopaliceschatus belongs to the Odoniella - complex (see discussion for tribe), and is recognized by the following characters: ASIII distinctly incrassate apically, ASIV clavate (as in fig. 8E in Namyatova et al., in press); frons with bifurcate outgrowth (as in fig. 4C in Namyatova et al., in press); pronotum and scutellum without tumescences; scutellum distinctly swollen, roundish, exceeding height of pronotum, not subdivided into lower and upper parts (as in Fig. 12A), covering base of pronotum; hemelytron clothed with flattened dark setae; tibiae without distinct tumescences and regularly setate.

Redescription: Female: Body length 10 mm. COLORA- TION ( Fig. 8). Coloration mostly brown to dark brown, scutellum orange with four brown markings. VESTITURE. Head, pronotum scutellum, thoracic pleura and abdomen clothed with pale or dark simple adpressed or erect setae; hemelytron mostly clothed with flattened dark setae, with cuneus clothed with simple setae; antenna with dark simple setae, mostly adpressed and short; setae on legs suberect and long, dark, spinules on femora present or absent apically; spinules on tibia irregularly distributed (as in fig. 18F in Namyatova et al., in press). STRUCTURE. Head. Distance between eye and pronotum shorter than eye diameter (as in Fig. 10F); occipital region not delimited with depression; longitudinal depression on vertex indistinct or very short; eyes stylate, directed outwards (as in Fig. 10F), c. 0.2× as long as head width; distance between antennal fossa c. 3× as long as antennal fossa diameter; frons distinctly swollen, with bifurcate outgrowth (as in fig. 4C in Namyatova et al., in press), without longitudinal depression or ridges; anterior view of head c. 1.9× as wide as high; eye height c. 0.8× as distance from eye to apex of clypeus; antennal fossa oval, c. 0.5× as long as eye height, not raised (as in fig. 3B in Namyatova et al., in press), inferior margin placed near inferior margin of eye; base of clypeus placed slightly above inferior margin of eye, distinctly delimited basally; in lateral view head flat; gula shorter than buccula length, slightly convex. Labium. Reaching posterior margin of metasternum; LSI c. 3× as long as wide; LSII c. 3× as long as wide, slightly longer than LSI; LSIII c. 3× as long as wide, subequal to LSII; LSIV c. 5× as long as wide, c. 1.5× as long as LSIII. Antenna. Reaching base of cuneus; ASI c. 1.5–2× as long as wide, subequal to quarter of head width, swollen basally (as in fig. 8E in Namyatova et al., in press); ASII c. 7× as long as ASI, subequal to head and pronotum combined, slightly incrassate apically, with shallow tumescences; ASIII c. 0.6× as long as ASII; widened towards apex; ASIV c. 0.9× as long as ASIII, clavate (as in fig. 8E in Namyatova et al., in press). Thorax. Collar not delimited posteriorly, flat; calli separated, flat (as in fig. 4C in Namyatova et al., in press); depression delimiting calli posteriorly absent (as in fig. 4C in Namyatova et al., in press); humeral angles dilated (as in fig. 4C in Namyatova et al., in press); posterior margin of pronotum distinctly concave, forming right angles (as in Fig. 11F) scutellum distinctly swollen, often covering, rarely not covering base of pronotum, round or subtriangular (as in Fig. 11F, H), not divided into parts (as in Fig. 12A), obtuse apically, without longitudinal depression, ridge or outgrowth; metepimeron c. 1–1.5× as long as wide, angulate (as in Fig. 13E); metasternum with medial projection to abdominal segment II (as in fig. 17A in Namyatova et al., in press). Hemelytron. Tapering posteriorly; costal margin straight; claval commissure c. 0.15× as long as scutellum, straight (as in fig. 12E in Namyatova et al., in press); R + M almost reaching posterior margin of corium; medial fracture strongly inclined towards midline (as in fig. 12E in Namyatova et al., in press); corium without swelling posteriorly; cuneus twice as long as wide, c. 0.6× as long as pronotum, medial margin slightly concave (as in fig. 13B in Namyatova et al., in press); membrane cell distinctly surpassing apex of cuneus, forming right angle (as in fig. 13B in Namyatova et al., in press), c. 0.8× as long as pronotum; auxiliary vein absent; dis- tance from cell to apex of membrane c. 1.2× as long as cell. Legs. Forecoxae contiguous (as in fig. 17A in Namyatova et al., in press); femora almost not swollen apically, straight, hind tibia often slightly curved; foretibia shorter than head and pronotum combined; tibia without swellings; segments of hind tibia subequal in length; apical half or third part of claw curved; basal tooth on claw elongate, slightly concave (as in Fig. 13J).

Genitalia ( Fig. 19R). DLP with a single sclerotized ring anteriorly, c. 1.5× as long as wide; with two areas of striations surrounding bases of lateral oviducts; lateral oviducts attached at middle of those striated areas, widely separated, placed near lateral margin in posterior half; spermathecal gland placed on right-hand side.

Distribution: Known from Tibet only ( Fig. 24).

Host plants: Unknown.