Tytthus balli (Knight)

Henry, Thomas J., 2012, Revision of the Plant Bug Genus Tytthus (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae, Phylinae), ZooKeys 220, pp. 1-114 : 15-17

Tytthus balli (Knight) Figs 7, 8117-120

Cyrtorhinus balli Knight 1931: 171 (orig. descrip.).

Tytthus balli : Carvalho and Southwood 1955: 30 (descrip., n. comb.); Carvalho 1958: 157 (cat.); Henry and Wheeler 1988: 457 (cat.); Schuh 1995: 248 (cat.).

Diagnosis.

This species is distinguished by the black head and antennae, orange-brown pronotum often infuscated laterally, orange-brown scutellum, pallid hemelytra infuscated along inner margin of clavus and distal third of corium, orange-brown femora, and dark brown to fuscous tibiae. All known males are macropterous; both macropterous and brachypterous females occur.

Tytthus balli is very similar to Tytthus insperatus and Tytthus uniformis based on the black head and antennal segments I and II, and the orange to brownish-orange pronotum and femora. From Tytthus insperatus , it is distinguished by the uniformly browish-orange pronotum lacking a pale anterior margin and the infuscated apical half of each corium. From Tytthus uniformis it is distinguished by the fuscous tibiae and infuscated hemelytra.

Description.

Macropterous male (n = 5, plus holotype in parentheses) (Fig. 7): Length to apex of hemelytron 2.58-2.73 mm (2.68 mm), length to base of cuneus 1.85-1.88 mm (1.96 mm), width across hemelytra 0.70-0.83 mm (0.80 mm). Head: Length 0.34-0.35 mm (0.37 mm), width across eye 0.58-0.59 mm (0.59 mm), interocular width 0.30-0.32 (0.30 mm). Labium: Length 1.05-1.07 mm (1.02 mm). Antenna: Segment I length 0.30-0.32 mm (0.29 mm), II 0.98-1.07 mm (1.02 mm), III 0.69-0.85 mm (0.80 mm), IV 0.48-0.51 mm (missing). Pronotum: Length 0.30-0.32 mm (0.34 mm), basal width 0.72-0.74 mm (0.69 mm).

Coloration: Head: Uniformly shiny black, with a distinct, yellow spot on inner interocular area bordering each eye. Labium: Yellowish brown, apex of segment IV fuscous. Antenna: Uniformly black. Pronotum: Uniformly orange to darker brownish orange, often becoming infuscated laterally and around calli. Mesoscutum: Orange to brownish orange. Scutellum: Dark orange or brownish orange to dark brown. Hemelytron: Pale or whitish on basal half and narrow apical margin of corium, narrow outer margin of clavus, and basal half of cuneus, dark brown on most of clavus, apical half of corium, and apex of cuneus; membrane translucent brown, veins slightly dark brown. Ostiolar evaporative area: Brownish orange to fuscous. Ventral surface: Thoracic area orange to dark brownish orange; abdomen brownish orange to dark brown, often becoming fuscous laterally, genital capsule dark brown to fuscous. Legs: Coxae pale or whitish, orange to dark brownish orange basally; femora orange to brownish orange; tibiae brown on palest specimens, especially protibia, to dark brown or black on darker individuals; tarsi and claws brown to dark brown.

Structure, texture, and vestiture: Head: Broader than long, shiny, impunctate; sparsely set with short, recumbent setae; buccula relative wide, tapering posteriorly. Labium: Extending to apices of metacoxae or base of abdomen; segment I extending only to prosternum. Pronotum: Impunctate, shiny; trapeziform, anterior angles rounded, lateral margins weakly concave, basal angles flared wider, basal margin concave; calli weakly swollen, delimited posteriorly by a shallow impressed line; set with evenly scattered, short, recumbent setae. Mesoscutum: Broadly exposed. Scutellum: Impunctate, equilateral, width a few scattered, recumbent setae. Hemelytron: Macropterous, impunctate, shiny, lateral margins subparallel, cuneus longer than wide at base, membrane with two areoles, extending well beyond abdomen.

Male genitalia: Left paramere (Fig. 117): Mitt-shaped; right arm long, broad; left arm shorter, more slender. Right paramere (Fig. 118): Oval. Endosoma (Fig. 119): C-shaped. Phallotheca (Fig. 120): Slender, relatively straight, apically acute.

Macropterous female (n = 2): Length to apex of hemelytron 2.90-3.07 mm, length to base of cuneus 2.08-2.28 mm, width across hemelytra 0.83-0.93 mm. Head: Length 0.34-0.35 mm, width across eyes 0.58-0.61 mm, interocular width 0.32-0.34 mm. Labium: Length 1.17-1.22 mm. Antenna: Segment I length 0.27-0.32 mm, II 1.02-1.1.18 mm, III 0.77-0.80 mm, IV 0.48-0.54 mm. Pronotum: Length 0.32-0.34 mm, basal width 0.74-0.78 mm. Similar to males in color and shape.

Brachypterous female (n = 4) (Fig. 8): Length to apex of abdomen 2.20-2.38 mm, length to base of cuneus 1.88-1.93 mm, width across hemelytra 0.86-0.90 mm. Head: Length 0.37-0.40 mm, width across eyes 0.58-0.59 mm, interocular width 0.34-0.35 mm. Labium: Length 1.17-1.20 mm. Antenna: Segment I length 0.27-0.29 mm, II 1.01-1.02 mm, III 0.77-0.80 mm, IV 0.48-0.50 mm. Pronotum: Length 0.30-0.32 mm, basal width 0.67-0.69 mm. Similar to males in color, differing in having the cuneus reduced (basal width subequal to length) and the membrane shortened (with the veins absent or indistinct), extending only to the middle of the last abdominal tergite.

Hosts.

Previously recorded only from imported roses ( Carvalho and Southwood 1955), which undoubtedly is an incidental record. A. G. Wheeler and I have swept specimens from a salt marsh area containing mixed herbaceous vegetation and Spartina sp. [ Poaceae ].

Distribution.

This species was described from Jacksonville, Florida ( Knight 1931), and later reported from an unspecified Mexican locality based on a specimen intercepted at Brownsville, Texas ( Carvalho and Southwood 1955). The specimens listed below from Clay, Hidalgo, and Refugio counties represent the first authentic Texas records.

Type material examined.

Holotype ♂ (00162202) (USNM) (macropterous): UNITED STATES: Duval Co.: Jacksonville, 30.33194°N, 81.65583°W, 23 Jul 1926, E. D. Ball. Paratypes: UNITED STATES: Texas: Duval Co.: Jacksonville, 30.33194°N, 81.65583°W, 23 Jul 1926, E. D. Ball, 1 ♂ (00161903) (USNM), 2 ♀♀ (00161912, 00161913), 1 nymph (00161910), 2 ♀♀ (00161914, 00161915) (USNM).Texas: Presidio Co.: Presidio, 29.56056°N, 104.37167°W, 28 Sep 1929, W.L. Owens, 1 ♂ (00167070) (CNC) (macropterous), 1 ♀ (00161911) (USNM) (brachypterous).

Other specimens examined.

UNITED STATES:Florida:Texas:Cameron Co.: Brownsville, 25.90139°N, 97.49722°W, 28 Mar 1945, collector unknown, 1 ♀ (00161917) (USNM) (macropterous). Brownsville, Veteran’s Bridge (Cargo Lot), 27 Jul 2011, S. Guzman, 1 ♂ (USNM). Chambers Co.: Anahuac, 29.77278°N, 94.6825°W, 08 Oct 1918, H. S. Barber, 1 ♂ (00161904) (USNM). Clay Co.: 6 mi NE of Bexar at Red River (at state line), 34.13611°N, 98.13055°W, 20 Sep 2009, G. F. and J. F. Hevel, 1 ♂ (00161909) (USNM) (macropterous). Hidalgo Co.: Hidalgo County, 26.1°N, 98.26278°W, 19 May 1930, J. C. Gaines, Paratype, 1 ♀ (00161916) (USNM). Refugio Co.: 6 mi. N. Bayside, Rt. 136, 20 Apr 1983, T. J. Henry and A. G. Wheeler, Jr, 4 ♂♂ (00161905 - 00161908) (USNM) (macropterous).