Coridromius ephippius, Tatarnic & Cassis, 2008

Tatarnic, N. J. & Cassis, G., 2008, Revision Of The Plant Bug Genus Coridromius Signoret (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2008 (315), pp. 1-95 : 55-58

Coridromius ephippius , new species Figures 4, 6, 11B–F, 12A–C, map 3

HOLOTYPE: Male: PHILIPPINES: Albay Province: Mt. Mayon , 16 km NW of Legaspi, 13.25666 ° N 123.685 ° E, 1200–1800 m, 12 May 1962, H.M. Torrevillas ( AMNH _ PBI 00041446 ) ( BPBM type# 16727) ( BPBM).

DIAGNOSIS: Readily distinguished by the female’s unique paragenital structure (fig. 11B–D).

DESCRIPTION: COLORATION (figs. 4, 6): Head: glossy, mostly concolorous light brownish yellow, frons with faint brown vittae; with paired dark brown chevronshaped markings on vertex behind weakly raised tumescences, sometimes also with median brown marking; labium pale, brown apically. Antenna: AI brownish yellow with dark brown annulations at base and apex; AII brownish yellow with dark brown annulation; AIII dark brown, pale at base; AIV dark brown. Thorax: Pronotal collar yellow, brown along anterior margin; pronotum brownish yellow to brownish orange, sometimes with two irregular dark brown markings immediately behind eyes, posterior margin also sometimes darkened; mesoscutum brown to brownish orange; scutellum brownish yellow to brownish orange with sometimes fused darker brown medial and lateral markings, anterior angles and lateroapical margins yellow to brownish orange; thoracic pleura brownish yellow. Hemelytra: Brownish yellow in most specimens, in others clavus sometimes brown apically, joining faint brown arc at apex of endocorium; membrane faintly brown with darker brown veins. Legs: Mostly uniform brownish yellow, metafemur mostly pale with eight or nine diagonal brown stripes, metatibia pale. Abdomen: Brownish yellow. SURFACE AND VESTITURE (figs. 4, 6): Head finely and shallowly punctate on vertex and adjacent to eyes; pronotum shallowly but distinctly punctate; propleuron, metepimeron, scutellum, and hemelytra impunctate; head and dorsum clothed with sparse distribution of short, white, decumbent setae; laterally projecting tumescence on right abdominal sternite II of female nodulose and setaceous. STRUCTURE (figs. 4, 6): Head: Frons broadly tumescent medially; with paired slightly raised tumescences adjacent to eyes, foveae behind tumescences shallow; posterior margin of vertex almost flat, not carinate. Thorax: Pronotum broad, margins somewhat carinate, anterolateral margins slightly upturned, not explanate; submarginal region of humeral angles weakly excavate; callar region undifferentiated; proepisternum unilobed; posterior margin of metepimeron truncate; metanotum not prominent and flared. Hemelytra: Costal margin thin, flared over its entire length and straight to weakly sinuate. Legs: Metatibial spines thin and small. Abdomen: When viewed laterally, posterior margin of abdominal sternite II not angular. MALE GENITALIA (figs. 11E–F, 12A–C): Right paramere small and triangular (fig. 12B–C); left paramere thick and sharply angled at base, becoming straighter and thinner near apex (figs. 11E–F, 12A); ventral margin of pygophore biconvex, with distinct U-shaped groove on left side, no mesal suture or ventral apical process. FEMALE PARA- GENITALIA (fig. 11B–D): Right laterotergites II and III fused with right sternites II and III to form a single dorsolateral swelling with laterally projecting tumescence (fig. 11B–D), posterior margin of sternite II flared and carinate (fig. 11C–D).

ETYMOLOGY: From the Latin ephippium, meaning ‘‘pack saddle’’, this name refers to the saddlelike shape of the female paragenital structure.

REMARKS: The paragenitalia of ephippius immediately distinguish it from all other species. As with so many other species, the exact function of such elaborate external modifications remains to be discovered.

HOST: No host records.

DISTRIBUTION: Philippines, Albay Province (map 3).

PARATYPES: PHILIPPINES: Albay Province: Mt. Mayon, 16 km NW of Lagaspi, 13.25666 ° N 123.685 ° E, 1200–1800 m, 12 May 1962, H.M. Torrevillas, 23 (AMNH_ PBI 00041447, AMNH_PBI 00041448), 1♀

(AMNH_PBI 00041449) (BPBM), 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00041555 ) ( AM) ; 15 May 1962, H. M. Torrevillas, 13 ( AMNH _ PBI 00041556 ) ( BPBM). Mt. Mayon , 16 km NW of Lagaspi, 13.25666 ° N 123.685 ° E, 900–1800 m, 05 May 1962, H. M. Torrevillas, 63 ( AMNH _ PBI 00041557 – AMNH _ PBI 00041562 ), 2♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00041563 , AMNH _ PBI 00041564 ) ( BPBM). Mt. Mayon, 16 km NW of Lagaspi, 13.25666 ° N 123.685 ° E, 1900–2000 m, 13 May 1962, H. M. Torrevillas, 13 ( AMNH _ PBI 00041565 ) ( BPBM) .