Coridromius testaceous Liu and Zhao, 1999

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 : 87-89

Coridromius testaceous Liu and Zhao Figures 2D, 5, 6, map 5

Coridromius testaceous Liu and Zhao, 1999: 55–58 .

DIAGNOSIS: This species is recognized by the following combination of characters: bilobed proepisternum; embolium with yellow U-shaped fascia near cuneal fracture, lateral margins of hemelytra straight and carinate; female without prominent paragenital opening on right side of abdomen. Male unknown. C. testaceous is very similar in appearance to sommelieri and zetteli ; howev- er, it lacks the distinct paragenitalia of the former, which we suspect may also be present in the latter.

REDESCRIPTION: COLORATION (figs. 2D, 5, 6): Varying from light brown to almost uniform dark brown with yellow markings. Head: Light brownish yellow to orange-brown; frons typically yellow along midline, with very faint to distinct dark brown vittae; clypeus yellowed with darker brown markings at base, dark brown apically; mandibular plates yellowed; maxillary plates brownish orange; buccula yellowed; labrum dark brown basally, labium pale, brown apically. Antenna: AI dark brown, pale at base and apex; AII light orangebrown with dark brown subapical band, separated from dark brown apical annulation by narrow cream band; AIII and AIV dark brown, pale at base. Thorax: Pronotal collar yellow to orange-brown, darker anteriorly; pronotum light orange-brown to dark brown, with median yellow band (faint in some specimens), yellowed at humeral angles in paler specimens, lateral and posterior margins yellow; mesoscutum orange-brown to dark brown; scutellum light orange-brown to dark brown with yellow midline, apex and sides; thoracic pleura mostly orange-brown with posterior margins of each sclerite yellowed; mesopleuron dark brown ventrally. Hemelytra: Orange-brown to nearly uniform dark brown; in paler specimens clavus slightly paler at claval commissure and along posterior margin, immediately above cuneal fracture; embolium yellow along outer margin, with U-shaped yellow fascia at lateroapical margin; cuneus dark brown; membrane pale brown with dark brown veins. Legs: Pro- and mesofemora yellow at base, becoming orange-brown toward apex; metafemur pale basally, with 8 or 9 diagonal dark brown stripes, stripes merging with dark brown ventral patch in darker specimens, subapical lateral depressions dark brown. Abdomen: Orange-brown with alternating cream and dark brown markings along dorsolateral margin. SURFACE AND VESTITURE (figs. 2D, 5, 6): Head, pronotum, propleuron, metepimeron, scutellum, and hemelytra finely, shallowly punctate; head and dorsum clothed in long, silvery, decumbent setae. STRUCTURE (figs. 2D, 5, 6): Head: Frons broadly medially tumescent and laterally depressed; lateral tubercles adjacent to eyes small, bordered posteriorly by shallow depressions; posterior margin of head carinate and medially rounded. Thorax: Pronotum broad, lateral and posterior margins slightly carinate, anterolateral margins slightly upturned, submarginal region of humeral angles excavated, callar region undifferentiated; proepisternum bilobed; posterior margin of metepimeron truncate; metanotum prominent and flared; scutellum flattened. Hemelytra: Costal margin straight and carinate; embolium with U-shaped fascia on lateroapical angle. Legs: Metatibial spines long and thick. Abdomen: Posterolateral margin of abdominal sternite II angular and transversely creased. MALE GENITALIA: Unknown. FEMALE PARAGENITALIA: Without distinct external paragenitalia.

REMARKS: C. testaceous is known only from female specimens. Superficially it appears identical to zetteli , which is known only from male specimens and has an overlapping distribution. Furthermore, both species have even been collected together, along with chinensis , on a single unidentified Macaranga tree in southern China. We refrain from synonymizing the two species without further data, however, as we suspect the female of zetteli should have matching corkscrewed paragenitalia to accommodate the unusual male intromittent organ (as we see in sommelieri ), whereas female testaceous have no visible external paragenitalia whatsoever. Interestingly, some of the females collected alongside male zetteli show damage in the form of irregular depressions on right abdominal sternite II, perhaps from copulation attempts by male zetteli .

HOST: Recorded from the flowers of Macaranga sp. (Euphorbiaceae) in southern China.

DISTRIBUTION: Ranging from central China south through mainland Southeast Asia, west to Nepal (map 5).

HOLOTYPE: Female: CHINA: Hainan Prov.: Jianfengling, 18.7 ° N 108.8 ° E, 01 Apr 1985, Le-Yi Zheng , Light Trap ( AMNH _ PBI 00178049 ) ( NKMU).

OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED: CHINA: Yunnan Prov.: Xishuangbanna Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem Station,, 3 km from entrance, 21.96777 ° N 101.2075 ° E, 650 m, 30 May 2006, N. Tatarnic, Macaranga sp. (Euphorbiaceae) , 3♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00006070– AMNH _PBI 00006072) ( AMNH). Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, gallery forest by river, 21.93333 ° N 101.24444 ° E, 553 m, 26 May 2006 – 28 May 2006, N. Tatarnic, Macaranga sp. (Euphorbiaceae) , 2♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00006068, AMNH _PBI 00006069) ( AMNH). INDONE-

SIA: North Sumatra: Medan, 3.5833 ° N 98.6667 ° E, 29 Apr 1922, L. Fulmek, Light Trap, 1 undetermined (AMNH_PBI 00189970) (NHMW). LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC: Vientiane Prov.: Ban Van Eue, 17.96666 ° N 102.6 ° E, 800 m, 16 Apr 1965, J.L. Gressitt, ( Cyperaceae ), 2♀ (AMNH_PBI 00042148, AMNH_PBI 00042149) (BPBM). NEPAL: Royal Chitwan National Park, Machan Resort, 27.58305 ° N 84.5 ° E, 07–09 Sep 2005, T. Yasunaga, M. Takai and T. Shishido, 2♀ (AMNH_PBI 00189998) (TYCN). VIETNAM: Tam Dao NP, 21.4536 ° N 105.6436 ° E, 900 m, 17–18 Jun 1999, Y. Nakatani, 1♀ (AMNH_PBI 00190012) (TYCN).