Bongiella nodistylis, Krüger, 2018

Krüger, Andreas, 2018, Vehicle-mounted net sampling of airborne micro-Heteroptera in western Liberia, West Africa: 1. Isometopinae (Miridae), Zootaxa 4378 (4), pp. 491-515 : 502

Bongiella nodistylis sp. nov.

( Figure 8 )

Description. Male. Length 1.9–2.0 (figure 8 A). Maximum width across hemelytra 0.82. Head (figures 8B–D) dorsal width 0.46–0.49, dorsal length 0.16–0.19. Minimum frontal interocular space 0.1; posterior space 0.11–0.14. Maximum width of eye 0.15–0.17; height 0.25–0.28. Height of gena 0.19. Ocellus width 0.04; interocellar space 0.025. Maximum width of pronotum (figures 8 A +C) 0.72–0.73; median length 0.27–0.29. Scutellum length 0.26– 0.28; width 0.3–0.35. Cuneus length 0.21–0.22. Rostrum 0.95–0.98. Antennae I 0.09; II 0.6–0.69; III 0.17; IV 0.2 (figure 8E).

Head declivous; vertex together with eyes sub-horizontal; from above 2.6–2.9x as broad as long, at least 0.59x as long as pronotum; slightly convex in front; broadest across eyes at mid level; in lateral view more than 2x as high as long. Color dark reddish to chocolate brown, juga, tylus and postgenae more reddish. Entire disc except eyes rather densely pubescent with semi-erect pale hairs; frons almost plain and shiny, postgenae shiny. Antenna I orange-red; II yellowish brown basally, becoming dark brown apically; III dark brown; IV greyish. II clavate, clothed with greyish semi-erect hairs shorter then segment width. III and IV extremely slender with hairs longer than diameter of segments. Rostrum extends to fourth sternite; I+II pale, III+IV brownish.

Pronotum sub-campanulate, about 2.5–2.7x as broad as long, lateral margins straight, carina obsolete; calli obsolete; disk rugose but impunctate, dark brown. Mesoscutum and scutellum impunctate, dark brown, the latter with a whitish tip.

Hemelytra (figure 8 A) translucent, clavus, corium apically smoky brown; cuneus apically dark brown; embolium and basal half of cuneus hyaline; pubescent. Membrane brownish.

Venter including ostiolar peritreme largely reddish-brown; basalar sclerite white. Legs brownish; hind femora in apical half dark brown. Two metafemoral trichobothria with compact trichomae (figures 8F–G).

Genitalia as illustrated in figure 8H. Endosoma of aedeagus moderately elongated, slender, smooth without echinulation. Right paramere with more or less nodular, basally constricted apical arm, with blunt tip. Left paramere simple, proximal bulb pilose.

Female. Unknown.

Specimens examined. ♂ holotype, Liberia: Bong county , Bong Mine Dam 12, 12.v 1989 8:30 am (leg. Garms) . Paratypes: 1♂, Liberia: Bong county, Bong Mine, Yea creek—Dam 12, N06°45’ W10°18’, 12.vi 1989, 4– 7 pm (leg. Garms) . 1♂, Liberia: Bong county , Bong Mine, LRU—Dam 12, N06°50’ W10°20’, 17.v 1989, 7:05– 7:25 am (leg. Garms) . 2♂, Liberia: Bong county , Bong Mine, LRU—Gbayamu, N06°50’ W10°14’, 07.vi 1989, 7:05–7:55 am (leg. Garms) . 2♂, Liberia: Bong county , Bong Mine, LRU—Airfield—Dam 12, N06°47’ W10°19’, 29.iv 1989, 7:08–7:36 am (leg. Garms) .

Etymology. The species name was coined by joining the word “ nodus” which means nodule, with “ stylis” for the style-like apical arm of the right paramer.

Remarks. Apparently this new taxon is closely related to the genus Slateropus Akingbohungbe where it keys when applying the key of Akingbohungbe (1996). However, its smaller size, the oval body shape, the shorter cuneus, and the male genitalia, just to mention a few characters, suggest an intermediate position between Slateropus and Myiomma , which is why a new genus is proposed.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Bongiella nodistylis sp. nov. male. A—habitus; B—head, frontal view; C—head dorsad; D—head, laterad; Eantenna; F—apical part of hind femur with two long trichia; G—recessed hind femoral trichobothria, arrowed; H—parameres and aedeagus.Scales:A= 1 mm; B–E = 0.3 mm; H = 0.05 mm.