Microphylellus tsugae Knight, 1923: 456

SCHUH, RANDALL T., 2001, Revision Of New World Plagiognathus Fieber, With Comments On The Palearctic Fauna And The Description Of A New Genus (Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2001 (266), pp. 1-267 : 232

Microphylellus tsugae Knight, 1923: 456 (n. sp.).

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the very small size, entirely castaneous coloration of the body, and pale legs (fig. 13). Most similar in general appearance and structure of the male genitalia to suffuscipennis (fig. 13) and tumidifrons (fig. 14). Easily separated from suffuscipennis by the tan hemelytra in the eastern populations of that species, and from tumidifrons by the slightly larger size, strongly swollen frons, and castaneous coxae of that species and the detailed structure of vesica (fig. 33).

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Elongate, nearly parallel­sided, very small; total length 2.33– 2.96, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 1.65–1.99, width across pronotum 0.68–0.87. COLORATION (fig. 13): Dorsum entirely castaneous; membrane and veins fumose; antennal segment 1 castaneous except for a pale apical annulus, segments 2, 3, and 4 entirely pale (fig. 19); labium ranging from mostly pale to weakly infuscate; venter entirely castaneous; legs entirely pale, except extreme basal area of coxae castaneous; tibial spines without dark spots at bases. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum weakly granular, smooth, weakly shining. Vestiture of dorsum composed of recumbent, moderately long, neat, golden, shining, simple setae. STRUC­ TURE: Dorsum moderately convexly round­ ed, body elongate and nearly parallel­sided; frons moderately tumid and weakly bulging beyond anterior margin of eyes in dorsal view, clypeus at most barely visible; anteocular distance equal to diameter of antennal segment 1; head projecting below eye by diameter of antennal segment 1; labium somewhat variable in length, reaching from just past apex of middle coxae to about apex of hind coxae. GENITALIA (fig. 33): Body of vesica short and relatively stout, apical spines erect, anterior spine very strongly flattened, sharply angled near apex, posterior spine elongate, conical, straight.

Female: Similar to male in coloration; body form more conspicuously ovoid. Total length 2.46–3.04, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 1.81–2.17, width across pronotum 0.81–0.92.

HOSTS: Tsuga spp. (Pinaceae) .

DISTRIBUTION: Most collections from the Northeast, ranging from the Maritime Provinces south to North Carolina.

DISCUSSION: The species was placed in Microphylellus by Knight (1923) because the bases of the tibial spines are always pale. The genitalia are very similar in structure to those of suffuscipennis Knight and tumidifrons (Knight) , with all three being of the Plagiognathus type, although distinctive within the genus. I have therefore transferred tsugae to Plagiognathus .

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: CANADA.— New Brunswick: Fredericton Laboratory, August 15, 1949, D. G. Cameron, Betula lutea (Betulaceae) , 13 (CNC). Nova Scotia: Kentville, July 3, 1976, L. A. Kelton, 13, 1♀ (CNC). Ontario: Tillsonburg, July 11, 1958, 1♀ (CNC). Waterford, July 17, 1962, Kelton and Thorpe, Tsuga sp. (Pinaceae) , 13, 2♀ (CNC). Quebec: Knowlton, July 22, 1929, L. J. Milne, 3♀ (CNC). USA.— Connecticut: Storrs, July 16, 1954, J. A. Slater, 1♀ (AMNH). Storrs, July 16, 1964, J. A. Slater, 1♀ (AMNH). New York: Albany Co.: Rensselaerville, Huyck Preserve, July 29, 1977, R. T. Schuh, 13, 1♀ (AMNH). Rensselaerville, Huyck Preserve, June 29, 1977, R. T. Schuh, Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 133, 8♀ (AMNH). Cattaraugus Co.: Gowanda, August 2, 1907, E. P. Van Duzee, 1♀ (CAS). Erie Co.: Hamburg, July 1, 1906, E. P. Van Duzee, 33, 1♀ (CAS). Hamilton Co.: Raquette Lake, July 26, 1946, R. H. Beamer, 1♀ (KU). Nassau Co.: Muttontown Park and Preserve, East Norwich, July 14, 1985, M. D. Schwartz, Juniperus virginiana (Cupressaceae) , 13 (AMNH). Roslyn, cemetery on Rt 25A, June 20, 1985, M. D. Schwartz, Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 63, 20♀ (AMNH, CNC). Roslyn, Fine Arts Museum and Gardens on Rt 25A, June 10, 1986, M. D. Schwartz, Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 323, 32♀ (AMNH, CNC). Rockland Co.: South Nyack, Ross Avenue, June 18, 1988, M. D. Schwartz, Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 23, 1♀ (CNC). South Nyack, Ross Avenue, June 18, 1988, M. D. Schwartz, Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 63, 27♀ (AMNH). Tompkins Co.: Ithaca, Cornell University, July 7, 1979, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., 13 (PDA). McLean Bogs, July 3, 1920, H. H. Knight, paratypes: 23, 1♀ (USNM, CAS); holotype male (USNM). McLean Bogs, July 3, 1920, H. H. Knight, paratypes: 33 (CNC). Westchester Co.: Lewisboro, June 17, 1977, M. Favreau, Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 203, 8♀ (AMNH). North Carolina: Macon Co.: Highlands, 3800 ft, June 25, 1957, J. R. Vockeroth, 13, 2♀ (CNC). Highlands, June 25, 1957, J. R. Vockeroth, Castanea pumila (Fagaceae) , 73, 10♀ (CNC). Pennsylvania: Adam Co.: Gettysburg Cemetery, June 19, 1973, T. J. Henry, Tsuga sp. (Pinaceae) , 4♀ (PDA). Chester Co.: N of Centerville, Baptist Church, June 15, 1978, D. B. Christie, Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 1♀ (PDA). Dauphin Co.: 3 mi S of Hershey, June 9, 1977, Schuh, Henry, Wheeler, Picea glauca (Pinaceae) , 1♀ (AMNH). Clarks’s Valley, 10 mi N of Jct Rt 225, July 10, 1975, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 13 (PDA). Harrisburg, Agriculture Building, June 10, 1978, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 13 (PDA). Harrisburg, East Harrisburg Cemetery, June 11, 1977, Schuh, Henry, Wheeler, Picea pungens (Pinaceae) , 13 (AMNH). Harrisburg, East Harrisburg Cemetery, June 9, 1975 – June 11, 1977, T. J. Henry, Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 103, 12♀ (PDA). Fayette Co.: Royal, A&J Nursery, June 25, 1953, D. G. Trelka, Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 13, 1♀ (PDA). Indiana Co.: 10 mi E of Indiana, Pikes Peak Nursery, June 28, 1972, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., Tsuga sp. (Pinaceae) , 1♀ (PDA). 10 mi E of Indiana, Pikes Peak Nursery, June 29, 1972, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., 13 (AMNH). Strongstown, Carino’s Nursery, July 23, 1971, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., ex Pinaceae , 1♀ (AMNH). Strongstown, Carino’s Nursery, July 28, 1971, Tsuga sp. (Pinaceae) , 13, 4♀ (PDA). Monroe Co.: Saylorsburg, near lake, July 7, 1985, M. D. Schwartz, Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 13 (AMNH). Stroudsburg, LaBar’s Nursery, June 10, 1976, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., Tsuga sp. (Pinaceae) , 13 (PDA). Stroudsburg, LaBar’s Nursery, June 26, 1973, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 2♀ (PDA). Montgomery Co.: Philadelphia, Forest Hills Cemetery, June 7, 1973, J. F. Stimmel, Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 63 (PDA). Northumberland Co.: near Milton, J & J Nursery, June 24, 1981, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 23, 1♀ (PDA). near Northumberland, June 16, 1983, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 13 (PDA). Philadelphia Co.: Philadelphia, Forest Hills Cemetery, June 7, 1973, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 2♀ (PDA). Unknown Co.: Rockville, June 7, 1918, J. G. Sanders, 2♀ (PDA). Washington Co.: Washington, 628 N Main Street, June 12, 1973, D. G. Trelka, Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 23, 3♀ (PDA). Vermont: Windsor Co.: Woodstock, July 22, 1909, A. P. Morse, 23, 3♀ (AMNH). Virginia: Arlington Co.: Arlington, Bonair Park, June 28, 1978, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., Tsuga canadensis (Pinaceae) , 13 (PDA). Unknown Co.: Princeton Gap, 1♀ (AMNH).