Plagiognathus lattini, SCHUH, 2001

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 : 148-149

Plagiognathus lattini , new species Figures 9 , 17 , 26

HOLOTYPE: Male : ‘‘OR[egon] Lincoln Co., Grass Mtn., 2900̍, VII­29–1979, coll. G. Stonedahl, ex Alnus rubra ’’. Deposited in the American Museum of Natural History.

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the relatively large size, elongate body form (fig. 9), long antennal segment 2 infuscate at base and apex (fig. 17), pale costa and cuneus, membrane with a large, quadrate, fumose patch posterior to cuneus and cells, and the form of the male genitalia (fig. 26), especially the distinctive nature of the apical spines. Similar in appearance to hallucinatus and rosicoloides , but male genitalia distinctive; also distinguished by the dark spots at bases of the tibial spines in the former species and the calli not infuscate in the latter.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Large, elongate, nearly parallel­sided; total length 4.54 –5.05, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 3.04– 3.28, width across pronotum 1.12–1.25. COLORATION (fig. 9): General coloration brownish or yellowish; thoracic and abdominal venter mostly dark brown; vertex, anterior margin of pronotum, costal vein, and cuneus pale; corium with weak, longitudinal, pale markings along costa, radius, and claval suture; mesoscutum often orange laterally; membrane weakly fumose with a large, quadrate, darker marking posterior to cuneus and membrane cells; veins of membrane yellowish; antennal segment 1 black except for pale apical annulation, segment 2 usually black basally and apically with the intervening area pale or weakly infuscate (fig. 17), segments 3 and 4 infuscate; labium pale basally, infuscate apically; legs, including all coxae, pale, femora with some dark spots; dorsal tibial spines without dark spots at bases; tibiae weakly darkened at articulation with femora. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum weakly granular, smooth, dull to very weakly shining. Vestiture of dorsum composed of reclining, golden, shining, simple setae; vestiture of antennal segments 2– 4 suberect. STRUCTURE: Body slender; frons weakly tumid, clypeus barely visible from above; anteocular distance equal to diameter of antennal segment 1; head projecting below eye by 2 times diameter of antennal segment 1; labium reaching apex of hind coxae. GENITALIA (fig. 26): Body of vesica relatively broad, more or less sigmoid, base of vesica distant from level of secondary gonopore; apical spines relatively short, more or less erect, appearing intertwined; flange narrow.

Female: Body much more strongly ovoid than in male; coloration usually lighter than in male, linear patterning of hemelytra less evident. Total length 4.06–4.39, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 2.85–3.05, width across pronotum 1.16–1.26.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for J. D. Lattin, collector of many of the known specimens and the person who nurtured the beginnings of my career as a heteropterist during my undergraduate years at Oregon State University.

HOSTS: Alnus rubra , Corylus cornuta , Corylus sp. (Betulaceae) .

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the Willamette Valley of northwestern Oregon.

PARATYPES: USA.— Oregon: Benton Co.: Corvallis, June 26, 1926, C. J. Drake, 13, 1♀ (USNM). Mary’s Peak, 4000 ft, July 28, 1966, W. Gagne and J. Haddock, 1♀ (UCB). Corvallis, August 24, 1932, H. A. Scullen, 1♀ (USNM). 15 mi SW of Alsea, Lobster Valley, July 18, 1981, J. D. Lattin and G. M. Stonedahl, Corylus cornuta (Betulaceae) , 53, 1♀ (AMNH, OSU). 4 mi W of Philomath on Hwy 20, July 26, 1979, G. M. Stonedahl, 1♀ (OSU). Lincoln Co.: Grass Mountain, 2900 ft, July 29, 1979, G. M. Stonedahl, Alnus rubra (Betulaceae) , 13, 1♀ (OSU). Polk Co.: Independence, June 16, 1934, N. P. Larson, 13, (USNM).

Figures

Fig. 9. Habitus figures of Nearctic Plagiognathus spp. (see p. 263 for localities).

Fig. 17. Antennal segments 1 and 2 of Nearctic Plagiognathus spp.

Fig. 26. Male genitalia of Nearctic Plagiognathus spp. fl = flange.