Plagiognathus lonicerae, 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 : 157

Plagiognathus lonicerae , new species Figures 9 , 17 , 27

HOLOTYPE: Male: ‘‘ USA: Calif[ornia].: Santa Barbara Co. : Upper Oso Cmpgrd off Rt 154, 310 m, May 7, 1985, RT Schuh & BM Massie, Lonicera johnstonii Keck. (Caprifoliaceae) ’’. Deposited in the American Museum of Natural History.

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by large size, generally pale orange to red­orange coloration, including all legs (fig. 9), and antennal segment 1 usually pale at base and antennal segment 2 conspicuously dark only at base (fig. 17). Similar in size and coloration of dorsum to flavus (fig. 8) and concoloris (fig. 7), but the former with only pale setae on pronotum and the latter with antennae and tibiae heavily infuscate to nearly black and strongly contrasting with dorsum. Structure of genitalia (fig. 27) similar to concoloris , flavus , grandis , longipennis , and phaceliae , with a heavy, sigmoid vesica with relatively short apical spines.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Large, elongate, nearly parallel­sided; total length 4.10 –5.00, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 2.76– 3.34, width across pronotum 1.17–1.39. COLORATION (fig. 9): General coloration, including most of venter and appendages, orange to pale­orange; membrane moderately fumose with a lighter circular area posterior to cuneus and cells, veins pale orange; antennal segment 1 pale basally and dark on apical one­third with a pale apical annulus, segment 2 always dark at base and some­ times infuscate distally (fig. 17), segments 3 and 4 infuscate; apex of labium infuscate; femora with some dark spots; dorsal tibial spines with small dark spots at bases; tibiae dark at femoral articulation. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum weakly granular, smooth, weakly shining. Vestiture of dorsum composed of recumbent, simple setae unicolorous with dorsum with darker suberect setae on pronotum and anterolaterally on hemelytra. STRUCTURE: Body elongate, flattened, moderately broad; frons weakly tumid, clypeus barely visible from above; anteocular distance 0.3 times diameter of antennal segment 1; head projecting below eye by 0.3 times diameter of antennal segment 1; labium relatively short, not quite reaching apex of middle coxae. GENITALIA (fig. 27): Vesica, including apical spines, sigmoid, body relatively heavy, base falling well below base of secondary gonopore; apical spines relatively short, angled relative to body of vesica, anterior spine nearly straight, cylindrical, and much longer than posterior; flange narrow.

Female: Smaller and more strongly ovoid than male; coloration often lighter than in male. Total length 3.94–4.42, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 2.72–3.03, width across pronotum 1.22–1.38.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for its occurrence on Lonicera spp.

HOSTS: Lonicera johnstonii , L. subspicata (Caprifoliaceae) .

DISTRIBUTION: Coastal counties of California.

PARATYPES: USA.— California: Humboldt Co. : Blocksburg, June 24, 1951 – July 20, 1952, B. P. Bliven, 63, 6♀ (CAS). Dyerville, August 19, 1962, B. P. Bliven, 13 (CAS). Willow Creek, May 28, 1938, B. P. Bliven, 13 (UCB). Los Angeles Co.: No specific locality, 13 (CAS). Tanbark Flat, June 30, 1950, A. T. Clay, 1♀ (UCB). Mendocino Co.: 4 mi W of Eel River Ranger Station, Mendocino National Forest, 1450 ft, June 9, 1972, 93, 3♀ (UCB). Piercy on Hwy 101, July 11, 1948, B. P. Bliven, 1♀ (CAS). Monterey Co.: Bryson, May 18, 1920, E. P. Van Duzee, 23 (CAS). Orange Co.: Cleveland Natl. Forest, Lower San Juan Campground on Hwy 74, 405 m, May 12, 1978, J. D. Pinto and R. T. Schuh, Lonicera subapicata (Ca­ prifoliaceae), 213, 20♀ (AMNH, USNM). Riverside Co.: 5.5 mi W of Radec, June 18, 1980, J. D. Pinto, 63, 6♀ (UCR). 6 mi S of Valle Vista, T6S R1E Sec. 9, 2300–2400 ft, June 24, 1977, J. D. Pinto and S. Frommer, Lonicera sp. (Caprifoliaceae) , 5♀ (UCR). San Diego Co.: No specific locality, May 13, 1914, E. P. Van Duzee, 13 (CAS). Santa Barbara Co. : Upper Oso Campground off Rt 154, 310 m, May 7, 1985, R. T. Schuh and B. M. Massie, Lonicera johnstonii (Caprifoliaceae) , 393, 27♀ (AMNH, USNM). Santa Clara Co. : Santa Cruz Mts. , 1♀ (CAS). Ventura Co.: Tule Creek, July 14, 1965 – July 27, 1965, P. M. Jump, 13, 3♀ (LACM). Yolo Co.: Rumsey, May 24, 1962, B. P. Bliven, 8♀ (CAS).

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. 27. Male genitalia of Nearctic Plagiognathus spp.