Plagiognathus maculipennis (Knight), 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 : 159-160

Plagiognathus maculipennis (Knight) ,

new combination Figures 9 , 17 , 27

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

Microphylellus maculipennis var. fuscicornis Knight, 1923: 457 (n. var.). REVISED SYNONYMY.

Microphylellus fuscicornis Kelton, 1980: 311 (n. status).

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the pale antennal segments 1 and 2 (fig. 17), generally pale costal vein on hemelytra, and cuneus and basal portion of corium pale or mostly pale in contrast to much darker remainder of hem­ elytra, the scutellum with a dark, median, longitudinal stripe and pale laterally (fig. 9), the tibial spines without dark spots at bases, and the tibiae being pale at the articulation with the femora. Distinguished from albatus (fig. 5: albatus 1) with a dark median stripe on the scutellum by the pale antennal segment 1, the tibial spines without black spots at bases, and the tibiae pale at articulation with femora. Distinguished from tinctus (fig. 13) and viticola (fig. 14) by the scutellum being unicolorous in those species.

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Moderately small, moderately broad­bodied; total length 3.10– 3.56, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 2.31–2.49, width across pronotum 1.08–1.16. COLORATION (fig. 9): Background coloration of dorsum brown to castaneous; posterior margin of vertex, pronotal disc, scutellum laterally, anterior half of corium (and adjacent clavus narrowly), costal vein, and usually most of cuneus pale; membrane mostly fumose, veins pale; antennae pale except for tapered basal portion of segment 1 (fig. 17); labium mostly pale except at base and apex; venter, including metathoracic scent­gland evaporatory area, entirely castaneous; legs entirely pale, yellowish, except for darker basal portion of hind coxae; tibial spines without dark spots at bases; tibiae pale at articulation with femora. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum weakly granular, smooth, weakly shining. Vestiture of dorsum composed of recumbent, pale, shining, relatively short, simple setae; face at and below level of antennal insertion more highly polished and shining than above. STRUCTURE: Body relatively broad, hemelytra nearly parallel­sided; frons weakly convex, slightly projecting beyond anterior margin of eyes, clypeus not visible from above; anteocular distance less than 0.5 times diameter of antennal segment 1; head projecting below eye by diameter of antennal segment 1; labium reaching to about apex of middle coxae. GENITALIA (fig. 27): Body of vesica relatively stout, more or less J­shaped, base of vesica falling somewhat below level of secondary gonopore, posterior apical spine straight, erect relative to body of vesica, anterior spine only slightly longer than posterior, distinctly angled near apex, superposed over posterior spine and only weakly angled relative to body of vesica; flange on vesica moderately broad and slightly surpassing base of secondary gonopore.

Female: Very similar to male in coloration but body more strongly ovoid in outline. Total length 2.76–3.40, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 2.01–2.42, width across pronotum 0.95–1.14.

HOSTS: Confirmed breeding records include Quercus spp. (Fagaceae) and Fraxinus sp. (Oleaceae) .

DISTRIBUTION: Known from Prince Edward Island west to Manitoba in the north, and south into Louisiana, Texas, and Coahuila, Mexico

DISCUSSION: This species was placed in Microphylellus on the basis of tibial coloration. The male genitalia, however, are of the typical Plagiognathus type, and are very similar to those of albatus , as is the coloration of the body. Kelton (1980: 311) elevated fuscicornis to species status without pointing out that he was doing so, noting that fuscicornis was slightly larger than maculipennis , had a longer labium, and had spots on the hind femur. My examination of most of the material used by Kelton, including examination of the male genitalia, indicates no consistent differences between these two nominal species under his conception, and I am therefore treating them as the same. The head of the holotype of fuscicornis is missing, making it impossible to verify the coloration of the antennae; the coloration of the legs, however, is typical of maculipennis , with no dark spots at the bases of the tibiae.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: CANADA.— Manitoba: 31 km N of Tolstoi, July 7, 1990, M. D. Schwartz, Quercus macrocarpa (Fagaceae) , 13 (CNC). 8 km N of Spirit Sands, Spruce Wood Prov. Park (16 km S of Carberry), July 8, 1990, M. D. Schwartz, Hamamelis virginiana (Hamamelidaceae) , 13 (CNC). Boissevain, July 16, 1953, Brooks and Kelton, 1♀ (CNC). Carberry, July 31, 1953, Brooks and Kelton, 23, 2♀ (CNC). Horton, July 25, 1953, Brooks and Kelton, 23 (CNC). Horton, July 28, 1958, A. and J. Brooks, 1♀ (CNC). Oak Lake, July 9, 1953, Brooks and Kelton, Quercus sp. (Fagaceae) , 33, 9♀ (CNC). Russell, July 17, 1954, Brooks and Wallis, Quercus sp. (Fagaceae) , 23, 1♀ (CNC). Sourris, July 23, 1953, A. R. Brooks, 13 (CNC). Turtle Mt., July 21, 1953, Brooks and Kelton, 13, 1♀ (CNC). Virden, July 13, 1953, Brooks and Kelton, 63, 6♀ (CNC). Westbourne, July 25, 1954, Brooks and Wallis, 1♀ (CNC). Ontario: Selkirk, July 9, 1961, Kelton and Brumpton, 1♀ (CNC). Prince Edward Island: Charlottetown, July 11, 1966, L. A. Kelton, Ulmus sp. (Ulmaceae) , 1♀ (CNC). MEXICO.— Coahuila: 12.4 mi S of Saltillo, July 4, 1985, Jones, Schaffner, 13 (TAMU). USA.— Illinois: Pulaski Co.: Mounds, May 23, 1932, H. L. Dozier, 1♀ (AMNH). Iowa: Cerro Gordo Co.: Mason City, June 27, 1927, Harris and Johnston, 13 (CNC). Dickinson Co.: Iowa Lakeside Lab., June 15, 1963, J. C. Schaffner, Quercus macrocarpa (Fagaceae) , 3♀ (TAMU). Iowa Lakeside Lab., June 9, 1963 – June 17, 1963, J. C. Schaffner, Fraxinus pennsylvanica (Oleaceae) , 83, 11♀ (TAMU). Warren Co.: 3 mi NE of Hartford, June 3, 1994, J. C. Schaffner, Gleditsia triacanthos (Fabaceae) , 13 (TAMU). Louisiana: East Baton Rouge Co.: LSU Campus, May 8, 1988, D. A. Rider, 23 (DAR). St. Landry Co.: Thistlewaite WMA, April 27, 1986, E. G. Riley and D. A. Rider, 173, 5♀ (DAR, AMNH). Washington Co.: Lee Memorial Forest, Sheridan, May 19, 1986, C. B. Barr, 13 (LSU). Maine: Kennebec Co.: Monmouth, June 29, 1905, holotype male ( fuscicornis ) (USNM). Minnesota: Ramsey Co.: St. Anthony Park, June 11, 1919 – June 23, 1922, H. H. Knight, paratypes: 23, 2♀ (CNC). St. Anthony Park, June 11, 1923, H. H. Knight, paratypes: 23, 2♀ (CAS, USNM). Rice Co.: Faribault, June 12, 1922, H. H. Knight, 13 (USNM). North Dakota: Stutsman Co.: Arrowhead National Wildlife Refuge, July 20, 1993, D. A. Rider, 1♀ (DAR). Texas: Brazos Co.: Bryan, April 13, 1965 – April 12, 1974, J. C. Schaffner, 823, 11♀ (TAMU). Bryan, April 25, 1965 – April 27, 1966, J. C. Schaffner, 23, 2♀ (AMNH). Bryan, March 26, 1990 – March 31, 1990, H. R. Burke, 23 (TAMU). College Station, April 12, 1984, J. C. Schaffner, 13, 3♀ (TAMU). College Station, April 21, 1964 – April 29, 1964, J. C. Schaffner, 33, 2♀ (TAMU). College Station, April 29, 1983, T. J. Henry and A. G. Wheeler, Jr., Quercus stellata (Fagaceae) , 43, 8♀ (PDA). College Station, May 1, 1929, H. G. Johnston, 13 (USNM). College Station, May 13, 1933, H. G. Johnston, 1♀ (TAMU). Robertson Co.: 8 mi E of Hearne, April 1, 1991, M. Hallmark, 13 (TAMU). Unknown Co.: 15 mi S of Llano, April 21, 1997, W. F. Chamberlain, 1♀ (TAMU).

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.