Plagiognathus fulvidus Knight, 1923: 447

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 : 85-86

Plagiognathus fulvidus Knight, 1923: 447 (n. sp.).

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the relatively small size, orange coloration of the dorsum (fig. 8), entirely black antennae (fig. 16), and the face at and below base of clypeus castaneous, polished, and contrasting with coloration of vertex and remainder of frons. Similar to delicatus and some specimens of cornicola in size and orange coloration, but differing in castaneous clypeus and adjoining face and entirely dark antennae. Similar to melliferae , mexicanus , and salviae in coloration and texture of lower portion of face, but easily separated by those species occurring only in the American West rather than the Northeast and by details of coloration and genitalic structure as indicated in the descriptions.

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Relatively small, elongate­ovoid; total length 3.27–3.82, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 2.26– 2.70, width across pronotum 1.04 –1.22. COLORATION (fig. 8): Coloration of dorsum generally orange; most of endocorium darker, weakly castaneous; membrane weakly fumose, veins pale; clypeus and adjacent areas of face always castaneous, contrasting with remainder of head; antennae entirely dark (fig. 16) except for pale apical annulus on segment 1; labium mostly pale with castaneous apex; venter mostly castaneous; legs, including coxae, orange, femora with some dark spots; dorsal tibial spines dark with small dark spots at bases; tibiae dark at articulation with femora. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum weakly granular, smooth, weakly shining. Vestiture of dorsum composed of reclining, pale, golden, shining, common setae. STRUCTURE: Corial margin very weakly convex; frons weakly convex, slightly projecting beyond anterior margin of eyes, clypeus visible from above; anteocular distance equal to diameter of antennal segment 1; head projecting below eye by 0.6 times diameter of antennal segment 1; labium reaching to about apex of hind coxae. GENITALIA (fig. 24): Body of vesica very short and stout, base of vesica falling well below level of secondary gonopore; apical spines relatively stout, strongly angled relative to body of vesica, anterior more strongly than posterior; flange broad, terminating at about midpoint of gonopore.

Female: Ovoid body form and orange general coloration very similar to male. Total length 3.60–3.89, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 2.55–2.76, width across pronotum 1.13–1.28.

HOST: Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION: Known from the eastern United States, ranging from Maine to North Carolina.

DISCUSSION: The many features of fulvidus that are shared with mint­feeding species melliferae , mexicanus , and salviae suggest that a search for the host plant of the first­

named species might be productively focused on members of the Lamiaceae .

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: USA.— Connecticut: East River , July 30, 1910, C. R. Ely, 1♀ (USNM) ; holotype male (USNM). Sound Beach, July 23, 1910, 13 (AMNH). Maine: Oxford Co.: Paris, July 10, 1914, C. A. Frost, 13 (CAS). Maryland: Anne Arundel Co. : Odenton, July 10, 1918 – July 12, 1914, W. L. McAtee, 2♀ (USNM). Odenton, July 4, 1913 – July 12, 1914, W. L. McAtee, 13, 1♀ (USNM). Massachusetts: Essex Co.: Ipswich, May 22, 1909, E. P. Van Duzee, 13 (CAS). Norfolk Co.: Wellesley, July 11, 1909, E. P. Van Duzee, 43 (CAS). New Jersey: Bergen Co. : Ramsey, July 19, 1908, 1♀ (USNM). New York: Cattaraugus Co. : Gowanda, August 2, 1907, E. P. Van Duzee, 13 (CAS). Kings Co. : Flatbush, July 28, 1893 – July 9, 1895, J. L. Zabriskic, 2♀ (AMNH). North Carolina: Gaston Co. : Tryon, July 20, 1900, W. F. Fiske, 1♀ (USNM). Pennsylvania: Monroe Co. : Delaware Water Gap, A. T. Slosson, 1♀ (AMNH) .