Plagiognathus flavipes (Provancher), 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 : 80-81

Plagiognathus flavipes (Provancher) ,

new combination Figures 7 , 16 , 24

Capsus flavipes Provancher, 1872: 104 (n. sp.).

Microphylellus flavipes: Kelton, 1980: 1075 (n. comb.).

Microphylellus elongatus Knight, 1923: 458 (n. sp.). NEW SYNONYMY.

Microphylellus nigricornis Knight, 1923: 457 (n. sp.; syn. by Kelton, 1968:1075).

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the generally dark, castaneous to nearly black, coloration of the elongate, slender body (fig. 7), the entirely pale white legs, and the distally pale antennal segment 1 and dark antennal segment 2 (fig. 16). Similar in coloration and appearance to longirostris (fig. 9) and modestus (fig. 10), but separated from the both by having antennal segment 2 entirely dark and from the latter by the more elongate body form.

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Elongate, relatively slender, of moderate size; total length 3.47– 3.95, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 2.40–2.65, width across pronotum 1.00– 1.14. COLORATION (fig. 7): General coloration of dorsum castaneous; head generally castaneous, vertex slightly lighter; membrane and veins strongly fumose; antennal segment 1 dark on extreme base, remainder pale, antennal segment 2 entirely dark (fig. 16), segments 3 and 4 pale; labium pale, except basal two­thirds of segment 1 and apex castaneous; venter entirely castaneous; legs, except extreme base of coxae, pale, tibial spines with at most very weak dark spots at bases, bases of most spines pale. SURFACE AND VES­ TITURE: Dorsum weakly granular, smooth, weakly shining. Vestiture of dorsum composed of recumbent, dark, simple setae. STRUCTURE: Nearly parallel­sided, corial margin only weakly convex; body form more or less cylindrical; head dorsoventral in orientation, clypeus not visible from above; anteocular distance about equal to diameter of antennal segment 1; head projecting below eye by 2 times diameter of segment 1; labium reaching to about apices of hind coxae or slightly beyond. GENITALIA (fig. 24): Body of vesica weakly J­shaped, relatively slender, apical spines erect, anterior spine conspicuously longer than posterior; flange narrow, curving, not reaching margin of vesica.

Female: Similar in coloration and general structure to male; body form somewhat broader. Total length 3.74–4.00, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 2.67–2.73, width across pronotum 1.11–1.15.

HOSTS: Aster macrophyllus and possibly other Aster spp. Records from other plant groups are probably sitting occurrences.

DISTRIBUTION: Known from Quebec and New Hampshire west to Minnesota. Also recorded from Louisiana. The apparent hostspecificity of this taxon may preclude its frequent capture.

DISCUSSION: My concept of flavipes follows that of Kelton (1968) and his examination of type material for taxa described by Provancher. I have treated Kelton’s identifications of the ordinarily distinctive species as authoritative. This species was placed in Microphylellus by previous authors, including Knight and Kelton, because the bases of the tibial spines are pale. The male genitalia, however, are of the typical Plagiognathus type. The move to Plagiognathus makes flavipes (Provancher) the senior homonym of Plagiognathus flavipes Reuter from Europe (see Plagiognathus reuterellus , new name under Palearctic Species).

Knight (1923) described elongatus as similar in size and form to nigricornis Knight (= Plagiognathus flavipes (Provancher)) , but with antennal segment 2 yellow, and larger and more elongate than modestus . Examination of the collections in the National Museum of National History, Washington, D.C., indicates that the holotype is missing from the pin, as is a female specimen which Knight designated as the allotype. Based on a dissected paratype male from Batavia, New York, most of whose body is missing, and a paratype female from the same locality, this nominal species is similar in appearance and coloration to longirostris , but the labium is shorter and not surpassing the hind coxae; the vesica of the male is similar in form to that of flavipes , but antennal segment 2 is pale rather than dark. The only indication of a host for elongatus is from Knight (1923), who recorded the species from Acer saccharum . Of all additional material I have examined for the present study, only 3 females fit Knight’s conception of elongatus . These specimens are from Norway Point, Lake of Bays, Ontario, Canada, June 28, 1922, J. McDunnough (CNC).

On the basis of the discussion above, I find it difficult to fix the identity of elongatus . It is possible that the taxon has just never been collected in significant numbers, but this seems unlikely because of the extremely common nature of its host, at least as recorded by Knight. In my view, it is most likely that this nominal species is just flavipes with antennal segment 2 pale, in view of the similar structure of the male genitalia and length of the labium. I am therefore treating elongatus as a junior synonym.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: CANADA.— Ontario: 7 mi E of Griffith, July 9, 1991, J. R. Vockeroth, 23, 1♀ (CNC). Bala, July 19, 1932, G. S. Walley, 1♀ (CNC). Black Sturgeon Lake, August 15, 1956, Lindberg, 93, 2♀ (CNC). Corkery, July 4, 1962, D. Brown, 1♀ (CNC). Kapuskasing, July 18, 1961, G. Brumpton, 13 (CNC). Lake Temagami, August 12, 1946, W. J. Palmer, 13 (CAS). Mazinaw Lake, June 30, 1974, D. G. Reid, Aster macrophyllus (Asteraceae) , 133, 3♀ (CNC). New Liskeard, July 19, 1961, G. Brumpton, 13 (CNC). North Bay, June 19, 1963, W. Gagne, 1♀ (CNC). Norway Point, Lake of Bays, June 28, 1922, J. McDunnough, 3♀ (CNC). One Sided Lake, June 27, 1980, Kelton and Whitney, 13, 4♀ (CNC). Ottawa, June 29, 1912, E. P. Van Duzee, 23, 2♀ (CAS). Pass Lake, August 14, 1960, Kelton and Whitney, Prunus sp. (Rosaceae) , 1♀ (CNC). Smoky Falls, Mattagami River, July 3, 1934, G. S. Walley, 13 (CNC). St. Lawrence Is. Natl. Park, August 15, 1976, W. Reid, 13 (CNC). Quebec: Beechgrove, June 29, 1962, J. R. Vockeroth, 1♀ (CNC). Cap Rouge, July 14, 1933, O. Peck, 13 (CNC). Cap Rouge, July 4, 1953, R. Lambert, 23 (CNC). Lac Mondor, Ste. Flore, June 24, 1951, E. G. Munroe, 23 (CNC). Laniel, July 10, 1963, W. Gagne, 13, 3♀ (CNC). Laniel, June 26, 1963 – July 17, 1963, L. A. Kelton, W. Gagne, ex Asteraceae , 453, 13♀ (CNC). Lescelles, June 25, 1951, E. H. N. Smith, 1♀ (CNC). Old Chelsea, June 11, 1959, J. R. Vockeroth, 53 (CNC). Quebec City, June 26, 1937, J. I. Beaulne, 1♀ (CNC). USA.— Louisiana: Baton Rouge Co.: LSU Campus, April 26, 1986 – May 2, 1985, D. A. Rider, 13, 1♀ (DAR). Minnesota: Itasca Co.: Deer Lake, June 15, 1986, D. A. Rider, Quercus sp. (Fagaceae) , 13, 2♀ (DAR). New Hampshire: Coos Co.: Pinkham Notch, July 6, 1900, N. Banks, 13 (AMNH). New York: Genesee Co.: Batavia, June 25, 1915, H. H. Knight, paratypes ( elongatus ): 13, 1♀ (CNC, USNM). Tompkins Co.: Ithaca, July 7, 1920, H. H. Knight, 1♀ (CAS). Ithaca, July 7, 1920, H. H. Knight, Aster macrophyllus (Asteraceae) , paratypes: 23 (CNC); holotype male ( nigricornis ) (USNM). Ithaca, July 7, 1920, H. H. Knight, Aster macrophyllus (Asteraceae) , paratypes: 23, 1♀ (CAS, USNM).

Figures

Fig. 7. Habitus figures of Nearctic Plagiognathus spp. (see p. 263 for localities).

Fig. 16. Antennal segments 1 and 2 of Nearctic Plagiognathus spp.

Fig. 24. Male genitalia of Nearctic Plagiognathus spp.