Psallus amorphae Knight, 1930: 125

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 : 40

Psallus amorphae Knight, 1930: 125 (n. sp.).

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by small size, dark coloration of body and all femora (fig. 5), antennal segment 2 pale except at extreme base (in both sexes) (fig. 15), and silvery, scalelike setae on dorsum, thoracic pleuron, and pregenital abdominal venter intermixed with reclining, dark, simple setae. Coloration and type of dorsal vestiture most similar to physocarpi , but that species always larger than amorphae . Similar in size and type of vestiture to astericola and morrisoni , but distinguished from them by largely pale antennal segment 2 in both sexes, whereas segment 2 dark in males of astericola and dark in both sexes of morrisoni . Further distinguished from astericola and morrisoni by head projecting well beyond anterior margin of eyes in those species, whereas head not so strongly projecting in amorphae . Distinguished from alnicenatus and parshleyi by their generally larger size, dark antennal segment 2, and scalelike setae being restricted to the pronotum.

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Elongate, small; total length 2.29–3.21, length apex clypeus– cuneal fracture 2.02–2.20, width across pronotum 0.91–1.01. COLORATION (fig. 5): Almost entirely castaneous to nearly black, except metathoracic scent­gland evaporatory area mostly pale; membrane and veins fu­ mose; antennal segment 1 dark except for pale apical annulus, segment 2 black only at extreme base, remainder of segment pale (fig. 15), segments 3 and 4 pale, metathoracic scent­gland evaporatory area pale, background coloration of tibiae pale, spines with dark bases, and tibiae dark at articulation with femora. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum weakly granular, smooth, weakly shining. Vestiture of dorsum, pleuron, and abdominal venter laterally composed of recumbent, silvery, simple setae (which may appear very weakly flattened) intermixed with silvery, shining, flattened, weakly scalelike setae, the scalelike appearance especially prominent on pronotum and pleuron. STRUCTURE: Body nearly parallel­sided, lateral corial margins only very weakly convex; frons very weakly convex, clypeus not visible from above; anteocular distance about 0.5 times diameter of antennal segment 1, head projecting below eye by 0.75 times diameter of antennal segment 1; labium reaching to about apex of hind coxae. GENITA­ LIA (fig. 20): Body of vesica slender, Ushaped, base of vesica reaching nearly to level of secondary gonopore, apical spines elongate, slender, weakly curving, more or less parallel, anterior spine longer than posterior; flange on vesica moderately broad, reaching to about base of gonopore.

Female: Body form much more strongly ovoid than in males (fig. 5); antennal segment 2 slightly tapered toward base, segment 1 with dark basal portion more extensive than in male and covering one­third of segment length. Total length 2.80–3.01, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 1.97–2.13, width across pronotum 0.94–1.02.

HOSTS: Amorpha spp. (Fabaceae) .

DISTRIBUTION: Eastern United States, from South Dakota and Minnesota in the north, south to North Carolina and Florida, and west to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

DISCUSSION: Knight (1930) described amorphae in Psallus on the basis of the silvery, somewhat woolly vestiture on the dorsum. The genitalia, however, are clearly those of a Plagiognathus species.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: USA.— Arkansas: Mississippi Co.: No specific locality, May 30, 1963, 13 (USNM). Colorado: Douglas Co.: Chatfield State Park, July 8, 1977, D. A. and J. T. Polhemus, 13, 1♀ (JTP). Head of Highline Canal, July 10, 1979, J. T. Polhemus, 53, 4♀ (JTP). Waterton, June 20, 1982, D. A. Polhemus, 63, 29♀ (JTP). Florida: Unknown Co.: St. Johns Bluff, May 8, 1927, E.D. Ball, 3♀ (USNM). Illinois: Mason Co.: Havana, June 20, 1936, Mohr and Burks, 1♀ (USNM). Ogle Co.: Grand Detour, Castle Rock, July 2, 1932, Dozier and Mohr, 1♀ (AMNH). Iowa: Clay Co.: Peterson, July 23, 1981, D. A. Polhemus, 13, 5♀ (JTP). Clinton Co.: Clinton, July 23, 1928, G. S. Walley, 93, 9♀ (CNC). Clinton, June 23, 1928, C.J. Drake, 13, 2♀ (USNM). Dickinson Co.: Cayler Prairie, July 11, 1963, J.C. Schaffner, 13, 2♀ (USNM). Story Co.: Ames, July 9, 1925 – July 23, 1928, G.O. Hendrickson, 13, 4♀ (USNM). Unknown Co.: Seargent Bluff, July 26, 1928, G. O. Hendrickson, 13 (USNM). Minnesota: Clay Co.: Blazing Star SNA, July 24, 1995, C. Locken and L. Decock, 13 (DAR). Hennepin Co.: Fort Snelling, July 10, 1924, H. H. Knight, 1♀ (AMNH). Fort Snelling, July 10, 1924, H. H. Knight, 1♀ (USNM). Ramsey Co.: No specific locality, July 8, 1922, H. H. Knight, Amorpha fruticosa (Fabaceae) , 253, 25♀ (USNM). No specific locality, June 19, 1921, H. H. Knight, ex Asteraceae , paratypes: 13, 2♀ (USNM). Red Rock, Mississippi River, July 11, 1923, H. H. Knight, 103, 10♀ (USNM). St. Anthony Park, July 10, 1924, H. H. Knight, paratypes: 23 (USNM). St. Anthony Park, July 10, 1924, H. H. Knight, 13 (USNM). Washington Co.: Grey Cloud Island, July 20, 1920, H. H. Knight, 23 (USNM). Winona Co. : No specific locality, July 1, 1922, H. H. Knight, paratypes: 13, 2♀ (USNM); holotype male (USNM). No specific locality, July 1, 1922, H. H. Knight, Amorpha canescens (Fabaceae) , 103, 10♀ (USNM); Paratypes: 353, 35♀ (USNM). Missouri: St. Louis Co.: St. Louis, June 3, 1939, R.C. Froeschner, 1♀ (USNM). Nebraska: Gosper Co.: Johnson Lake St. Rec. Area, June 28, 1980, K. Schmidt, Amorpha fruticosa (Fabaceae) , 293, 24♀ (AMNH). North Carolina: Stanly Co.: Morrow Mt. State Park, June 19, 1958, D. A. Young, 23 (USNM). South Dakota: Custer Co.: Custer, July 27, 1927, H. H. Knight, 73, 6♀ (USNM). Tennessee: Dyer Co.: Rt 78 N of Dyersburg, June 2, 1985, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., Amorpha sp. (Fabaceae) , 23 (PDA). Texas: Dallas Co.: near Prairie, May 19, 1937, H. C. Knutson, 13 (USNM).