Plagiognathus albifacies Knight, 1927: 11

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 : 34-35

Plagiognathus albifacies Knight, 1927: 11 (n.

sp.).

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the relatively large, elongate, somewhat cylindrical body, the labium long and reaching to about middle of abdomen, the reclining to suberect dorsal vestiture, and antennal segment 1 mostly pale except for dark tapered basal portion (fig. 15). Vesica of the male distinctive for its elongate, slender, J­shaped body with its relatively short, slender, more or less erect, apical spines (fig. 20). Size, shape, and length of labium similar to rosicola , but that species having antennal segment 1 uniformly black and the general body coloration conspicuously orange (fig. 12).

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Moderately large, elongate; total length 4.15–4.66, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 3.00–3.28, width across pronotum 1.16–1.33. COLORATION (fig. 5): General coloration, including most of venter and appendages, often pale, whitish to vaguely yellowish, but sometimes ranging to much darker, with dorsum partially to mostly brown, and venter sometimes totally brown; head always mostly pale, clypeus partially to completely castaneous, polished and shining, contrasting with remainder of head; membrane almost uniformly fumose, veins pale; antennal segment 1 often largely pale except tapered basal portion highly polished and shining in contrast to dull remain­ der of segment, base of mesial spine black, sometimes much of antennal segment 1 infuscate, segments 2–4 black (fig. 15); labium mostly pale; femora pale with dark spots, in darker specimens hind femur usually with a dark stripe on dorsal surface; 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 pale, reclining to suberect, relatively short, simple setae. STRUCTURE: Body transversely rounded rather than flattened; corial margin weakly convex; head declivent, projecting ventrally, frons weakly swollen, clypeus barely visible from above; anteocular distance equal to diameter of antennal segment 1; head projecting below eye by 1.3 times diameter of antennal segment 1; labium very long, reaching to about middle of pregenital abdominal segments. GENI­ TALIA (fig. 20): Vesica J­shaped, body long and slender; apical spines both nearly erect, slender, short relative to total length of vesica.

Female: Coloration and shape very similar to male. Total length 4.15–4.66, length apex clypeus–cuneal fracture 3.00–3.28, width across pronotum 1.16–1.33.

HOST: Polymnia spp. (Asteraceae) .

DISTRIBUTION: Illinois and Tennessee east to Virginia and north to Ontario.

DISCUSSION: Holotype from Urbana , Illinois, is a somewhat tattered male.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: CANADA.— Ontario: Canboro, June 10, 1962, H. Blanchard, 1♀ (CNC). USA.— Illinois: Champaign Co.: Urbana, August 24, 1930, H. H. Knight, Hydrophyllum sp. 23, 2♀ (USNM). Urbana, August 25, 1930, H. H. Knight, Polymnia sp. (Asteraceae) , 23, 2♀ (AMNH). Urbana, July 14, 1922, P. A. Glick, holotype male (USNM). Indiana: Cass Co.: 4 mi W of Logansport, July 8, 1975, T. J. Henry, Polymnia canadensis (Asteraceae) , 33, 12♀ (PDA). Maryland: Montgomery Co. : Plummers Island , August 1, 1906, W. L. McAtee, paratype: 13 (USNM). Plummers Island , August 23, 1902, O. Heidemann, W. L. McAtee, 13, 1♀ (USNM) ; Paratypes: 13, 1♀ (USNM). Plummers Island, August 23, 1903, O. Heidemann, 1♀ (CAS). Tennessee: Davidson Co.: Long Hunter State Park , May 29, 1985, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., Polymnia sp. (Asteraceae) , 43, 2♀ (PDA). Long Hunter State Recreation Area , April 19, 1991, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., Polymnia canadensis 13, 1♀ (USNM). Virginia: Wythe Co. : New River , Foster Falls , July 7, 1985, A. G. Wheeler, Jr., Polymnia canadensis (Asteraceae) , 53, 7♀ (PDA) .