Lygocoris laligurans, Yasunaga & Duwal, 2016

Yasunaga, Tomohide & Duwal, Ram Keshari, 2016, Three noteworthy mirine plant bugs inhabiting subalpine zones of the Nepalese Himalayas (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirinae), Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 51 (1 - 2), pp. 33-49 : 41-44

Lygocoris laligurans sp. nov.

( Figures 1 (a− c), 2(a, b), 5)

Type material

Holotype. Male, NEPAL, Khumbu Himal, Sagarmatha National Park , Phortse Tenga , 27.85°N, 86.74°E, 3900 m altitude, on Rhododendron sp. , 27 August 2005, T. Yasunaga ( AMNH _ PBI 00380459 ) ( NMTU).

Paratypes. NEPAL, Khumbu Himal: One female, Sagarmatha National Park, Dole, 27.8667°N, 86.7295°E, 4030 m altitude, 24 August 2005, T . Yasunaga ( TYCN); two females, Sagarmatha National Park, Sanasa–Kyanjuma , 27.82°N, 86.73°E, 3600–3700 m altitude, on Rhododendron sp ., 28 August 2005, T . Yasunaga ( TYCN); one male, one female, same data as for holotype ( NMTU, TYCN); Langtang Himal: Langtang National Park, Rimche – Lama Hotel, one male, one female, 28.16°N, 85.42°E, 2400 m, 3 June 2006, T . Yasunaga ( TYCN); Nuwakot District, 1 female, 27.97°N, 85.00°E, 11,100 ft (3380 m) (no further locality given on label but locality corresponding to Samjong area, 50 km northwest of Kathmandu by Google Earth ), 25 June 1967, Canada Nepal Expedition (Canadian National Collection, Ottawa) . INDIA, west Sikkim: one male, Ohoka, 3050 m, light trap, 13 September 1983, M . Tomokuni ( NSMT); two males, Phithang , 3660 m, light trap, 14 −15 September 1983, M . Tomokuni ( NSMT); seven males, Dzongri , 3900−4100 m, light trap, 16−18 September 1983, M . Tomokuni ( NSMT); two males, one female, Thangshing, 3750−3950 m, light trap, 19−20 September 1983, M . Tomokuni ( NSMT) .

Diagnosis

Recognized readily by its large, broad body and brilliant red general coloration. Most similar to Lygocoris ferrugineus Lu & Zheng described from Yunnan, China and possessing rusty-red general coloration ( Zheng et al. 2004); distinguished by more vivid red basic coloration, almost wholly reddish antennal segment I and II, elongate hypophysis of right paramere, L-shaped spiculum and longer lobal-sclerite on endosoma, and reduced sclerotized ring .

Description

Body uniformly brilliant red or orange-red, elongate-oval ( Figure 2 (a)); dorsal surface shining, with uniformly distributed, silky, reclining setae. Head uniformly red, oblique, narrowed, less than half as wide as basal pronotum. Antenna pale red, relatively short, almost linear; segment II with slightly darkened apex, shorter than basal width of pronotum; remaining segments reddish dark brown; segment III longer than IV. Labium shiny reddish brown, reaching but not exceeding apex of metacoxa; apex of segment IV darkened. Pronotum shining, rather tumid, shallowly and faintly punctate, with polished calli; collar somewhat matte, about as thick as antennal segment II; pleura red including scent efferent system ( Figure 2 (b)), but widely creamy yellow when alive ( Figure 1 (c), right); mesoscutum weakly shagreened; scutellum somewhat arched. Hemelytron weakly shagreened, partly semi-transparent; cuneus about twice as long as wide; membrane pale smoky brown, semi-transparent, narrowly pale along inner margin of cuneus, with reddish veins that are apically margined by L-shaped sanguineous striae ( Figure 2 (b)). All coxae and legs almost uniformly red; coxae yellowish when alive ( Figure 1 (c), right); tibial spines pale reddish brown, short; apex of each tarsus infuscate. Abdomen deep red. Male genitalia as in Figure 5 . Pygophore sharpened at apex, with a triangular, weak process at base of each paramere; left paramere sharply curved at middle, with triangularly developed sensory lobe and apically hooked hypophysis; hypophysis of right paramere elongate, hooked as C-shaped; endosoma with weakly curved, somewhat spiral spiculum sharply tapered toward apex and with elongate, wholly spinulate lobal-sclerite; seminal duct expanded subapically; secondary gonopore thick-rimmed, slightly disjunct distally; phallotheca with a tubercle at apex. Female genitalia as in Figure 5 . Sclerotized ring very small, somewhat rhombic; interramal lobe moderate in size, rather squared; lateral lobe similar in general shape to interramal lobe.

Measurements

Males/females: Total length of body 6.0–7.2 / 6.9–7.5; head width including eyes 1.00– 1.03 / 1.00–1.03; vertex width 0.30–0.38 / 0.38–0.41; lengths of antennal segments I–IV 0.57–0.69, 1.88–2.02, 0.76–0.78, 0.47–0.69 / 0.74–0.76, 1.88–2.21, 0.89–0.95, 0.58–0.65; labial length 2.09–2.28 / 2.37–2.46; mesal length of pronotum including collar 1.10– 1.13 / 1.13–1.17; basal width of pronotum 1.91–2.09 / 2.09–2.13; maximum width across hemelytron 2.43–2.63 / 2.52–2.78; and lengths of metafemur, tibia and tarsus 1.99–2.17, 3.07–3.42, 0.57–0.76 / 1.90–2.66, 3.57–4.09, 0.76–0.78.

Etymology

From Nepalese, laligurans (= rhododendron ), named for its association with wild Rhododendron azaleas; a noun in apposition.

Distribution

Nepal (Khumbu, Nuwakot and Rasuwa Districts), India (west Sikkim).

Biology

All specimens collected by the first author were found from Rhododendron spp. (Ericaceae) in the subalpine zones; sitting on the red petioles or branches of rhododendrons, this plant bug is evidently cryptic ( Figure 1 (b, c)), although its immature forms are yet to be confirmed. In Indian Sikkim, the adults were attracted to UV light traps.

Figures

Figure 1. Habitus images and subalpine habitats of new mirine plant bugs. (a) Rhododendron azalea in Langtang Himal, habitat for Lygocoris laligurans; (b) same, in Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park, Khumbu Himal; (c) Lygocoris laligurans, female adult; (d) an East Himalayan Fir, Abies spectabilis, habitat (and possibly breeding host) for both Khumbumiris schwartzi and Phytocoris sagarmathanus; (e) K. schwartzi, holotype male (AMNH_PBI 00380458); (f–g) P. sagarmathanus, females.

Figure 2. Habitus images of dry-preserved specimens. (a, b) Lygocoris laligurans; (c–f) Phytocoris sagarmathanus; (g–k) Khumbumiris schwartzi (AMNH_PBI 00380458); (i) pretarsus of foreleg; (j) metathoracic scent efferent system; (k) metatarsus.

Figure 5. Male and female genitalia of Lygocoris laligurans, named on the figures. Scale bars 0.2 mm.