Pilophorus pullulus Poppius, 1915

Yasunaga, Tomohide, Duwal, Ram Keshari & Nakatani, Yukinobu, 2021, Reclassification of the plant bug genus Pilophorus in Japan and key to the genera and species of Japanese Pilophorini (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae Phylinae), Zootaxa 4942 (1), pp. 1-40 : 21

Pilophorus pullulus Poppius, 1915 sp. rev.

( Figs 1D ̅G, 9P̅S, 14O)

Pilophorus pullulus Poppius, 1914: 238, 1915a: 64 (n. sp.) [synonymized with P. typicus (Distant, 1909) by Schuh (1984)]. Pilophorus typicus (Distant, 1909) : Schuh, 1984: 71 (n. syn.); Schuh, 2002 –2013, online catalog; Aukema, 2018, online catalog.

Material examined. Holotype (♀). TAIWAN: Tainan City , 7 Aug, H. Sauter ( SDEI , images available on website (http://twinsecttype.nmns.edu.tw/specimen/?id=NMNS-SDEI-00202). Additional material. JAPAN: Ryukyus, Amami-Oshima Island, Santaro-toge [= current Sumiyo Town, Kamiya, 28.2843, 129.4215], 26 Jul 1954, S. Miyamoto & Y. Hirashima, 1 ♂ ( KUEC) ( AMNH _ PBI 00380672 ); Amami-Oshima Island , Shinmura-Yuwan, 28.24, 129.33, 4 Apr 1960, S. Miyamoto, 1 ♂ ( KUEC) (00380673) .

Rediagnosis. Closely allied to P. hyotan n. sp. and P. typicus , to which this species is superficially very similar, but P. pullulus can be distinguished by the following characters: Smaller size (e.g., total body length ± 2.5 mm); brownish dorsum; dispersed patches of silvery setae on posterior corium; sparsely distributed claval golden-brown setae; less splayed out left paramere with weakly produced lateral margin of sensory lobe; and rather thickened median process of endosoma. The external structure of a female (holotype) of P. pullulus ( Fig. 1 D–E) was described by Poppius (1915).

Description. Male: Macropterous; body generally castaneous to dark reddish brown, antlike (HCR 0.77); dorsal surface shining, with sparsely distributed, simple, reclining setae and scattered patches of scale-like setae ( Fig. 1F ). Head shiny castaneous, slightly wider than high, narrowly margined along basal vertex; eye small; vertex wider than an eye in dorsal view; head below eyes tinged with red. Antenna dark brown, generally short; segment I, basal 2/3 of II and almost whole IV creamy brown; segment II somewhat clavate, with apical part about as thick as profemur; segments III and IV filiform. Labium shiny reddish brown, exceeding base of metacoxa; apical 3/4 of segment III and basal half of segment IV creamy brown. Pronotum shiny fuscous, polished, with uniformly distributed, simple, semierect setae ( Fig. 14O ); scutellum shiny fuscous, with roundly clustered scale-like setae at each angle; pleura dark brown, with clustered scale-like setae on mesepimeron ( Fig. 1G ). Hemelytron almost totally castaneous, somewhat matte, with sparsely distributed, simple, reclining setae, and clustered scale-like at subapical clavus and basal 1/3 of corium; median band of scale-like setae interrupted, separated into two clusters (but excluding old specimens, presumably rubbed off); membrane pale smoky brown, with a narrow, pale, semitransparent part along apical margin of cuneus. Coxae creamy yellow, except for entirely dark brown mesocoxa; profemur, and all tibiae and tarsi creamy yellow; meso- and metafemora and basal parts of meso- and metatibiae reddish or dark brown; tarsomeres III darkened. Abdomen shiny dark brown. Male genitalia ( Fig. 9 P–S): Left paramere narrow, not sprayed-out ( Fig. 9Q ); endosoma nearly J-shaped, with simple, rather thick median process ( Fig. 9P ); apex of phallotheca with a small, pointed process ( Fig. 9S ).

Measurements. See Table 2. According to the original description of the holotype female ( Fig. 1D ) by Poppius (1915), body length 2.2 mm and width 0.8 mm.

Biology. Unknown.

Discussion. This species was described by Poppius (1915), based on a single female specimen collected in Tainan City, southern Taiwan ( Fig. 1D ̅E). Schuh (1984) synonymized P. pullulus with P. typicus , as the holotype had been damaged since original description (now only left clavus remaining as in Fig. 1D and coloration and vestiture pattern of entire hemelytra depending only on the original description—hemelytron brown, matte, with whitish band of scale-like setae on posterior corium and clavus). Judging from the description of Poppius and remaining body parts of the holotype, we conclude that two male specimens, collected from Amami-Oshima more than six decades ago, are in all likelihood identical to P. pullulus .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus images of Pilophorus spp. A. P. choii ♂. B. P. maeharai, holotype ♂. C. P. niger ♀. D–E. P. pullulus, holotype ♀ (Taiwan). F–G. P. pullulus ♂ (Amami-Oshima Is., Japan).

FIGURE 9. Male genitalia of Pilophorus spp. A–E, I–K. P. hyotan n. sp. (from Nagasaki, Japan: A–C, K; Solkhumbu, Nepal: D–E, I–J). F–H, L–N. P. typicus (Nakhon Nayok, Thailand: F–G; India: H, L–M; Nagasaki: N). O. P. miyamotoi (Kochi Pref., Japan). P–S. P. pullulus (Amami-Oshima Is.). A– B, D, F–G, O–P. Endosoma (vesica). C, E, H, S. Phallotheca. I–N, Q–R. Parameres.

FIGURE 14. Scanning electron micrographs for Japanese Pilophorus spp., males (except for E, L, P: ♀). A–D. P. choii. E–K. P. erraticus. L–N. P. pseudoperplexus. O–Q. P. miyamotoi. A, E. Left-dorsolateral habitus. B, I, N. Apex of pygophore, left lateral view. C–D, J–K, Q. Endosoma (vesica).A, E. Dorsal habitus. F. Thoracic pleura, left lateral view. H, L, M, O, P. Lateral habitus. G. Pygophore, dorsal view.