Philicoris palali, Menard, Katrina L. & Siler, Cameron D., 2018

Menard, Katrina L. & Siler, Cameron D., 2018, New genus and two new species of Hyaliodini from the Philippines (Miridae, Deraeocorinae), ZooKeys 796, pp. 131-146 : 139-141

Philicoris palali sp. n. Figs 2, 5

Holotype.

Adult male (OMNH 65500), hand collected by K. Menard during daytime surveys on 09 June 2017 on the foothills of Mt. Palali, Municipality of Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya Province, Luzon Island, Philippines (16.45985'N, 121.22316'E; datum = WGS84).

Paratype.

One adult female (OMNH 65501), same information as holotype.

Diagnosis.

Recognized by mostly tan overall coloration, lateral pale greenish maculation on scutellum, white scent gland, tan thorax, interocular distance wider than width of eye, relatively narrower and straight emboliar margin, less prominent and defined surface punctuation, left paramere lacking basal perpendicular spine, and right paramere apically bifurcate.

Description.

Male. Coloration.Head: tan, clypeus and labrum dark brown; labium basally yellow and dark brown apically; first antennal segment basally dark brown, distally transitioning to tan, remaining segments tan. Thorax: collar and pronotum tan, calli tan with posterior margin with lighter yellow macula, mesoscutum brown with lateral yellow macula when visible, scutellum dark brown medially and light whitish green along majority of lateral margins, apex yellow, lateral sclerites of thorax same coloration as anterior pronotum, scent gland and evaporative area whitish, procoxae light yellow, remaining coxae light brown apically, yellowish distally, femora and tibiae tan, tarsomeres tan. Hemelytra: embolium and cuneus tan, lateral margins of corium tan transitioning to light brown, clavus dark brown with light tan area along anterior 1/3 of margin with corium, and corium, membrane and veins beige. Abdomen: tan with dark brown anterior and posterior surfaces, gonopore tan. Surface and vestiture: Head: smooth and shiny, clothed with simple setae, antennal segments covered with dense simple setae of uniform length. Thorax: collar and calli smooth, remaining surface of pronotum punctate, covered with simple setae, scutellum and lateral sclerites of thorax with simple setae. Hemelytra: surface with simple setae, shiny, with dense punctuation in regular rows on clavus and corium, dorsal surface of emboliar margins and cuneus smooth. Abdomen: clothed with simple setae. Structure: Head: wider than high, clypeus not visible in dorsal view, frons convex, vertex flat, declining posteriorly towards anterior pronotal margin, eyes relatively large, taking up most of head in lat eral view, dorsal surface confluent with vertex, posterior margin removed from anterior margin of pronotum, interocular width greater than width of single eye, first antennal segment length wider than interocular distance, less than half length of second segment, second antennal segment longest, apically narrower than first segment, widening distally to width equivalent to first, antennal segments three and four half width of antennal segment one, individually nearly equidistant in length to segment one; apex of labium extending to metacoxae. Thorax: pronotal collar narrow and rounded, dorsal surface of pronotum convexly rounded, anterior and posterior portions of pronotum not demarcated, pronotum trapezoidal with nearly straight lateral margins, calli fused into single weakly protruding plate surrounded by weakly defined rows of punctures, posterior margin of pronotum straight. Hemelytra: weakly transversely rounded, lateral margins straight with relatively wide embolium, cuneus longer than wide, bent ventrally at fracture, membrane with two visible veins forming two cells, larger cell length greater than one half total length of membrane. Abdomen: shorter than half total body length, relatively narrow, width tapering to gonophore. Genitalia: endosoma primarily membranous with two sclerotized spicules surrounded by several membranous apical lobes (Fig. 5A), phallotheca thin and simple, left paramere scythe-shaped without spine projecting perpendicularly to base (Fig. 5C), right paramere small, leaf-shaped with apical bifurcation (Fig. 5B).

Female. Similar to males in coloration, surface and vestiture. Interocular distance greater in females. Genitalia not dissected.

Measurements

(in mm for male/female). Tylus-cuneus length 2.10/2.40, hemelytron width 1.55/1.70, head width 0.75/0.70, interocular distance 0.30/0.38, pronotum length 0.75/0.75, pronotum width 1.40/1.45, antennal segment I length 0.45/0.50, antennal segment II length 1.40/1.35.

Etymology.

We name the new species in reference to Mt. Palali, the type locality. Noun in apposition.

Hosts.

Purple composite ( Asteraceae ).

Distribution.

The new species is known from mid-elevation habitats at the type locality on Mt. Palali, Nueva Vizcaya Province, Luzon Island, Philippines.

Discussion.

This species was found by sweeping an unidentified purple composite along a trail up Mt. Palali, approximately 800 m away from an area cleared for banana and agricultural cultivation. Therefore, the host plant might be an introduced species in the regional flora. The additional sampling of local plants, including varieties introduced for agriculture, may yet yield additional new species.