Pachytomella alutacea ( Puton, 1874 )

Namyatova, Anna A., 2010, Revision of the genus Pachytomella (Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae: Halticini), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 50 (2), pp. 341-368 : 348-350

Pachytomella alutacea ( Puton, 1874)

( Figs. 1 , 4–7 )

Orthocephalus alutaceus Puton, 1874: 218 .

Pachytomella alutacea: REUTER (1890) : 253 (revised generic placement).

Type locality. Madrid, Spain.

Material examined. SPAIN: ANDALUCIA: Quellgebiet des Rio Guarnon [= Source of Guarnon River], 37.11666 ° N 3.31666 ° W, H. Franz, 1♀ (AMNH_PBI 00226305) ( NHMW) . GRANADA: MONACHIL CO.: Sierra Nevada , 37.09305 ° N 3.39416 ° E, 2256 m, H. Franz, 1 ♁ (AMNH_PBI 00336362) ( NHMW) ; Sierra Nevada Veleta , 37.08333 ° N 3.16667 ° W, 25.vii.1959 – 04.viii.1959, H. H. Weber, 1 ♀ (AMNH_PBI 00145223) ( JRBS), 3 ♀♀ (AMNH_PBI 00312227–AMNH_PBI 00312228, AMNH_PBI 00313011) ( RLRF) .

Redescription. Male: Macropterous, total length 3.2 mm. COLOURATION ( Fig. 1 ): Head: Dark brown, posterior margin of vertex with single yellowish spot 1/3 rd width of vertex; eye uniformly yellowish, darker at posterior margin; mandibular and maxillary plates concolourous with frons; labial segments I and III pale brown, segments II and IV dark brown; antenna uniformly dark brown to black. Thorax: Pronotum, pleurites and evaporatorium dark brown, scutellum dark brown with pale brown stripe medially; coxa dark brown, fore and middle femora brownish with paler apex, hind femur uniformly dark brown, tibiae brownish with darker apices, tarsi dark brown to black; hemelytron dirty yellowish with darker outer margin and inner margin of clavus; membrane dirty yellow, same colour with hemelytra, veins yellowish or pale brown, somewhat darker than membrane. Abdomen: Dark brown to black. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: As in generic description, setae on dorsum dark brown. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body 3.0× longer than width of pronotum. Head: 1.3× as wide as high; shape, position of antennal fossa and length of labium as in generic description; vertex 2.0× as wide as width of eye; antennal segment II 0.9× length of basal width of pronotum, 1.1× longer than width of head; antennal segments III and IV combined, shorter than segment II. Thorax: Pronotum 2.3× wider than long and 1.2× width of head with posterior margin straight; mesoscutum not exposed; hind femur not swollen. GENITALIA: Body of right paramere oval and apically pointed, apical process of left paramere without triangular process at base, short and strongly twisted ( Fig. 5 ); theca smooth, without depression ( Fig. 4 ); basal portion of ductus seminis uniformly sclerotised, distal part of ductus seminis bowl-shaped ( Fig. 2 ); endosoma with single, small, denticulate spicule ( Fig. 4 ).

Female: Brachypterous, total length 2.6–2.9 mm. COLOURATION ( Fig. 1 ): Head: Dark brown to black, posterior margin of vertex with single triangular yellow or pale brown spot, 1/2 width of vertex; eye brownish with yellowish posterior margin; mandibular and maxillary plates paler than frons; antennae dark brown to black, antennal segment IV paler than others; labium dark brown. Thorax: Pronotum, scutellum, pleurites, evaporatorium, and coxa dark brown to black, femora dark brown with yellowish apices, tibiae yellowish, somewhat darker at bases and apices, tarsi dark brown to black, hemelytron dirty yellowish with inner margin dark brown. Abdomen: Dark brown to black. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: As in generic description, hemelytra with indistinct dark punctation; setae on dorsum pale. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body 2.6–2.9× longer than width of pronotum. Head: As in generic description, 1.3–1.4× as wide as high; vertex 2.4–2.7× width of eye; antennal segment II 0.6–0.7× as long as basal width of pronotum, 0.6–0.7× as long as width of head; antennal segments III and IV combined, as long as or shorter than segment II. Thorax: Pronotum 1.9–2.0× as wide as long and 0.9–1.0× width of head, with posterior margin straight or slightly concave; mesoscutum not exposed; hind femur not swollen; hemelytra not in contact with each other, reaching abdominal tergum VII, with posterior margin somewhat rounded; claval commissure distinctly longer than scutellum, clavus not delineated. GENITALIA: Dorsal labiate plate with small sclerotised rings, approximately 1/6 th– 1/7 th the width of dorsal labiate plate, without sclerotised area near sclerotised rings ( Fig. 6 ); posterior wall with a pair of triangular sclerites laterally, these sclerites not surpassing the anterior margin of posterior wall ( Fig. 7 ).

Differential diagnosis. Distinguished by the macropterous male, yellowish hemelytra, femora and tibiae paler than pronotum, apical process of left paramere short and strongly twisted, without basal triangular process at base ( Fig. 5 ), smooth theca, endosoma with single small spicula ( Fig. 4 ), and sclerotised rings 1/6 th to 1/7 th width of dorsal labiate plate, without sclerotised area near small sclerotised rings ( Fig. 6 ). Similar to P. phoenicea in colouration, which can be distinguished by having a spot near each eye on vertex, the straight and long apical process of left paramere ( Fig. 5 ), the aedeagus with a long spicula ( Fig. 4 ), and sclerotised ring 1/4 th –1/5 th width of dorsal labiate plate ( Fig. 6 ).

Distribution. This species has been recorded only from Spain ( PUTON 1874, KERZHNER & JOSIFOV 1999).

Discussion. The species was described by PUTON (1874) from a female specimen from Madrid. Subsequently, series of specimens, including males and females, were collected from the Sierra Nevada and near the source of the Guarnon River, by Franz. Females from both series are identical, their external view fits the description of PUTON (1874). Males possess a number of features peculiar to females, such as single yellowish marking between the eyes and yellowish hemelytra.

Figures

Fig. 1. Habitus views of Pachytomella alutacea (Puton, 1874), P. cursitans Reuter, 1905, P. doriae (Reuter, 1884), P. parallela (Meyer-Dür, 1843), P. passerinii (A. Costa, 1842), and P. phoenicea (Horváth, 1884).

Fig. 4. Dorsal view of aedeagus: Pachytomella alutacea (Puton, 1874), P. cursitans Reuter, 1905, P. doriae (Reuter, 1884), P. parallela (Meyer-Dür, 1843), P. passerinii (A. Costa, 1842), and P. phoenicea (Horváth, 1884). Scale bar: 0.05 mm.

Fig. 5. Parameres: Pachytomella alutacea (Puton, 1874), P. cursitans Reuter, 1905, P. parallela (Meyer-Dür, 1843), and P. passerinii (A. Costa, 1842): right paramere form dorsal view, left paramere from behind, left paramere from dorsal view; P. doriae (Reuter, 1884): right and left parameres from dorsal view. Scale bar: 0.05 mm.

Fig. 6. Dorsal labiate plate. Pachytomella alutacea (Puton, 1874), P. cursitans Reuter, 1905, P. doriae (Reuter, 1884), P. parallela (Meyer-Dür, 1843), P. passerinii (A. Costa, 1842), and P. phoenicea (Horváth, 1884). Scale bar: 0.05 mm.

Fig. 7. Posterior wall of bursa copulatrix:Pachytomella alutacea (Puton, 1874), P. cursitans Reuter, 1905, P. doriae (Reuter, 1884), and P. parallela (Meyer-Dür, 1843). Sclerites near vulva: P. passerinii (A. Costa, 1842). Scale bar: 0.05 mm.

Fig. 2. Ductus seminis. Pachytomella cursitans Reuter, 1905 and P. doriae (Reuter, 1884): dorsal and lateral views of distal part of ductus seminis; P. parallela (Meyer-Dür, 1843): dorsal view of ductus seminis; P. passerinii (A. Costa, 1842): dorsal and lateral views of ductus seminis; P. phoenicea (Horváth, 1884): dorsal and lateral views of distal and medial parts of ductus seminis. Scale bar: 0.05 mm.