Rubellomiris, WEIRAUCH, 2006

WEIRAUCH, CHRISTIAN E., 2006, New Genera and Species of Oak-Associated Phylini (Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae) from Western North America, American Museum Novitates 3521 (1), pp. 1-56 : 40-41

Rubellomiris , new genus

Figures 2 , 5 , 6–8 , 11 , 13

TYPE SPECIES: Rubellomiris bispinosus , new species.

DIAGNOSIS: Distinguished from other Phylini by the combination of the following characters: relatively small size (2.63–3.00), male with subparallel body form, orange and whitish coloration with anterior portion of the cuneus transparent, pleura and abdomen largely orange, and the structure of the male genitalia with the phallotheca relatively slen- der and with dorsolateral ridge (fig. 5), the vesica S-shaped with ‘‘flange’’ proximal to the elliptical and roughly median secondary gonopore, the gonopore sclerite curved, and the apical blade long, broad and flat (fig. 5). Distinguished from the also subparallel-sided Phallospinophylus by the smaller size, smaller eyes in dorsal view, and the lack of ornamentation on the pygophore, with the last character also separating Rubellomiris from Pygovepres .

DESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous, size relatively small (2.63–3.00), elongate and almost parallel sided. COLORATION (fig. 2): General coloration orange and whitish, or mainly orange. Head: Either uniformly orange or whitish with orange marks; antennal segments 1 and 2 yellowish, segments 3 and 4 suffused with brown; labial segments 1 to 3 yellowish white, segment 4 suffused with brown. Thorax: Pronotum either largely whitish with calli orange or mainly orange with whitish margins, pleura mostly orange, sometimes with rim of coxal cavity on pro- and mesothorax and dorsal portion of propleura whitish. Legs: Pale yellowish with bases of coxae and tarsomeres suffused with brown, faint and small dark marks on femur, at least proximal tibial spines with small and faint dark bases. Hemelytra: Corium including clavus largely orange (with proximal portion of corium whitish) or whitish, small white spot at posterior margin of wing distal to apex of clavus, cuneus orange with a crescent-shaped anterior portion whitish and transparent; membrane translucent and smoky. Abdomen: Venter orange or whitish and orange. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum and hemelytra weakly shining densely covered with only one type of simple, slender, subadpressed setae of moderate length (fig. 8E). STRUCTURE: Head (fig. 5): Head subtriangular in dorsal aspect, vertex wide, slightly convex, and very weakly concave behind, clypeus moderately produced, mandibular plate not produced, maxillary plate only slightly sunken, buccal cavity large and ovoid, gula short and broad; eye almost as high as head, weakly emarginate posterior to antennal fossa, posterolateral margins contiguous with anterolateral margins of pronotum; antennal fossa contiguous with anterior margin of eye, antennal segment 1 short, segment 2 long, diameter similar to segment 1, very slightly increasing toward apex, segments 3 and 4 with diameter smaller than segments 1 and 2, labium surpassing base of abdomen. Thorax: Pronotum with lateral margins distinctly convex, anterior margin slightly sinuate, posterior margin slightly concave, anterior and posterior lobes barely demarcated, calli not developed, metapleural evaporatorium with mushroomlike cuticle area broad (fig. 8E), mushroomlike cuticle around mesothoracic spiracle moderately developed. Legs: Slender; claws slender, with pulvilli covering a little more than half of ventral surface, parempodia setiform (fig. 7E). Hemelytra: Subparallel, cuneus triangular. Abdomen: Surpassing base of cuneus. GENITALIA (fig. 5): Pygophore: Of moderate size, without ornamentation. Parameres: Right paramere typically phyline lanceolate, left paramere with anterior and posterior process of about equal length and rather short, anterior process pointed and slightly bent ventrally or posterior process much longer than anterior process and body elongate and deeply excavate. Phallotheca: Relatively slender, left side apical with a dorsolateral keellike ridge, ventrally with slitlike opening. Vesica: S-shaped, twisted, rather broad and flat, with flange proximal to secondary gonopore, with either one broad and long apical blade or one apical blade of moderate length and width, and with an additional subapical lobe, secondary gonopore situated in apical half, opening facing left, gonopore sclerite bifurcate.

FEMALE (fig. 2): Coloration as in male. About same size as male, eyes smaller, vertex somewhat wider than in male, antennal fossa subcontiguous with anterior margin of eye, height of eyes about 2/3 height of head, antennal segment 1 more slender than in male, segment 2 more slender at base, increase of diameter toward apex more pronounced than in male. GENITALIA: See description of R. mariposa .

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the orange coloration of the species in this genus, from Latin adjective rubellus, meaning ‘‘reddish’’, combined with the generic name Miris to emphasize its systematic position within Miridae . The gender of the name is masculine.

DISCUSSION: The twisted vesica of Rubellomiris with a flange proximal to the secondary gonopore resembles somewhat the situation found in certain species of Plagiognathus Fieber (see Schuh 2001). However, the distinct and curved gonopore sclerite, and the broad and flat apical blade set Rubellomiris apart from that genus.

KEY TO SPECIES OF RUBELLOMIRIS

Figures

Fig. 2. Habitus photographs of Rubellomiris spp. and Rubeospineus spp.

Fig. 5. Head and male genitalic structures of Rubellomiris spp. and Rubeospineus spp.

Fig. 6. Mesothoracic spiracle and metathoracic scent gland evaporatory area, scale bar: 200 Mm. A. Crassomiris fatisco. B. Phallospinophylus setosus. C. Pygovepres vaccinicola. D. Quercophylus gonoporospinus. E. Rubellomiris bispinosus. F. Rubeospineus truncatus.

Fig. 7. Pretarsus, scale bar: 50 Mm. A. Crassomiris fatisco. B. Phallospinophylus setosus. C. Pygovepres vaccinicola. D. Quercophylus gonoporospinus. E. Rubellomiris bispinosus. F. Rubeospineus truncatus.

Fig. 8. Detail of setae comprising hemelytral vestiture, scale bar: 50 Mm. A. Crassomiris fatisco. B. Phallospinophylus setosus. C. Pygovepres vaccinicola. D. Quercophylus gonoporospinus. E. Rubellomiris bispinosus. F. Rubeospineus truncatus. Slender and stout setae are indicated by a white or black asterisk, respectively.

Fig. 11. Female genitalic structures, comprising bursa copulatrix and seminal depository in dorsal view, vestibulum in anterior view, and—if sclerotizations are present—posterior wall.

Fig. 13. Distribution of species of the genera Quercophylus, Rubellomiris, and Rubeospineus.