Malayamiridius nigrotenuis, Yasunaga & Chérot & Schwartz, 2021

Yasunaga, Tomohide, Chérot, Frédéric & Schwartz, Michael D., 2021, New genera and species of the Oriental mirine plant bugs from Southeast Asia, with six new combinations (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirinae: Mirini), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 69, pp. 137-155 : 141-143

Malayamiridius nigrotenuis , new species

( Figs. 1 A−C, 2, 3, 8A−C, 9A, B, 12)

Type material. Holotype: male, MALAYSIA: Perak, Taiping, Bukit Larut (Maxwell Hill), 4.8624°N, 100.7999°E, 1,100 m, MV light trap, T. Yasunaga , 4 January 1990 ( AMNH _ PBI 00380626 ) ( ZRC) . Paratypes: INDONESIA :

Sulawesi Utara (North Sulawesi): 1 male, Lake Mala (Mooat) , E of Kotamobagu [CL 2113], 0.73333°N, 124.45°E, 1,000 m, 10 September 1985, D. A. & J. T. Polhemus (00418894) ( CNC). North Sumatra: 1 male, Prapat (1,000 m), 50 km E of Pematang Siantar, 2.88°N, 99.52°E, MV light trap, E. W. Diehl , October 1989 (00380627) ( TYCN) . MALAYSIA: 1 male, 4 females, same data as for holotype, except for date: 13 July 1989 (1 female), 14 July 1989 (1 male), 29 December 1989 (1 female), and 3 January 1990 (1 female) ( TYCN); 3 females, 20 km NW of Barus on Pakkat-Barus Road [CL 2195], 2.12641°N 98.45196°E, 551 m, 10 November 1985, D. A. & J. T . Polhemus, Light Trap (00418896–00418897) ( CNC) . THAILAND: 1 male, Chiang Mai, Doi Pui , 18.82, 98.89, M. Takakuwa, 3 May 1984 (00380628) ( NIAES) . VIETNAM: 1 male, 1 female, Sa Pa, 1,900 m alt., 22.35, 103.82, UV light trap, Y. Nakatani , 20 May 1999 ( NIAES) (1 female with USI label: 00380682). Additional specimens examined : BRUNEI: 1 female, Temburong NP, mixed dipterocarp forest, Ashton trail, summit of trail, MVP light, heavy rain, 3 January 2014, 7–9 pm, leg. C. Damken, 4°32′35″N, 115°9′11″E (Belagong. 02191, image 0.75*) ( UBDM, Universiti Brunei Darussalam Museum, temporary preserved in Damken collection, Dunedin, New Zealand) . INDONESIA: 1 female, North Sumatra, Brastagi, Mt Sibayak , 1,500 –2,000 m, 02–04 April 1998 (P. Magnien collection, Paris, France) . MALAYSIA: 1 female, Pahang Province, Tanah Rata env., 9–23 April 1999, VLT Kabourek leg. (P. Magnien collection, Paris, France) .

Diagnosis. Recognised by fuscous chestnut brown basic colouration; creamy yellow clypeus, pro- and mesofemora, pro- and mesotibia, and abdominal sternites IV−VI, in addition to the characters mentioned in generic diagnosis.

Description. COLOURATION: Body chocolate brown to fuscous ( Fig. 1 A−C). Head blackish brown, with creamy clypeus ( Fig. 1B ); vertex about as wide as an eye in dorsal view, with a faint, narrow, longitudinal, mesal sulcus; frons shallowly and obliquely striolate. Antenna uniformly yellow dorsally, dark ventrally; segment II about as long as metafemur; segment III about as long as labium. Labium shiny dark brown, slightly suffused with red ( Fig. 1B, C ). Pronotum uniformly dark, smooth; pleura widely darkened, rather shining, with creamy yellow ostiolar peritreme ( Fig. 1B ); scutellum nearly flat, transversely rugose medially. Hemelytron concolorously fuscous; apical inner part of cuneus slightly tinged with red; membrane smoky brown. All coxae dark brown, except for apical part of metacoxa creamy yellow; trochanters and legs creamy yellow; metafemur chocolate brown, except for pale extreme base and apex; metatibia smoky brown; all tarsi pale brown. Abdomen fuscous; sternites IV−VI pale brown or creamy brown ( Fig. 1B, C ). Surface, vestiture, and structure as in generic description.

Measurements. See Table 1.

Etymology. From Latin, niger (= black) combined with tenuis (= slender), referring to the darkened, slender body of this new species; an adjective.

Distribution. Brunei, Indonesia (northern Sulawesi and northwestern highlands of Sumatra), Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam ( Fig. 12 ).

Biology. All available specimens collected using UV light traps were found to be covered partly with pollen (cf. Fig. 2K ). This mirid is assumed to inhabit inflorescence of (most probably broadleaf) angiosperms and appears to be a pollinator in the Asian tropical forest-zone ecosystem (cf. Fig. 1D ). Collection records suggest that this mirid has at least two generations per year.

Figures

Fig. 1. Habitus images (A–C) of Malayamiridius nigrotenuis and environments on which the (UV lighting) sampling sites of the new mirines faced (D–E). A, M. nigrotenuis, holotype male from Perak, Malaysia; B, ditto, female in ventral view; C, ditto, male in ventral view; D, tropical rain forest of the type locality (Bukit Larut, Perak, Malaysia in January 1990); F, Brastagi, N. Sumatra, type locality of Sundacapsus flavonitidus (December 1989).

Fig. 12. Map showing distributions of four new mirine species.

Fig. 2. Scanning electron micrographs for male (A–H) and female (I–M) of Malayamiridius nigrotenuis. A, left lateral habitus; B, ditto, anterior body; C, surface of corium; D, pygophore; E, pretarsal structure of proleg; F, protarsus; G, pretarsal structure of mesoleg; H, metatarsus; I, head and pronotum; J, head; K, scent efferent system; L, surface of pronotum, scutellum, and clavus; M, apical part of forewing.