Tondomiris, 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 : 150-153

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.26107/RBZ-2021-0012
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E7DDA011-A75C-4B3B-B49B-B48417D0EBE9
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/7F98DC75-9A31-4DB9-AFCD-909883CB6B14
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:7F98DC75-9A31-4DB9-AFCD-909883CB6B14
treatment provided by	Diego
scientific name	Tondomiris
status	gen. nov.

Treatment

Tondomiris , new genus

Type species. Tondomiris puguis Yasunaga, Chérot & Schwartz , new species.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other known mirine genera by the following combination of characters: generally reddish brown, elongate, parallel-sided body; moderate size (6.3 mm in total length); almost glabrous dorsum; shiny, polished head and pronotum; shallow, indistinct longitudinal sulcus on vertex; long labium exceeding apex of metacoxa and reaching abdominal sternum VI ( Fig. 11A View Fig ); distinctly elevated scutellum ( Fig. 11B View Fig ); dark spots or annulations at bases of tibial spines; unique micro-spines on apical metatibia ( Fig. 11D, E View Fig ); almost smooth margin of pygophore without sharp process at base of left paramere ( Fig. 11G View Fig ); and a single, lobal-sclerite at apex of endosoma ( Fig. 9H View Fig ).

Description. Male. Body elongate, nearly parallel-sided. COLOURATION: Generally dark reddish brown. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsal surface almost glabrous ( Fig. 10A, B View Fig ); head polished, glabrous; pronotum shiny, glabrous, impunctate; scutellum transversely rugose; hemelytron somewhat matte, almost glabrous, impunctate. STRUCTURE: Head: Vertical ( Figs. 10C View Fig , 11B View Fig ), vertex with a shallow, faint median sulcus ( Fig. 10B View Fig ); clypeus weakly projected. Antenna: Segments I–III almost uniform in thickness, not incrassate; segment I longer than width of head across eyes, equal to mesal length of pronotum; segment III slightly longer than pronotal width. Labium: Relatively thick exceeding apex of metacoxa, reaching abdominal sternum VI, slightly shorter than metafemur ( Fig. 11A View Fig ). Thorax: Pronotum with flat but distinct calli ( Fig. 10B View Fig ); scutellum distinctly elevated anteriorly with rather flattened apex; scent efferent system subtriangular, with ear-like peritreme ( Fig. 11C View Fig ). Hemelytron: Cuneus narrow. Legs: Long; tibia with dark spots or annulations at bases of dark spines; apical part (outer surface) of metatibia densely covered with scaly spinules, or microspines ( Fig. 11D, E View Fig ); meta-tarsomere II as long as III; with wide, lamellate parempodia and pulvilli ( Fig. 11F View Fig ). Genitalia ( Fig. 9E–H View Fig ): Pygophore with almost smooth margin, lacking process at base of left paramere ( Fig. 11G View Fig ). Parameres as in Fig. 9E, F View Fig ; left paramere C-shaped, with widened apex ( Fig. 9E View Fig ); right paramere short, less than half as long as left ( Fig. 9F View Fig ); apex of phallotheca rounded; endosoma widely membranous, with a single, lobal sclerite that is twisted subbasally ( Fig. 9H View Fig ); ductus seminis almost cylindrical.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. Named for Tondo (or Tundu), an ancient polity that existed in Luzon before colonisation of the Spanish Empire, combined with the mirine generic name Miris Fabricius ; gender masculine.

Discussion. The present new genus is externally similar to Liocapsus Poppius , Orientocapsus Yasunaga & Schwartz , or Philostephanus Distant , in having the similar colour pattern and polished, glabrous dorsal surface. Based on the male genitalic structure (e.g., an apical lobal-sclerite on the endosoma), however, Tondomiris is presumed to be related to Megacoelum Fieber. The former is distinguished from the latter by the oily, shiny head and pronotum, the long labium extending beyond apex of the metacoxa, the bulbously elevated anterior ⅔ of the scutellum, the clear dark spots or annulations on the tibiae, and the smooth pygophore lacking any spine or process at the base of left paramere, in addition to the unique, scaly micro-spines at apical part of the metatibia. The apical metatibial micro-spines ( Fig. 10D, E View Fig ) are currently considered as an autapomorphy for Tondomiris , as we have not recognised its presence in any other mirine genera. This structure is hardly visible by compound or stereoscopic microscopes ( Fig. 7I, J View Fig ) and can be observed only by scanning electron microscopes. The micro-spines are also furnished on the metatibiae of Neomegacoelum Yasunaga , including a single eastern Palearctic element N. vitreum (Kerzhner, 1988) , and Vairocanamiris Yasunaga but are obviously sparser and structurally different from those found in Tondomiris ( Fig. 11H, I View Fig ).

Vairocanamiris Yasunaga is also similar in general appearance to our new genus. However, this unique genus currently known only by V. jordiribesi Yasunaga, 2011 from Indian Sikkim is different from Tondomiris in the following characters: body even larger (9–11 mm in total length); vertex wider, with a narrow but recognisable longitudinal mesal sulcation; antenna slenderer; labium shorter, not exceeding apex of metacoxa; apical part of metatibia with sparsely distributed micro-spines; pygophore with a prominent, conical process at base of left paramere; and endosoma with a short lobal-sclerite and a bundle of hair-like appendages behind secondary gonopore (cf. Yasunaga, 2011).

Incidentally, Megacoelum currently comprises more than 50 species in the Old World ( Schuh, 2002 –2013; Aukema, 2018). However, at least 35 of these species are in all likelihood members of other genera (e.g., Adelphocorisella , Creontiades , Orientomiris ) as indicated by Chérot & Malipatil (2016). In the Oriental Region and eastern Asia, only Megacoelum formosanum Poppius, 1915 [ China, Taiwan] may be regarded as a true member of the genus (cf. Yasunaga, 1998), and all other taxa placed in Megacoelum require further verification. Our examinations on taxa described by Distant (1909) (deposited in BMNH) revealed that the following five species doubtlessly are members of Orientomiris ; accordingly, new combinations are herein proposed (all transferred from Megacoelum ): Orientomiris brunnetii ( Distant, 1909) , new combination [ India: Uttar Pradesh]; O. marginandus ( Distant, 1909) , new combination [ Sri Lanka], O. patruus ( Distant, 1909) new combination [ Sri Lanka], O. pervalidus ( Distant, 1909) new combination [ India: Darjeeling, Nepal: Bagmati-zone]; O. straminipes ( Distant, 1909) , new combination [ India: Himachal Pradesh, Nepal: Kasuki (new record, cf. Fig. 10D View Fig )]; and O. tibialis ( Distant, 1909) , new combination [ India: Himachal Pradesh] Images of all relevant type materials are available on BMNH ‘Data Portal’ site (https://data.nhm.ac.uk), except for the damaged holotype of O. tibialis .