Loricula yakushima Yasunaga and Yamada, 2017

Yasunaga, Tomohide & Yamada, Kazutaka, 2017, Review of the microphysid genus Loricula Curtis in Japan (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Microphysidae), with descriptions of three new species, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 51 (21 - 22), pp. 1209-1227 : 1224-1225

Loricula yakushima Yasunaga and Yamada , sp. nov.

( Figures 3 (f,g), 5(d–f), 6(e,h), 7)

Type material

Holotype. Female, JAPAN: Kyushu, Kagoshima Pref., Yakushima Island , Isso , 30.43°N, 130.48°E, 5 March 2011, Y. Kubota ( AMNH _ PBI 00380527 ) ( TKPM).

Paratypes. Same data as for holotype, 1 male, 2 females ( TKPM, TYCN) .

Diagnosis

Both male and female readily recognised by their comparatively slender body form; dark brown general colouration; and remarkably porrect head ( Figure 3 (f,g)). Easily distinguished from other eastern Palearctic congeners by characters mentioned in the key, in addition to having the isolated distribution on Yakushima Island.

Description

Male. Body elongate, subparallel-sided; basic colouration shiny chocolate brown; dorsal surface with sparsely distributed, silky, short setae. Head porrect; vertex with a longitudinal canal between ocelli; apex of clypeus tinged with red. Antenna wholly dark brown, with sensory setae short. Labial segments III and IV somewhat paler than proximal segments. Pronotum with a narrow, mesal depression posteriorly; calli clearly demarcated by a median, transverse carina; mesoscutum with a shallow, mesal depression along pronotal margin; scutellum sharply projected distally; pleura uniformly dark brown. Hemelytron smoky brown, weakly shining, partly whitish or semitransparent; cuneus reddish brown; membrane pale grayish brown, wide, with a ovoid cell and L-shaped processus corial. Coxae and legs dark brown; metafemur, and meso- and metatibiae brown; all tarsi pale brown. Abdomen shiny dark reddish brown. Male genitalia as in Figures 5 (e) and 6(h). Parameres nearly symmetrical; left paramere slightly shorter than right one.

Female. Body somewhat slender, with coleopteroid fore wing; basic colouration dark brown, partly tinged with red; dorsal surface matte, with rather sparsely distributed, silky, semierect setae. Head reddish brown, shagreened, porrect, with length anterior to antennal tubercle greater than antennal segment I; vertex with a narrow, longitudinal, mesal carina. Antenna chocolate brown; segment I somewhat paler. Labium reddish brown; segments III and IV pale brown. Pronotum reddish brown, with strongly projected posterolateral angle, and a pair of clearly sculptured, ovoid, somewhat ocellate canal; mesoscutum keeled mesally; scutellum sharply pointed distally; pleura uniformly chocolate brown. Coxae and legs dark reddish brown; apical part of each tibia and all tarsi yellowish brown. Abdomen chocolate brown; apodemal process rather long, heavily sclerotised, deeply bifurcate ( Figure 5 (e)). Female genitalia as in Figure 5 (f). Valvula II triangular anteriorly, expanded laterally.

Measurements

Male (n = 1)/female (n = 2): Total body length 2.66/2.05–2.09; width of head across compound eyes 0.40–0.41/0.36–0.38; length of head 0.47–0.48/0.46–0.51; lengths of antennal segments I–IV 0.14–0.15, 0.52–0.53, 0.41–0.42, 0.42–0.43/0.13–0.14, 0.36–0.38, 0.33–0.35, 0.36–0.38; total length of labium ca. 0.73/0.61–0.65; mesal length of pronotum 0.26/0.29–0.37; basal width of pronotum 0.66/0.52–0.56; maximum width across hemelytron ca. 0.93/1.05–1.12; and lengths of metafemur, tibia and tarsus 0.71, 0.90, 0. 20/0.64–0.70, 0.79–0.84, 0.17–0.19.

Etymology

Named for its occurrence on Yakushima Island, designated by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as a World Natural Heritage site; a noun in apposition.

Biology

Unknown.

Distribution

Japan (Honshu, Shikoku).

Figures

Figure 3. Habitus images (a–e: head and thorax, f–g: whole body) of Japanese Loricula species. (a) L. nikko sp. nov. (b) L. pilosella Miyamoto. (c–e) L. miyamotoi sp. nov. (f–g) L. yakushima sp. nov.

Figure 5. Male genital segment (a,d), female genitalia (b,f), abdomen (e) and egg (c) of Loricula species. (a–c) L. miyamotoi sp. nov. (d–f) L. yakushima sp. nov.