Coridromius tahitiensis, Tatarnic & Cassis, 2008

Tatarnic, N. J. & Cassis, G., 2008, Revision Of The Plant Bug Genus Coridromius Signoret (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2008 (315), pp. 1-95 : 85-87

Coridromius tahitiensis , new species Figures 5, 6, 17L–O, 19G–H, 20C, map 1

HOLOTYPE: Male : FRENCH POLYNE- SIA: Society Islands : Tahiti Island: road to Mt. Marau, 17.61666 ° S 149.39472 ° W, 840– 850 m, 29 Aug 1977, W.C. Gagne and S.L. Montgomery, Light Trap ( AMNH _ PBI 00041530 ) ( BPBM type# 16735) ( BPBM).

DIAGNOSIS: This species can be recognized by the following characters: distinct dark brown Y-shaped pattern along inner margins of hemelytra; metafemoral stripes faint or absent; females with a large paragenital opening on the right side of the abdomen between sternites II and III.

DESCRIPTION: COLORATION (figs. 5, 6): Head: Without vittae; pale yellow-brown to brown; labium pale, brown apically. Antenna: AI dark brown; AII pale yellow-brown with dark brown apical annulation; AIII and AIV uniformly dark brown. Thorax: Pronotal collar uniformly yellow; pronotum pale yellowish brown to brown, with a pale medial stripe, darker specimens with a pair of small, dark brown maculations anteriorly, occasionally with broad dark brown rectilinear maculations posteriorly, margins with distinct yellow piping; mesoscutum anteriorly black, caudally brown; scutellum yellow in males, brown with darker brown and yellow markings in females; thoracic pleura mostly brown with margins of each sclerite yellowed. Hemelytra: Pale yellowish brown to darker brown with distinct dark brown ‘‘Y’’ along inner margins, sometimes with dark brown markings on corium and posterior margin of embolium; cuneus yellow-brown; membrane yellow-brown, veins darker brown anteriorly. Abdomen: Pale yellow, sometimes with brown, orange or red markings; females often with broad, brown markings anterolaterally. Legs: Pro- and mesofemora uniformly pale yellow; metafemur either pale yellow with brown apex (most males) or pale yellow to brown with 7 diagonal brown bands coalescing ventrally into a large brown patch, becoming reddened posterior to striping (females), brown at apex. SURFACE AND VESTITURE (figs. 5, 6, 19G): Head shallowly punctate; pronotum finely punctate; propleuron, metepimeron (fig. 19G), scutellum and hemelytra impunctate; head and dorsum sparsely clothed in short, pale, decumbent setae. STRUCTURE (figs. 5, 6, 19G): Head: Frons weakly tumescent medially; vertex with slightly raised tubercles adjacent to eyes, bordered posteriorly by shallow depressions; posterior margin of head carinate and almost flat. Thorax: Pronotum weakly rounded, finely punctate, broad, anterolateral margins weakly upturned and carinate, submarginal region of humeral angles weakly excavate, posterior margin weakly upturned; proepisternum unilobed; posterior margin of metepimeron truncate (fig. 19G); metanotum not prominently flared. Hemelytra: Costal margin flared over its entire length and weakly sinuate, more so in males. Legs: Metafemur only weakly incrassate; metatibial spines short and thin. Abdomen: In lateral view posterior margin of abdominal sternite II not distinctly angular. MALE GENITALIA (figs. 17L–O, 19H): Right paramere triangular (fig. 17M–O); left paramere thick and scythe-shaped (figs. 17L, 19H); pygophore with a deep, rounded groove on left side of ventral margin, no mesal suture (fig. 19H). FEMALE PARAGENITALIA (fig. 19G, 20C): Right posterolateral margin of abdominal segment II flared outward, distinct paragenital opening between segments II and III (fig. 19G) opening into a thinly sclerotized chamber within the abdominal cavity (fig. 20C).

ETYMOLOGY: Named after Tahiti Island, where the holotype was collected.

REMARKS: This is the only known oceanic species with prominent external paragenitalia. It is also one of the few species we have seen with clear sexually dimorphic coloration.

HOST: Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION: Found in French Polynesia (map 1).

PARATYPES: FRENCH POLYNESIA: Society Islands: Moorea Island: Mt. Tohiea base: Belvedere Trail , 17.556 ° S 149.826 ° W, 400 m, 18–19 Sep 1988, S.L. Montgomery, 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00041545 ) ( BPBM). Tahiti Island : Fare Rau Ape Aorai , 17.61916 ° S 149.49027 ° W, 600–1400 m, 09 Mar 1977, N.L.H. Krauss, 13 ( AMNH _ PBI 00041536 ) ( BPBM). Fare Vaiufaufa , 17.7825 ° S 149.25166 ° W, 850 m, 03 Jul 1977, W.C. Gagne, Light Trap, 33 ( AMNH _ PBI 00041533 – AMNH _ PBI 00041535 ), 3♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00041539 – AMNH _ PBI 00041541 ) ( BPBM). Mt. Marau , 17.61805 ° S 149.38333 ° E, 1400–1500 m, 18–21 Aug 1977, W.C. Gagne and S.L. Montgomery, Light Trap, 2♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00041531 , AMNH _ PBI 00041532 ) ( BPBM) ; 14 Sep 1988, S.L. Montgomery and B.H. Gagne, 23 ( AMNH _ PBI 00041537 – AMNH _ PBI 00041538 ), 3♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00041542 – AMNH _ PBI 00041544 ) ( BPBM). Mt. Marau, summit road, fern banks nr. km 7, 17.61888 ° S 149.55444 ° E, 1125 m, 04 Sep 2006, D. A. Polhemus, 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00042604 ) ( BPBM). Papenoo Valley, 17.51 ° S 149.42 ° W, 250 m, 17–18 Sep 1988, S.L. Montgomery, Light Trap, 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00041546 ) ( BPBM). Tahiti Nui, Mt. Marau , gulch off road to summit, 17.6 ° S 149.56416 ° E, 885 m, 10 Sep 2006, C. Ewing, Coprosoma sp. ( Rubiaceae ), 13 ( AMNH _ PBI 00042603 ) ( BPBM) .