Myrmecophyes, FIEBER, 1870

Tatarnic, Nikolai J. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2012, The Halticini of the world (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae): generic reclassification, phylogeny, and host plant associations, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 164 (3), pp. 558-658 : 615-618

MYRMECOPHYES FIEBER ( FIGS 4 , 39–40 )

Myrmecophyes Fieber, 1870: 253 [gen. nov.; type species: Myrmecophyes oschannini Fieber, 1870 by monotypy (junior synonym of Diplacus alboornatus Stål, 1858 )]; Reuter, 1891: 106 (descr.); Kirkaldy, 1906: 132 (cat.); Oshanin, 1910: 781 (cat.); Reuter, 1910: 148 (cat.); Horváth, 1926: 187 (monograph); Horváth, 1927: 196 (subgen. nov.); Stichel, 1933: 234 (key); Kiritshenko, 1951: 126 (key); Carvalho, 1952: 82 (cat.); Wagner, 1955: 240 (transferred to Halticini ); Carvalho, 1955: 79 (key); Carvalho, 1958: 139 (cat.); Bykov, 1971: 871 (diag., key); Wagner, 1973: 4 (descr.); Schuh, 1995: 59 (world cat.).

Diplacus Stål, 1858: 183 [gen. nov. (n. preocc. by the nomen nudum Diplacus Rafinesque, 1815 (Ascidiae) ]; – (syn. by Reuter, 1890: 252); Reuter, 1875a: 87 (key); 2:100 (descr.); Reuter, 1875b: 25 (key); Atkinson, 1890: 117 (cat.); Carvalho, 1958: 139 (cat.)

Diagnosis: Easily recognized by the following characters: strongly myrmecomorphic, with extreme staphylinoidy in females and most males; tall genae in both sexes; hemelytra in macropterous individuals without cuneus, membrane without cells.

Redescription: Coloration ( Fig. 4 ): mostly black, sometimes with yellow, red, or orange in parts, sometimes with cream or yellow along the posterior margin of staphylinoid hemelytra, or with mostly pale macropterous hemelytra. Surface and vestiture ( Figs 4 , 39A–H ): surface mostly glossy. Body clothed in simple setae and white, decumbent scale-like setae. Head mostly smooth with a few simple setae; frons with faint rugulose whorls radiating from medial sulcus. Antennae with reclining simple setae, AI with several erect black spines, usually more in males. Pronotum mostly smooth with a few erect simple setae, usually basally and apically rugulose; thoracic pleura clothed in very short, fine setae; scutellum weakly rugulose. Femora with some reclining setae and several black spines dorsally; tibiae with erect spines approximately as long as tibial width, anterior tibiae in males of some species highly spinose. Structure: both sexes strongly ant-mimetic, hemelytra almost always reduced to minute pads, rarely macropterous. Head ( Figs 4 , 39A–C ): transverse, wider than pronotum, taller than wide, genae height> two times eye height; eyes round, substylate, not touching pronotum; posterior margin of vertex weakly concave, not carinate; frons nearly flat, steeply declivent to base of clypeus; clypeus vertical; buccula small and thin. Labium ( Fig. 39C ): surpasses metacoxae; LI swollen. Antennae ( Figs 4 , 39A–C ): insertion well below ventral margin of eye; long, cylindrical, thin. AI slightly incrassate to significantly enlarged (e.g. My. nasutus ), longer than two times eye height. Thorax ( Figs 4 , 39A, C–E ): pronotum quadrate, more campanulate in macropterous males, collar rarely present, callosite region sometimes slightly swollen, lateral margins rounded, posterior margin straight or slightly concave; mesoscutum greatly swollen; scutellum triangular, in staphylinoid morphs anterolateral margins down-curved, apically blunt; metathoracic spiracle prominent, encircled with thin ring of evaporative bodies; MTG external efferent system broad and triangular, evaporative area reaching almost as high as metathoracic spiracle, ostiole elongate, vertically orientated and opening laterally, peritreme broad, tear-shaped, and vertical. Hemelytra ( Fig. 4 ): staphylinoid – extremely reduced, only reaching posterior margin of abdominal tergite II, posterior margins rounded, sometimes slightly upturned, sometimes somewhat angular, occasionally claval suture forming a raised carina. Macropterous – clavus present, medial fracture and R + M vein obsolete, cuneus absent, membrane without closed cells. Legs ( Figs 4 , 39F ): long; protibiae of males in some species expanded (e.g. My. macrotractus ); metafemur only somewhat enlarged; pretarsi without fleshy pulvilli. Abdomen ( Fig. 4 ): cylindrical, pear-shaped or globular, usually noticeably rounder in females, basal segments I and II sometimes constricted to form a narrow waist, terminal segments strongly sloping posteroventrally; laterotergites upturned. Male genitalia ( Figs 39G, H , 40A–C ): pygophore broad, strongly tapered; left paramere weakly bent, sensory lobe often prominent, apophysis straight or curved, apex generally hooked or bifid; right paramere larger than left, sometimes extending caudally from pygophore, apex deflected laterally and spoon-shaped with or without a small apical apophysis; phallotheca with serrate, sclerotized flange (sometimes minute) extending from left of apex; ductus seminis elongate, with long subapical region more heavily sclerotized and lacking flexible ribbing; secondary gonopore sclerotized and rounded, with partly open operculum, opens ventrally, surface with scale-like texture; endosoma with variable number of sclerotized spicules, generally two or three, apically often with one or two whorl-like sclerites armed with fields of spines. Female genitalia ( Fig. 40C–E ): sclerotized rings variable in size and shape, ovoid to elongate-elliptical, widely separated, lateral margins and adjacent portion of DLP upturned; DLP and VLP weakly sclerotized and closely adpressed; posterior wall simple and sheet-like, sometimes bilaterally sclerotized; vestibulum symmetrical, with medial margins bordering opening sinuous.

Diversity and distribution: Myrmecophyes contains 29 species and has a Holarctic distribution, with a single species ( My. oregonensis ) restricted to the western USA and the remainder of species found in the Palaearctic region.

Included species: Myrmecophyes acutifrons Bykov, 1971 Central Asia

Myrmecophyes alacer Horváth, 1926 Transcaucasia

Myrmecophyes alboornatus ( Stål, 1858) * Palaearctic

Myrmecophyes armeniacus Drapolyuk, 1989 Armenia; Turkey

Myrmecophyes dubius Bykov, 1971 Central Asia

Myrmecophyes ermaki Bykov, 1969 Central Asia

Myrmecophyes frontosus Drapolyuk & Kerzhner, 2000 Kazakhstan

Myrmecophyes gallicus Wagner, 1976 France; Spain

Myrmecophyes geniculatus Reuter, 1894 Central Asia

Myrmecophyes heterocerus Horváth, 1926 * Armenia

Myrmecophyes hirsutiventris Bykov, 1971 Central Asia

Myrmecophyes kiritshenkoi Horváth, 1926 Central Asia

Myrmecophyes korschinskii Reuter, 1903 Central Asia

Myrmecophyes lacteipennis Bykov, 1971 Central Asia

Myrmecophyes latus Wagner, 1975 Yugoslavia

Myrmecophyes limbatus ( Reuter, 1879) Central Asia

Myrmecophyes lipskii Bykov, 1971 Central Asia

Myrmecophyes macrotrichus Horváth, 1926 Central Asia

Myrmecophyes montenegrinus Wagner, 1976 Montenegro

Myrmecophyes monticola Horváth, 1926 Central Asia

Myrmecophyes muminovi (Kerzhner, 1964) Central Asia

Myrmecophyes nasutus Drapolyuk, 1989 Georgia

Myrmecophyes nigripes ( Reuter, 1879) Central Asia

Myrmecophyes nitens Bykov, 1971 Central Asia

Myrmecophyes oregonensis Schuh & Lattin, 1980 * USA

Figures

Figure 4. Photographs of Halticini genera: Labops–Strongylocoris. Abbreviations: F, female; M, male.

Figure 39. Scanning electron micrograph images of Myrmecophyes alboornatus (male). A, head and thorax, dorsal view; B, head, anteroventral view; C, head and thorax, lateral view; D, external efferent system of the metathoracic scent gland (MTG) and the metathoracic spiracle; E, detail of MTG evaporative bodies; F, tarsus; G, pygophore, posterior view; H, pygophore, ventral view.

Figure 40. Male and female genitalia of Myrmecophyes alboornatus. A, aedeagus, phallotheca removed; B, left paramere; C, right paramere; D, bursa copulatrix, dorsal view; E, first gonapophyses, ventral view; F, posterior wall.