Coridromius basilanus, Tatarnic and Gerasimos Cassis & Nsw & Nsw, 2013

Tatarnic, Nikolai J. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2013, Description of eight new species of the traumatically inseminating plant bug genus Coridromius (Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae: Coridromini), European Journal of Taxonomy 35, pp. 1-24 : 3-5

Coridromius basilanus sp. nov.

Fig. 1 A-E

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:301CD34B-E7FF-4C7B-B9C8-5DF36CCF5B63

Diagnosis

Most similar to C. declivipennis Tatarnic & Cassis, 2008 but distinguished by the shape of the ventral apical process of the pygophore, which is reduced to a truncate, rounded tumescence (versus a broad rounded lobe in C. declivipennis : see Tatarnic & Cassis 2008: Fig. 11).

Etymology

Named for the type locality.

Type material

Holotype

♂, PHILIPPINES: Basilan Island ( Island of Basilan Baker ), 6.58° N – 122.04° E, date and collector unknown ( AMNH_PBI 00191429 ) ( USNM).

Description

BODY LENGTH. ♂ (holotype): 1.97 mm.

COLOURATION ( Fig. 1 A-B). Mostly pale orange-brown with yellow and dark brown markings. Head: Mostly brown. Frons with faint yellow vittae. Paired swellings adjacent to eyes yellow, ocular margins and posterior margin of head yellow, clypeus, mandibular and maxillary plates yellow. Buccula brown basally, becoming yellow, labrum brown, labium yellow, brown apically. Antennae: AI dark brown with yellow at apices, AII mostly pale orange-brown with apical 1/4 slightly darker, subapically with faint narrow white annulation, AIII and AIV orange-brown, white basally. Thorax: Pronotal collar yellow. Pronotum mostly orange-brown with faint yellow midline, lateral and posterior margins. Mesoscutum orange-brown. Scutellum orange-brown, with darkened puntures and faint yellow facia along midline, apex and lateral margins. Processes of proepimeron yellow. Thoracic pleura brown, posterior margins yellowed. Hemelytra: Mostly orange-brown, slightly paler along claval commissure. Membrane pale brown with slightly darker veins. Abdomen: Orange-brown. Legs: Fore- and midlegs orange-brown. Hindlegs missing from specimen.

SURFACE AND VESTITURE ( Fig. 1 A-D). Head, pronotum, scutellum, and hemelytra shallowly punctate. Head and body clothed in white, decumbent, hairlike setae.

HEAD. Approximately 6.6 x as wide as eye in anterior view. Frons medially tumescent. Vertex with two minor swellings adjacent to eyes, bordered posteriorly by two shallow depressions. Posterior margin of head weakly carinate, rounded in anterior view ( Fig. 1A ).

THORAX. Pronotum rounded and steep, posterior margin weakly concave, lateral and posterior margins weakly carinate, anterolateral margins somewhat depressed, not upturned, submarginal region of humeral angles weakly excavate, calli weakly defined ( Fig. 1 A-C). Proepimeron bilobed ( Fig. 1 C-D). Posterior margin of metepimeron truncate ( Fig. 1C ). Scutellum weakly tumescent and flat, with midline, apical and lateral fascia ( Fig. 1B ).

HEMELYTRA. Costal margin weakly concave, flared outwards at apex (Fig. B).

LEGS. Metafemora missing from specimen.

ABDOMEN. Posterolateral margin of abdominal sternite II sharply angled, with transverse medial sulcus ( Fig. 1C ).

MALE GENITALIA. Right paramere broad and rounded with thumblike lobe on inner margin. Left paramere heavily sclerotized, elongate (~4 x length of right paramere), basally thickened and sharply angled, with midsection relatively straight, apex slightly curved and overhanging margin of pygophore, gutter housing aedeagus nearly enclosed to apex ( Fig. 1E ). Pygophore with elongate mesal longitudinal suture, ventral apical process reduced to a rounded tumescence ( Fig. 1E ).

FEMALE PARAGENITALIA. Unknown.

Host

Unknown.

Distribution

Basilan Island, Philippines.

Remarks

This is the third species to be described from the Philippines, the others being C. ephippius Tatarnic & Cassis, 2008 and C. marmoreus Tatarnic & Cassis, 2008 . The characteristic flaring of the hemelytron distinguishes C. basilanus sp. nov. from its Philippine congeners, as does its predominantly pale orangebrown colouration ( C. marmoreus is distinctly speckled in colour, while C. ephippius is considerably darker, with AII apically brown). Coridromius basilanus sp. nov. appears most similar to C. declivipennis , which is known only from Okinawa, Japan ( Tatarnic & Cassis 2008).

Figures

Fig. 1. Photographs and scanning electron micrographs of Coridromius basilanus sp. nov. A. Head and pronotum, anterior view. B. Dorsal habitus. C. Lateral view. D. Head and prothorax, lateral view. E. ♂ genitalia. LP = left paramere, MET = metepimeron, MS = mesal sulcus, PEM = proepimeron, RP = right paramere, VAP = ventral apical process of pygophore.