Coridromius mulu, 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 : 11-14

Coridromius mulu sp. nov.

Fig. 4 A-G

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Diagnosis

Recognized by the following combination of characters: pronotum, scutellum, and thoracic pleura punctate; proepimeron bilobed; mostly tan colouration with dark brown markings on hemelytron adjacent to scutellum; right paramere with thumblike process; posterior margin of pygophore with long mesal longitudinal suture and broad triangular projection; caudal margin of metepimeron inflexed and abutting anterolateral margin of abdomen; and female with right anterolateral margin of abdomen slightly swollen and desclerotized, sometimes with small melanised scars.

Etymology

Named for the national park from which it was collected.

Type material

Holotype

♂, MALAYSIA: Sarawak, Gunung Mulu National Park, clearing near Deer cave entrance, 4.0395° N – 114.838° E, 250 m, 12-22 Aug. 2010, N. Tatarnic and D. C. Darling, ex. Homolanthus sp. flowers ( Euphorbiaceae ) ( UNSW_ENT 00000001 ) ( ROM).

Paratypes

All collected 12-22 Aug. 2010 by N. Tatarnic and D. C. Darling on Homalanthus sp. flowers ( Euphorbiaceae ) (det. N. Tatarnic), locality data same as for holotype: 4 ♀♀ ( UNSW _ENT 00000012– 00000015), 6 ♂♂ ( UNSW _ENT 00000002–00000007), 4 ♀♀ ( UNSW _ENT 00000008–00000011) ( UNSW).

Description

BODY LENGTH. ♂ (n = 5): 1.53-1.79 mm, ♀ (n = 5): 1.77-1.91 mm.

COLOURATION ( Fig. 4 A-C). Mostly pale brown with yellow and dark brown markings, often with a faint green tint which fades in pinned specimens. Head: Mostly yellow-brown, frons without vittae, with faint yellowed midline, paired tumescences adjacent to eyes sometimes yellow, ocular margins and posterior margin of head cream to yellow ( Fig. 4B ). Clypeus pale yellow, gena, mandibular and maxillary plates yellow, buccula pale brown basally with small darker brown marking, white along ventral margin. Labrum brown basally, white at apex. Labium white, brown apically. Antennae: AI pale yellow with broad, dark brown annulation medially, AII mostly pale orange-brown, apically dark brown, subapically with prominent narrow white annulation, sometimes slightly darker below this, AIII and AIV dark brown, white basally ( Fig. 4 A-C). Thorax: Pronotal collar yellowed with dark brown markings at lateral margins. Pronotum mostly orange-brown with darkened punctures and faint yellow midline, anterior margin with two small dark brown markings behind eyes, calli and humeral angles faintly darkened, yellow along lateral and caudal margins ( Fig. 4 A-B). Mesoscutum orange-brown with darker brown punctures. Scutellum pale to orange-brown with darkened punctures and faint white to pale yellow midline, apex and basal corners ( Fig. 4A ). Processes of proepimeron white, thoracic pleura orange-brown with darker brown punctures, posterior margins pale yellow to white ( Fig. 4C ). Hemelytra: Mostly orange-brown with dark brown punctures and yellow and dark brown markings. Clavus basally orange-brown, dark brown adjacent to scutellum, yellow to cream coloured along claval commissure, corium orange brown with broad, dark brown marking in line with claval commissure, becoming yellow toward apex, embolium yellow with orange-brown to dark brown medial marking, cuneus yellow-brown to brown, with darker brown punctures, membrane brown with dark brown veins ( Fig. 4A ). Abdomen: Mostly orange-brown, becoming yellowed along dorsolateral margin, segment II orange-brown ( Fig. 4C ). Abdomen of some specimens with faint green tint. Legs: predominantly pale cream-colored. Metafemur darker orange-brown dorsally, with faint diagonal brown stripes on outer surface, metatibia with narrow dark brown apical annulation, caudally facing spines dark orange-brown ( Fig. 4C ). Tibiae faintly darkened apically.

SURFACE AND VESTITURE ( Fig. 4 A-F). Head, pronotum, thoracic pleura, scutellum and hemelytra punctate ( Fig. 4 A-E). Body clothed in long, white, decumbent setae ( Fig. 4 A-F). Left posterior margin of abdominal sternite VIII of male with a patch of dense, conelike setae ( Fig. 4F ).

HEAD. Approximately 5.8 x as wide as eye ( Fig. 4B ), in anterior view. Frons medially tumescent. Vertex weakly depressed with two minor swellings adjacent to eyes ( Fig. 4B ). Posterior margin of head rounded, weakly carinate ( Fig. 4B ).

THORAX. Pronotum broad and steep, posterior margin weakly concave, lateral and posterior margins weakly carinate, submarginal region of humeral angles weakly excavate, calli weakly defined ( Fig. 4A ). Proepimeron bilobed ( Fig. 4 C-D). Posterior margin of metepimeron weakly lobed, sometimes weakly mesially deflected, trailing edge pressed against abdomen ( Fig. 4E ). Scutellum somewhat flattened, with midline, apical and lateral fascia ( Fig. 4A ).

HEMELYTRA. Costal margin convex, subapically flared ( Fig. 4A ).

LEGS. Metatibial spines prominent ( Fig. 4C ).

ABDOMEN. Posterolateral margin of abdominal sternite II sharply angular and weakly carinate, anterior abdominal margin deflected inwards ( Fig. 4E ).

MALE GENITALIA. Right paramere broad and rounded with thumblike lobe on medial margin ( Fig. 4F ). Left paramere heavily sclerotized, main body weakly curved, sharply angled basally, apex laterally compressed, gutter nearly enclosed to apex ( Fig. 4F ). Pygophore with elongate mesal longitudinal suture terminating in a triangular ventral apical process ( Fig. 4F ).

FEMALE PARAGENITALIA. Right dorsal laterotergite II (first visible segment) slightly swollen, with faint depression immediately adjacent to metepimeral lobe, thought to guide male paramere ( Fig. 4E ).

Host

Collected from the male flowers of an unidentified species of Homalanthus (Euphorbiaceae) ( Fig. 4G ).

Distribution

Collected outside Deer Cave in Gulung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Remarks

This species was found exclusively on the male flowers of its host plant, an unidentified species of Homalanthus . Coridromius mulu sp. nov. is one of seven species now known from Borneo, most of which are known from a single locality. In this species the site of insemination in females (at the anterior margin of the abdomen) is sometimes marked with small melanised scars. Internal paragenital structures have yet to be examined in this species.

Figures

Fig. 4. Photographs and scanning electron micrographs of Coridromius mulu sp. nov. A. Dorsal habitus, ♂. B. Head and pronotum, anterior view, ♂. C. Lateral view, ♀. D. Head and thorax, lateral view. E. Metathorax and anterior of abdomen of ♀, lateral view; arrow indicates site of insemination. F. ♂ genitalia. G. Photograph of ♂ on unidentified species of Homalanthus. LP = left paramere, MET = metathoracic lobe, MLS = mesal longitudinal suture of pygophore, RP = right paramere, VAP = ventral apical process of pygophore.