Felisacus vitilevu, Namyatova & Cassis, 2016

Namyatova, Anna A. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2016, Revision And Phylogeny Of The Fern-Inhabiting Genus Felisacus Distant (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Bryocorinae) Anna A. Namyatova And Gerasimos Cassis, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2016 (403), pp. 1-169 : 151-153

Felisacus vitilevu , sp. nov.

Figures 7 , 9N , 13V, W , 15L, 16I, J , 21

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the following combination of characters: pronotum mostly pale brown to dark brown with reddish yellow or pale brown stripe medially, or at least humeral angles brown to dark brown; marking along inner margin of corium male to brown, not extending toward R+M anteriorly and posteriorly; antennal segment I pale brown or reddish with yellow base, transverse depression on head present only dorsally; marking along inner margin of corium narrow and short (fig. 7); antennal segment I ca. 1.3–1.6× as long as head width; antennal segment II in male ca. 1.9–2.1× and in female ca. 1.9–2.0× as long as head width; labium reaching posterior margin of metasternum or slightly surpassing it; apex of ventral wall of genital capsule curved dorsally (fig. 15L); right para- mere sickle shaped (fig. 13V); left paramere wide, with outgrowth posteriorly (fig. 13W); sclerotization of ductus seminis around secondary gonopore twice as long as wide; vesical with four serrate spicules (fig. 9N).

DESCRIPTION: Male. Total length 3.4–4.3. COLORATION (fig. 7): Head: Mostly yellow, reddish yellow, or pale brown, tubercles around antennal fossa whitish yellow and longitudinal sulcus on dorsal surface reddish, sometimes also with reddish marking dorsally or anteriorly above and between antennal fossa; clypeus often reddish apically or uniformly reddish, buccula sometimes also reddish. Eye dark brown with reddish tinge. Labium: Yellow, reddish yellow, or pale brown, segment III sometimes darker than other segments. Antenna: Segment I pale brown or reddish with yellow base; segment II pale brown to brown, often with reddish tinge, sometimes darker than segment I; segments III–IV brown to dark brown. Thorax: Pronotum mostly yellow, reddish yellow, or pale brown with posterior part often brown to dark brown, with yellow, reddish yellow, or pale brown longitudinal stripe medially, sometimes posterior part mostly reddish yellow to pale brown with brown to dark brown humeral angles; scutellum and mesoscutum reddish yellow to pale brown, often with reddish tinge; thoracic pleura reddish yellow to pale brown; scent gland evaporative area whitish yellow to yellow basally and orange or reddish apically, sometimes uniformly reddish yellow to pale brown. Hemelytron: Mainly translucent and colorless, marking along inner margin of corium yellow to dark brown; embolium with reddish or pale brown apex and margins; cuneus with yellowish tinge, with yellow outer margin and colorless inner margin; membrane grayish or pale brown medially, cell yellow to brown, Legs: Coxae whitish yellow to yellow; femora whitish yellow to yellow basally and darker, yellow, reddish yellow, or pale brown apically; tibiae and tarsus yellow, reddish yellow, or pale brown, sometimes tarsal segments II–III of fore- and middle tarsi brown. Abdomen: Ventral and lateral sides mostly red- dish yellow, sometimes yellow basally, dorsal surfaces red, rarely entire abdomen red. SUR- FACE AND VESTITURE: Corium smooth, with shallow punctures. Dorsum with setae subequal to or slightly longer than antennal segment II diameter; segment II and femora clothed with suberect setae shorter than antennal segment II diameter; abdomen clothed with short erect setae. STRUCTURE AND MEA- SUREMENTS: Body ca. 4.3–4.8× as long as pronotum width. Head: Depression delimiting occipital region present only dorsally; distance between depression and pronotum distinctly shorter than eye diameter; longitudinal sulcus on dorsal surface of head longer than eye diameter; vertex ca. 1.8–2.2× as wide as eye, upraised (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 6D). Labium (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: figs. 6D, 9C): Reaching posterior margin of metasternum or slightly surpassing it; segments I and II strongly shortened, combined longer than half of segment III; segment I shorter than wide; segment II slightly longer than wide, elongate dorsally; segment III longer than ventral side of head; segment IV 1.5× as long as segment III. Antenna: Segment I slightly widened, ca. 1.3– 1.4× as long as head width, ca. 0.9–1.0× as long as pronotum width; segment II ca. 1.9–2.1× as long as head width, ca. 1.3–1.4× as long as pronotum width; segment III slightly longer than segment II and twice as long as segment IV. Thorax: Anterior part of pronotum somewhat shorter than posterior part; collar delimited; posterior part slightly raised; posterior margin of pronotum concave; pronotum ca. 1.1–1.3× as wide as long and ca. 1.4–1.6× as wide as head; mesoscutum exposed. Hemelytron: Area along inner margin of corium almost flat; inner margin of cuneus convex (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 13E), outer margin of cuneus ca. 3× as long as base. Abdomen: Genital capsule rotated left at right angle relative to rest of abdomen. Genitalia: Genital capsule (fig. 15L) ca. 1.5× as long as wide; ventral wall twice as long as dorsal wall, with posterior margin of ventral wall distinctly tapering apically, smooth, without outgrowth(s), its apex slightly shifted left, curved dorsally; sides of genital capsule not modified; paramere sockets more or less acute; distance between paramere sockets subequal to half of genital capsule width at base. Right paramere (fig. 13V) sickle shaped; apex with small toothlike outgrowth tubercle anteriorly, medial part narrower than basal part, with setae, outer margin convex and inner margin concave, without swelling; outer angle indistinct; inner angle distinct, not bearing setae; basal part only slightly shorter than rest of paramere. Left paramere (fig. 13W) widened; apical part flattened, with rectangular outgrowth on posterior side and without outgrowth on dorsal surface; middle part widened dorsally, without swelling or outgrowth(s); setae placed on outer margin medially. Aedeagus conjunctiva sclerotized only basally, secondary gonopore placed at base of endosoma in repose; sclerotized part of ductus seminis around secondary gonopore elongate, but distinctly not reaching phallotheca mouth; its dorsal wall longer than ventral one; vesica with four serrate spicules.

Female. Total length 4.0–4.3. COLORATION (fig. 7): Head and labium: Similar to male, rarely brown. Antenna: As in male. Thorax: Similar to male, rarely posterior part of pronotum uniformly reddish yellow to pale brown. Legs and hemelytron: As in male. Abdomen: Mostly as in male, sometimes uniformly pale brown. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: As in male. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Structure as in male; body ca. 4.2–4.4× as long as pronotum width; vertex ca. 1.8–2.2× as wide as eye; antennal segment I ca. 1.3–1.6× as long as head width, ca. 0.9–1.0× as long as pronotum width; segment II ca. 1.9– 2.0× as long as head width, ca. 1.1–1.3× as long as pronotum width; pronotum ca. 1.2× as wide as long and ca. 1.6–1.7× as wide as head. Genitalia (fig. 16I, J): Dorsal labiate plate wider than distance between apodemes of second valvulae, mostly smooth, without distinct striations; with semicircular sclerite, widened posteriorly and distinct sclerotized rings laterally; lateral oviducts placed almost medially, very close to each other, spermathecal gland placed between lateral oviducts; dorsal labiate plate with distinct tubercles, without membranous lobe medially.

DISTRIBUTION: Fiji Is. ( Viti Levu Is.) (fig. 21).

HOST PLANTS: Unknown.

ETYMOLOGY: The species is name after Viti Levu Island, where all known specimens were collected.

DISCUSSION: Felisacus vitilevu is very similar in coloration to F. madagascariensis and F. gressitti (fig. 5). Felisacus madagascariensis can be separated from F. vitilevu by the anterior part of the pronotum brown, the labium reaching the posterior margin of the mesosternum, antennal segment I reddish brown and ca. 1.7× as long as the head width. Felisacus gressitti differs from F. vitilevu by the clypeus mostly dark brown and antennal segment II in both males and females is ca. 1.6× as long as head width. The Fijian species F. ovalau is also very similar, but differs from F. vitilevu in the pronotum mostly yellow, the labium reaching abdominal sternum VIII, the left paramere having three rounded outgrowths (fig. 13F), and the sclerotization of the ductus seminis around the secondary gonopore as long as wide; the shape of the vesical sclerotization also differs (cf. fig. 9G with fig. 9N).

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype: FIJI: Viti Levu: Korotongo , 18.17575 ° S 177.55112 ° E, 50 m, Mar 1981, N.L.H. Krauss, 13 (00043142) ( BPBM). Paratype: [[SHOULD THIS BE PLU- RAL?]] FIJI: Central Division: Bilo nr Lami, Viti Levu Is., 18.11092 ° S 178.41011 ° E, 20 m, 27 Sep 1979, M.K. Kamath, S.N. Lal, G.A and S.L. Samuelson, 1♀ (00043155) ( BPBM). Additional material: Lami, Viti Levu Is., 18.11092 ° S 178.41011 ° E, Feb 1951, N.L.H. Krauss, 1♀ (00043145), 33 (00043133–00043135) ( BPBM) ; May 1951, N.L.H. Krauss, 23 (00043137, 00043136) ( BPBM) ; Nov 1957, N.L.H. Krauss, 33 (00043129–00043131), 1♀ (00043143) ( BPBM). Lami, Viti Levu Is., 18.11092 ° S 178.41011 ° E, 100 m, Dec 1978, N.L.H. Krauss, 13 (00043132), 1♀ (00043144) ( BPBM). Mt Koro’o, 1 km N South Ridge summit, 17.35 ° S 177.55 ° E, 1000 m, 16 Nov 2005, C. Reid, 23 (00018965, 00018966) ( AM). Nukurua Forest , Viti Levu Is., 17.91723 ° S 178.57739 ° E, 95 m, 15 Oct 1979, M.K. Kamath, G.A and S.L. Samuelson, 2♀ (00043156, 00042268t) ( BPBM). [Mt Kobalevu summit area], 432 m, 16 Oct 1979, G.A. Samuelson, 1♀ (00045808) ( BPBM). Viti Levu: Korotongo, 18.17575 ° S 177.55112 ° E, 50 m, Mar 1981, N.L.H. Krauss, 3♀ (00043151– 00043153) ( BPBM). Rdg. W of Nandarivatu, 17.61265 ° S 177.94588 ° E, 853 m, 11 Sep 1938, E.C. Zimmerman, 1♀ (00043148) ( BPBM). Western Division: Nadarivatu, Viti Levu Is., 17.56 ° S 177.966 ° E, 850 m, 08 Mar 1963 – 13 Mar 1963, C.M. Yoshimoto, 13 (00043138), 2♀ (00043149, 00043150) ( BPBM). Nadarivatu, Viti Levu Is., 17.56 ° S 177.966 ° E, Jan 1955, N.L.H. Krauss, 2♀ (00043146, 00043154), 33 (00043139–00043141) ( BPBM). Nandarivatu , Viti Levu Is., 17.56 ° S 177.96 ° E, 823 m, 10 Nov 1964, N. McFarland, 13 (00017831) ( SAMA) .

Figures

FIGURE 7. Habitus of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 9. Vesical spicules of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 13. Parameres of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 16. A, C, E, G, I, K, L, N. Dorsal labiate plate of bursa copulatrix of Felisacus species B, D, F, H, J, M, O. Posterior wall of bursa copulatrix of Felisacus species The small scale is for F. curvatus and F. wangae, the large scale for all others.

FIGURE 21. Distribution of F. bradi.