Kalamemiris, Hosseini, Reza & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2017

Hosseini, Reza & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2017, A remarkable new plant bug genus and species (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae, Deraocorinae) from the Australian wet tropics, Zootaxa 4232 (1), pp. 123-130 : 124-126

Genus Kalamemiris gen. nov.

( Figs 1–5 )

Etymology. From the Greek ‘kalame’ in reference to the stalked eyes; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. Kalamemiris is recognised by the following characters: body robust, tumid, dorsal surface strongly convex; eyes stalked, extending beyond the anterolateral angles of pronotum; female AII incrassate; scutellum in male tumid and hump shaped, female pyramid-like; pronotum and scutellum strongly punctate; R+M and clavus with row of punctures; embolium broad; cuneus strongly deflexed; metathoracic peritreme short and tongue-like; pretarsal claws weakly dentate; male parameres interlocking; left paramere larger than right, distally hook-shaped, with apex truncate; right paramere spoon-like.

Description. ( Fig 1 ) Macropterous, body elongate-ovoid, female broader than male; body mostly dark to reddish brown with yellowish highlighting. TEXTURE. Head, pronotum, scutellum and anterior part of corium densely punctate, with punctures dark brown; female punctures darker than in male. R+M and clavus with row of deep punctures. VESTITURE. Male dorsum with dense and uniform distribution of semi-erect to decumbent white hair-like setae; vestiture short and less densely distributed in females. STRUCTURE. Head strongly transverse and strongly deflexed; frons anteriorly rounded; posterior margin of vertex carinate. Eyes reniform, stalked in both sexes, stalk elongate and thickened, stalk weakly reflexed, eyes reaching well beyond anterolateral angle of pronotum, longer in female than male; extending dorsally above plane of vertex. First antennal segment shorter than interocular distance. Pronotum tumid, lateral margins strongly divergent; collar narrow; calli near obsolete; disc convex medially; posterior margin thickened, broadly rounded, more so in female, weakly excavate laterally; posterolaterally angulate in both sexes. Mesoscutum not exposed in female. Scutellum tumose, pyramid-like in female. Hemelytra with broad embolium; strongly deflexed at costal fracture; two membrane cells, minor cell minute. Legs mid size; pretarsal claws weakly dentate, setiform parempodia symmetrical. Propleuron narrow. Junction of mesobasisternum and mesepimeron with row of elongate and shallow fractures ( Figs 3 c,d). Metathoracic spiracle mostly hidden, slit-like at most ( Figs 3 a,b); evaporative area small size, ca. 1/3rd metepisternum; peritreme short, not reaching lateral margin of evaporative area ( Figs 3 e,f). Pretarsal claws weakly dentate, evenly rounded; parempodia setiform ( Fig. 4 a).

Remarks. The genus Kalamemiris is described to accommodate a single species Kalamemiris collessi sp.nov. The punctation and colouration of the pronotum and hemelytra is typical of many taxa belonging to the nominotypical tribe Deraeocorini . The efferent system of the metathoracic glands are also consistent with those of the Deraeocorini , possessing a short peritreme, which is positioned in the middle of the metepisternum. It also lacks an evident metathoracic spiracle, with the caveat that the male mesepimeron is separated from the metepisternum. These characters alone support its placement in the Deraeocorini . In contrast, to the other tribes of the Deraeocorinae ; it lacks an impressed line extending from the anterolateral angle to the posterior margin of the pronotal calli (cf. Clivinemini), has a robust and opaque body (cf. hyaline body of Hyaliodini), is non-mimetic (cf. myrmecomorphy of Surinamellini), mostly brown in colouration (cf. aposematice colouration of Saturniomirini), and has a robust body with the first labial segment extending to the proxyphus (cf. anthocorid-like facies and short first labial segment of the Termatophylini ).

Kalamemiris is unique amongst the Deraeocorinae that we have examined and in our reading of the literature, having remarkably stalked eyes. This genus also has somewhat rounded pretarsal claws, weakly dentate compare to the typical toothed base of the subfamily, but nonetheless has typical setiform parempodia. In comparison to other Deraeocorini of the paleotropics, we find no taxa that are readily comparable. The Australian Deraeocorini comprises 5 genera and 8 species, with all of these possessing unstalked eyes and dentate pretarsal claws, and the monotypic genera Eurybrochis zanna Kirkaldy and Pseudocamptobrochis pilosus Poppius sharing similarities with Deraeocoris (incl. Cimicapsus brunneus Poppius; see Kerzhner & Schuh 1995). Ghauri (1975) described Termatomiris proboscidocoris from Araucaria (Araucariaceae), and this species is unlike Kalamemiris , in having a porrect head and an abbreviated pronotum posteriorly and the apophysis of the left paramere is longer and more tapered apically; in common with T. proboscidocoris it does have more rounded pretarsal claws. The relationship of Kalamemiris with Fingulus Distant, 1904, Angerianus Distant, 1904 and Stethoconus Flor, 1861 requires further study, especially with the latter two genera where the eyes are prominent, but in contrast are in an anterolateral position, and are not stalked.

In the Miridae , stalked eyes are rare, found in species of three subfamilies, the Bryocorinae, Orthotylinae and Phylinae ; they are known in the eccritotarsine genus Hesperolabops Kirkaldy, 1902 , the halticine genus Labops Burmeister, 1835 (see Tatarnic & Cassis 2012 for habitus) and pilophorine genera Lasiolabops Poppius, 1914 and Dilatops Weirauch, 2006 ( Weirauch 2006; Cassis & Weirauch 2008, Schuh & Menard 2013). In addition, the eyes of Coridromius Signoret, 1862 are known for their transverse head and have the eyes narrowly placed on the head, but are not stalked as in Kalamemiris ( Tatarnic & Cassis 2008).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus photographs of Kalamemiris collessi sp. nov.: male and female, dorsal and lateral views; Scale = 1 mm.

FIGURE 2. Scanning electron micrographs of Kalamemiris collessi sp. nov. (a, b) body from dorsal view; (c, d) body from lateral view; (e, f) head from frontal view; (g, h) head from lateral view; (a, c, e, g) male; (b, d, f, h) female, Scales = 1 mm unless otherwise marked.

FIGURE 3. Scanning electron micrographs of Kalamemiris collessi sp. nov. (a, b) thorax from lateral view; (c, d) mesothorax from lateral view; (e, f) metathoracic scent gland; (a, c, e) male and (b, d, e) female, EvA, evaporative area; Mts, metathoracic spiracle; Pe, peritreme; scale = 100 µm.

FIGURE 4. Scanning electron micrographs of Kalamemiris collessi sp. nov., (a) tarsal claw, (b) vestiture on male corium, (c) female antenna, scale are marked on photographs

FIGURE 5. Kalamemiris collessi sp. nov., Left and right parameres (left), pygophore in posteroventral view (right), LP, left paramere; Ph, phallotheca; RP, right paramere; scale = 100 µm.