Vesperocoris, WEIRAUCH, 2006

WEIRAUCH, CHRISTIAN E., 2006, New Genera, New Species, and New Combinations in Western Nearctic Phylini (Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae), American Museum Novitates 3521 (1), pp. 1-44 : 35-36

Vesperocoris , new genus

Figures 1 , 2 , 5–9 , 12

TYPE SPECIES: Plagiognathus paddocki Knight, 1964 .

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the medium size, slender and slightly ovoid body shape, brownish and white coloration with the scutellum white, and the very simple and slender J-shaped vesica with the secondary gonopore facing caudad. Habitus similar to Plagiognathus , but clearly distinguished from that genus by the structure of the male genitalia.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Moderate size, elongate and slightly ovoid, moderately stout in lateral view. COLORATION (fig. 1): Overall coloration light and dark brown, and white. Head: Vertex whitish with five paired reddish brown transverse fasciae and additional mark at interior margin of eye, clypeus light brown or whitish with base and apex dark brown, and lateral longitudinal stripe reddish brown, mandibular and maxillary plates light brown or whitish, sometimes suffused with red, maxillary plate sometimes darker than mandibular plate, gena brown, antennal fossa whitish, buccula white, gula whitish; antennal segment 1 dark brown, with base and apex whitish, segment 2 light brown or yellowish with base whitish, usually with subbasal ring dark brown, and apex suffused with brown, segments 3 and 4 brown; labial segments 1 to 3 yellowish white, segment 4 suffused with brown. Thorax: Pronotum, including narrow collar, brown with transverse band anteriorly on anterior pronotal lobe, longitudinal medial stripe on anterior lobe white, enlarged to mark on posterior lobe, callus dark or reddish brown, mesoscutum brown usually with median longitudinal stripe and lateral markings whitish or white, scutellum white, pleura brown and whitish, brown parts sometimes suffused with red, propleura brown with margin of procoxal cavity and dorsal rim of propleuron whitish, mesepisternum brown with dorsal rim whitish, mesepimeron whitish to brown, in light specimens evaporatory area sometimes distinctly darker than the surrounding metepisternum. Legs: Whitish, with bases of coxae and tibiae, distal tarsomeres, and distal third of metafemur suffused with light brown to brown, some dark marks on meso- and metafemur, bases of proximal tibial spines dark. Hemelytra: Corium, including clavus, light brown, slightly suffused with red, with proximal anterior area and distal portion of corium whitish, cuneus with proximal crescent-shaped area whitish. Abdomen: Venter whitish yellow, anteriorly and laterally suffused with red and brown, pygophore yellowish with large mark ventrally on the left side and anterior area dorsally brown. SURFACE AND VESTITURE (fig. 9F): Dorsum slightly shining, rather densely covered with fine, relatively short, yellowish subadpressed setae, lateral margin in addition with sparse stout and long setae. STRUCTURE: Head (figs. 2F, 5): Head subtriangular in dorsal aspect, vertex moderately wide, slightly convex and with posterior margin straight, clypeus moderately produced, mandibular plate not produced, maxillary plate slightly sunken, buccal cavity large and ovoid, gula broad; eyes about 4/5 as high as head, of moderate size, very weakly emarginate posterior to antennal fossa, posterolateral magins contiguous with anterolateral margins of pronotum; antennal segment 1 short and stout, segment 2 long and relatively stout, very slightly increasing toward apex, segments 3 and 4 with diameter smaller than segments 1 and 2, relatively short; apex of labium reaching base of metacoxa. Thorax (figs. 7F, 8F): Pronotum trapeziform, anterior margin slightly sinuate, lateral margins almost straight, posterior margin almost straight, anterior and posterior pronotal lobe not demarcated, callus weakly developed, metapleural evaporatorium with area of mushroomlike cuticle roughly triangular, mushroomlike cuticle anterior to mesothoracic spiracle well developed (fig. 7F). Legs: Slender; claws moderately slender, pulvilli relatively large, and covering about half of ventral claw surface, parempodia setiform, slender and moderately elongate (fig. 8F). Hemelytra: Hemelytra subparallel, cuneus elongate triangular. Abdomen: Tip of abdomen reaching apex of cuneus. GENITALIA (fig. 5): Pygophore: Of moderate size. Parameres: Right paramere typically phyline lanceolate; left paramere with anterior arm rather short and pointed, posterior arm long with apex pointing ventrad. Phallotheca: Slender and elongate, rather prominently protruding out of the pygophore, right face smooth, left face with striation, with slitlike ventral opening. Vesica: J-shaped, slender, one apical acute sclerite, secondary gonopore in subapical position, opening facing caudad, no conspicuous gonopore sclerite.

Female (fig. 1): Color pattern similar to male but coloration more reddish and paler than in male, body shape slightly more ovoid than male, antennal segment 1 more slender than in male, segment 2 more slender at base, increase in diameter toward the apex more pronounced than in male. GENITALIA (fig. 6): See description of type species.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for its distribution in the western United States, from Latin vesper, meaning ‘‘the west’’. The gender of the name is masculine.

DISCUSSION: V. paddocki was originally placed in Plagiognathus by Knight (1964). Schuh (2001) treated it as incertae sedis. The simple male vesica clearly excludes this species from Plagiognathus , and a new genus was therefore erected in this paper to accommodate this species.

Vesperocoris paddocki , new combination

Figures 1 , 2 , 5–9 , 12

Figures

Fig. 1. Habitus photographs of Galbinocoris caepa, Hamatophylus guttulosus, Insulaphylus spp., Maculamiris spp., Quernocoris caliginosus, and Vesperocoris paddocki.

Fig. 2. Lateral aspect of head and pronotum, scanning micrographs, scale measurements in mm. A. Galbinocoris caepa. B. Hamatophylus guttulosus. C. Insulaphylus cruz. D. Maculamiris baja. E. Quernocoris caliginosus. F. Vesperocoris paddocki.

Fig. 5. Head and male genitalic structures of Quernocoris caliginosus and Vesperocoris paddocki. Quernocoris caliginosus, head in frontal and lateral view, right and left paramere, phallotheca, vesica, and apex of vesica in caudal view; Vesperocoris paddocki, head in frontal and lateral view, right and left paramere, phallotheca, and vesica.

Fig. 6. Female genitalic structures, with bursa copulatrix in dorsal view and vestibulum in frontal view. Galbinocoris caepa, Hamatophylus guttulosus, Insulaphylus cruz, Maculamiris baja, Quernocoris caliginosus, Vesperocoris paddocki.

Fig. 7. Mesothoracic spiracle and metathoracic scent gland evaporatory area. A. Galbinocoris caepa. B. Hamatophylus guttulosus. C. Insulaphylus cruz. D. Maculamiris baja. E. Quernocoris caliginosus. F. Vesperocoris paddocki.

Fig. 8. Pretarsus, in frontal (above) and lateral (below) aspect. A. Galbinocoris caepa. B. Hamatophylus guttulosus. C. Insulaphylus cruz. D. Maculamiris baja. E. Quernocoris caliginosus. F. Vesperocoris paddocki.

Fig. 9. Detail of setae comprising hemelytral vestiture, where two types of setae are present, the black asterisk indicates the stouter seta, the white asterisk the more slender seta. A. Galbinocoris caepa. B. Hamatophylus guttulosus. C. Insulaphylus cruz. D. Maculamiris baja. E. Quernocoris caliginosus. F. Vesperocoris paddocki.

Fig. 12. Distribution of Quernocoris caliginosus and Vesperocoris paddocki. The species distributions are mapped onto distribution maps of some of their hosts.