Maculamiris, 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 : 15-17

Maculamiris , new genus

Figures 1 , 2 , 4 , 6–9 , 11

TYPE SPECIES: Maculamiris baja , new species.

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the medium size, elongate ovoid body form, red or light brown coloration (fig. 1), tessellated pattern of two types of subadpressed setae on the hemelytra (fig. 9D), consisting of patches of dark and simple (white asterisk) and silvery and somewhat flattened setae (black asterisk), giving the insect a checkered appearance, callus surrounded by dark S-shaped mark (fig. 1), and by the S-shaped vesica with two slender apical blades, left blade more strongly curved than right blade, secondary gonopore at base of left blade, gonopore sclerite roughly L-shaped, and shallow flange proximal to secondary gonopore (fig. 4). Similar in appearance to some species of Oligotylus Van Duzee , e.g., O. merinoi (Knight) ( Schuh, 2000) , but distinguished by the vestiture and by the male genitalia.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Moderate size (3.12– 3.51), elongate and slightly ovoid, in lateral view slightly flattened and slender. COLORATION (fig. 1): General coloration red or light brown, with anterior crescentshaped portion of cuneus hyaline. Head: Vertex whitish or light brown with five paired brown transverse fasciae and additional brown mark at interior margin of eye, clypeus whitish with apex dark brown, labrum brown or castaneous, mandibular plate whitish, light brown or orange, maxillary plate and gena red or castaneous, base of antennal insertion suffused with brown or red, buccula white, and gula whitish, sometimes suffused with red or brown; antennal segment 1 whitish with a narrow proximal and a wide subapical ring dark brown, segment 2 yellowish with base and apex suffused with brown, often in form of distinct basal and apical rings, segments 3 and 4 brown; labial segments 1 to 3 yellowish white, segment 4 suffused with brown. Thorax: Anterior lobe of pronotum light brown or whitish, callus usually yellowish, surrounded by a transverse S-shaped brown mark, posterior lobe reddish or light brown, mesoscutum orange or brown, scutellum dark reddish brown or dark brown, mesoscutum and scutellum sometimes with a median longitudinal pale stripe, pleura reddish, sometimes suffused with brown, or dark brown with margin of procoxal cavity and dorsal margin of propleuron, sometimes dorsal rim of mesepisternum and posterior rim of mesepimeron and ventral portion of evaporatory area with exclusion of peritreme whitish. Legs: Coxae, trochanter, femora and tibiae whitish with bases of coxae, tarsi and sometimes distal half of femora suffused with brown, femora with small (fore, middle leg) or large (hind leg) dark brown marks especially in distal half, bases of tibiae with a light (fore, middle leg) or dark (hind leg) spot, proximal tibial spines with dark bases. Hemelytra: Corium with clavus red or light brown with irregular pale marks or whitish patches, sometimes anterior margin of corium proximally pale, cuneus proximally transparent, remaining part red or pale yellow. Abdomen: Venter reddish brown or brown, with a large median area whitish or pale between segments 2 and 7, pygophore reddish brown or yellowish with a subapical ventral dark brown mark, parameres either brown or yellowish, phallotheca dark brown. SURFACE AND VESTITURE (fig. 9D): Dorsum slightly shining, the rather dense setation subadpressed, with two types of setae, arranged in patches, first type consisting of slightly flattened silvery setae (lower inset, black asterisk), second type of setiform dark setae (upper inset, white asterisk). STRUCTURE: Head (fig. 2D, 4): Head triangular, moderately elongate in lateral view, vertex wide, slightly convex, posterior margin straight, vertex and frons sloping, clypeus moderately produced, maxillary plate slightly sunken, buccula short, buccal cavity oval and of moderate size, gula of moderate length; eyes about 4/5 of height of head, of moderate size, very slightly emarginate posterior of antennal fossa, posterolateral margin contiguous with anterolateral margin of pronotum; antennal segment 1 short and relatively slender, segment 2 long, diameter similar to segment 1, only slightly increasing toward apex, segments 3 and 4 combined shorter than segment 2; labium long, apex reaching abdominal sternite 2. Thorax (figs. 7D, 8D): Pronotum trapeziform, anterior margin straight, lateral margins slightly convex, posterior margin slightly sinuate, anterior and posterior pronotal lobes weakly demarcated, callus slightly developed, metapleural evaporatorium with mushroomlike cuticle area roughly triangular, mushroomlike cuticle anterior to mesothoracic spiracle well developed (fig. 7D). Legs: Slender; claws slender, pulvilli relatively large, and covering about half of ventral claw surface, parempodia setiform, slender and moderately elongate (fig. 8D). Hemelytra: Hemelytra subparallel, cuneus elongate triangular. Abdomen: Abdomen reaching apex of cuneus. GENITALIA (fig. 4): Pygophore: Of moderate size, rather slender. Parameres: Right paramere typically phyline lanceolate; left paramere with anterior arm of moderate length, tapering to apex, and relatively short posterior arm long with apex slightly pointing ventrad. Phallotheca: Moderately elongate and slender, left side with a shallow ridge, ventral surface slightly serrate, and with slitlike opening. Vesica: S-shaped with two slender apical blades with roughly circular diameter, left blade more strongly curved than right blade, secondary gonopore at base of left blade, facing left, opening in part covered by membrane, gonopore sclerite prominent and roughly L-shaped, shallow flange proximal to secondary gonopore.

Female (fig. 1): Color pattern similar to male but coloration generally paler, body shape slightly more ovoid and larger than male, with pronotum wider, eyes slightly smaller, antennal segment 1 more slender than in male, segment 2 distinctly more slender at base, increase in diameter toward the apex more pronounced than in male. GENITALIA (fig. 6): See description of type species, Maculamiris baja , new species.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the patchy pattern of dark and silvery setae on the hemelytra as well as the S-shaped mark on the anterior pronotal, combined with the generic name Miris Fabricius to emphasize its systematic position within Miridae . From Latin macula, a feminine noun, meaning ‘‘mark’’.

DISCUSSION: The two species here described in the new genus Maculamiris feed mainly on rosaceous plants. They are easily recognized by their coloration, pattern of vestiture, marks on the pronotum, and male genitalic characters (i. e., the unusual shape of the gonopore sclerite). Species of this taxon are distributed in Baja California Norte, Mexico and the southernmost counties in California, including the Channel Islands, United States (fig. 11).

KEY TO SPECIES OF MACULAMIRIS

1. Coloration red (fig. 1), vesica (fig. 4) with left apical blade almost reaching apex of right blade, right blade slightly C-shaped ........... ..................................................... baja , n.sp.

– Coloration light brown (fig. 1), vesica (fig. 4) with left apical blade strongly bent and terminating far from apex of right blade, right blade slightly S-shaped ....................... ............................................. insulanus , n.sp.

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. 4. Head and male genitalic structures of Insulaphylus spp. and Maculamiris spp. Insulaphylus cruz, head in frontal and lateral view, right and left paramere, phallotheca, and vesica; I. meridianus, vesica and apex of vesica in caudal view; Maculamiris baja, head in frontal and lateral view, right and left paramere, phallotheca, and vesica; M. insulanus, 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. 11. Distribution of species of the genera Insulaphylus and Maculamiris. The species distributions are mapped onto distribution maps of some of their hosts.