Scutomiris, Forero, 2008

Forero, D., 2008, Revision And Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Hadronema Group (Miridae: Orthotylinae: Orthotylini), With Descriptions Of New Genera And New Species, And Comments On The Neotropical Genus Tupimiris, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2008 (312), pp. 1-172 : 145-147

Scutomiris , gen. nov.

Type species: Scutomiris setosus , sp. nov.

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the swollen scutellum (fig. 45F); the vestiture composed of long erect simple setae and decumbent short sericeous setae (fig. 45D); and by the elongate and acute right spicule of the vesica (fig. 43).

Scutomiris is easily distinguished among members of the Hadronema group by the combinations of characters mentioned above. The structure of the male genitalia is similar to Daleapidea , Hadronemidea , and Origonema , but Scutomiris is distinguished by the elongate and acute right spicule nearly reaching the apex of the left spicule, the subequal nonexpanded rami of the left spicule that are turned to the right over it, and by the dorsal opening of the phallotheca almost reaching the phallobase, having a lateral left protuberance (fig. 43). Scutomiris females can be distinguished from other females of the Hadronema group by the position of the ovipositor, which is closer to the anterior end than to the apical segments of the abdomen. Scutomiris externally resembles Tupimiris Carvalho and Schaffner, 1973 due to the swollen scutellum and dorsum covered by sericeous setae (fig. 47C–F). Nevertheless, in Tupimiris the structure of the scutellum (fig. 47C, D) and male genitalia are different (fig. 48). Additionally, Tupimiris lacks a supragenital bridge and the particular structure the parameres of other members of the Hadronema group.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Elongate ovoid, medium-sized, total length 3.09–3.45. COLOR- ATION: Black with brown and pale brown areas (fig. 3). SURFACE AND VESTI- TURE: Head shiny, dorsum and remaining areas dull, beset with microtrichia; vestiture composed of two types of setae, long delicate semierect simple setae and short decumbent sericeous setae on dorsum, densely set on pronotum, scutellum, and hemelytra (fig. 45D). STRUCTURE: HEAD (fig. 45A): Transverse, strongly declivent; clypeus weakly protuberant, not visible in dorsal view; frons strongly convex; vertex almost flat, weakly concave next to eyes; frons and vertex with scattered simple setae; transverse carina weakly impressed, with long simple setae; mandibular and maxillary plates small, about a third of height of head, apices rounded; buccula not expanded laterally, with few short simple setae; gena with an area of long simple setae extending below eyes; gula extremely short; eyes ovoid in lateral view, nearly round in dorsal view, reaching anterior margin of pronotum; labrum small, shorter than buccula, narrow, apex acute; labium barely surpassing procoxa, segments II and IV sparsely beset with short setae, remaining segments glabrous; antennal segment I longer than head length, greater in diameter than II, II the longest, about 2.5 times as long as I, III weakly shorter than II, IV the shortest and lesser in diameter. THORAX: Collar narrow, flat, not clearly visible in dorsal view due to setation; calli nearly flat, shiny, with few setae, transverse line between calli and posterior lobe of pronotum deeply impressed; pronotum trapezoidal, anterior angles broadly rounded, posterior ones rounded, lateral margins rounded, ecarinated, nearly straight, posterior lobe of pronotum weakly inclined, surface smooth, posterior margin of pronotum straight in dorsal view, arcuate in transverse section (fig. 45F); mesoscutum usually covered by posterior margin of pronotum; scutellum triangular, lateral margins weakly arcuate, disc strongly swollen, nearly hemispherical, apex rounded (fig. 45F); pleural area with short erect simple setae; propleuron densely setose; metepisternum beset with sparse long microtrichia in addition to the long simple setae; metathoracic scentgland evaporatory area rounded on dorsal margin, not reaching level of dorsal portion of metacoxa (fig. 45B); peritreme relatively small, not protruding, densely covered with microtrichia (fig. 45B); prosternum with short simple setae. Hemelytra: Nearly parallel; clavus elevated with respect to corium and deflexed along claval suture; corium nearly flat, gently deflexed toward embolium; cuneus weakly deflexed, about as long as wide; membrane barely less than half as long as hemelytron. Legs: Coxae elongate, with sparse short simple setae; trochanters ovoid; femora nearly cylindrical, weakly tapering distally, weakly compressed anteroposteriorly, covered with short simple setae; profemur about as long as mesofemur; metafemur barely longer than pro- and mesofemur; tibiae slender, straight, covered with short simple setae, meso- and metatibia in addition covered with spiniform setae; pro- and mesotibia nearly as long as pro- and mesofemur; metatibia almost twice as long as metafemur; tarsi long, delicate, cylindrical, first tarsomere barely shorter than second, third the longest, ventral surface of first tarsomere of foreleg with short sparse setae; pretarsus as in figure 45C. ABDOMEN: Densely covered with short simple setae; sternite VIII emarginate posteriorly, setae arising from posterior margin and directed cephalad instead of caudad. GENITALIA: Genital capsule subtriangular, about as long as wide in dorsal view; aperture big, anterior margin not well sclerotized, weakly turned left (figs. 43, 45E); ventrolateral right projection small, almost inconspicuous, blunt (fig. 43); proctiger surpassing apex of genital capsule (fig. 45E); cuplike sclerite surpassing apex of genital capsule, left portion reduced, right portion greatly enlarged, bases barely projecting cephalad of supragenital bridge (fig. 43); supragenital bridge slender, well sclerotized, located above insertions of parameres (fig. 43); right paramere inserted weakly above left relative to horizontal plane (figs. 43, 45E); left paramere sickle-shaped, apicoventral process acute (fig. 43); right paramere hatchet-shaped in medial view, strongly L-shaped, distal half as long as body with subparallel margins, flattened, body elongated, apex sinuate with a proximal small almost truncate projection, small projection on dorsal angle acute and prolonged cephalad as a small flange on the body (fig. 43); phallotheca nearly cylindrical, with a subbasal right dorsolateral blunt protuberance, sclerotized dorsally and ventrodistally, poorly so on ventroproximal surface; opening weakly inclined, directed weakly to the right, subparallel, long almost reaching level of attachment with phallobase, not well sclerotized on anterior margin (fig. 43); vesica with two well-sclerotized spicules, left and right; left spicule gently expanded apically and denticulate, with one apical and one preapical prolongation (rami) directed cephalad, both rami thin and heavily denticulate, weakly expanded distally, surpassing apex of right spicule, apical ramus strongly turned right over main body of spicule, preapical ramus nearly straight, not curved (fig. 43); right spicule elongate, acute and tapering apically, not denticulate, nearly reaching apical prolongation of left spicule, basally expanded as a quadrate process (fig. 43).

Female: Similar in coloration and structure to male, but wider, weakly longer, total length 3.04–3.44. COLORATION: As in male (fig. 3). SURFACE AND VESTI- TURE: As in male. STRUCTURE: HEAD: Antennal segment I barely greater in diameter than II, slender and shorter as in male. GENITALIA (fig. 46): Subgenital plate nearly twice as long as wide, apex roundly acute, reaching middle of sternite VIII; base of ovipositor located at a longitudinal anterior point of abdomen, close to apex of metacoxa; interramal sclerites subquadrate, nearly rhomboidal; dorsal lobes of interramal sclerites long, in dorsal view margins subparallel, uniformly beset with microtrichia on surface, apex weakly roundly acute; sigmoid process grossly denticulate, dorsal margin of interramal sclerites neither with tubercles nor microtrichia; medial process neither distinct nor sclerotized; dorsal labiate plate without any sclerotized modified structures; sclerotized rings ovoid, well sclerotized, posterior medial margin roundly produced, lateral margin well sclerotized, recurved, and nearly reaching medial margin; accessory sclerite not enlarged, nearly longitudinal, internal dorsomedial area covered with microtrichia; ventral labiate plate not modified; inner margin of first gonapophyses symmetrical; anterior wall membranous, appearing not modified.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from southern Baja California Sur, Mexico (fig. 41).

HOST ASSOCIATIONS: No host-plant data have been procured for this taxon.

ETYMOLOGY: The generic name is formed from the Latin ‘‘scutum’’, meaning shield, in reference to the greatly inflated scutellum, and ‘‘miris’’, meaning plant bug. The gender is masculine.

DISCUSSION: Scutomiris is regarded as a new genus because it cannot be accommodated under any of the previously known taxa of the Hadronema group (see ‘‘Phylogenetic Analysis’’ below). It shares with Aoplonema two types of setae on dorsum, a lateral protuberance on the left side of the phallotheca, and a similar head shape. Scutomiris , however, differs in the structure of male genitalia, with the vesica having two sclerites.