Ceratocapsidea variabilis Henry

Henry, Thomas J., 2015, Revision of the Ceratocapsine Renodaeus group: Marinonicoris, Pilophoropsis, Renodaeus, and Zanchisme, with descriptions of four new genera (Heteroptera, Miridae, Orthotylinae), ZooKeys 490, pp. 1-156 : 37-38

Taxon classification Animalia Hemiptera Miridae

Ceratocapsidea variabilis Henry sp. n. Figs 48, 208-210

Diagnosis.

This species (Fig. 48) is distinguished by the overall dark, shiny dorsum, dark brown antennae and legs, evenly and finely punctate pronotum, silvery sericeous setae confined to the the scutellum, clavus, and inner margin of the corium, and the male genitalia with a very slender beak-like process on the left paramere (Fig. 208), two arms on the right paramere (Fig. 210), and the apically slender phallotheca (Fig. 209).

Description.

Male (n = 4; holotype measurements in parentheses): Length 3.36-3.68 mm (3.62 mm), width 1.12 mm [hemelytra distorted in other specimens] (1.27 mm). Head: Width 0.75-0.81 mm (0.83 mm), interocular width 0.22-0.25 mm (0.26 mm). Labium: Length 1.08-1.24 mm (1.27 mm). Antenna: Segment I, length 0.26-0.29 mm (0.29 mm); II, 0.73-0.88 mm (0.91 mm); III, 0.39-0.42 mm (0.43 mm); IV, 0.36-0.43 mm (0.40 mm). Pronotum: Length 0.61-0.72 mm (0.65 mm), basal width 1.08-1.24 mm (1.22 mm).

Coloration: Overall coloration dark brown to fuscous. Head: Dark brown; eyes dark brown, sometimes fading to silvery brown. Labium: Uniformly brown. Antenna: Uniformly dark brown. Pronotum: Uniformly shiny dark brown or fuscous; fuscous, paler yellowish brown at apex. Hemelytron: Uniformly dark brown to fuscous, sometimes paler dark brown on corium and clavus, leaving costal margin and cuneus darker or fuscous. Ventral surface: Evenly dark, shiny brown. Ostiolar evaporative area: Somewhat dark pinkish brown, central knob brown. Legs: Coxae pale or whitish, narrowly tinged with brown at bases; femora dark brown, except at bases; tibiae, tarsi, and claws uniformly brown.

Structure, texture, and vestiture: Head: Frons transversely rugose, vertex finely granulate, with scattered short, recumbent simple setae, intermixed with a few longer erect setae. Labium: Extending to hind coxae or base of abdomen. Antenna: Segment I sparsely scattered with short, recumbent setae and two longer, erect setae at middle of inner surface; remaining segments thickly set with very short, recumbent setae. Pronotum: Evenly punctate, except for finely granulate calli; with scattered short, recumbent simple setae, intermixed with longer, nearly bristle-like simple setae and silvery, scale-like setae. Scutellum: Very finely punctate and transversely rugose; thickly set with silvery scale-like setae, intermixed with long, erect setae. Hemelytra: Shiny, evenly punctate, with scattered short, recumbent simple setae, intermixed with long, erect, bristle-like setae and thickly set silvery scale-like setae along clavus and inner margin of corium.

Male genitalia: Left paramere (Fig. 208): Elongate, with distal beak-like process very slender, two middle processes, one stout, lying flat against main body toward apex, one short, erect, and a down-curved acute spine at base. Right paramere (Fig. 210): Main stem stout, tapered at apex, with two lateral arms, upper one shortest, distally curved upward, lower one longest, stoutest, dorsally curved at apex, and a T-shaped process attached behind arms. Phallotheca (Fig. 209): Stout, tapered distally into a slender spine.

Female: Unknown.

Etymology.

This species is given the name “variabilis” for the somewhat variable antennal and leg coloration, ranging from uniformly dark brown in the holotype to paler yellowish brown in some paratypes.

Host.

Unknown.

Distribution.

Known only from Jamaica.

Type material.

Holotype ♂: JAMAICA:St. Andrew Parish: Holywell Forest Camp, 4000' [1219 m], 01 Sep 1971, M. Winegar (00286299) (USNM). Paratypes: JAMAICA:Clarendon Parish: Alston, 2000' [610 m], 19 Sep 1972, C. Crickett, 1♂ (00286302) (USNM); 29 Nov 1972, C. Crickett, 1♂ (00286301) (USNM); 11 Dec 1972, C. Crickett, 1♂ (00286303) (USNM); 10 Jan 1973, C. Crickett, 1♂ (00286304) (USNM); 28 Feb 1973, C. Crickett, 1♂ (00286305) (USNM). St. Andrew Parish: Holywell Forest Camp, 4000' [1219 m], 15 Feb 1972, M. Winegar, 1♂ (00286297) (USNM); 29 Jul 1972, M. Winegar, 1♂ (00286298) (USNM). St. Catherine Parish: Linstead, 18.13666EN, 77.03166EW, 430' [131 m], 07 Dec 1970, J. A. Slater and R. Baranowski, 1♂ (00286300) (USNM).