Ceratocapsidea consimilis (Reuter) Henry, Thomas J., 2015

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 : 16-19

Taxon classification Animalia Hemiptera Miridae

Ceratocapsidea consimilis (Reuter) comb. n. Figs 32, 167-170

Ceratocapsus consimilis Reuter, 1907: 14 (orig. descrip.); Van Duzee 1907: 29 (note); Carvalho 1958: 44 (cat.), 1990: 193 (descrip. type); Schuh 1995: 91 (cat.)

Diagnosis.

This species (Fig. 32) is best recognized by the dark brown head and pronotum, paler brown hemelytra with numerous, evenly spaced, brown-stained punctures; the pale antennae, with only segment IV tinged with red; pale yellow legs, with the hind femur reddish brown on the distal two thirds; and the male genitalia, especially the right paramere (Figs 169, 170), with two long, curving arms, the shorter one distally bifid, and the phallotheca (Fig. 168) with a beak-like apex.

Description.

Male (n = 1): Length 3.65 mm, width 1.47 mm. Head: 0.70 mm, interocular width 0.21 mm. Labium: Length 1.04 mm. Antenna: Segment I, length 0.24 mm; II, 0.67 mm; III, 0.45 mm; IV, 0.38 mm. Pronotum: Length 0.53 mm, basal width 0.99 mm.

Coloration: General color brown to dark brown. Head: Dark brown, eyes reddish. Antenna: Segments I–III yellowish brown, segment IV red. Pronotum: Dark brown, becoming paler brown on posterior third; scutellum dark brown, apex pale yellowish brown. Hemelytron: Overall brown to yellowish brown, slightly darker on basal half of clavus, tinged with red along subcostal vein; membrane smoky brown, paler along base. Ventral surface: Thoracic segment dark brown, abdomen brown. Ostiolar evaporative area: Pale or whitish, central knob brown. Legs: Overall yellowish brown, hind femur dark reddish brown on distal half to two thirds.

Structure, texture, and vestiture: Head: Finely granulate on vertex, transversely rugose on frons, with a few recumbent and semierect, pale simple setae. Labium: Extending to bases of hind coxae nearly to base of abdomen. Pronotum: Semishiny (not polished) with evenly distributed brown-stained punctures, except for finely granulate area anteriorly around calli; with numerous small, white, scale-like setae, intermixed with longer, semierect, pale brown, simple setae; scutellum evenly punctate, with numerous small, white, scale-like setae, intermixed with long, erect, pale, simple setae. Hemelytron: Evenly distributed with fine brown-stained punctures, with numerous scattered short, recumbent and long erect and semierect simple setae, intermixed with small, white, scale-like setae.

Male genitalia: Left paramere (Fig. 167) apically beak-like, with a trifid middle process on dorsal margin, one process prostrate and two recurved forming a C-shape. Right paramere (Figs 169-170) with two lateral arms in caudal view, the upper one shortest, bifid, and the lower one longer and flared apically; each arm crenulate distally along margins. Phallotheca (Fig. 168) uniformly broad, with stout beak-like apex bent down and finely serrate around margins.

Holotype female: Length 2.80 mm, width 1.20 mm. Head: Width 0.62 mm, interocular width 0.28 mm. Labium: Missing. Antenna: Segment I, length 0.24 mm; II, 0.72 mm; III and IV missing. Pronotum: Length 0.50 mm, basal width 0.96 mm.

Host.

Unknown.

Distribution.

Described and previously known only from the female holotype from Jamaica.

Discussion.

The holotype female deposited at the California Academy of Sciences was examined and have matched to a male (CNC) that compares closely with it. This is important because of the great amount of speciation that has occurred in Jamaica. Most of the Jamaican species treated in this paper can be distinguished with certainty only by the male genitalia. Fortunately, Ceratocapsidea consimilis is one of the more distinct species externally, with a paler brown dorsum having dark-stained punctures and two types of pubescence on the both the pronotum and hemelytra. Carvalho (1990) illustrated the feHolotype male and commented that this species has the appearance of a small Ceratocapus modestus Uhler [known from eastern United States], which is misleading and inaccurate. The dorsum of the eastern North American Ceratocapsus modestus is impunctate and nearly glabrous, whereas Ceratocapsidea consimilis is strongly and evenly punctate, with two types of pubscence on pronotum and hemelytra, and the male genitalia differ substantially (see Knight 1941 or Henry 1979 for Figures of Ceratocapsus modestus genitalia).

The Nicaraguan record of Ceratocapsidea consimilis reported by Cherot et al. (2007) undoubtedly is a misidentification of another ceratocapsine. Because their specimen is a female, it will be difficult to determine the species with certainty.

Type material examined.

Holotype ♀: JAMAICA: Mande[vil]le, Apr. [19]06, Van Duzee collector ["Spec. typ."; “Holotype”; "E. P. Van Duzee Collection"] (CAS).

Other specimen examined.

JAMAICA: 1♂, St. James, Adelphi, 15 Aug. 1966, H. Howden (CNC).