Fangumellus, Yasunaga, Tomohide, Oh, Minsuk & Lee, Seunghwan, 2016

Yasunaga, Tomohide, Oh, Minsuk & Lee, Seunghwan, 2016, Fangumellus flavobadius: a new genus and species of plant bug from Laos (Heteroptera, Miridae, Mirinae, Mirini), ZooKeys 603, pp. 97-103 : 98-99

Fangumellus gen. n.

Type species.

Fangumellus flavobadius sp. n.

Diagnosis.

Distinguished from other genera in tribe Mirini by the following combination of characters: Medium-sized, ovoid, tumid body; less shining, partly matte, almost impunctate dorsal surface; short antenna and labium; short pygophore; and unique shape of parameres and endosoma ( Fig. 2 ), especially sinuate distal portion of right paramere.

Description.

Male: Body medium-sized, ovoid, tumid ( Fig. 1A ); dorsal surface weakly shining, with uniformly distributed, pale brown, short, reclining setae. Head: Vertical, smooth; eye rather small; vertex weakly carinate basally; frons neither serrate nor sulcate; clypeus weakly swollen ( Fig. 1C ). Antenna: Generally short, not thickened or clavate, lacking noticeable long setae or spines; segment I subequal in length to IV; segment II almost linear, about as thick as I, shorter than basal width of pronotum; segments III and IV filiform. Labium: Short, slender, reaching subapical part of mesocoxa ( Fig. 1B ). Thorax: Pronotum shagreened or matte, shallowly and irregularly punctate, with narrow calli, not carinate laterally; collar somewhat arched, about as thick as base of antennal segment II; scutellum weakly shining, rather tumid, shallowly and transversely wrinkled; pleura weakly shagreened or matte; metathoracic scent efferent system as in Fig. 1D . Hemelytron: Less shining, weakly shagreened, with uniformly distributed, whitish, silky, reclining setae. Legs: Generally short; tibial spines dark, short, sparsely distributed; meta-tarsomere I subequal in length to II; meta-tarsomere III longer than I or II. Genitalia ( Fig. 2 ): Pygophore short, with triangular apex ( Fig. 2A ). Parameres quite atypical in shape, generally slender and elongate ( Fig. 2A−D ); left paramere with hooked apex of hypophysis and a thumblike, blunt-tipped protuberance on sensory lobe ( Fig. 2D ); right paramere sigmoid, with somewhat spiral or coiled hypophysis ( Fig. 2C ). Endosoma as in Fig. 2A−D , with a slender, apically hooked spiculum; secondary gonopore thick-rimmed, without any accompanied sclerite; seminal duct well expanded subapically ( Fig. 2H ); phallotheca slender, with a folded apex ( Fig. 2F ). Female: Unknown.

Etymology.

Named after the King 'Fa Ngum’ who first established a unified kingdom (Lan Xang Kingdom) in Laos in 14th century, combined with Latin diminutive (-ellus); masculine.

Discussion.

This new genus is at first sight reminiscent of Pachylygus Yasunaga or some taxa of Lygus (in broad sense, see Schwartz and Foottit 1998, Yasunaga et al. 2002). However, the less punctate and rather shagreened dorsal surface and atypical shape of the parameres suggest that Fangumellus is evidently not closely related to those taxa. It is our opinion that comparison with Paramiridius Miyamoto & Yasunaga may merit careful consideration. One of Paramiridius species recently described from Laos, Paramiridius laomontanus Oh, Yasunaga & Lee, has some similarities in general appearance and male genitalia (e.g., ovoid body, impunctate dorsum, short labium, slender and apically hooked left paramere, thick-rimmed secondary gonopore, and apically expanded seminal duct) ( Oh et al. 2015). Nonetheless, some of these similarities appear homoplasious or are shared by other mirine taxa. We currently cannot determine any sister taxon closely related to Fangumellus ; a broader survey including the female genitalic structure is required to demonstrate its closest relative.

We can only suggest herein that the two unique characters exhibited on the parameres are in all likelihood autapomorphies for the new taxon (sigmoid, spiral, elongate hypophysis of right paramere and a thumb-like, subbasal protuberance of left paramere, which are not possessed by any other known mirine genera). In addition, the surface structure of Fangumellus (e.g., shagreened, impunctate dorsum with rather stiff vestiture) may be presumed as a derived character.

Figures

Figure 1. Habitus images of Fangumellus flavobadius, holotype male. A dorsal view B ventral view C head in frontal view D head and thorax in left lateral view.

Figure 2. Male genitalia of Fangumellus flavobadius. A pygophore in ventral view B pygophore in caudal view C right paramere D left paramere E−H endosoma. Abbreviations corresponding to those mentioned in materials and methods section.