Ethelastia, REUTER, 1876

Wyniger, Denise, 2010, Resurrection of the Pronotocrepini Knight, with Revisions of the Nearctic Genera Orectoderus Uhler, Pronotocrepis Knight, and Teleorhinus Uhler, and Comments on the Palearctic Ethelastia Reuter (Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae), American Museum Novitates 2010 (3703), pp. 1-68 : 5-6

GENUS ETHELASTIA REUTER

Type species: Ethelastia inconspicua Reuter, 1876b: 34 (by monotypy).

Ethelastia Reuter, 1876b: 34 (original description).

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by dorsal coloration (fig. 1), granulate dorsal surface structure, pronotum concave laterally with carinate anterior angles, tibial spines dark, vesica lunate (fig. 1), and long and straight claws with pulvilli attached to claws on its entire length (fig. 2C), shape of metathoracic pleuron (fig. 2B), and the scent-gland auricle with evaporatory area (fig. 2B). Most similar to Orectoderus (fig. 3) and Teleorhinus (fig. 7) in general body shape, size and coloration (fig. 1), shape of head (fig. 2A), setiferation (fig. 2D), and genitalic structure (figs. 1, 2E, 5, 6, 9, 10F); similar to Pronotocrepis in general shape of vesica (figs. 1, 9), first rostral segment overlapping proximal margin of gula (figs. 2A, 8A), and shape of metathoracic pleuron (figs. 2B, 8B) and the scent-gland auricle with evaporatory area (figs. 2B, 8B). Distinguished from Orectoderus (fig. 3) by second antennal segment not widened apically, non-myrmecomorphic females, and genitalic structure (fig. 1). From Teleorhinus (fig. 7) it can be distinguished by second antennal segment not widened apically and by genitalic structures (fig. 1). The distinction between Ethelastia and Pronotocrepis is based on general elongate body shape and coloration, the second antennal segment not widened in Ethelastia , pronotum without explanate lateral margin, and genitalic structure (fig. 1).

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Total length 5.70–6.90, length apex clypeus-cuneus fracture 5.01– 5.55, width across pronotum 1.61–1.71 ( Konstantinov, 2008). COLORATION: Dorsal surface ocher; head uniformly black or black with medial yellow line; mandibular plate basally, clypeus almost entirely or basally orangish yellow or mandibular plate and clypeus entirely brownish black; pronotum ocher with two distinct dark calli and pronotal disc with two dark longitudinal spots laterally or pronotum brownish with anterior orange ocher transverse and medial longitudinal orangish yellow band; mesoscutum and scutellum dark brown or mesoscutum dark brown with scutellum ocher; clavus entirely ocher or ocher with inner half brownish; corium ocher or ocher with distinct longitudinal dark spots; cuneus ocher or orange ocher; membrane fuscous with veins fuscous or yellowish; antenna entirely yellowish or with antennal segments black apically; venter ocher or dark brown; pro-, meso- and metapleuron entirely dark brown or dark brown basally and yellowish apically; scent-gland auricle dark brown or orange apically; femora ocher or slightly orange; tibia ocher; tarsus ocher or brown (fig. 1). SURFACE AND VESTITURE: General aspect slightly shiny; dorsal surface with simple erect setae (fig. 2D); tibia with black spines; claws straight, slightly curved apically; with pulvillus connate to ventral surface of claw over its entire length (fig. 2C). STRUCTURE: Elongate (fig. 1); dorsal surface smooth with pronotum basally, scutellum and corium slightly granulate; pronotum apically with inflated collarlike margin or with flattened margin apically; head obliquely declining (fig. 2A). GENITALIA: Phallotheca elongate; vesica simple, lunate, tapering into point or bifurcate apically; secondary gonopore situated apically, with large denticulate lobes laterally (fig. 2E, F); leπ paramere with anterior process pointed; right paramere straight, pointed apically (fig. 1).

Female: Total length 5.00–5.90, length apex clypeus-cuneus fracture 4.50–5.30, width across pronotum 1.40–1.78 ( Konstantinov, 2008). COLORATION: Dorsal surface ocher with slightly orange aspect; head uniformly black or orange or black with orange marks; buccula brown; pronotum ocher with two distinct dark calli and pronotal disc with two more or less distinct dark spots or pronotum apically orange, posteriorly with lateral dark spots and medially with roundish yellow spot; mesoscutum and scutellum dark brown or mesoscutum dark brown with scutellum orange; clavus entirely ocher or ocher with inner half brownish; corium ocher or ocher with distinct longitudinal dark spots; cuneus ocher or orange ocher; membrane fuscous with veins fuscous or yellowish; antenna entirely yellowish or with antennal segments black apically; venter ocher or dark brown; pro-, meso- and metapleuron entirely dark brown or dark brown basally and yellowish apically; scent-gland auricle dark brown or orange apically; femora ocher or slightly orange; tibia ocher; tarsus ocher or brown (fig. 1). SURFACE AND VESTI-

TURE: General aspect slightly shiny (fig. 1); dorsal surface with simple erect setae; tibia with black spines; claws straight, slightly curved apically; with pulvillus connate to ventral surface of claw over its entire length. STRUCTURE: Elongate; dorsal surface smooth with pronotum basally, scutellum and corium slightly granulate; pronotum apically with inflated collarlike margin or with flattened margin apically. GENITALIA: Sclerotized rings of dorsal labiate plate large, rounded basally and pointed apically; posterior wall sclerotized (fig. 11).

HOSTS: Caprifoliaceae , Fabaceae , Rosaceae ( Konstantinov, 2008) .

DISTRIBUTION: Western Palearctic ( Konstantinov, 2008

DISCUSSION: Reuter (1876b) erected the genus Ethelastia to accommodate the single species E. inconspicua , which was later synonymized by Kiritshenko (1951) with E. liturata (Fieber) . The first illustrations of male genitalia of E. liturata can be found in Kerzhner and Jaczewski (1964: 755; figs. 19–22). In addition to the present study, Konstantinov (2008) —another PBI collaborator—conducted a detailed review of the Palearctic genus Ethelastia , describing a second species within the genus from central and eastern Kazakhstan. Konstantinov (2008) provided a diagnosis of Ethelastia , descriptions of the genus and species, new locality and hostplant records, measurements, illustrations of male genitalia, head, pretarsi and tarsi, dorsal habitus photographs of males and females, and a distribution map.