Zanchisme Kirkaldy

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 : 90-91

Taxon classification Animalia Hemiptera Miridae

Zanchisme Kirkaldy

Schizonotus Reuter, 1892: 401 (orig. descrip.). Preoccupied. Type species: Schizonotus dromedarius Reuter. Monotypic.

Zanchisme Kirkaldy, 1904: 280 (new name); Carvalho 1958: 153 (cat.); Maldonado 1966: 21 (descrip., key); Carvalho and Schaffner 1974: 58 (review, key); Schuh 1974: 319 (note); Schuh 1995: 204 (cat.). New name for Schizonotus Reuter, 1892.

Schistonotellus Reuter, 1905: 32 (new name). Unnecessary new name for Schizonotus Reuter, 1892.

Diagnosis.

Members of this genus are distinguished by the short labial segment I that does not extend beyond the posterior margin of the head; the round or bulbous head; the distinctly bilobed pronotum, with a distinct constriction separating the strongly convex posterior lobe and the greatly narrowed anterior lobe, latter lobe unarmed or with one to three tubercles; the distinct patches and/or bands of silver, scale-like setae on the hemelytra; and the male genitalia, particularly the left paramere with a distinct beak-like apex, the right paramere with one lateral arm or lobe, and the apically acute phallotheca.

Zanchisme is superficially similar to Zanchismeopsidea from Argentina in sharing a similarly bilobed pronotum. Zanchismeopsidea can be distinguished from Zanchisme by the broad, deep gular groove on the undersurface of the head, the distinctly conical scutellum, the proportionately longer posterior lobe of the pronotum (2 times length of anterior lobe versus 1.5 times as long in Zanchisme ), the lack of a silvery scale-like band at the base of the clavus, and the male genitalia.

Description.

Myrmecomorphic. Male and females macropterous. Length of male 3.10-3.78 mm, length of females 2.98-3.17 mm. Head broader than long; posterior margin truncate, distinctly carinate, posterior margins of eyes level with base of vertex; eyes proportionately large, elongate oval, occupying more than three fourths of dorsal head width in males, about half dorsal width in females, laterally occupying nearly entire height in males and about half the height in females; in males, frons flattened from eye to eye, clypeus weakly acute, slightly visible dorsally, in females frons broadly rounded, clypeus rounded, not visible dorsally. Labium extending to middle or hind coxae; segment I short, not extending beyond posterior margin of head, entirely enclosed within oval gular sulcus, buccula enclosing basal half of segment. Antenna with segment I shortest; segment II longest, slender basally, gradually enlarging to apex, diameter subequal to diameters of segments I, III, and IV; segments III and IV evenly thickened, fusiform. Pronotum strongly bilobed; posterior lobe strongly convex, shiny, impunctate, lateral margins straight, posterior margin evenly convex; anterior lobe greatly narrowed, separated from posterior lobe by a distinct constriction, anterior margin with a narrow but distinct collar, ranging from unarmed to armed with one, two, or three blunt to strongly pointed tubercles. Mesoscutum distinct, obliquely angled downward to scutellum; scutellum equilateral, flattened. Hemelytra weakly constricted or concave across middle, widening across apical half of corium and cuneus; dorsum either evenly shiny or shiny on cuneus and outer half of corium and dull on clavus and inner half of corium; with a tight band of silvery scale-like setae across base of corium and cuneus and through scutellum and a loose, wider band of scale-like setae through middle of corium and apex of clavus, intermixed with long, erect, bristle-like setae on scutellum, clavus, and corium; cuneus and membrane fully developed in males and females. Ventral surface shiny; ostiolar area dark with limited evaporative area surrounding auricle, most of metapleural area covered by tiny spicules giving a glaucous sheen; abdomen polished, side of second visible segment with a large, quadrate glaucous patch. Leg slender, unmodified. Male aperture large, open, unarmed; generalized left paramere slender, with a beak-like apex and with a single, sometimes apically bifid process at middle; right paramere stout, with one lateral process; and phallotheca with the apex hooked; endosoma simple, unmodifed.

Discussion.

Only four species of this interesting genus are known. No new species were discovered even though numerous collections were examined. Nevertheless, the distribution of several species has been extended significantly. Males and females of the species in this genus are quite similar except for the head, which is much more rounded or bulbous in females. Specimens of Zanchisme typically are collected at light, and host associations and feeding habits are unknown.

Key to the Species of Zanchisme