Schizoptera bispina McAtee & Malloch, 1925

Weirauch, Christiane, Hoey-Chamberlain, Rochelle & Knyshov, Alexander, 2018, Synopsis of Schizopteridae (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Dipsocoromorpha) from the United States, with description of seven new species from the US and Mexico, ZooKeys 796, pp. 49-82 : 49

Schizoptera bispina McAtee & Malloch, 1925

Material.

Type material. Holotype: male: GUATEMALA: Alta Verapaz: Cacao Trece Aguas, 15.4°N 89.75°W, 1906, Schwarz & Barber (UCR_ENT 00028598) (USNM).

Revised diagnosis.

Recognized among species of Schizoptera (Cantharocoris) by fairly uniformly light brown coloration and whitish membrane, broad and shallow posterior process on sternum 6, weakly asymmetrical subgenital plate with two small laterad-projecting slender and acute processes (Figure 9A), spine-like right conjunctival appendage and small left conjunctival appendage with three lobes (Figure 9C), long and curved right paramere with abruptly narrowed apex, roughly quadrate left paramere (Figure 9B), and looping vesica moderately slender with 2-3 coils (Figure 9B).

Revised description.

Male (Figure 8): macropterous, length: ~1.3 mm; body broadly ovate. Coloration (Figure 8): uniformly light brown except humeral angles and posterior margin of pronotum, costal margin, and scutellum laterally yellow, membrane largely white with narrow proximal boarder dark, vein only slightly darker, legs pale yellow (Figure 8). Surface and vestiture: relatively short and dense on head and pronotum, forewing veins with sparse, short setae. Structure: Head: triangular in frontal view, slightly wider than high (Figure 8), synthlipsis ~3 times width of eye. Thorax: posterior pronotal margin slightly sinuate, R1 distinct, dc1 very slender, especially basally. Abdomen: sternum 6 with broad and shallow posterior process, subgenital plate weakly asymmetrical withtwosmall laterad projecting slender and acute processes (Figure 9A). Genitalia (Figure 9 A–C): right conjunctival appendage spine-like, left conjunctival appendage small, with 3 lobes (Figure 9C), right paramere long and curved, with abruptly narrowed apex, left paramere roughly quadrate (Figure 9B), vesica looping, moderately slender, with 2-3 coils (Figure 9B).

Female. One female specimen reported (but not illustrated) by Blatchley (1926) and not examined in our study.

Notes.

McAtee and Malloch (1925) described this species from Guatemala based on a single male specimen. They mentioned the slightly yellowish humeral angle, dark color proximally across the membrane, and only slightly notched scutellar apex as characters distinguishing this species from Schizoptera (Cantharocoris) sulcata McAtee & Malloch, 1925, while emphasizing the importance of the shape of the subgenital plate. The characteristic lateral spines on the subgenital plate are shorter in the specimen from Mexico that McAtee and Malloch (1925) considered conspecific with S. (C.) bispina . Blatchley (1926) reported S. (C.) bispina from Florida and provided a redescription. The specimens examined by us are clearly conspecific with those examined and illustrated by Blatchley (1926) based on his fairly detailed description of coloration and drawing of the subgenital plate. No other described species of Schizoptera (Cantharocoris) has a subgenital plate that even remotely resembles the one in S. (C.) bispina . Nevertheless, the distribution range of S. (C.) bispina is much larger than the ranges typically seen in schizopterids. A comprehensive revision of Schizoptera (Cantharocoris) across the Nearctic and Neotropical regions is therefore not unlikely to reveal that the current concept of S. (C.) bispina is a complex of several closely related species.

Blatchley (1926) reported the three specimens he examined as "beaten from Spanish moss," "sifted from vegetable debris," and "beaten from sugar cane." New records indicate that specimens were collected by UV lighting and Malaise trapping.

Distribution.

Guatemala, Mexico, and Florida, Louisiana, and Texas in the United States.

Other specimens examined.

MEXICO: Tamaulipas: or Unknown Co.: Tampico, 22.2331°N 97.86105°W, December 15, E. A. Schwarz, 1 male (USNM). USA: Florida: Clay Co.: Gold Head Branch St. Park, 29.84638°N 81.96171°W, 07 May 1985, R.W. Jones, 1 male (UCR_ENT 00094299) (TAMU). Pinellas Co.: Dunedin, 28.027°N 82.77126°W, Jan. 19-April 15, Blatchley, 2 male, 1 female (AMNH). Louisiana: Bossier Co.: Bodcau Wdlf. Mgt. Ar., 32.7°N 93.5°W, 22 May 1996, E.G. Riley, 1 male (UCR_ENT 00094303) (TAMU). Texas: Sabine Co.: 9 mi. E. Hemphill, "Beech Bottom," 31.34135°N 93.6974°W, 22 May 1989 - 04 Jun 1989, R. Anderson & E. Morris, 1 male (UCR_ENT 00093577) (TAMU).