Pityopsallus sakuraii, Yasunaga, 2022

Yasunaga, Tomohide, 2022, The plant bug subfamily Phylinae in Japan, with key to genera and descriptions of eight new species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae), Zootaxa 5094 (1), pp. 1-52 : 26-28

Pityopsallus sakuraii n. sp.

( Figs. 11E ; 12D , H−I; 16; 26G−L; 27F−G, 28J)

Material examined. Holotype (♂). JAPAN: Honshu, Niigata Pref., Naka-Uonuma-gun, Tsunan Town , Kettou, UV lighting, 36.93, 138.63, 4 Aug 2002, S. Sakurai ( NIAES) ( AMNH _ PBI 00380708 ).

Diagnosis. Recognized by its smallest size among Japanese congeners; comparatively narrow vertex; short labium that is shorter than basal width of pronotum; faint spots on tibiae; and somewhat widened, less twisted subapical part of vesica. These diagnostic characters enable this new species to be distinguished from two close relatives, P. maeharai n. sp. and P. vittatus .

Description. Male: Body generally dark brown, elongate-oval, parallel-sided ( Fig. 11E ); dorsal surface weakly shining, with uniformly distributed, semierect, brown, simple setae and silvery, lanceolate setae ( Fig. 26H ). Head dark brown; vertex relatively narrow. Antenna pale grayish brown; extreme base of segment I infuscate; segment II longer than mesotibia, slightly shorter than labium. Labium pale brown, its apex not exceeding apex of mesocoxa. Pronotum uniformly fuscous, relatively shining; scutellum almost flat; thoracic pleura fuscous; metathoracic scent efferent relatively narrow ( Fig. 28I ). Hemelytra uniformly dark brown; anterior margin of cuneus pale, semitransparent; membrane pale smoky brown. All coxae dark brown; trochanters pale brown; all femora dark brown, with pale apex; tibiae somber yellowish brown, without spots; tibial spines brown; tarsi yellowish brown, with dark apices; pretarsal structures as in Fig. 26J, L ; all claws smooth. Abdomen fuscous. Male genitalia ( Figs. 12D ; 27F–G ): Subapical part of vesica somewhat widened, less twisted; apical flagellate process relatively short ( Fig. 12D ). Female: Unknown.

Measurements: See Table 1 .

Etymology. Named for the deceased lepidopterist, Mr. S. Sakurai (1940–2008, Niigata, Japan) who provided quite a few heteropteran specimens including the holotype of this new species.

Distribution. Japan (North Honshu: Niigata).

Biology. Unknown; an available male specimen was collected by UV-lighting.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Dorsal (A, E, C, F) and ventral (B, D) habitus images of Pityopsallus spp. A–B. P. maeharai n. sp., male. C–D. Same, female. E. P. sakuraii n. sp., holotype male. F. P. vittatus, female (from Yakutia, Russia).

FIGURE 12. Male (A−E) and female (F−I) genitalia of Pityopsallus spp. A−C, F−G. P. maeharai. D. P. sakuraii n. sp. E, H−I. P. vittatus (From Yakutia, Russia). A. Left paramere. B. Right paramere. C−E. Vesica (endosoma). F & I. Bursa copulatrix, ventral view. G−I. Apex of ovipositor (gonapophysis I). Scale bar 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 26. Scanning electron micrographs for Pityopsallus maeharai n. sp. (A−F), P. sakuraii n. sp. (G−L), P. nipponicus (Vinokurov) (M) and P. vittatus (N−O). A, M−N. Left lateral habitus. B, H, O. Dorsal vestiture pattern. D. Protarsus. E, J. Mesotarsus. F, L. Metatarsus. G. Dorsal habitus. I. Thoracic pleura, left lateral view.

FIGURE 27. Scanning electron micrographs for male (A−I) and female (J−O) genitalia of Pityopsallus maeharai n. sp. (A−E, J−L), P. sakuraii n. sp. (F−G) and P. vittatus (M−O). A, F, H. Genital segment (pygophore). B. Right paramere. C−D, G−I. Vesica. E. Secondary gonopore. J−O. Posterior wall.

FIGURE 28. Scanning electron micrographs for Pityopsallus luridus from Yakutia, Russia (A−C), P. yasunagai (Vinokurov) (D–F, O), P. ermolenkoi (Kerzhner) (G–I, M), P. sakuraii n. sp. (J), P. vittatus (K, N) and P. nipponicus (Vinokurov) (L). A. Anterior body, dorsolateral view. B. Vestiture pattern on scutellum and anterior hemelytron. C–D, G–L. Male genital segment (pygophore), left lateral view. E. Same, caudal view. F. Apex of vesica. M–O. Pretarsal structure of metatarsus.