A remarkable new genus and six new species of fern-inhabiting plant bugs endemic to the Society Islands (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirinae: Filicicoris gen. nov.)
Author
Anna Namyatova
Author
Gerasimos Cassis
text
Insect Systematics & Evolution
2016
47
285
312
journal article
10.1163/1876312X-47032144
f37ece11-478d-4950-907f-a05410a22f4f
269854
Filicicoris viridis
sp. nov.
Figs. 1
,
2
D,
4
A–D,
5
I
, J,
6
B,
7
B, C
Etymology
The species is named for its pale green coloration. From the Latin ‘
viridis
’, meaning green.
Material
Holotype
.
French Polynesia
: Society Islands: Tahiti Is.: Tahiti Nui, Mt Marau road ~
0.7 km
from motocross track, fern banks along road,
17.58788
°
S
149.56729
°
W
,
684 m
,
21
May
2011
, G. Cassis and N. Tatarnic,
Angiopteris evecta
(
Marattiaceae
),
1
♂
(00400426) (
MNHP
).
Paratypes
.
French Polynesia
: Society Islands: Moorea Is.: Mt. Tohiea base: Belvedere Trail,
17.556
°
S
149.826
°
W
,
400 m
,
18
Sep
1988
–
19
Sep
1988
, S. L. Montgomery,
1
♂
(00046034) (
BPBM
). N. ridge, Mt. Teaharua,
610 m
,
25
Sep
1934
, E. C. Zimmerman,
1
♀ (00042800) (
BPBM
). Tahiti Is.: Fautaua
25 m
, nr. Papeete, 0
5
Aug
1961
–
11
Aug
1961
, J. L. Gressitt,
4
♀ (00046052–00046053) (
BPBM
). Mt. Aorai Trail,
5500–6300 ft
,
15
Sep
1934
, E. C. Zimmerman,
1
♂
(00042801) (
BPBM
). Mt. Marau,
17.61805
°
S
149.38333
°
W
,
1400 m
,
18
Aug
1977
–
21
Aug
1977
, W. C. Gagne,
1
♀ (00046045) (
BPBM
). Papeete,
0–100 m
,
17.533
°
S
149.566
°
W
,
Aug
1969
, N.L.H. Krauss Coll.,
1
♂
(00046054) (
BPBM
). Punaauia,
200–300 m
, 0
4
Jan
1978
, N. L. H. Krauss,
1
♀ (00042799) (
BPBM
). Tahiti Iti,
Taravao
Plateau,
17.77665
°
S
149.25456
°
W
,
877 m
,
19
May
2011
–
22
May
2011
, G. Cassis and N. Tatarnic,
Metrosideros collina
Poiss. ex Pancher and Sebert
(
Myrtaceae
),
1
♀ (00400424) (
MNHP
),
Metrosideros collina
Poiss. ex Pancher and Sebert
(
Myrtaceae
),
1
♀ (00400425)
Angiopteris evecta
(Mariattiaceae),
1
♂
(00400411) (
UNSW
). Tahiti Nui, Faarumai,
3
Cascades,
17.5391
°
S
149.401
°
W
,
52 m
,
24
May
2011
, G. Cassis and N. Tatarnic,
Angiopteris evecta
(Mariattiaceae),
2
♂
(00400430, 00400431),
2
♀ (00400429, 00400427) (
UNSW
). Tahiti Nui, Mt Marau road approximately
0.7 km
from motocross track, fern banks along road,
17.58788
°
S
149.56729
°
W
,
684 m
,
21
May
2011
, G. Cassis and N. Tatarnic,
1
♀ (00400522)
Angiopteris evecta
(
Marattiaceae
),
1
♀ (00400428) (
UNSW
). road to Mt. Marau,
17.61666
°
S
149.39472
°
W
,
850 m
,
27
Aug
1977
, W. C. Gagne
Marattia
sp. (
Marattiaceae
),
11
♂
(00046023–00046033),
2
♀ (00046040, 00046042) (
BPBM
);
29
Aug
1977
, W. C. Gagne,
Marattia
sp. (
Marattiaceae
),
7
♀ (00046035–00046037, 0 0 0
46039
, 0 0 0
46041
, 0 0 0 46043, 00046044) (
BPBM
).
Diagnosis
Recognized by the following combination of characters: large body size,
4.3–5 in
males and females, yellowish green or yellow coloration of body (
Fig.
1
), head dorsally short and rounded (
Fig.
2
D), antennal segment I longer than head width (
Fig.
2
I), vesica with four lobes, one of them with scarce small tubercles (
Fig.
4
A, B), sclerotized rings on dorsal labiate plate ca.
0.25
× longer than dorsal labiate plate length (
Fig.
5
I) and distance between interramal lobes on posterior wall of bursa copulatrix subequal to interramal lobe width (
Fig.
5
J).
Description
Male.
Total length
4.3
–5.0. Coloration (
Fig.
1
): Mainly pale green, greenish yellow or yellow. Head: Mostly yellowish green, sometimes yellow or pale brown. Labium mostly pale green to yellow, with segment IV brownish. Antenna: Segment I yellowish green to yellow, segment II yellowish brown to pale brown, brown apically, segments III–IV brown. Eye pale brown, dark brown or black. Thorax: Pronotum uniformly greenish yellow or yellow; scutellum uniformly greenish yellow or yellow; thoracic pleura pale green to yellow; scent gland evaporative area whitish. Hemelytron: Mostly pale green to yellow, apex of embolium, margins and apex of cuneus usually somewhat darker, membrane yellow or smoky yellow with green cell. Legs: Coxae pale green to yellow, sometimes whitish; femora pale green to yellow, paler basally; tibia pale green or yellow, usually somewhat darker apically; tarsal segments I–II pale green to yellow or pale brown, segment III brown. Abdomen; Uniformly pale green to yellow. Surface and vestiture: As in generic description, without dark setae on head and pronotum. Structure and measurements: See generic description. Body ca.
3.5
–4.0× longer than pronotum width; head short and rounded dorsally (
Fig.
2
D); vertex ca.
1.8
–2.0× wider than eye diameter; antenna slightly longer than body; antennal segment I ca. 1.0–
1.3
× longer than head width and ca.
0.7–0.9
× longer than pronotum width; segment II ca.
2.5–2.9
× longer than head width, ca.
1.4
–2.0× longer than pronotum width; segment III subequal to or slightly longer than half of segment II; mesoscutum not exposed; pronotum ca.
1.6–1.9
× wider than long and ca.
1.4–1.7
× wider than head. Male genitalia (
Fig.
4
A–D): Right paramere not curved dorsally (
Fig.
4
C); left paramere moderately swollen basally (
Fig.
4
D); vesica with four lobes, one of them bearing small tubercles, without small sclerotized spicules (
Fig.
4
A, B).
Female
. Total length
4.3
–5.0. Coloration: Similar to male, but apex of tibiae sometimes brown, tarsal segment II sometimes brown, rarely entire tibiae brown. Surface and vestiture: As in male. Structure and measurements: Similar to male, antennal segment I almost as long as head width. Body ca.
3.5–3.8
× longer than pronotum width; vertex ca.
1.9–2.2
× wider than eye diameter; antennal segment I ca. 1.0–
1.2
× longer than head width and ca.
0.6–0.7
× longer than pronotum width; segment II ca.
2.3–2.6
× longer than head width, ca.
1.4–1.7
× longer than pronotum width; pronotum ca.
1.5– 1.9
× wider than long and ca.
1.5–1.7
× wider than head. Female genitalia (
Fig.
5
I, J): Anterior margin of dorsal labiate plate weakly sclerotized (
Fig.
5
I); sclerotized rings on dorsal labiate plate ca.
0.25
× longer than dorsal labiate plate length (
Fig.
5
I); distance between interramal lobes subequal to interramal lobe width (
Fig.
5
J).
Distribution
The species is known from different places in Tahiti Island and two locations on Moorea Island (
Fig.
6
B).
Host plant
Most specimens of the species were collected from the fern
Angiopteris evecta
(
Marattiaceae
) (
Fig.
7
B, C). It was also collected on an unidentified species of the fern genus
Marattia
sp. (
Marattiaceae
). In addition, two females were collected from
Metrosideros collina
(
Myrtaceae
), although the latter are almost certainly sitting records.
Distribution
Yellow specimens of
Filicicoris viridis
are similar to
F. huahine
and
F. raiatea
in coloration (
Fig.
1
). The latter two species differ from
F. viridis
in the head dorsally elongate and slightly acute (as in
Fig.
2
A) the sclerotized rings on the dorsal labiate plate ca.
0.1–0.15
× longer than dorsal labiate plate length (
Fig.
5
A, E), and the distance between interramal lobes of posterior lobe ca.
0.3
× longer than the posterior wall width (
Fig.
5
B, F).
Filicicoris huahine
also can be separated by the vesica having six lobes, one of them bearing small dense sclerotized spicules, and another lobe having small tubercles (
Fig.
3
A).
Filicicoris viridis
also can be confused with
F. tatarnici
externally, however, in the latter species the head is weakly elongate and acute in dorsal view (as in
Fig.
2
A), and the vesica has three lobes (
Fig.
3
N).
Filicicoris viridis
is also similar to
F. rubramaculus
in the vesical lobes, but the latter species differs in its yellow coloration with red marking on the head, posterior part of the clavus and the inner part of corium (
Fig.
1
), and its head slightly elongate and acute in dorsal view (
Fig.
2
A).