New genera and new species of remarkably large-sized or uniquely-shaped mirine plant bugs from Taiwan (Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirinae)
Author
Yasunaga, Tomohide
Research Associate, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, c / o Nameshi 2 - 33, Nagasaki 852 - 8061, Japan
Author
Yamada, Kazutaka
0000-0002-4210-6693
Institute of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Hyogo / Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo, Yayoigaoka 6 - chome, Sanda-shi, Hyogo 669 - 1546, Japan. yamada. kaz @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 4210 - 6693
yamada.kaz@gmail.com
Author
Tsai, Jing-Fu
Department of Biology, National Museum of Natural Science, 1 Guancian Rd., Taichung, Taiwan.
text
Zootaxa
2023
2023-05-05
5278
2
264
288
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5278.2.3
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5278.2.3
1175-5326
7906118
ADF37ECB-50E5-4A45-AAA4-ECD1C60F45DB
Rhopalimiris
n. gen.
Diagnosis:
Distinguished from any other known mirine genera by the following features: Unique shape reminiscent of certain species of
Rhopalidae
(
Fig. 1F
) or
Coreidae
(
Fig. 3A
), distantly related families of true bugs; sexually dimorphic general coloration and abdominal connexiva (
Figs. 3C–D
,
12H
); roughened, impunctate, matte dorsal surface with irregular, transverse wrinkles (
Figs. 11B–C
,
12E
); extremely short antennal segment IV (
Fig. 12D
); and genitalic structures, such as tiny parameres (
Fig. 6A–B
) and thin-rimmed, elongate-ovoid sclerotized rings (
Figs. 4G
,
6G
).
Description.
Male
: Body relatively elongate, parallel-sided, similar in general shape to rhopalid; basic coloration dark brown; dorsal surface weakly shining, matte, roughened, with sparsely distributed, short, simple setae.
Head:
Vertical, narrow, weakly porrect; eyes small, contiguous to pronotal collar; vertex wide, with shallow, faint median sulcus (
Figs. 11A
,
12C
); frons somewhat inflated (
Fig. 12B
).
Antenna:
Segment I about as long as or longer than head width across eyes; segment II almost equal to I in thickness, slightly incrassate toward apex; segments III and IV filiform; segment IV extremely shortened, much shorter than interocular space.
Labium:
Relatively slender, short, not exceeding posterior margin of mesepisternum or apical part of mesocoxa (
Figs. 11D
,
12A
).
Thorax:
Pronotum matte, impunctate, roughened, carinate laterally, more than twice as wide as head across eyes, with sparsely distributed, short, simple, reclining setae; calli small, ovoid; scutellum somewhat elevated, with transverse wrinkles; scent efferent system with narrow peritreme (
Fig. 11E
,
12G
).
Hemelytron:
Matte, impunctate, partly roughened, with sparsely distributed, short, simple, reclining setae.
Legs:
Long; tibial spines short, sparsely distributed; tarsomere III longer than I or II; parempodia lamellate, short; pulvilli relatively large (
Fig. 11H
).
Abdomen:
Wider than forewings, with developed connexiva.
Genitalia
(
Fig. 6A–C
): Pygophore relatively small (
Fig. 12A
); parameres short, with sparsely distributed sensory setae (
Fig. 6A–B
); left paramere weakly curved; right paramere inflated apically, with short hypophysis; vesica with a broad, apically clawed lobal-sclerite laterally, in addition to a slender spicule and a spinulate, triangular sclerite around secondary gonopore (
Fig. 6C
).
Female
: Similar to male, but general coloration pale reddish brown and body wider, with more developed, expanded connexiva on lateral margins of abdomen.
Genitalia
(
Figs. 4G–H
,
6D–G
,
11I–L
,
12J–O
): Sclerotized ring thin-rimmed, elongate oval (
Figs. 4G
,
6G
).
Etymology.
Named for similarity of the congeners to a certain species of rhopalid bugs(
Heteroptera
:
Rhopalidae
), in combination with the mirine generic name
Miris
Fabricius
; gender masculine.
Type
species.
Rhopalimiris gagai
Yasunaga, Yamada & Tsai
,
new species
.
Distribution.
Currently known only from
Taiwan
.
Discussion.
Because of its specialized morphology, the present new genus is easily distinguished from any other known mirine taxa. The unique feature, reminiscent of a certain member of the
Rhopalidae
or Coreoidea, may be posited as wasp-mimicry, e.g.,
Cyllecoris
spp.
of
Orthotylinae (Yasunag, 1999)
and
Pachypeltis humerale
(Walker, 1873)
of
Bryocorinae (
Yasunaga
et al.
, 2018d
)
. Based on the surface structures and vestiture pattern,
Rhopalimiris
appears to have some relationship with
Cheilocapsus
Kirkaldy, 1902
or
Pantilius
Curtis, 1833
. However, the latter genera are significantly different in the genitalic structures of both sexes (cf.
Yasunaga, 1992
; 2018). The definitive systematic position of
Rhopalimiris
will depend upon the acquisition of DNA sequence data as well as biological information in the future.
The second species (described based on
two female
specimens),
Rhopalimiris amplissimus
n. sp.
herein regarded as a congener of
R. gagai
n. sp.
, is at first sight rather like members of
Eocalocoris
or
Heteropantilius
. On the basis of similarity in the surface structures including vestiture pattern, extremely short antennal segment IV, tarsal structure, widened abdomen and shape of the female genitalia, we provisionally place
amplissimus
in
Rhopalimiris
(see below description).