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 rubramaculus
sp. nov.
Figs.
3
K–M,
5
G, H,
6
A
Etymology
This species is named so for the bright red markings on dorsum. From the Latin ‘rubra,’ meaning red and ‘macula’, meaning mark or spot.
Fig. 6.
Distribution maps. (A)
F. huahine
,
F. meyeri
and
F. rubramaculus
; (B)
F. raiatea
and
F. tatarnici
; (C)
F. viridis
. This figure is published in colour in the online edition of this journal, which can be accessed via http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/1876312x.
Material
Holotype
.
French Polynesia
: Society Islands: Tahiti Island: Mt. Marau,
17.61805
°S
149.38333
°W
,
1400 m
,
18
Aug
1977
–
21
Aug
1977
, W. C. Gagne,
Piper latifolia
(
Piperaceae
) BHG
HERB
SPEC
. #1349,
1♂
(00042618) (
BPBM
).
Paratypes
.
French Polynesia
: Society Islands: Tahiti Island: Mt. Marau,
17.61805
°S
149.38333
°W
,
1400 m
,
18
Aug
1977
–
21
Aug
1977
, W. C. Gagne,
Piper latifolia
(
Piperaceae
) BHG
HERB
SPEC
. #1349, 3♀ (00042621–00042623),
8
♂
(00042615–00042617, 0 0 0
42619
, 0 0 0
42620
, 0 0 0
42624
, 0 0 0 42977, 00042978) (
BPBM
).
Fig. 7.
Host plants. (A) Habitat of
Nephrolepis hirsulata
; (B) habitat of
Angiopteris
evicta
; (C) abdaxial surface of
Angiopteris evicta
frond. This figure is published in colour in the online edition of this journal, which can be accessed via http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/1876312x.
Diagnosis
Recognized by the following combination of characters: body mostly yellow, head and marking covering posterior margin of clavus and inner part of corium bright red (
Fig.
1
); head slightly elongate and acute dorsally (as in
Fig.
2
A); antennal segment I ca.
0.8–1.1
× in male and ca. 1.0× in female longer than head width; vesica with four lobes, one of them with small tubercles apically; interramal lobes on posterior wall small, distance between them subequal to interramal lobe width.
Description
Male.
Total length
3.8
–4.0. Coloration (
Fig.
1
). Head. Bright red or dark red; eye dark brown to black; labium yellow; antennal segments I–II yellow, antennal segments III–IV pale brown. Thorax. Collar and calli red, posterior part of pronotum yellow; scutellum uniformly yellow; thoracic pleura and scent gland evaporative area uniformly whitish yellow to yellow. Hemelytron. Mostly whitish yellow, large marking covering posterior part of clavus and inner part of corium bright red, sometimes this marking almost indistinct; membrane whitish yellow or with brownish tinge, membrane cell yellow or reddish. Legs. Uniformly whitish yellow to yellow. Abdomen. Uniformly whitish yellow to yellow. Surface and vestiture. As in generic description, without dark setae on head and pronotum. Structure and measurements. As in generic description. Body ca.
3.5–3.9
× longer than pronotum; head slightly elongate and acute dorsally (as in
Fig.
2
A); vertex ca.
1.5–1.8
× wider than eye diameter; antenna distinctly longer than body; antennal segment I subequal to head width; ca.
0.8–1.1
× longer than head width and ca.
0.6–0.8
× longer than pronotum width; antennal segment II ca.
2.3–2.5
× longer than head width, ca.
1.7–1.9
× longer than pronotum width; antennal segment III ca.
0.75
× longer than segment II; mesoscutum not exposed or slightly exposed; pronotum ca.
1.8
–2.0× wider than long and ca.
1.3–1.4
× wider than head. Male genitalia. (
Figs.
3
K–M). Right paramere curved dorsally (
Fig.
3
L); left paramere slightly swollen basally (
Fig.
3
M); vesica with four lobes without small sclerotized spicules, one of them bearing small scarce tubercles, (
Fig.
3
K).
Female.
Total length
4.2–4.3
. Coloration (
Fig.
1
). As in male. Surface and vestiture. As in male. Structure and measurements. Structure as in male; body ca.
3.4–3.7
× longer than pronotum width; vertex ca.
1.6–1.7
× wider than eye; antennal segment I subequal to head width and ca.
0.6–0.7
× longer than pronotum width; segment II ca.
2.3–2.4
× longer than head width, ca.
1.5–1.6
× longer than pronotum width; pronotum twice wider than long and ca.
1.4–1.6
× wider than head. Female genitalia (
Figs.
5
G, H). Anterior margin of dorsal labiate plate more or less sclerotized (
Fig.
5
G); sclerotized ring on dorsal labiates plate relatively large, ca.
0.3
× longer than dorsal labiate plate length (
Fig.
5
G); distance between interramal lobes subequal to interramal lobe width. (
Fig.
5
H).
Distribution
The species is known from the single location, Mt Marau (Tahiti Island) (
Fig.
6
A).
Host plant
All specimens were collected from
Piper latifolia
(
Piperaceae
).
Discussion
Filicicoris rubramaculus
is similar to
F. raiatea
and
F. viridis
in the vesical lobes. However,
F. raiatea
differs by the yellow coloration lacking any red markings (
Fig.
1
), the antennal segment I being shorter than the head width and the distance between interramal lobes being ca.
0.3
× as long as the interramal lobe width (
Fig.
5
F).
Filicicoris viridis
can be separated from
F. rubramaculus
by its pale green to yellow coloration (
Fig.
1
), lacking any red markings and the short and rounded anteriorly head (
Fig.
2
D).