Review of the plant bug genus Fingulus Distant in Indochina (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Deraeocorini), with descriptions of two new species
Author
Yasunaga, Tomohide
Author
Yamada, Kazutaka
Author
Duangthisan, Jomsurang
Author
Artchawakom, Taksin
text
Zootaxa
2016
4154
5
581
588
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.4154.5.7
26b1135a-51a4-4519-9792-61d8c038669d
1175-5326
264983
8AA42E13-DF61-4356-82A9-A1ADBA9FE10D
Genus
Fingulus
Distant
Diagnosis.
Recognized readily by small to moderate size (2.0−4.5 total length); usually uniformly and clearly punctate dorsum and propleuron; porrect, slender head with strongly developed, necklike postocular region; vertex usually with a narrow basal carina; broad, flattened or rarely weakly rounded pronotal collar; deep cuneal incisure sometimes marking strongly deflexed hemelytron. See
Stonedahl & Cassis (1991)
for further diagnostic characters.
Distribution.
Known widely from Old World tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones, including Africa, continental
China
,
India
, Indochina,
Indonesia
,
Philippines
,
Taiwan
, east to
New Caledonia
and northeastern
Australia
, and north to southwestern
Japan
archipelago (Shikoku, Kyushu and Ryukyu Islands).
Discussion.
This deraeocorine genus is uniquely defined by the above diagnostic characters, especially the porrect, tapered head, which is similar in shape to some anthocorids and implies a predaceous food preference.
Stonedahl & Cassis (1991)
discussed the character sets in detail and posited its most closely related genus as
Angerianus
Distant
which is particularly characterized by having the anteriorly flattened, vertical head reminiscent of the
Hyaliodini
(e.g.,
Stethoconus
Flor, 1861
; see
Yasunaga
et al.
, 1997
;
2001
), long, slender antennal segment I and femora, and excessively deflexed hemelytron with the membrane covering the caudal abdomen (
Fig. 2
E −F) (Stonedahl, 1991). Nonetheless, except for the porrect head, some members of
Fingulus
have the conventional deraeocorine shape and surface structures.
Although nothing is currently known about biology for any
Angerianus
species, the first author has collected quite a few specimens including some immature forms of
A. fractus
and
A. maurus
by sweeping various herbs and shrubs both in Nepal and Thailand;
thus, we presume that some members of
Angerianus
may be polyphagous. On the other hand,
Fingulus
species have rather restricted habitat preferences as mentioned below for
F. angkorensis
, and appear to be oligophagous. Also in the Ryukyus,
Japan
,
F. longicornis
Miyamoto
is known to inhabit leaf-curl galls of
Ficus microcarpa
induced by
Gynaikothrips ficorum
(Marchal)
(
Thysanoptera
: Tubulifera), often together with an anthocorid,
Montandoniola thripodes
Bergroth
(
Anthocoridae
:
Oriini
) (
Nakatani
et al.
, 2000
;
Yasunaga
et al.
, 2001
). Based on the general shape of the immature forms that appear to mimic thrips,
Fingulus
members possibly have particular associations with certain thysanopterans (cf.
Yasunaga
et al.
, 2015
). Further surveys on biology are required to verify the relationship
between
Angerianus
and
Fingulus
.