Myiomma variabilis, Krüger, 2018

Krüger, Andreas, 2018, Vehicle-mounted net sampling of airborne micro-Heteroptera in western Liberia, West Africa: 1. Isometopinae (Miridae), Zootaxa 4378 (4), pp. 491-515 : 511-514

Myiomma variabilis sp. nov.

( Figure 15 )

Description. Male. Length 1.7–2.0. Maximum width across hemelytra 0.8. Head (figures 15B–D) dorsal width 0.38, dorsal length 0.22; facial width 0.27; facial length 0.27. Minimum frontal interocular space 0.0–0.01; posterior space 0.03–0.04. Maximum width of eye 0.17; height 0.27. Height of gena 0.16. Ocellus width 0.03; interocellar space 0.02. Maximum width of pronotum 0.68–0.7; median length 0.27–0.3. Scutellum length 0.24– 0.28; width 0.34–0.36; cuneus length 0.21–0.22, width 0.26. Rostrum 0.66–0.68. Antennae I 0.04; II 0.5–0.54; III 0.12; IV 0.13 (figure 15E).

Head strongly deflexed; vertex together with eyes moderately reflexed over anterior pronotal margin; from above about 2x as broad as long, in front about as wide as high, at least 0.75x as long as pronotum; broadly convex in front; broadest across base of genae. Color dark reddish brown; occiput ivory whitish. Entire disc including eyes generally pubescent with semi-erect pale hairs, though very short on eyes. Antenna I brownish, II pale in basal 2/3, in apical third reddish; III and IV greyish. II slightly clavate, clothed with greyish erect and semi-erect hairs 1.5x or more as long as segment width. Rostrum I pale, II+III yellow, IV brownish; extending just beyond hind coxae.

Pronotum sub-campanulate, about 2.3–2.6x as broad as long, lateral margins slightly convex, feebly carinate; calli obsolete; disk finely rugose punctate, brown to dark reddish-brown. Mesoscutum and scutellum impunctate or nearly so; the former dark reddish with broad hind reddish band, the latter reddish-brown with a distinct greyishwhite subapical band of variable extent followed by a dark tip.

Hemelytra finely punctate and largely dusty hyaline, clavus infuscated with reddish basally; pubescent; emboliar veins with reddish infuscation; apical border of cuneus and veins on membrane infuscated. Membrane brownish-hyaline.

Venter including ostiolar peritreme largely reddish-brown; basalar sclerite more or less white. Legs pale; femora apically brownish.

Genitalia as illustrated in figures 15F–G. Endosoma of aedeagus moderately elongated, in fully everted condition with long apical spines. Right paramere simple. Left paramere simple, proximal bulb pilose.

Female. Unknown.

Specimens examined. ♂ holotype, Liberia: Bong county, LRU-Fahn Gbolo , N06°50’ W10°20’, 07.vi 1989, 5–6:20 pm (leg. Garms) . Paratypes: 1♂, Liberia: Bong county, LRU gate—Menla, N06°56’ W10°15’, 05.iv 1989, 4:36–5:25 pm (leg. Garms) . 1♂, Liberia: Bong county, Dam 12— LRU, N06°47’ W10°19’, 08.vi 1989, 6:40–6:55 pm (leg. Garms) . 1♂, Liberia: Bong county, LRU—Menla, N06°56’ W10°15’, 29.iii 1989 (leg. Garms) . 1♂, Liberia: Bong county, LRU—Dam12, N06°47’ W10°20’, 04.v 1989, 6–6:10 am (leg. Garms) . 1♂, Liberia: Bong county, LRU—Dam12, N06°47’ W10°19’, 12.v 1989, 4:48–6:36 pm (leg. Garms) .

Etymology. The species is named for its variable morphology.

Remarks. Myiomma variabilis sp. nov. shares many characters with rubra , rubrovenata , fuscipes and goellneri (see above). It differs e.g. in general coloration, head shape and length of antenna II. It can be distinguished from fuscipes by the genitalia, antenna II/pronotum width ratios of less than 0.78 versus more than this, the largely hyaline hemelytra, and a more distinct whitish subapical band on scutellum. M. goellneri differs by the bi-colored pronotum and the dorsal head length/pronotum length ratio (0.63 versus 0.77). When applying the key by Akingbohungbe (1996) M. variabilis sp. nov. will run into M. rubrovenata . It differs from rubrovenata by the larger subapical whitish band on scutellum, the dark reddish-brown versus nearly blackish pronotum, a slightly longer rostrum extending beyond the hind coxae, and the dorsal head length/pronotum length ratio (0.77 versus less than 0.6).

Figures

FIGURE 15. Myiomma variabilis sp. nov. male. A—habitus; B—head dorsad; C—head, frontal view; D—head, thorax laterad; E—antenna; F—parameres; G—aedeagus, inverted and everted. Scales: A = 1 mm;B–E = 0.3 mm; F–G = 0.05 mm.