Pleurochilophorus Reuter, 1905

Chérot, F. & Malipatil, M. B., 2016, A review of Adelphocoris - Creontiades - Megacoelum complex (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirini), with descriptions of two new genera and four new species, Zootaxa 4126 (2), pp. 151-206 : 181

14. Pleurochilophorus Reuter, 1905

( Figure 51 )

Pleurochilophorus Reuter, 1905a: 3 –4 (as new genus) [type-species by monotypy: Pleurochilophorus quadripunctatus Reuter, 1905 ]. Pleurochilophorus: Odhiambo 1958: 107 –108 (new species, key); Carvalho 1959: 323 –324 (catalog; classified in the tribe Hyalopeplini); Linnavuori 1974a: 8 -9 (diagnosis, key), b: 26 (diagnosis, key); Schuh, 1995: 921 –922 (catalog); Schwartz & Chérot 2005: 14 (discussion, partial diagnosis); Schuh 2002–2013 (online catalog).

Diagnosis. Body sub-oblong, total length 6–8.5, slightly convex, relatively uniform stramineous to green, frequently with orange or red stripes or spots ( Fig. 51 ). Frons protruding, forming a distinct notch above vertical tylus. Labium short, not reaching posterior coxae or reaching just beyond posterior coxae. Pronotum dorsally almost glabrous. Lateral margin of pronotum vaguely carinate. Pair of stiff erect setae on anterior corners absent. Tibia with dark spines. Scutellum almost flat. Hemelytra almost glabrous, dull, opaque or translucent, with two types of punctures, one very reduced but dense, narrow and shallow, the second, shallow but wider. Phallus devoid of true (apical or subapical) spiculum, comb or phallic support, secondary gonopore complete, with a small associated sclerite, devoid of pilose plate or hairs. Parieto-vaginal rings reduced, devoid of anterior projection; dorso-labiate plate developed. Posterior wall devoid of median process, dorsal process and interramal lobes present.

Included species. Pleurochilophorus bipunctatus Poppius, 1912 , P. d or i k ha Linnavuori, 1974*, P. marginicollis Linnavuori, 1974 *, P. pyrrha Linnavuori, 1974 *, P. quadripunctatus Reuter, 1905 *, P. rubrinervis Linnavuori, 1975 *, P. sexlineatus (Delattre, 1949) *, P. subhyalinus Poppius, 1912 .

Distribution. Afrotropical genus, known from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Sudan (Equatoria).

Host plants. Asteraceae, Capparidaceae, Fabaceae, Malpighiaceae, Malvaceae, Pedeliaceae ( Odhiambo 1958; Linnavuori 1975; Schuh 2002-2013; Schwartz & Chérot 2005).

Figures

FIGURES 51 – 58. Habitus of ACMc members: 51. Pleurochilophorus quadripunctatus Reuter, 1905, female holotype from Eritrea (MRAC). 52. Poppiocapsidea biseratensis (Distant, 1903), a male from Thailand. 53. “ Megacoelum townsvillensis ” Distant, 1904, a junior synonym of P. biseratensis (Distant, 1903) (new synonymy), female lectotype from Australia. 54. Poppiocapsidea tagalica (Poppius, 1915) n. comb., female holotype from Philippine Islands (MZHF). 55. Poppiomegacoelum gearyi n. gen., n. sp., female paratype from Australia. 56. Pseudomegacoelum beckeri (Fieber, 1870) n. comb., a specimen from Spain (MNHN). 57. Pseudomegacoelum irbilanum (Linnavuori, 1988) n. comb., male holotype from Iraq (AMNH). 58. Pseudomegacoelum quercicola (Linnavuori, 1965) n. comb., male holotype from Tunisia (AMNH). Scales = 1 mm.