Cyrtopeltocoris illini Knight, 1941

Wyniger, Denise, Schuh, Randall T. & Henry, Thomas J., 2023, Revision of the North American Hallodapini (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae), American Museum Novitates 2023 (3994), pp. 1-48 : 30-31

Cyrtopeltocoris illini Knight

Figures 2 , 5 , 6 , table 1

Cyrtopeltocoris illini Knight, 1941: 117 (original description).

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the globular head, small eyes, wide vertex with a carinate posterior margin (fig. 2), erect, conical, apically pointed scutellum (fig. 2) and apex of endosoma greatly surpassing secondary gonopore (fig. 5), the last attribute similar to condition in C. nudipronotum .

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Total length 3.63. Coloration (fig. 2): Head bright brownish orange; labium brown; pronotum bright brownish orange; mesoscutum and scutellum bright brownish orange; scent-gland auricle brown; clavus orange basally, white medially and brown apically; corium and embolium brownish orange basally, white medially and brown apically; white transverse band on corium slightly concave medially (fig. 2); apex of corium bordering base of cuneus with an elongate, transverse, white mark nearly touching inner margin of corium; cuneus reddish brown; membrane fuscous; antennal segments yellow with II and III brownish basally, and IV brown (fig. 2); venter brown; mesepisternum orange brown to reddish brown; procoxa white, brownish basally, red apically, mesocoxa ivory with reddish spot, metacoxa ivory, trochanters orange brown; femora brownish orange to reddish brown; tibiae reddish brown, apex yellow; tarsi yellowish. Surface and vestiture (fig. 2): Vertex, pronotum, scutellum, and hemelytron bearing recumbent setae; entire body surface polished and shining. Structure (fig. 2): Head globular in dorsal view, vertex broad, flat; eyes small (fig. 2); pronotum campanulate, strongly swollen (fig. 2); scutellum forming an elongate vertical spine (fig. 2); corium with lateral margin distinctly concave medially; labium reaching metacoxa. genitalia (fig. 5): Endosoma irregularly coiled, apical portion extending well beyond secondary gonopore, largely membranous and flattened (fig. 5); phallotheca strongly curved; left paramere with anterior process short; posterior process elongate and straight; right paramere rounded laterally and acuminate apically.

DISTRIBUTION (fig. 6): Restricted to the central Mississippi and Missouri River drainages, as one of only two species occurring in eastern North America.

DISCUSSION: The apically pointed, conical scutellum and globose head with proportionately small eyes make this taxon unmistakable. Specimens collected by Robert Blinn are labeled as occurring on Poa and Festuca , suggesting a grass-dwelling habit for this species, but other material labeled as occurring on Baccharis (Asteraceae) .

PARATYPES: USA: Illinois: Wayne Co.: Geff, 38.43333 ° N 88.4 ° W, 140 m, 12 Jun 1934, DeLong and Ross, Baccharis sp. (Asteraceae) , 1♂ (AMNH_PBI 00410963) (USNM). Missouri: St. Louis Co.: St. Louis, 38.61479 ° N 90.215 ° W, 180 m, 25 Jun 1939, R.C. Froeschner, 1♂ (AMNH_PBI 00410964) (USNM).

OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED: USA: Kansas: Shawnee Co.: State Lake [Shawnee County State Park], 39.2022 ° N 95.80069 ° W, 306 m, 07 Jun 1964, C.W. O’Brien, 1♂ (AMNH_PBI 00081109) (UCB). Missouri: Boone Co.: 1.3 mi N of Ashland Wildlife Area, 38.78058 ° N 92.19683 ° W, 247 m, 05 Jun 1981, R.L. Blinn, Festuca sp. (Poaceae) , 2♂ (NCSU_ENT 00181536, NCSU_ENT 00181537) (NCSU); 19 Jun 1981, R.L. Blinn, Festuca sp. (Poaceae) , 1♀ (NCSU_ENT 00181539) (NCSU); 03 Jul 1981, R.L. Blinn, Festuca sp. (Poaceae) , 1♀ (NCSU_ENT 00181540) (NCSU). Rt 1, 0.6 mi S of jct of Hwy N, 38.7955 ° N 93.37469 ° W, 213 m, 09 Jun 1982, R.L. Blinn, Poa sp. (Poaceae) , 1♂ (NCSU_ENT 00181538) (NCSU).

Figures

FIG. 2. Dorsal habitus and lateral view images of Cyrtopeltocoris spp., C. fractifasciatus–C. illlini.

FIG. 5. Male genitalia of Cyrtopeltocoris spp., C. hallodapoides–C. rubripes.

FIG. 6. Distributions of Cyrtopeltocoris spp.