Sahlbergella, HAGLUND, 1895

Namyatova, Anna A. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2016, Systematic revision and phylogeny of the plant bug tribe Monaloniini (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Bryocorinae) of the world, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 176 (1), pp. 36-136 : 123-125

SAHLBERGELLA HAGLUND

Figures 8, 10F, 11G, J, 21P–R, 22

Sahlbergella Haglund, 1895: 469 (gen. nov.; type species: Sahlbergella singularis Haglund, 1895 by monotypy); Kirkaldy, 1906: 134 (list); Reuter, 1907: 102 (disc., syn.); Reuter, 1910: 153 (cat.); Poppius, 1912: 176, 188 (key to gen., descr.); Bergroth, 1922: 52 (cat.); China, 1944: 179, 188 (key to gen., disc.); Villiers, 1952: 188 (descr.); Carvalho, 1952: 60 (cat.); Carvalho, 1955: 42 (key to gen.); Carvalho, 1957: 148 (cat.); Odhiambo, 1962: 298 (disc.); Linnavuori, 1973: 66 (disc., key to spp.); Lavabre, 1977a: 51, 54 (key to gen., descr.); Lotode, 1977: 188 (ecol.); Schmitz, 1987: 1, 2 (disc., key to spp.); Schuh, 1995: 532 (cat.); Schuh, 2002 –2013 (cat.); Namyatova et al., in press (phylogeny).

Deimatostages Kuhlgatz, 1906: 29 (gen. nov.; type species: Deimatostages contumax Kuhlgatz, 1906 by monotypy, synonymized by Reuter, 1907: 102); Carvalho, 1957: 148 (cat.); Schuh, 1995: 532 (cat.); Schuh, 2002 – 2013 (cat.).

Diagnosis: Sahlbergella belongs to the Odoniella - complex (see discussion after tribe) and is recognized by the following characters: apex of ASII distinctly swollen (as in fig. 9E in Namyatova et al., in press); ASIII–IV distinctly clavate (as in fig. 9F in Namyatova et al., in press); scutellum triangular or trapeziform ( Fig. 11G, J), divided into lower and upper parts ( Fig. 12B); frons with undivided or bifurcated outgrowth ( Fig. 10F, as in fig. 5C in Namyatova et al., in press); pronotum and scutellum punctate, bearing tumescences ( Fig. 11G, J); hemelytron with pale or dark flattened setae; hind tibia regularly setate.

Redescription: Male: Body length 6–10 mm. COLORA- TION ( Fig. 8). Mostly pale brown to dark brown, with pale or darker markings. TEXTURE. Vertex often with two pairs of tubercles anteriorly and a third pair near posterior margin of eye, sometimes very shallow; flattened areas on vertex distinct or indistinct; ASII with or without tumescences; pronotum and scutellum covered with distinct punctures; collar with more or less distinct tubercles; tumescences on pronotum and scutellum present, shallow or upraised ( Fig. 11G, J, fig. 4C in Namyatova et al., in press); row of punctures on clavus and on R + M and punctures on depression delimiting calli posteriorly absent; striations on lateral margins of scutellum indistinct or present only anteriorly; semicircular depression between scutellum and mesoscutum absent. VESTITURE. Head, pronotum and scutellum clothed mostly with short simple adpressed pale setae, sometimes very rare, sometimes setae on head and anterior part of pronotum flattened; thoracic pleura with simple or flattened adpressed pale setae; hemelytron mostly with pale or dark flattened setae, cuneus and often posterior margin of corium with simple adpressed setae; ASI with adpressed short pale simple setae, sometimes adpressed, ASII–IV with simple pale or dark suberect setae, some of them spinelike, shorter than width of hind tibia; legs with adpressed pale or dark setae, hind tibia regularly setose, shorter width of hind tibia; abdomen often clothed with short setae; black spinules on femora and tibiae irregularly distributed (as in fig. 18F in Namyatova et al., in press). STRUCTURE. Head. Distance between eye and pronotum shorter than eye diameter ( Fig. 10F, fig. 4C in Namyatova et al., in press); occipital region not delimited with depression; longitudinal depression on vertex present, shorter than eye diameter; eyes stylate, directed outwards, c. 0.2–0.25× as wide as head; distance between antennal fossa c. 1.7–2× as long as antennal fossa width; frons distinctly swollen, with single or paired outgrowth(s) or not paired outgrowth ( Fig. 10F, fig. 4C in Namyatova et al., in press), without longitudinal depression or ridges; anterior view of head c. 1.8–2.2× as wide as high; eye height c. 1.8–2.6× as distance from eye to apex of clypeus; antennal fossa oval, its diameter c. 0.3–0.6× as long as eye height, not raised (as in fig. 3B in Namyatova et al., in press); inferior margin placed near inferior margin of eye; base of clypeus placed above inferior margin of eye, distinctly delimited basally; in lateral view head flat, gula as long as or shorter than buccula length, straight or convex. Labium. Reaching posterior margin of metasternum; LSI c. 2–3× as long as wide; LSII c. 3–5× as long as wide, subequal or slightly longer than LSI; LSIII c. 3–4× as long as wide, subequal to LSII; LSIV c. 5–6× as long as wide, c. 1.2–1.5× as long as LSIII. Antenna. Length varying from reaching apex of scutellum to almost reaching apex of cuneus; ASI c. 1.5× as long as wide, subequal to quarter of head width, swollen basally (as in fig. 9E in Namyatova et al., in press); ASII c. 4.9–5.7× as long as segment I, c. 0.9–1.4× as long as head and pronotum combined, swollen apically; ASIII c. 0.5× as long as ASII, clavate or swollen apically; ASIV c. 0.8–0.9× as long as ASIII, clavate (as in fig. 8F in Namyatova et al., in press). Thorax. Collar not delimited or slightly delimited posteriorly, flat (fig. 4C in Namyatova et al., in press); calli separated, flat (fig. 4C in Namyatova et al., in press); depression delimiting calli posteriorly absent; humeral angles of pronotum slightly dilated, not serrate (fig. 4C in Namyatova et al., in press); posterior margin of pronotum distinctly concave, forming right angles (fig. 4C in Namyatova et al., in press); scutellum swollen ( Fig. 11G, J), not covering or rarely covering base of pronotum, triangular or trapeziform ( Fig. 11G, J), without outgrowth, divided into lower and upper parts ( Fig. 12B), lower part obtuse or acute apically, ridge or longitudinal depression medially; metepimeron enlarged, c. 1–1.5× as long as wide, angulate ( Fig. 13E); metasternum with medial projection to abdominal segment II (as in fig. 17A in Namyatova et al., in press). Hemelytron. Not tapering or slightly tapering anteriorly; costal margins slightly rounded; claval commissure c. 0.3–0.6× as long as scutellum, straight; R + M distinct only anteriorly, sometimes also medially, not reaching posterior margin of corium; medial fracture strongly inclined towards midline (as in fig. 12E Namyatova et al., in press); cuneus c. 1.5–1.8× as long as wide, c. 0.5–1.0× as long as pronotum, medial margin almost straight; corium without swelling posteriorly; membrane cell slightly or distinctly surpassing apex of cuneus, forming acute or almost straight angle, c. 0.7–1.2× as long as pronotum; auxiliary vein absent or very short; distance from cell to apex of membrane c. 0.8–1.3× as long as cell. Legs. Forecoxae contiguous (as in fig. 17A in Namyatova et al., in press); femora almost not swollen apically, straight; foretibia shorter than head and pronotum combined; tibia without tumescences; segment I of hind tarsus as long as segment II and shorter than segment III; apical half or third part of claw curved or claw broadly rounded, basal tooth on claw elongate, slightly concave (as in Fig. 13J) or distinctly concave (as in Fig. 13K), sometimes short and triangular (as in fig. 10B in Namyatova & Cassis, 2013b). Genitalia (fig. 23A–D in Namyatova et al., in press). Genital capsule as wide as long or slightly wider than long, without outgrowth, ventral wall not shortened anteriorly; left paramere r-shaped, twice as long as right paramere; phallobase sclerite of primary gonopore subtriangular, with anterior margin straight or distinctly concave, without outgrowth(s); ductus seminis not sclerotized basally, with sclerotized ring and sclerites around secondary gonopore, or without sclerotization; ductus seminis shorter than phallotheca with coils forming wide tube, attached to phallobase medially; sclerotized part of phallotheca narrow wider basally, rounded apically, occupying half of dorsal side, without ridge or outgrowth; endosoma with sclerotized areas.

Female: Body length 8–11 mm. Coloration, surface, vestiture and structure as in male, but females slightly larger than males ( Fig. 8). Genitalia ( Fig. 21P–R). DLP with single sclerotized ring, sometimes very thin; sometimes also with sclerotization along posterior margin; two large areas of striations present, separate or contiguous; lateral oviducts attached at middle of those striated areas, widely separated, placed near lateral margin and at a halfway of DLP; spermathecal gland placed at posterior margin, medially or on lefthand side; posterior margin of DLP membranous, with small tubercles, without outgrowth or sclerotization; base of valvula IX with distinct swelling; ventral wall membranous.

Distribution: Distributed in tropical Africa ( Fig. 22).

Host plants: Host plants are known for Sahlbergella singularis only. It is known to feed on species of the family Malvaceae . It is a major pest of cocoa ( Taylor, 1954; Leston, 1970; Entwistle, 1977), and is also known from other species of Theobroma, Cola , cotton, Sterculia , Ceiba and Bombax ( Piart, 1977) . There is also a record from Berria amonilla ( Tiliaceae ) ( Piart, 1977).