Felisacus schuhi, Namyatova & Cassis, 2016

Namyatova, Anna A. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2016, Revision And Phylogeny Of The Fern-Inhabiting Genus Felisacus Distant (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Bryocorinae) Anna A. Namyatova And Gerasimos Cassis, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2016 (403), pp. 1-169 : 141-143

Felisacus schuhi , sp. nov.

Figures 6 , 9J , 13L, M , 15I, 20 DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the following combination of characters: dorsal surface of head whitish yellow to pale brown; lateral sides of collar yellow to pale brown; pronotum mostly yellow, sometimes with a pair of pale brown markings near humeral angles; inner part of clavus often brown, sometimes yellow to pale brown; cuneus mostly colorless; cylindrical antennal segment I (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 8A), vertex upraised (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 6D); labium slightly surpassing middle of mesosternum; antennal segment I ca. 1.5–1.9× as long as head width; cuneus ca. 3× as long as base; medial part of right paramere slightly wider than basal part, shorter than basal and apical parts combined; its inner margin convex (fig. 13L); apical part of left paramere not widened, ca. 3× as long as wide (fig. 13M); vesica with five spicules, including spicules A, B, and C (fig. 9J). DESCRIPTION: Male. Total length 3.8–4.3. COLORATION (fig. 6): Head: Whitish yellow to pale brown, usually with red markings, dorsal surface usually darker than lateral and ventral sides; sometimes head uniformly colored. Eye dark brown with reddish tinge, rarely pale brown. Labium: Whitish yellow to pale brown, segments III–IV usually darker than segments I–II and with reddish tinge, sometimes labium uniformly colored. Antenna: Segment I yellow to pale brown, paler basally and sometimes darkened apically; segment II pale brown, reddish brown or brown, often darker than segment I; segments III–IV brown to dark brown, often darker than segment II. Thorax: Pronotum yellow to pale brown, with brown anterior margin, sometimes marking along posterior margin or at least marking near humeral angles also brown, reddish markings laterally sometimes present; mesoscutum and scutellum whitish yellow to yellow, sometimes depression and punctures between them pale brown; scutellum sometimes pale brown to brown apically; thoracic pleura yellow to pale brown; scent gland evaporative area whitish yellow. Hemelytron: Mostly colorless and translucent; inner part of clavus sometimes opaque, often brown with small markings and margins brown to dark brown, rarely inner part of clavus yellow to pale brown with pale brown to brown margins with or without small brown markings; outer part of clavus often yellow to pale brown apically; marking along inner margin of corium pale brown to brown, sometimes paler posteriorly; embolium with margins pale brown to brown, sometimes embolium yellow apically or uniformly yellow; cuneus with yellow or pale brown margins, sometimes outer margin and apex pale brown; membrane sometimes with grayish tinge, membrane cell yellow. Legs: Coxae whitish yellow; femora whitish yellow basally and pale brown, sometimes with reddish marking, apically; tibiae varying from yellow to pale brown, sometimes whitish yellow apically, sometimes apical part or entire tibia with reddish tinge; tarsi pale brown to brown, often with segment I and rarely segment II whitish yellow to yellow. Abdomen: Whitish yellow or yellow, sometimes with pale brown to brown dorsal surface of pregenital segments and genital capsule. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Corium smooth, with shallow and scarce punctures. Dorsum clothed with setae subequal to or shorter than antennal segment II diameter; antennal segment I and femora clothed with suberect setae shorter than antennal segment II diameter; abdomen clothed with short, erect setae. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body ca. 4.2–4.5× as long as pronotum width. Head: Depression delimiting occipital region distinct dorsally and laterally (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 4E); distance between depression and pronotum distinctly shorter than eye diameter; longitudinal sulcus on dorsal surface longer than eye diameter; distance from eye to pronotum distinctly longer than eye diameter, not swollen laterally (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 4E); vertex ca. 1.5–1.9× as wide as eye, upraised (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 6D). Labium (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: figs. 6D, 9C): Surpassing middle of mesosternum but distinctly not reaching pos- terior margin of mesosternum; segments I and II strongly reduced, combined shorter than half of segment III; segment I shorter than wide; segment II slightly longer than wide, its dorsal surface elongate posteriorly; segment III subequal to ventral side of head; segment IV ca. 1.5× as long as segment III. Antenna: Segment I cylindrical (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 8A), ca. 1.5–1.9× as long as head width, ca. 1.0–1.2× as long as pronotum width; segment II ca. 1.8–2.2× as long as head width, ca. 1.3–1.5× as long as pronotum width; segment III slightly longer than segment II; segment IV ca. 0.3× as long as antennal segment III. Thorax: Anterior part of pronotum slightly shorter than posterior part; collar delimited; posterior part of pronotum slightly upraised; posterior margin of pronotum concave, pronotum ca. 1.2–1.4× as wide as long and ca. 1.4–1.5× as wide as head; mesoscutum exposed. Hemelytron: Area along inner margin of corium almost flat; inner margin of cuneus convex (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 13E), outer margin of cuneus ca. 3× as long as base. Abdomen: Genital capsule rotated left at right angle relative to rest of abdomen. Genitalia: Genital capsule (fig. 15I) ca. 1.5× as long as wide; ventral wall ca. 1.7× as long as dorsal wall, with posterior margin of ventral wall semioval, smooth, without outgrowth(s), its apex slightly shifted left, not curved; sides of genital capsule not modified; right paramere socket acute, left socket rounded; distance between paramere sockets subequal to half of genital capsule width at base. Right paramere (fig. 13L) distinctly curved in apical half; apex straight; medial part slightly wider than basal part, bearing setae, with outer margin straight or slightly concave and inner margin slightly widened; outer angle distinct, not swollen; inner angle rounded, without setae; basal part ca. 0.15–0.2× as long as rest of paramere. Left paramere (fig. 13M) L-shaped; apical part not flattened, with tooth on posterior side medially and without outgrowth on dorsal surface; middle part widened, without swelling or outgrowth; setae only on middle part near outer margin. Aedeagus (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: fig. 22I) conjunctiva weakly sclerotized; secondary gonopore placed at base of vesical in repose; sclerotization of ductus seminis around secondary gonopore shorter than wide; vesical with five spicules, including large spicules A, B, and C (fig. 9J).

Female. Total length 4.3–4.6. COLORATION (fig. 6): Head: Similar to male, rarely uniformly pale brown. Labium: Similar to male, sometimes uniformly pale brown. Antenna: Similar to male, antennal segment I rarely uniformly pale brown. Thorax: As in male. Legs and hemelytron: As in male. Abdomen: Yellowish to pale brown, often with reddish apex and brownish dorsal surface. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: As in male. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Structure as in male; body ca. 4.2–4.5× as long as pronotum width; vertex ca. 1.6–2.1× as wide as eye; antennal segment I ca. 1.5–1.8× as long as head width, ca. 1.0–1.1× as long as pronotum width; segment II ca. 1.8–2.2× as long as head width, ca. 1.2–1.4× as long as pronotum width; pronotum ca. 1.2–1.3× as wide as long and ca. 1.5–1.7× as wide as head. Genitalia (as in Namyatova et al., 2016: figs 23F, G): Dorsal labiate plate wider than distance between apodemes of second valvula; mostly smooth, without distinct striations or longitudinal membranous ridge, with semicircular sclerites and distinct sclerotized rings laterally; lateral oviducts placed almost medially, very close to each other, spermathecal gland placed between lateral oviducts; dorsal labiate plate with distinct tubercles, without membranous lobe medially.

DISTRIBUTION: Loyalty Is., Solomon Is. (Choiseul Is., Santa Cruz), Vanuatu (Malekula Is., Epi Is., Santo Is.) (fig. 20).

HOST PLANTS: Unknown.

ETYMOLOGY: The species is named after Randall Schuh, emeritus curator of the American Museum of Natural History, who kindly loaned us specimens of Felisacus .

DISCUSSION: Felisacus schuhi is similar to F. elegantulus , F. lordhowensis , and F. meilingae in coloration and structure (figs. 5, 6). Felisacus elegantulus differs from F. schuhi in the humeral angles often brown to dark brown, the inner part

of the clavus mostly colorless or yellow and reaching posterior margin of the mesosternum; the vesica has a short spicule B and lacks spicules A and C, but with a large bifurcate spicule (fig. 8H). Felisacus lordhowensis is separated from F. schuhi by the inner part of the clavus whitish yellow to yellow, the labium reaching or slightly surpassing the posterior margin of the metasternum, and the vesica has six spicules, with a short spicule B and without spicules A and C (fig. 8R). Felisacus meilingae differs from F. schuhi by the posterior margin of the pronotum with a brown marking posteriorly and the presence of six vesical spicules, including spicules A, B, and C (fig. 9J).

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype: VANUATU: Shefa: Epi Island: Lowekewou, 16.6 ° S 168.1667 ° E, 10 m, 31 Aug 1979, B.H. Gagne, 13 (00043026) ( BPBM). Paratypes: EAST TIMOR: Estacao Zootecnica and foot of Mundo Perdido nr Ossu, Timor Portugues, 8.73423 ° S 126.35914 ° E, 09 Mar 1961, G.F. Gross, 13 (00017812) ( SAMA). NEW

CALEDONIA: Province des Iles Loyauté: Fayaoue, Ouvea Is., 20.65774 ° S 166.54238 ° E, 25 m, Dec 1968, N.L.H. Krauss, 23 (00042305, 00042307), 1♀ (00042308) ( BPBM). SOLOMON

ISLANDS: Isabel: Sasamungga [Sasamonga], 7.03333 ° S 156.78333 ° E, 50 m, Feb 1984, N.L.H. Krauss, 13 (00043242) (BPBM). Makira-Ulawa: Graciosa Bay, 10.75 ° S 165.76666 ° E, 25 m, Jan 1977, N.L.H. Krauss, 13 (00043241), 1♀ (00043243) (BPBM). VANUATU: Espiritu Santo Is.: Big Bay, E Jordan River, 15.17443 ° S 166.92759 ° E, 20 m, 12 Sep 1979, B.H. Gagne, 23 (00042314, 00042315), 4♀ (00043043–00043046) (BPBM). Malampa: South West Bay, Malekula Is., 16.4722 ° S 167.43124 ° E, 13 Oct 1971, P. Cochereau, 13 (00017553), 3♀ (00017554–00017556) (SAMA). Penama: Maewo Is.: Sounwari, 15.38 ° S 168.12989 ° E, 50 m, 04 Sep 1979 – 05 Sep 1979, B.H. Gagne, 1♀ (00043062) (BPBM). Shefa: Epi Island: Lowekewou, 16.6 ° S 168.1667 ° E, 10 m, 31 Aug 1979, B.H. Gagne, 43 (00043023–00043025, 00043027), 15♀ (00043028–00043042) (BPBM). Vaemali, 16.58959 ° S 168.16855 ° E, 125 m, 06 Aug 1967 – 10 Aug 1967, J. and M. Sedlacek, 13 (00042313) (BPBM).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Habitus of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 9. Vesical spicules of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 13. Parameres of Felisacus species.

FIGURE 20. Distribution of Felisacus species.