Neolygus chaiyaphum, Yasunaga, 2024

Yasunaga, Tomohide, 2024, New species of the plant bug genus Neolygus Knight from Japan, Taiwan and Thailand (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirini), Zootaxa 5446 (4), pp. 451-487 : 475-484

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5446.4.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C204C80E-332C-4537-A6BA-1FC372BD6783

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11121642

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/6C640C52-B310-FF94-78AF-FB96FE3DFE5A

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Neolygus chaiyaphum
status

sp. nov.

Neolygus chaiyaphum n. sp.

Figs. 1J View FIGURE 1 , 12D–E View FIGURE 12 , 18L–O View FIGURE 18

Material examined. Holotype (♂). THAILAND: Chaiyaphum: Khon San District, Chulabhom Dam , 16˚32−33’N, 101˚38−39’E, 760−780 m alt., on flowers of broadleaf tree, 17 Apr 2013, T. Yasunaga ( DOAT) ( AMNH _ PBI 00378774 About AMNH ).

Diagnosis. Currently known by a single male specimen. Recognized by its small size (4 mm in total length); ovoid body shape ( Fig. 1J View FIGURE 1 ); pale olive basic coloration; dark apex of scutellum; widely darkened median part of hemelytra; and shape of parameres ( Fig. 12D–E View FIGURE 12 ). Dorsal color pattern is most similar to that of N. esakii (Yasunaga, 1991) (cf. Fig. 3I View FIGURE 3 ; Yasunaga 2001; Noguchi et al. 2023); but the latter (Japanese indigenous) species has the obviously larger in size and different shape of the male parameres ( Noguchi et al. 2023, p. 98, fig. 4), in addition to being associated with Acer spp. ( Sapindaceae ) in cool temperate deciduous forests.

Description. Holotype male: Body ovoid, small; basic coloration pale olive green, with distinct dark macula on mesial part of dorsum ( Fig. 1J View FIGURE 1 ); dorsal surface shining, with uniformly distributed, pale, simple, semierect setae. Head uniformly pale, shining; basal transverse carina on vertex slightly narrower than pronotal collar. Antenna pale brown; apical 1/6 of segment II, entire segments III and IV brown; segment II as long as metafemur; segment III slightly longer than head width across eyes. Labium pale brown, relatively long, slightly exceeding apex of metacoxa; apical part of segment IV dark brown. Pronotum and pleura pale olive; scent efferent system with somewhat elevated peritreme ( Fig. 18M View FIGURE 18 ); apex of scutellum darkened. Hemelytron with median dark macula across clavus and corium ( Fig. 1J View FIGURE 1 ); membrane smoky brown, with pale veins. All coxae and legs pale brown; metafemur apically with two obscure rings; meta-tarsomere II slightly longer than III ( Fig. 18N View FIGURE 18 ). Abdomen uniformly pale olive.

Male genitalia (12D–E, 18O): Left paramere with stout, bulbous sensory lobe ( Fig. 18O View FIGURE 18 ) and short apical process of hypophysis ( Fig. 12E View FIGURE 12 ); sensory lobe of right paramere moderately produced at apex ( Fig. 12D View FIGURE 12 ); vesical sclerites could not be observed, due to being a teneral specimen.

Female: Unknown.

Measurements: See Table 1 View TABLE 1 .

Etymology. Named for the type locality, Chaiyaphum Province of Thailand; a noun in apposition.

Distribution. Thailand (Chaiyaphum).

Biology. A single male adult was collected from inflorescence of an undetermined broadleaf tree. No other information is currently available.

Remarks. Finding of this new species represents the first distributional record of Neolygus from Indochina. This distribution is perhaps similar to a range of mountains in central Taiwan, the Himalayas and highland areas in the Oriental Region that are known to harbor a number of glacial relicts or cryophilic elements of the Miridae (e.g. Yasunaga & Schwartz 2007).

AMNH

American Museum of Natural History

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hemiptera

Family

Miridae

Genus

Neolygus

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