Myrmecophyes bykovi, Konstantinov, Fedor V., Luo, Zhaohui & Vinokurov, Nikolay N., 2013

Konstantinov, Fedor V., Luo, Zhaohui & Vinokurov, Nikolay N., 2013, Two new species, new synonymies, and new records of Plant bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae) from Northwestern China, Zootaxa 3666 (2), pp. 203-220 : 205-210

Myrmecophyes bykovi sp. nov.

Figures 1–4 , 6 A–D

Diagnosis. Recognized by the following combination of characters: vertex flat, not concave; dorsum without long setae; exposed part of mesonotum distinctly convex, gibbous in lateral view ( Fig. 6 A–B); whitish stripe on apices of wing pads narrow, occupying one-third of hemelytron or less ( Fig. 1 ); hemelytron short, reaching only base of abdomen, so that mesonotum about 3 × as long as wing commissure; scutellum visible from above; aperture of genital capsule broadly rounded at base; apex of right paramere subquadrate, with almost straight inner margin ( Fig. 2 ); sclerotized distal portion of ductus seminis almost equal in length to dorsal wall of phallotheca, wide, not coiled, gradually curved at base and almost straight apically ( Fig. 3 ); endosoma with two edentate sclerites ( Fig. 4 ).

M. bykovi clearly belongs to a group of species that differs from congeners in having distinctly gibbous mesonotum and short wing commissure and includes M. ermaki Bykov, 1969 , M. kiritshenkoi Horváth, 1927 , and M. korshinskii Reuter, 1903 . All these species could not be reliably separated without dissecting the male genitalia (shown for all species of this group on Figs 2–4 ). Myrmecopyes ermaki differs from M. bykovi in the elongated, bean-shaped apex of the right paramere with distinctly concave inner margin and the smaller aedeagus with short sclerotized distal portion of ductus seminis and different shape of both endosomal sclerites. Myrmecophyes kiritshenkoi could be distinguished from the new species by the robust right paramere with incised inner margin, the large aedeagus with characteristically long and coiled sclerotized distal portion of ductus seminis, and the endosomal spicules of distinctly unequal length. It is most similar to M. korshinskii but the latter species differs in having the gradually narrowing, almost cone-shaped at base, aperture of genital capsule, the elongated apex of right paramere and the longer, nontriangular sclerites of endosoma.

Description. Male: Relatively small, total length 2.7–3.2, brachypterous and distinctly antlike. COLORATION ( Fig. 1 ): Dorsum, thoracic pleura, and venter uniformly dark brown to black, with narrow, contrastingly whitish stripe along apex of wing pad forming transverse band; antenna uniformly dark brown, sometimes first segment and basal half of second segment pale brown or dirty yellowish; femora dark brown, sometimes with paler apices, rarely almost uniformly pale brown, tibiae and tarsi uniformly dark brown, in pale specimens tibia sometimes with pale brown bases. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum and venter shagreened but shining, abdomen smoother than thoracic dorsum. Ventral surfaces of head and thorax, entire abdomen, and appendages with relatively short, pale, reclining simple setae; first antennal segment with three to five black, erect, spinelike mesial setae, similar looking setae arranged in three to five pairs on frons, one pair on vertex, two pairs on pronotum, and one pair on mesonotum; femora typically with incomplete row of spinelike setae along dorsal surface and several apical spines dorsally and ventrally; tibial spines black. STRUCTURE: Body 4.1–4.6 × as long as width of pronotum at middle. Head: Large, distinctly vertical, twice as high as length or height of pronotum ( Fig. 6 ); frons flat; vertex broad and almost flat, in frontal view at about level as dorsal margin of eyes, 1.4–1.7 × as wide as eye; eyes relatively small, not stylate, projecting well beyond lateral margins of pronotum; antennal fossa located at bases of mandibular and maxillary plate, far below ventral margin of eye; antennal segments cylindrical, segments II–IV thin, first segment twice as wide as second, 1.4–1.5 × as long as pronotum; second segment long, 2.6–2.8 × as long as width of pronotum at middle, 1.9–2.1 × as long as width of head; labium stout, always surpassing hind coxa and reaching basal abdominal segments. Thorax: Pronotum at middle 1.4–1.5 × as wide as long, 0.7–0.8 × as wide as head, with anterior margin slightly convex, flattened and weakly reflexed, lateral margins strongly convex and smoothly rounded, posterior margin distinctly concave; calli not delimited, disc with two depressions at middle; exposed part of mesonotum large, slightly shorter than pronotal length, distinctly convex, gibbous in lateral view, broadly triangular, with smoothly rounded sides and angles in dorsal view; scutellum tiny, about 0.2–0.3 × as long as mesonotum; hemelytron reduced to undifferentiated, broadly rounded wing pad reaching to extreme base of abdomen, somewhat convex in basal two-thirds and with flat apical edging; veins and claval suture absent; mesonotum about 3 × as long as wing commissure; metathoracic scent gland evaporatory area as in Fig. 6 A; hind femur enlarged and somewhat flattened, reaching or even surpassing apex of abdomen, pretarsus as in Fig. 6 C, with smoothly curved claws and fleshy, apically convergent parempodia, pulvilli absent. Abdomen greatly expanded posterior to basal segments. GENITALIA: genital capsule large, about 0.6 of abdomen, with base partly retracted into pregenital segments, without distinctive ornamentation or processes ( Fig. 6 D), genital opening wide, oval, broadly rounded at base; parameres of typical Halticini shape ( Fig. 2 ), left paramere Lshaped, gradually tapering, ending with characteristic flattened blade, right paramere larger than left one, with long basal process, apically flattened and concave, flag-shaped, subquadrate in lateral view, with almost straight, finely dentate inner margin; phallotheca of aedeagus ( Figs 3 , 4 ) voluminous, with dorsal wall entirely sclerotized, apically upturned and cone-shaped, ventral wall apically sclerotized, membranous at base, apically terminating with broadly rounded and slightly upturned platelike lamella with finely dentate margin, ventral wall also equipped with pair of subapical, large, heavily sclerotized, and rounded outgrowths at sides; distal, sclerotized portion of ductus seminis almost equal in length to dorsal wall of phallotheca, wide, not coiled, gradually curved at base and almost straight apically; secondary gonopore large, slit-like, with distinct sculpture; endosoma voluminous, folded, with two sclerites, viz., somewhat larger, narrow, irregular triangular-shaped and smaller, strongly curved, distinctly flattened and sculptured, roughly L-shaped.

Female: Similar to male in coloration, surface, and vestiture ( Fig. 1 ) but somewhat different in measurements (See Table 1 ) and body proportions. Body larger on average, total length 2.9–3.7, 4.0–4.5 × as long as width of pronotum at middle. Head: Vertex 1.7–2.0 × as wide as eye; first antennal segment 1.0–1.2 × as long as pronotum; second segment 2.0–2.2 × as long as width of pronotum at middle, 1.5–1.7 × as long as width of head. Thorax: Pronotum at middle 1.4–1.5 × as wide as long, 0.7–0.8 × as wide as head. Abdomen usually more expanded at middle than in male.

Distribution. Xinjiang Province of China.

Etymology. The species is named after A.A. Bykov in recognition of his substantial contribution to our knowledge of the genus Myrmecophyes .

Material examined: Holotype: CHINA: Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu: Borohoro Mts, Dishuigou, 50 km S of Wusu, 44.11666 ° N 84.65 ° E, 2000 m, 0 5 Jul 2011 – 0 6 Jul 2011, N.N. Vinokurov, 13 (AMNH_PBI 00338203) (ZISP).

Paratypes: Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu: Borohoro Mt. Range, Guozigou, 44.48333 ° N 81.13333 ° E, 2160 m, 14 Jul 2011, N.N. Vinokurov, 13 (AMNH_PBI 00338153), 1Ƥ (AMNH_PBI 00338164) (YIB). Borohoro Mts, Dishuigou, 50 km S of Wusu, 44.11666 ° N 84.65 ° E, 2000 m, 0 5 Jul 2011 – 06 Jul 2011, N.N. Vinokurov, 23 (AMNH_PBI 0 0 338167, AMNH_PBI 00338172), 3Ƥ (AMNH_PBI 0 0 338188, AMNH_PBI 0 0 338190, AMNH_PBI 00338176) (CAU), 23 (AMNH_PBI 0 0 338196, AMNH_PBI 00338170), 3Ƥ (AMNH_PBI 0 0 338184, AMNH_PBI 0 0 338189, AMNH_PBI 00338178) (XIEG), 133 (AMNH_PBI 0 0 338195, AMNH_PBI 00338197-AMNH_PBI 0 0 338202, AMNH_PBI 0 0 338204, AMNH_PBI 0 0 338166, AMNH_PBI 0 0 338168, AMNH_PBI 0 0 338169, AMNH_PBI 0 0 338171, AMNH_PBI 00338154), 11Ƥ (AMNH_PBI 00338179- AMNH_PBI 0 0 338183, AMNH_PBI 00338185-AMNH_PBI 0 0 338187, AMNH_PBI 0 0 338191, AMNH_PBI 0 0 338177, AMNH_PBI 00338152) (ZISP). Borohoro Mts, S shore of Sailimu (Sairam-Nur) Lake, 44.5 ° N 81.08333 ° E, 2160 m, 14 Jul 2011, N.N. Vinokurov, 13 (AMNH_PBI 00338174) (CAU), 23 (AMNH_PBI 0 0 338175, AMNH_PBI 00338165) (ZISP). Urumchi, Nanshan, 43.43333 ° N 87.25 ° E, 1730 m, 20 Jul 2010, N.N. Vinokurov, 13 (AMNH_PBI 00338155) (XIEG).

Other specimens examined: CHINA: Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu: Borohoro Mts, Dishuigou, 50 km S of Wusu, 44.11666 ° N 84.65 ° E, 2000 m, 0 5 Jul 2011 – 06 Jul 2011, N.N. Vinokurov, 1 larva (AMNH_PBI 00338173) (ZISP).

Myrmecophyes kiritshenkoi Horváth, 1927

Widely distributed in the subalpine zone and montane forests of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (Bykov 1971). First record for China.

Material examined: Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu: Tian Shan, Ketmen Mt. Range, 9 km N of Zhaosu, 43.23333 ° N 81.1 ° E, 2123 m, 17 Jul 2011, N.N. Vinokurov, 33 (AMNH_PBI 0 0 338147, AMNH_PBI 0 0 338140, AMNH_PBI 00338144), 6Ƥ (AMNH_PBI 0 0 338157, AMNH_PBI 00338159-AMNH_PBI 00338163) (XIEG), 53 (AMNH_PBI 00338141-AMNH_PBI 0 0 338143, AMNH_PBI 0 0 338145, AMNH_PBI 00338146), 9Ƥ (AMNH_PBI 00338131-AMNH_PBI 0 0 338137, AMNH_PBI 0 0 338156, AMNH_PBI 00338158) (ZISP).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus views of Myrmecophyes bykovi sp. n. and Scirtetellus medvedevae sp. n.

FIGURE 2. Parameres of Myrmecophyes spp.

FIGURE 3. Ventral and lateral views of aedeagus, Myrmecophyes spp.

FIGURE 4. Ductus seminis and endosoma of Myrmecophyes spp. The bottom row shows apex of phallotheca in lateral view and sclerites of endosoma of M. bykovi sp. n. under bigger magnification.

FIGURE 6. Scanning electron micrographs of M. bykovi sp. n. (A – D) and S. medvedevae (E – H). A — head and pronotum. B — gibbous exposed part of mesonotum and wing pad. C — pretarsus. D — genital capsule. E — evaporatory area of metathoracic scent gland. F — pretarsus. G — vestiture. H — trichobothrium on hind femur.