Chlamyopsallus, SCHWARTZ, 2005

SCHWARTZ, MICHAEL D., 2005, Redescription of Strophopoda aprica Van Duzee and the Description of Two New Genera and Five New Species from the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico (Heteroptera: Miridae), American Museum Novitates 3489 (1), pp. 1-24 : 11-14

Chlamyopsallus , new genus

TYPE SPECIES: Chlamyopsallus lycii , new species.

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the small, highly polished, shining black body with pale yellow appendages (fig. 1); long, suberect, bristlelike, black dorsal setae (fig. 5G,H); black tibial spines; apical black bristles on the fore coxae and hind femora; apically black tarsal segment 3; length of antennal segment 2 less than width of head; conspicuous sexual dimorphism with the male elongate and the female ovate (fig. 1); the relatively short, apically bifurcate vesical strap barely extending beyond the distal margin of secondary gonopore, and the broad secondary gonopore (fig. 2). Similar in size and or coloration to some species of Chlamydatus and Megalopsallus . Chlamyopsallus differs from all Chlamydatus spp. by the black, bristlelike dorsal vestiture and the shorter portion of the vesical strap distal to the secondary gonopore. All Megalopsallus spp. have a mixed vestiture of weakly flattened, lanceolate, silver y or white setae and reclining simple setae, the length of the antennal segment 2 is usually longer than the head width; in most species the apex of the vesical strap is not bifurcate. Those species of Megalopsallus with apically bifurcate vesical straps ( M. ellae Schuh and Schwartz , M. ephedrae Knight , M. froeschneri Schuh , and M. pallipes Knight ) do not have the uniformly dark coloration found in Chlamyopsallus .

DESCRIPTION: Male: Small, moderately elongate, moderately flattened, macropterous; range total length 2.74–2.90, range apex clypeus­cuneal fracture 1.75–2.00. COLORATION (fig. 1): dorsum entirely black; antennae, labium, except segment 4, and legs pale yellow; antennal segments 3 and 4 dusky yellow; labial segment 4, apical half of third tarsal segment and claws black; tibiae with minute black spots at bases of spines; hemelytral membrane strongly infuscate. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Impunctate, smooth, highly polished, and shining; vestiture composed long, suberect, black setae (fig. 5G,H). STRUCTURE: Head transverse, conforming to anterior margin of pronotum (fig. 5A,B); posterior margin of vertex with low, broadly rounded carina, width of carina broadest medially; anteocular portion of head slightly longer than eye width (fig. 5A,B), clypeus not visible from above; frons gently curved; eyes small, head projecting below eyes by onequarter head height, ventral margin of antennal fossa slightly below ventral margin of eye; length of antennal segment 2 less than width of head, length roughly equal to width of vertex plus width of one eye; diameter of segment 2 widest subapically, equal to diameter of segment 1; diameter of segments 3 and 4 narrower than that of segment 2; labium short, reaching to middle of middle coxae; pronotum trapeziform in dorsal view; mesothoracic spiracle and metathoracic scent gland as in figure 5C; hemelytra margins subparallel, cuneal fracture moderately incised, cuneus slightly deflect­ ed at fracture; anterior edge of coxae with black bristles, tibial spines long, black; claws of moderate size, gently curved at point level with apex of pulvillus; pulvillus large, adnate to ventral margin for almost entire length; parempodia setiform (fig. 5D,F); hind femoral trichobothria as in figure 5E; abdomen small, tapering toward relatively small genital segment, the latter occupying about one­third length of abdomen and reaching to middle of cuneus in lateral view. GENITALIA: Vesica (fig. 2) slender, delicate, composed of single, sinuously curving strap with bifurcate apex, region distal to secondary gonopore short, less than one­half length of secondary gonopore; secondary gonopore situated subapically on strap; secondary gonopore relatively large, with aperture sculpturing extending distally and base with short, nonspinose sclerite; phallotheca without distinctive features; left paramere conventionally phyline; right paramere small, ovate.

Female: Body strongly ovate; macropterous with apex of abdomen reaching to apex of membrane in lateral view; coloration and vestiture similar to male; antennal segment 2 weakly sexually dimorphic, more slender and more strongly tapered toward base than in male.

ETYMOLOGY: Derived from a combination of the generic names Chlamydatus and Megalopsallus to acknowledge the similarity of habitus in the new genus to these more diverse and more widely distributed phyline taxa. Gender masculine.

DISCUSSION: As noted in the generic diagnosis Chlamyopsallus shares features with both Chlamydatus and Megalopsallus . Placing C. lycii in either one of those genera would broaden those diagnoses to the point of making them meaningless. Chlamyopsallus lacks the scalelike setae found in taxa of similar general appearance, for example, M. humeralis , and has suberect, black bristlelike setae not found in any species of Chlamydatus . Also as noted in the proceeding diagnosis of Chlamyopsallus , the vesica when examined carefully are distinct from the oth­ er two genera.

Chlamyopsallus lycii , new species

Figures 1 , 2 , 5

HOLOTYPE: Male: ‘‘ USA: California: Los Angeles Co., SE of jct Pearblossom Hwy (Rt 18) and 263rd St 3300N 1035 m, N 348 30.0879 W 1178 40.1289, 19.v.2000, M.D. Schwartz, ex Lycium cooperi A. Gray (Solanaceae) .’’ Deposited in the American Museum of Natural History.

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the features presented in the generic diagnosis.

DESCRIPTION: Male: As in generic description except as follows: MEASUREMENTS (N 5 9?): Total length 2.83 (2.74–2.95), length apex clypeus­cuneal fracture 1.86 (1.75–2.00), maximum width across hemelytra 1.19 (1.09 –1.30); head width 0.71 (0.69–0.73), vertex width 0.37 (0.36–0.38), anteocular length 0.19 (0.19 –0.20), eye width 0.16 (0.15–0.17), eye height 0.31 (0.29–0.33); antennal length segment 1: 0.17 (0.16–0.18), 2: 0.57 (0.53–0.61), 3: 0.33 (0.30–0.38), 4: 0.26 (0.25–0.27); labium length 0.79 (0.77–0.81); pronotum width 1.00 (0.95–1.04), pronotum length 0.44 (0.43–0.46). COLORATION (fig. 1): Sometimes ventral portion of head and basal plate dusky yellow; apical portion of hind femora slightly darker than remainder of segment.

Female: As in male. MEASUREMENTS: Total length 2.52 (2.31–2.70), length apex clypeus­cuneal fracture 1.88 (1.75–2.00), maximum width across hemelytra 1.23 (1.17–1.38); head width 0.73 (0.71–0.76), vertex width 0.41 (0.40–0.43), anteocular length 0.21 (0.18–0.22), eye width 0.16 (0.15–0.16), eye height 0.31 (0.29–0.33); antennal length segment 1: 0.17 (0.16–0.18), 2: 0.51 (0.47–0.55), 3: 0.32 (0.30–0.35), 4: 0.25 (0.23–0.27); labium length 0.81 (0.78–0.84); pronotum width 0.97 (0.92–1.05), pronotum length 0.45 (0.41–0.49).

Fifth­instar nymph: MEASUREMENTS (N 5 5): Total length 1.98 (1.75–2.18), maximum width across wing pads 0.96 (0.93– 1.00); head width 0.65 (0.61–0.69), vertex width 0.40 (0.39–0.41), anteocular length 0.25 (0.24–0.27), eye width 0.12 (0.12– 0.13), eye height 0.27 (0.25–0.28); antennal length segment 1: 0.18 (0.17–0.19), 2: 0.38 (0.35–0.43), 3: 0.29 (0.26–0.36), 4: 0.25 (0.24–0.26); labium length 0.75 (0.73–0.76); pronotum width 0.71 (0.68–0.73), pronotum length 0.32 (0.31–0.33). COLORATION (fig. 1): Dark orange brown on head, pronotum, mesoscutum, scutellum, and wing pads; pale yellowish brown on maxillary and mandibular plates, ventral aspect of clypeus, posterior margin of vertex, and variable width dorsomedial region of thorax; abdomen with alternating bands of reddish brown and pale yellowish white, basal and apical segments brown; appendages pale brownish yellow; distal half of terminal tarsomere, claws, and fourth labial segment dark brown to black (fig. 1). SURFACE AND VESTI­ TURE: Impunctate, smooth, shining; vestiture composed of moderately densely distributed, long, suberect, black bristlelike setae (fig. 1); tibiae with long black spines with diffuse black bases. STRUCTURE: Labium reaching middle coxa; wing pads reaching abdominal tergum 4, mediodorsal scent gland opening on suture between tergum 3 and 4.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the genus of its host plant, Lycium Linnaeus (Solanaceae) .

HOST: Lycium cooperi A. Gray (Solanaceae) , box thorn, Cooper wolfberry, or peach thorn.

DISTRIBUTION: Western portion of the Mojave desert of southern California where the host plant is found in creosote bush scrub and Joshua tree woodland habitats.

PARATYPES: USA: California: Los Angeles Co.: Palmdale, June 18, 1932, A. T. McClay 1?, 1/ (UCB); Rt 18 at W 263 St, 1033 m, 34829.9059N 117840.1469W, May 17, 2004, Schuh, Cassis, Schwartz, Weirauch, Wyniger, Forero [PBI CAL04­L3], ex Lycium cooperi A. Gray (Solanaceae) , det. A. Sanders UCR 140601, [PBI CAL04­H25], 85?, 117/, 10 fifth­instar nymphs [fig. 1, immature dorsal habitus photograph] (AMNH, CAS, TAMU, UCB, UCR, USNM); same label data as holotype, 8?, 20/ [fig. 1 adult dorsal habitus photographs] (AMNH). Riverside Co.: Desert Springs, June 23, 1955, Timberlake, ex L. cooperi , 2?, 3/ (UCR). Kern Co.: W of Mojave on Oak Creek Road, 1055 m, 3582.3099N 118816.8429W, May 21, 2004, Schuh, Cassis, Schwartz, Weirauch, Wyniger, Forero [PBI CAL04­L14], ex L. cooperi , det. A. Sanders, UCR 140654 [PBI CAL04­H91], 54?, 52/, 1 fifth instar nymph (AMNH, CAS, TAMU, UCB, UCR, USNM). San Bernardino Co.: Phelan, Rt 138 at Phelan Road, 1310 m, 34825.5189N 117837.0459W, May 16, 2004, Schuh, Cassis, Schwartz, Weirauch, Wyniger, Forero [PBI CAL04­L2], ex L. cooperi , det. A. Sanders UCR 140650, [PBI CAL04­H24], 6 fifth instar nymphs (AMNH).

DISCUSSION: The new species was collect­ ed on the host with specimens of Megalopsallus brendae Schuh and M. humeralis (Van Duzee) at several of the localities noted above.

Figures

Fig. 1. Habitus views of Calidroides, Chlamyopsallus, Pseudopsallus, and Strophopoda spp.

Fig. 2. Male genitalia of Calidroides, Chlamyopsallus, and Strophopoda spp. A. vesica. B. phallotheca. C. right paramere. D. left paramere, lateral view. E. left paramere, dorsal view. Scale 5 0.10 mm.

Fig. 5. Scanning electron micrographs of Chlamyopsallus lycii /, California: Palmdale. A. Head, anterior view. B. Head, lateral view. C. Mesothoracic spiracle and metathoracic scent efferent system, lateral view. D. Pretarsus, apical view. E. Detail of femoral trichobothria. F. Pretarsus, lateral view. G. Setae either side of claval suture. H. Seta on corium. Scales as indicated.