Dichelocentrum flora ( Linnavuori & van Harten, 2005 ) Gapon, D. A., 2014

Gapon, D. A., 2014, Revision of the genus Polymerus (Heteroptera: Miridae) in the Eastern Hemisphere. Part 1: Subgenera Polymerus, Pachycentrum subgen. nov. and new genus Dichelocentrum gen. nov., Zootaxa 3787 (1), pp. 1-87 : 78-79

2. Dichelocentrum flora ( Linnavuori & van Harten, 2005) comb. nov.

( Figs 34 I–L ; 36 A, E, F, K ; 42 C )

Polymerus (Polymerus) flora Linnavuori & van Harten, 2005: 89–90 .

Material examined. Holotype. “ Yemen Al Kadan 10.2001 van Harten Abdul-Hag”, male* ( NMWC).

Additional material. Niger, Maradi, Station de Tarna , 9 Sept.1958, A. Wane, on millet head, 1 male *, 7 Sept. 1958, 1 female * ( BMNH) . Nigeria, NE St. nr. Lankoviri , 24 Aug.1973, Linnavuori, 1 male *, 1 female * ( AMNH) .

Diagnosis. Most readily recognised by reddish colour of femora, two first antennal segments and ventral surface of abdomen. Male recognised by sharply curved superior margin of left branch of spicule (on wet preparations) and T-shaped posterior right lobe with subequal in length right and left branches on inflated vesica. The form of parameres of this species do not occur in any other Dichelocentrum species except for D. longirostre .

Redescription. Length 4.10–4.35 in males, 4.75–5.20 in females. Body covered with silvery thickened setae.

Head shiny, dorsally black or with dark brown vertex and frons and red-brown clypeus, maxillar and mandibular plates. The latter often with yellow patches. Antennae more or less red. First antennal segment maroon, in extreme base almost black; second segment bordeaux, more dark in apical part; third segment brown, with long yellowish ring at base; fourth segment completely brown. First segment of rostrum reddish; second and third segments dirty-yellow or light brown; fourth segment dark brown ( Fig. 42 C ).

Pronotum dark brown or blackish. Collum dirty yellow. Posterior margin of pronotum with narrow dirtyyellow strip; triangular dilations on its ends small. Such dilation lies in middle of strip. Scutellum blackish or dark brown, with a small or large dirty yellow rhomboidal spot. Clavus dark brown. Anterior angle and external margin of corium widely dirty-yellow, rest part of corium, and narrow strip along its external margin brown. Posterior external corner of corium with small reddish-brown spot. Cuneus red or red-brown, except for dirty-yellow extreme apex and basal stripe extending to internal margin. Membrane with yellow veins. Pleurites dark brown or light brown with dark epimerae. Evaporatorium whitish-yellow. Coxae, trochanters and femora reddish or reddishbrown. Femora usually yellow at base, with small vague yellowish spots in rest part and rarely with several darkbrown dots. Tibiae yellowish, with reddish apices.

Ventral surface of abdomen reddish or reddish-brown with vague yellow spots.

Right and left parameres as in D. longirostre ( Fig. 34 I–L ). Carina on internal (right) surface of hypophysis of left paramere with several very short setae.

Vesica ( Fig. 36 A, K ). Anterior branch of anterior right lobe slightly longer than in D. longirostre . Right and inferior bladders low and smooth. Anterior left lobe without inferior branch. Sclerotised area on posterior left lobe small. The latter with basal tubercle. Apex of posterior right lobe T-shaped. Its both branches rather short, subequal in length. Right branch directed to right and slightly downwards, slightly thicker than left branch. The latter directed to left and slightly upwards. Superior margin of posterior branch of spicule sharply curved in apical part from posterior view in wet preparations ( Fig. 36 E, F ).

Gynatrium. Notch on ventral margin of interramal sclerite rather deep, triangular, as in D. alkadanum ( Linnavuori & van Harten, 2005) comb. nov. Small separate longitudinal sclerite near middle of dorsal margin of interramal sclerites as in D. longirostre comb. nov.

Distribution. Yemen, new records for Niger and Nigeria. Probably this species is distributed in Africa through tropical savannas, typical for the Sahel and the geographic region Sudan.

Figures

FIGURE 34. Parameres of Dichelocentrum gen. nov. species. Right (A, B, E, F, I, J) and left (C, D, G, H, K, L) parameres. A–D, D. longirostre comb. nov., syntype; E–H, D. longirostre comb. nov. from Tanzania; I–L, D. flora comb. nov. Right (A, E, I), left (C, G, K) and posterior (B, D, F, H, J, L) view. Scale bare: 0.14 mm.

FIGURE 36. Vesica of Dichelocentrum gen. nov. A–C, uninflated vesica; D–H, anterior spicule; I–K, inflated vesica. A, D. flora comb. nov., holotype; B, D. ornatifrons comb. nov., paratype; C, D. alkadanum comb. nov., paratype after Linnavuori & van Harten (2005); D, D. longirostre comb. nov., syntype; E, D. flora, holotype; F, D. flora from Niger; G, D. ornatifrons, paratype; H, D. alkadanum, paratype after Linnavuori & van Harten (2005); I, J, D. longirostre; K, D. flora. Left (A–C, I), posterior (D–H), and superior (J, K) view. all—anterior left lobe; arl—anterior right lobe; as—anterior spicule; pa—posterior apex of vesica; pb.bab—posterior branch of basoapical sclerotised band; pll—posterior left lobe; prl—posterior right lobe; sg—secondary gonopore. Scale bare: 0.14 mm.

FIGURE 42. Dichelocentrum gen. nov., habitus. A, D. longirostre comb. nov., syntype, male; B, D. longirostre comb. nov., female; C, D. flora comb. nov., holotype, male; D, D. ornatifrons comb. nov., paratype, male; E, D. ornatifrons, paratype, female; F, holotype of Polymerus xerophilus, female; G, D. transvaalicum sp. nov., male; H, D. transvaalicum, female; I, D. alkadanum comb. nov., holotype, female.