Mertila rubrocephala, Yeshwanth & Konstantinov, 2021

Yeshwanth, H. M. & Konstantinov, Fedor V., 2021, Review of the plant bug tribe Eccritotarsini (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae) of India and Sri Lanka with description of two new genera and six new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 745, pp. 1-69 : 22-23

Mertila rubrocephala sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:58C96AB0-D734-40BE-BDA1-AA987486F1BA

Figs 3A–C , 19–20 , 25C

Diagnosis

Easily recognized from all congeners by the uniformly black pronotum, scutellum and entire hemelytron with only head dark reddish ( Fig. 3A–B ) and the structure of male genitalia devoid of two strongly twisted and tapering, hollow tubular processes of the dorsal wall of genital capsule ( Fig. 19 ).

Etymology

The species epithet refers to the distinctive red head of the new species.

Type material

Holotype INDIA • ♂; Karnataka, Dakshina Kannada, Vittla ; 20°45.814ˊ N, 75°06.095ˊ E; 60 m a.s.l.; 30 Sep. 2011; H.M. Yeshwanth leg.; at light; UASB.

Paratypes INDIA • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; UASB .

Description

Male

COLORATION. Black; head dark reddish, antennal segment I and labium reddish, antennal segment II reddish with apex brown; legs reddish with darkened tarsi; pronotum, scutellum and hemelytron black; membrane dark brown; body ventrally dark brown or black with genital capsule brown ventrally ( Fig. 3A–C ).

SURFACE AND VESTITURE. Head, pronotum and hemelytron with short, dense, whitish, erect simple setae, antenna and legs with brown simple setae; pronotum weakly punctate, hemelytron finely rugose.

STRUCTURE. Body oval, total length 5.2, twice as long as basal width of pronotum. Head: transverse, moderately produced anterior to eyes, slopping; eye large, occupying half the head height in lateral view and projecting laterally beyond anterior margin of pronotum; vertex 1.7× as wide as dorsal width of one eye, almost flat, postocular lobe not developed; antennal fossa large, located close to inferior margin of eye; antennal segment I tubular, basally narrow, subequal to vertex width, segment II shorter than head width; labium long, stout, reaching abdominal segment III. Thorax: pronotum 1.6× as wide as long, trapeziform, with weakly concave lateral margin and broadly convex posterior margin; mesoscutum narrowly exposed; scutellum broadly triangular, slightly raised; metathoracic scent-gland efferent system reduced, peritreme tongue shaped, of typical eccritotarsine structure ( Fig. 25C ). Hemelytron: costal margin slightly convex; cuneus broadly triangular, length subequal to basal width; large cell of membrane concave, apically angulate, well surpassing apex of cuneus, secondary cell small. Legs: femora comparatively short, moderately flattened; tibiae subequal in length to respective femora; tarsal segment I short, segments II and III subequal in length.

GENITALIA. Genital capsule ( Fig. 19 ) wide and short, with wide, posteriorly directed, V-shaped aperture, produced into three very large processes; lateral processes somewhat resembling parameres, distinctly longer than genital capsule; left lateral process elongate, rectangular with long and flattened spine-like apex; right lateral process longer than left one, gradually curved towards midline, broadly rounded apically; dorsal wall of genital capsule produced into median process, flattened oblong structure broadly rounded apically; parameres and aedeagus greatly reduced, located close to each other at ventralmost point of aperture of genital capsule; aedeagus typical of Harpedona -group; phallotheca with slightly sclerotized dorsal wall, membranous elsewhere, endosoma simple, sac-like, without sclerotization; ductus seminis with sclerotized base followed by short membranous segment and strongly sclerotized, spine-like apical half ( Fig. 20E ); left paramere hooked, strongly twisted ( Fig. 20A–B ); right paramere spoon-shaped, with short upturned apical process ( Fig. 20C–D ).

Female

Unknown.

Host

Unknown. All specimens were attracted to light.

Distribution

Karnataka State of India.

Figures

Fig. 3. Habitus of Mertila Distant, 1904 and Namyatovia gen. nov. spp. A–C. Mertila rubrocephala sp. nov., ♂, UASB. A. Dorsal view. B. Head and pronotum in dorsal view. C. Abdomen in ventral view. D–F. Namyatovia castlerockensis gen. et sp. nov., ♂, UASB. D. Dorsal view. E. Head and pronotum. F. Lateral view.

Fig. 19. Abdomen of Mertila rubrocephala sp. nov.,♂, holotype, UASB. A. Abdomen in dorsal view. B. Genital capsule in ventral view. C–D. Apex of abdomen in dorsal and ventral views.

Fig. 20. Male genitalia and pretarsus of Mertila rubrocephala sp. nov., holotype, UASB. A–B. Right paramere in ventral and lateral views. C–D. Left paramere in ventral and dorsal views. E. Aedeagus in lateral view. F. Pretarsus.

Fig. 25. Scent gland evaporatory area. A. Harpedona vittlaensis sp. nov., UASB. B. Lopidolon dandeliensis sp. nov., UASB. C. Mertila rubrocephala sp. nov., UASB. D. Stonedahlia mishmiensis gen. et sp. nov., UASB. E. Namyatovia castlerockensis gen. et sp. nov., UASB. F. Namyatovia sirsiensis gen. et sp. nov., UASB.