Proboscidocoris nitidus Odhiambo, 1959

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 : 62-66

2. Proboscidocoris nitidus Odhiambo, 1959

( Figs 13 E ; 19 N ; 27 B, E ; 28 J–N ; 30 , 32 )

Proboscidocoris (Metopicoris) nitidus Odhiambo, 1959: 352–354 .

Polymerus nitidus Akingbohungbe, 1978: 93 .

Material examined. Paratypes. “ Uganda, Kawanda 29.vi.1945 H.S. Darling ” “ Paratype ♀ Proboscidocoris nitidus sp. n. T.R. Odhiambo det.”, male*; “ Uganda, Kawanda 29.vi.1945 H.S. Darling ” “ Paratype ♀ Proboscidocoris nitidus sp. n. T.R. Odhiambo det.”, female* ( BMNH) .

Diagnosis. Recognised by the following combination of characters: head wider than long, its preocular part short, not strongly pointed ( Fig. 27 B, E ); collar narrow, approximately as wide as diameter of first antennal segment width; pronotum almost smooth, with barely perceptible punctuation; posterior femora rather strongly dilated; claw without denticle; body dorsally black except apex of cuneus and small spots near internal margins of eyes; this spots distinctly not reaching antennal fossae.

Description of the male and female terminalia. Right paramere ( Fig. 28 J, K ) as length as left one. Body from lateral view curved in basal part, with convex, weakly sclerotised anterior wall and straight, strongly sclerotised posterior one; from posterior view body narrowed basally and apically, evenly dilated in middle, only on right side basally and left side apically forms small triangular protrusions. Hypophysis moderately small, curved anteriad, with truncated apex. Setae on paramere absent.

Left paramere ( Fig. 28 L–N ). Body from lateral view rather sharply curved in basal part, dilated basally and narrowing apically. Anterior wall of paramere body deeply concave. From posterior view body strongly dilated basally, its exterior margin forms rather long pointed sensory process. Hypophysis large, strongly flattened laterally, narrow basally and widening to apical margin. The latter in superior part rectangularly rounded, in inferior part forms long narrow triangular protrusion curved to right. Inferior margin of hypophysis and superior one in anterior part weakly sclerotised; interior wall concave, without carina. Setae on paramere absent.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 13 E ; 30 ) of the same general structure as in Proboscidocoris . Anterior part of vesica greater than posterior one. Anterior right lobe very large and swollen, with two long branches. Anterior wall of lobe base with rather large conical tubercle directed anteriad and upwards. Anterior branch directed to left, anteriad and slightly downwards, with strongly convex right wall in apical part. Superior wall of anterior branch apically bears long anterior spicule directed to left. Spicule dilated, tapering apically, with longitudinal carinae at right and superior surfaces. Right branch of anterior right lobe longer then anterior one, directed to right, slightly downwards and slightly curved anteriad in apical part. Posterior wall of right branch with rather short and wide tubercle. Anterior branch of baso-apical sclerotised band indistinct, looks like formless, weak sclerotised area at posterior wall of right branch of anterior right lobe. This area considerably not reaching base of anterior spicule. Anterior left lobe rather small, with two wide branches. Anterior branch directed upwards, its anterior wall covered with very small spinulae. Posterior branch slightly shorter, directed posteriad. Left wall of vesica above secondary gonopore with very long directed upwards left medial lobe. It narrow in basal part, slightly dilating distad, with rounded apex curved anteriad. Left wall of this lobe covered with extremely small sclerotised granules. Apex of posterior part of vesica short, directed posteriad. Posterior right lobe moderate, directed upwards in basal part and sharply arcuate curved to left and downwards in middle. Apical part of lobe subdivided into two branches. Anterior branch short, conical, directed anteriad and slightly upwards; posterior branch longer and slightly wider, tapering to rounded apex, directed posteriad and slightly downwards. Posterior left lobe absent. Posterior branch of baso-apical sclerotised band narrow, continuing at anterio-inferior surface of posterior right lobe and almost reaches its apex.

Another, rather long branch located at base of lobe at its anterior wall. It does not straighten up 2 during preparation of inflated aedeagus of only one available for me male. Therefore, this branch is not shown in the figure. Secondary gonopore not closed by lobes of vesica, with complete ring of subequally long spinulae ( Fig. 13 E ).

Gynatrium ( Fig. 32 ) as in other studied genera. Round sclerites large, their edging rather wide. Sclerotised band between them wide. Dorsal sac large, wider than long, with rather thickened walls and widely rounded anterior margin. It covers tectal sclerites anteriorly but leaves its lateral parts entirely uncovered. Tectal sclerites separate, rather widely spaced. They widening medially, with convex anterior margins and acutely elongated anterio-exterior angles. Posterior margins of each tectal sclerite with subtriangular notch in exterior part and wide and long rounded protrusion in interior part. Medial lobe very large, wide basally and narrowing to rounded apex. Dorsal margin of interramal sclerite concave, its lateral parts almost straight; lateral margins slightly convex below middle; ventral margin short, straight. Anterior walls of interramal lobes membranous, only dorsal margins of their openings with strongly sclerotised narrow edging and more wide, weakly sclerotised bands below them. Medial process round, convex and strongly sclerotised. Anterior vestibular sclerites long, narrow, diverging anteriorly, with parallel posterior ends. These sclerites lye in parasagittal plane at folds of membrane between gonapophyses. Posterior vestibular sclerites small, lye in frontal plane. Their posterior ends dilated, converging, anterior ends narrow, diverging, connected with posterior ends of anterior vestibular sclerites.

Distribution. Gabon, Uganda.

Taxonomic notes. Odhiambo (1959) described this species in the monotypic subgenus Metopicoris of the genus Proboscidocoris and listed among the diagnostic characters the following: “Head only shortеly produced

2. A possible reason for this is that the branch is turned inside out at rest and has to go through a small opening at its base reinforced with the posterior branch of the baso-apical sclerotised band and its short ramification.

anteriorly, when viewed from above appears transverse. Hind femora greatly thickened; tarsal claws only slightly toothed at base”. Akingbohungbe (1978) studied the type series of this species and found that its claw is actually only thickened basally but not toothed. He transferred this species in Polymerus based on the structure of the claw, the mesal width of the collar, equal to the diameter of the first antennal segment, and finely rugose pronotum. He also noted that the male genital structures of this species “can at best be taken as showing inter-specific differences from what is known for the genus Polymerus Hahn ”. I agree with the interpretation of characters of the claw ( Fig. 19 N ) and pronotum ( Fig. 27 E ) given by Akingbohungbe, but think his interpretation of terminalia characters is erroneous. This species certainly has the same structural plan of the vesica as in Proboscidocoris and is different from those of Polymerus and Charagochilus . Some characters of the vesica are absent in the species of Proboscidocoris studied by me: greatly enlarged anterior right lobe, the loss of the anterior branch of the baso- apical sclerotised band (and probably related with it anterior spicule, than the spicule of P. nitidus apparently homologous to the additional anterior spicule of P. fuliginosus ), curved to left and downwards the posterior right lobe, the posterior branch of the baso-apical sclerotised band, located on a wall of the posterior right lobe, very long left medial lobe (located on the site of the left medial tubercle in P. fuliginosus , P. rufinervis and P. intermedius ). The structure of the vesica of P. nitidus also is close to that of the last three species in the presence of microscopic spines on the left anterior lobe. The structure of the right paramere of P. nitidus is such as that in Proboscidocoris and Dichelocentrum gen. nov. but is quite different from that of Polymerus and Charagochilus . The hypophysis of the left paramere is different from those of all others examined by me for this current paper, however it is close to the hypophysis in P. fuliginosus . Both species have flattened laterally, widening distad hypophysis with weakly sclerotised superior and inferior margins. The gynatrium of P. nitidus differs from those of Proboscidocoris species in having the medial lobe and two pairs of vestibular sclerites arranged one after another and connected together. I return P. nitidus to Proboscidocoris on the basis of undoubted similarities of this species with the latter genus in the structure of the male terminalia and the differences from species of Polymerus . Nevertheless the status of this species remains uncertain; possibly it should be placed in a separate genus after a required revision of Proboscidocoris .

Figures

FIGURE 13. Secondary gonopore. A, Polymerus (Pachycentrum) nigrita; B, P. (Poeciloscytus) unifasciatus; C, Charagochilus gyllenhalii; D, Proboscidocoris fuliginosus; E, Pr. nitidus; F, Dichelocentrum longirostre. lsc—left serrate carina; sgp—subgonoporal plate.

FIGURE 19. Structure of tarsus and pretarsus. A–K, tarsus; L– P, claw. A, Polymerus unifasciatus; B, P. carpathicus; C, P. holosericeus; D, Charagochilus gyllenhalii; E, Ch. spiralifer; F, Ch. angusticollis; G, Ch. pallidicollis; H, Ch. flavipes comb. nov.; I, Ch. bimaculatus comb. nov.; J, Ch. obscuratus comb. nov.; K, Ch. consanguineus comb. nov.; L, P. carpathicus; M, Dichelocentrum ornatifrons comb. nov.; N, Proboscidocoris nitidus; O, Pr. feanus; P, Pr. solitus comb. nov. Scale bare: 0.28 mm

FIGURE 27. Head. A, Polymerus carpathicus; B, E, Proboscidocoris nitidus; C, Pr. feanus; D, F, Pr. solitus comb. nov. Lateral (A–D) and dorsal (E, F) view. Scale bare: 0.14 mm.

FIGURE 28. Parameres of Proboscidocoris species. Right (A, F, G, J, K) and left (B–E, H, I, L–N) parameres. A-E, Pr. feanus; F–I, Pr. fuliginosus; J–N, Pr. nitidus. Left (B, H, L), right (E, F, J), superior (D), anterior (M) and posterior (A, C, G, I, K) view. Scale bare: 0.14 mm.

FIGURE 30. Vesica of Proboscidocoris nitidus. A, left view; B, superior view, C, right view. ab—anterior branch of anterior right lobe; all—anterior left lobe; arl—anterior right lobe; as—anterior spicule; mll—medial left lobe; pa—posterior apex of vesica; pb.bab—posterior branch of baso-apical sclerotised band; prl—posterior right lobe. Scale bare: 0.14 mm.

FIGURE 32. Inner female genitalia of Proboscidocoris nitidus. A, gynatrium, dorsal view; B, posterior wall of gynatrium, ventral view; C, vestibular sclerites, dorsal view. avs—anterior vestibular sclerites; ihf—posterior margin of inner horizontal fold; mpr—medial process; pvs— posterior vestibular sclerites; ts—tectal sclerites. Scale bare: 0.14 mm.