Ptisca liberiense, Krüger, 2018

Krüger, Andreas, 2018, Vehicle-mounted net sampling of airborne micro-Heteroptera in western Liberia, West Africa: 1. Isometopinae (Miridae), Zootaxa 4378 (4), pp. 491-515 : 500

Ptisca liberiense sp. nov.

( Figure 7 )

Description. Male. Length 2.67 mm. Maximum width across hemelytra 1.57 (figure 7 A). Head (figure 7B–E) dorsal width 0.73; length 0.27; facial width across genae 0.73; facial length 0.47. Anterior interocular space 0.13; posterior space 0.2. Dorsal width of eye 0.27, lateral height 0.31. Height of gena 0.07. Ocellus width 0.06; interocellar space 0.06. Pronotum (figure 7 A –B) maximum width 1.28; median length 0.47. Scutellum length 0.75, width 0.95. Cuneus length 0.45, width 0.38. Antennae lacking.

Body oval, 1.7x as long as wide. Head appressed and inclined forwards, frons broadly visible from dorsad; in dorsal view 2.6x as broad as long, in front 1.55x as broad as high; eyes widely separated mesally, the minimum interocular space on frons about 0.5x width of eye. Vertex at base flat; frons slightly convex transversely at level of ventral eye margins, apical margin strongly ridged, tumidly raised medially with a minute indentation, otherwise evenly convex, partially obstructing frontal view on basal mouthparts and antennal sockets, which are deflexed ventrad. Genae low but distinct, 0.23x as high as eyes; only marginally flared laterally, widest at level of a dark macula on postgenae; apical margin sinuate. General coloration pale brown; apical ridge of frons and genae, vertex behind ocelli, upper angles of postgenae black. Postgenae below black macula ivory-coloured. Vertex, frons and genae densely punctured. Ocelli reddish, separated by about their width; about their diameter apart from posterior margin of head.

Dorsum densely punctate, pubescent with semi-recumbent brown hairs. Pronotum 2.77x as broad as long, strongly explanate. Maximum width of pronotum at mid level, converging towards head only anteriorly from middle; disk slightly rugose, blackish-brown, margins hyaline. Mesoscutum blackish-brown, scutellum chocolatebrown, apical tip slightly paler. Scutellum length 0.81x its width. Cuneus yellow-brown, darker in mid half, connecting with a brownish shadow on basal corium. Corium generally pale hyaline, posterior costal vein and border with cuneus tinged brown; cuneus hyaline centrally, with brown tinge along base and membrane, the latter hyaline greyish-brown.

Venter largely dark brown, metapleura partially whitish. Pleura finely punctured. Coxae pale; hind femur (figure 7F) pale translucent with a dark brown ring in distal third, hind tibia and tarsus largely brownish. Three metafemoral trichobothria in recessed bothria, at level of dark ring (figure 7G). Rostrum brown, just extending beyond hind coxae.

Genitalia as illustrated in figure 7H; everted endosoma of aedeagus minutely echinulated; right paramere broad medially with a distinct bend, acute apically; left paramere with several setae along outer margin, apical process distinctly curved medially and slightly bent outwards distally.

Female. Unknown.

Specimen examined. ♂ holotype, Liberia, Bong county, Bong Mine Airfield, N06°48’ W10°18’, 01.v 1989, 7 am (leg. Garms).

Etymology: The species is named after its country of origin Liberia.

Remarks. Since there was only a single male available, lacking its antenna, it remains difficult to ascertain the affinities of Ptisca liberiense sp. nov. Compared to the only other member of the genus, Ptisca blattiformis McAttee & Malloch , the new species is much smaller, its scutellum much shorter, the arrangement of the ocelli is different, and the apical margin of the frons less pronounced. As discussed by Akingbohungbe (1996) for Ptisca blattiformis McAttee & Malloch , the genus should be close to Lindbergiola and Smithopus .

Figures

FIGURE 7. Ptisca liberiense sp. nov. male. A—habitus; B—head, thorax dorsad; C—head, frontal view; D—head ventrad, antennal sockets arrowed; E—head, laterad; F—hind femur; G—recessed hind femoral trichobothria, arrowed; H—parameres and aedeagus.Scales:A= 2 mm; B–E = 0.5 mm; F = 0.2 mm; H = 0.1 mm.