Tropidosteptes Occurring

Henry, Thomas J., Caldwell, Doug L. & Halbert, Susan E., 2012, Tropidosteptes forestierae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirinae): New Species of Plant Bug Injuring Ornamental Florida Swampprivet Forestiera segregata (Oleaceae), in South Florida, Insecta Mundi 2012 (240), pp. 1-10 : 8-9

Key to the Species of Tropidosteptes Occurring in the Southeastern United States

1.

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Lateral margin of pronotum with a thick, yellow, calloused line................................................ 2

Lateral margins of pronotum without a thick, yellow, calloused line, at most with a thin carina concolorous with surrounding area, carina sometimes bordered ventrally by a slender black line............................................................................................................................................... 7

2(1).

– Dorsum glabrous or nearly so ....................................................................................................... 3 Dorsum distinctly pubescent......................................................................................................... 6

3(2).

– Membrane dark smoky brown to black......................................................................................... 4 Membrane clear ............................................................................................................................. 5 4(3).

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Dorsum, including scutellum, fuscous to black, pronotum sometimes indistinctly invaded with small, irregular, pale areas around calli or a narrow pale line on disc; scutellum flat, level with hemelytra............................................................................................... T. geminus (Say)

Dorsum yellowish brown, with four to six blotches on pronotal disc, apical third and a spot on the basal third of the corium, and a spot on either side of midline on scutellum dark brown; scutellum convex, swollen above level of hemelytra..................... T. quercicola (Johnston)

5(3).

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Mostly pale yellowish-brown species, with a black line on hemelytron bordering outer margin of radius, curving mesad across apical area of corium; calli often with a diagonal dark brown line through middle and sometimes with a slender dark ray extending onto disk................... ................................................................................................................... T. palmeri (Reuter)

Highly variable, pale yellow to dark species but always lacking a black line along radius; apical half of corium red to fuscous, becoming more extensive on some specimens; pronotum yellow, often with two to five longitudinal dark lines on disc (six subspecies/color forms described for this species); membrane clear, even on darkest specimens..................... T. amoenus Reuter

6(2).

Scutellum yellow, with median line black, line sometimes not extending completely to apex; outer margin of corium with a thick dark line widening from the base of embolium to the base of cuneus, apical half of corium sometimes infuscated....................... T. vittiscutis (Knight)

Scutellum yellow or yellowish brown, sometimes dark at middle of base but never with median line black; emboliar margin always at least partly pale, apical third to half of corium infuscated.............................................................................................. T. pubescens (Knight)

7(1).

– Dorsum glabrous............................................................................................................................ 8 Dorsum pubescent........................................................................................................................ 10 8(7).

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Head, pronotum, scutellum, and most of hemelytra red; antennae, legs, and membrane black, clavus and inner half of corium often black ............................................ T. cardinalis Uhler Dorsum not red; legs and membrane pale................................................................................. 9

9(8).

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Antennal segment I pale; lateral pronotal carina usually accented with a narrow fuscous line; scutellum dark brown through middle, with median line and basal angles yellow, darkest specimens sometimes lacking pale median line; cuneus pale, with apex brown to dark brown............................................................................................................ T. glaber (Knight) Antennal segment I fuscous to black; lateral pronotal carina indistinct, without fuscous line; scutellum predominantly yellow, sometimes with middle of base broadly infuscated; cuneus pale, with apical third red......................................................... T. osmanthicola (Johnston)

10(7).

– Scutellum predominantly yellow, middle of base sometimes infuscated .............................. 11 Scutellum entirely fuscous or black, or yellow with dark brown lines through middle ....... 14

11(10).

– Large, subparallel species, length greater than 5.00 mm; antennae black........................... 12 Smaller, more elongate-oval species, length less than 4.5 mm; antennae pale.................... 13 12(11).

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