Asterophylus, Randall T. Schuh & Michael D. Schwartz, 2016

Randall T. Schuh & Michael D. Schwartz, 2016, Nineteen new genera and 82 new species of Cremnorrhinina from Australia, including analyses of host relationships and distributions (Insecta: Hemiptera: Miridae: Phylininae: Cremnorrhinini), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 401, pp. 1-279 : 33-35

Asterophylus , new genus

TYPE SPECIES: Asterophylus rutidosis , new species.

DIAGNOSIS: Male recognized by the elongate, slender, parallel-sided body, pale to almost white coloration, and more or less uniformly distributed spots on dorsum and femora (pl. 2);. endosoma sigmoid, with or without an obvious secondary gonopore; phallotheca slender apically (figs. 4, 5, pl. 2). Sexual dimorphism strong to very strong, female ranging from elongate ovoid to having a truncate hemelytron with apex of abdomen exposed. Among the other taxa with a uniformly spotted dorsum, Adunatiphylus , Halophylus , Lepidophylus , and Maculiphylus ; most easily confused with pale Halophylus species, but easily separated on the basis of the broader body form and distinctive endosomal structure in Halophylus (fig. 16).

DESCRIPTION: MALE: Total length 2.50–3.82, pronotum width 0.76–0.98. COLORATION (pl. 2): White to weakly yellowish with scattered small spots on dorsum and distal half of hind femur; appendages somewhat darker than body coloration. SURFACE AND VESTITURE (fig. 3A, B): Smooth, dull; dorsum with reclining, pale, simple setae, and at least sometimes with apically bident setae on head and pronotum. STRUCTURE: Head (fig. 3A): Eyes relatively large, vertex relatively narrow; frons weakly projecting an ‐ terior to eyes in dorsal view. Thorax: Pronotum short, flattened, trapezoidal, nearly straight sided, lateral margins strongly angled anteromedially; calli weakly expressed. Hemelytron: Greatly elongate relative to head and pronotum, corium elongate, costal margin nearly straight, cuneus elongate triangular. GENITALIA (figs. 4, 5, pl. 2): Pygophore: With a few pale or dark bristles left and right of aperture. Endosoma: Sigmoid, apical one-half variously bent to left; secondary gonopore either subapical and moderately prominent or absent; dorsal and ventral straps either equal or subequal in length; membranous sheath distad of secondary gonopore serrate or smooth; apex of endosoma narrowed and with small membrane or merging to pointed apex. Phallotheca: Conical, anterior surface of apical portion with narrow elliptical aperture, border of aperture strongly sclerotized. Parameres: Left paramere typically phyline with dorsoposterior margin variably elevated above anterior and posterior processes, long anterior seta medial to short anterior process. Right paramere relatively large and elongate, apex with one broad point and one subapical anterolateral prominence.

FEMALE (pl. 2): Shorter, more robust than male, ranging from submacropterous and elongate ovoid to brachypterous with completely reduced membrane and exposed apex of abdomen; total length 2.22–3.32, pronotum width 0.76–0.94. Eyes smaller than in male, face moderately to distinctly swollen and projecting beyond anterior margin of eyes in dorsal view. GENITALIA (pl. 41): Subgenital plate of sternite 6: Concave medially. Vestibular sclerites: Moderately large, attaining anterior edge of dorsal labiate plate. First gonapophyses: Moderate sized, wedge-shaped basal blocks. Ventral labiate plate: Platelike medial anteroventral extension narrow, covering anterior surface of basal structures. Dorsal labiate plate: Relatively short longitudinally. Sclerotized rings: Moderately large, triangular, thick walled, relatively flat, anterior angle attenuate to strongly attenuate. Posteromedial region: Surface without apparent microstructure. Anterolateral region: Slightly projecting anteriad of sclerotized rings. Posterior wall: Intersegmental structure: Not differentiated from connecting membrane. Interramal sclerites: Relatively strongly sclerotized, lateral and medial sclerites wedge shaped.

ETYMOLOGY: From the generic name Aster , in reference to Asteraceae , the primary host family for the group, and the generic name Phylus ; masculine.