Coridromius macchabeeus, Tatarnic and Gerasimos Cassis & Nsw & Nsw, 2013

Tatarnic, Nikolai J. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2013, Description of eight new species of the traumatically inseminating plant bug genus Coridromius (Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae: Coridromini), European Journal of Taxonomy 35, pp. 1-24 : 9-11

Coridromius macchabeeus sp. nov.

Fig. 3 A-D

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:52DD412D-6DAB-4AA1-A938-1AF93B3DD4C3

Diagnosis

Recognised by the following combination of characters: frons nearly flat, smooth and shining, pronotum densely punctate with well-demarcated callosite region, and proepimeron unilobed.

Etymology

Named for the Macchabee Forest where the holotype was collected.

Type material

Holotype

♀, MAURITIUS: Macchabee Forest , 20.4° S – 57.45° E, 8 Jun. 1971, A. M. Hutson ( AMNH_PBI 00377687 ) ( BMNH).

Description

BODY LENGTH. ♀ (holotype): 2.32 mm.

COLOURATION ( Fig. 3 A-B). Mostly concolorous orange-yellow. Head: Orange-yellow ( Fig. 3A ). Antennae mostly orange-yellow, AI with broad brown medial annulation, AII with apical club brown ( Fig. 3 A- B), AIII and AIV brown, paler at base. Pronotum: orange-yellow with a faint green tint ( Fig. 3 A-B). Thoracic pleura orange-yellow. Hemelytra: Orange-yellow ( Fig. 3B ). Legs: Uniform orange-yellow; metafemur without transverse banding; tarsi slightly embrowned. Abdomen: Uniform orange-yellow.

SURFACE AND VESTITURE ( Fig. 3 A-B). Head smooth, without punctures ( Fig. 3A ). Head, pronotum and scutellum glossy ( Fig. 3 A-B). Pronotum, hemelytra, and scutellum with fine punctations ( Fig. 3 A-B). Thoracic pleura impunctate. Pronotum and hemelytra clothed in very short, brown, semidecumbent, spinelike setae ( Fig. 3B ). Buccula with brown hairlike setae. Pronotal collar with slightly longer white, decumbent hairlike setae. Legs with brown, hairlike setae. Metatibial spines short and thin.

HEAD. Approximately 6 x as wide as eye ( Fig. 3A ) in anterior view. Frons weakly convex, nearly flat, posterior margin rounded and thin, weakly carinate ( Fig. 3 A-B). Bucculae tumid. Antennae thin, AII long and slender with weak apical club ( Fig. 3 A-B).

THORAX. Pronotum with calli deeply demarcated ( Fig. 3A ). Posterior margin of pronotum weakly medially cleft and thinly carinate, posteromedial margins depressed ( Fig. 3B ). Proepimeron appears unilobed, with reduced anterior lobe barely visible (fig 3C). Posterior margin of metepimeron truncate with sulcate groove ( Fig. 3D ). Scutellum rounded and swollen ( Fig. 3B ).

HEMELYTRA. With lateral margin weakly sinuate ( Fig. 3B ).

ABDOMEN. Posterolateral margin of second abdominal sternite relatively straight.

MALE GENITALIA. unknown.

FEMALE PARAGENITALIA. Right second abdominal sternite swollen, posterolateral margin slightly flared and carinate, exposing a copulatory groove leading to site of penetration ( Fig. 3D ).

Host

Unknown.

Distribution

Known only from the type locality.

Remarks

This is one of several species that have been discovered from examination of undetermined material at the Natural History Museum, London. Based on this sole specimen, we cannot comment on whether or not this species is endemic to Mauritius or has a wider distribution.

Figures

Fig. 3. Photographs and scanning electron micrographs of Coridromius macchabeeus sp. nov. A. Head and pronotum, anterior view. B. Dorsal habitus. C. Head and prothorax, lateral view. D. Metathorax and anterior of abdomen, lateral view, arrow indicates copulatory guide. MET = metepimeral lobe, PEM = proepimeron.