Plagiognathus chengshingi, Introduction, 2023

Introduction, Tomohide Yasunaga, 2023, Two new thermophilic species of the plant bug genus Plagiognathus from Japan and Taiwan (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae), Bonn zoological Bulletin 72 (1), pp. 25-40 : 27-30

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.20363/BZB-2023.72.1.025
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:61814C7D-C7C4-43A2-B622-E5BBA7D72035
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F487B9-2949-6F75-2A79-FAB73B5BFB3B
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Plagiognathus chengshingi
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Plagiognathus chengshingi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CCB86B51-81F4-4C81-BD5E-314C3C905107

Figs 1 View Fig A−E, 5A−D, 7A, 8A−F

Diagnosis. Based on the similarity in the general shape and the male genitalia, this new species is assumed to be most closely related to P. yomogi Miyamoto , from which P. chengshingi sp. nov. can be distinguished by the following characters: Generally paler general coloration; antennal segment III obviously shorter than width of head across eyes; profemur lacking dark stripe along anterior margin; smaller peritreme of metathoracic scent efferent system ( Fig. 5B–C View Fig , vs 5N in P. yomogi ); longer and slenderer apical blades of vesica ( Fig. 8B–C View Fig , vs Fig. 8M–N View Fig ); relatively narrow female sclerotized ring ( Fig. 7A View Fig , vs Fig. 7C View Fig ); and wider interramal sclerite laterally with sparsely distributed, comb-shaped microstructures ( Fig. 8E View Fig , vs Fig. 8I View Fig ).

Etymology. Named in honor of Dr Cheng Shing Lin, the former curator of NMNS, Taiwan, who contributed to clarification of the Taiwanese fauna of the Miridae as well as collected the specimens of this new species; a noun in the genitive case.

Type material

Holotype. TAIWAN – ♂; Taichung, Waipu , 24°20′ N, 120°41′ E, sweep-netting, 24 Aug. 2000, C. S. Lin and W. T. Wang ( NMNS) ( AMNH _ PBI 00380758 About AMNH ). GoogleMaps

Paratypes (all deposited in NMNS). TAIWAN – 1 ♂, 1 ♀ ( NMNS), same collection data as for holotype • 1 ♀, Nantou, Chichi, 23°50′ N, 120°48′ E, sweep-netting, 14 Mar 2002, C.S. Lin • 1 ♀; Nantou, Tungpu , 2000 m alt., 23°34′ N, 120°53′ E, 18−21 Sep 1981, T. Lin and W.S. Wang • 1 ♀, same locality as for preceding, 10–14 Jan. 1983, K.C. Chau and P. Huang GoogleMaps .

Description

General shape not sexually dimorphic; female has slightly larger size, wider vertex and shorter antennal

segment II ( Table 1) as in many other phylines. Body elongate-ovoid, relatively small in size; basic coloration variable but usually dark brown; dorsal surface widely shiny dark brown ( Fig. 1B View Fig ), sometimes orange-brown ( Fig. 1A View Fig ), with uniformly distributed, brown, simple setae, lacking silvery setae (cf. Fig. 1B View Fig ; dorsal vestiture shown in Fig. 5A View Fig rubbed off). Head usually shiny fuscous, with sparsely distributed, silky, upright setae; vertex pale orange-brown to castaneous brown; buccula usually yellowish brown. Antenna almost uniformly dark brown; male segment II about as long as basal width of pronotum; segment III and IV slightly lighter; segment III as long as or shorter than head width across eyes. Labium shiny pale reddish brown, about as long as metafemur; its apex reaching but not exceeding apex of mesocoxa; apical part of segment IV darkened. Pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum shining, varying from reddish brown ( Fig. 1A View Fig ) to dark brown ( Fig. 1B View Fig ); scutellum shallowly and transversely rugose; thoracic pleura shining, varying from fuscous ( Fig. 1C View Fig ) to pale reddish brown with darkened parts ( Fig. 1D View Fig ); metathoracic scent efferent system yellowish brown, with small peritreme ( Fig. 5B–C View Fig ). Hemelytron variable in color as in pronotum; lateral margin of corium and basal and apical margins of cuneus usually pale; membrane pale smoky brown, semitransparent, with obscure maculae in large areolar cell and posterior to cuneal apex. All coxae yellowish brown, partly tinged with red; legs yellowish brown; each femur lacking dark stripe along anterior margin; pattern of ventral femoral spots as in Fig. 1C–E View Fig ; metafemoral dark spots often fused; each tibia with a dark (knee) spot at joint with respective femur; each tarsomere III darkened; meta-tarsomere II slightly longer than III; pretarsal structure as in Fig. 5D View Fig ; pulvilli relatively narrow. Abdomen shining, varying from pale brown to dark castaneous. Male genitalia ( Fig. 8 View Fig A−C): Right paramere relatively slender; phallotheca short, rather blunt-tipped ( Fig. 8A View Fig ); vesica sigmoid, with comparatively sharpened and elongate apical blades ( Fig. 8B View Fig ); longer (principal) blade slightly curved apically ( Fig. 8C View Fig ). Female genitalia ( Figs 7A View Fig , 8D–G View Fig ): Sclerotized ring rather narrow and small ( Figs 7A View Fig , 8D View Fig ); posterior wall relatively smooth ( Fig 8F View Fig ); interramal sclerite laterally with sparsely distributed, comb-like microstructures ( Fig. 8E View Fig ); apex of ovipositor (gonapophysis) I rather densely serrate ( Fig. 8G View Fig ).

Measurements

See Table 1. Holotype male: Total body length 3.11; head width across eyes 0.71; vertex width (interocular space) 0.33; lengths of antennal segments I–IV 0.29, 1.05, 0.65 and 0.41; total length of labium 1.20: basal width of pronotum 1.05; maximum width across hemelytra 1.26; and lengths of metafemur 1.20, tibia 1.73 and tarsus 0.41, respectively.

Biology

Unknown.