Psallops madagascariensis Taszakowski, Kim & Gierlasiński, 2025

Taszakowski, Artur, Kim, Junggon, Kaszyca-Taszakowska, Natalia, Gierlasiński, Grzegorz & Jung, Sunghoon, 2025, Taxonomic review of the genus Psallops Usinger, 1946 (Hemiptera: Miridae) from the Afrotropical Region, with descriptions of two new species and a discussion on the internal revision of Psallops, Zootaxa 5646 (4), pp. 545-561 : 548-552

Psallops madagascariensis Taszakowski, Kim & Gierlasiński sp. nov.

( Figs 2 , 3 )

Diagnosis. Recognized from other congeners by the following characters: dorsum densely covered with two types of setae, golden and dark setae; head relatively prognathous; interocular distance longer than single compound eye width; antenna mostly yellowish-brown, except for the dark apical part of first antennal segment, and dark base of second segment; antennal socket located at 1/3 basal part of eye height; pronotum mottled brown; scutellum mostly dark brown with pale apex; hemelytra mottled brown; embolium pale brown with dark spots tinged with violet; cuneus mostly pale brown with dark small markings mesially and subapically; legs pale brown with dark annulations; fore tibia pale brown with dark annulations; mid tibia mostly pale brown with annulations at basal part; hind tibia mostly pale brown with sub-basal annulation and medial annulation; tarsus three-segmented; genital capsule strongly asymmetrical ( Fig. 2C ); right paramere slightly smaller than left paramere in length ( Fig. 2D–G ); endosoma with three thick sclerites ( Fig. 2H ).

Description. MALE: Body elongate, length 3.0 ( Fig. 2A, B ). Coloration: mostly finely mottled brown ( Fig. 2A, B ). Head: mostly pale with dark markings; vertex mostly pale brown, outer area near compound eye with dark markings; frons and clypeus mostly pale with dark markings; antenna mostly yellowish-brown with dark annulations; scape yellowish-brown and dark brown, apical half with dark broad annulation; pedicel and flagellum mostly yellowish-brown with dark annulation basally. Thorax: pronotum mottled with dark areas in middle and lateral areas, posterior margin pale brown; calli region pale with dark spots; scutellum mostly dark brown, with pale markings anterolaterally and apically; hemelytra mostly mottled brown with charcoal gray markings, darker medially; clavus mottled brown, anterior part paler, posterior part darker along commissure; corium mottled brown, anterior area paler, posterior and inner areas darker; embolium pale brown with dark spots from anterior part to subapical part, dark spot tinged with violet; cuneus mostly charcoal grayish with dark markings mesially and subapically, apex pale brown; membrane greyish; vein dark gray; legs pale brown with dark markings and annulations; femur pale brown with dark markings apically, basal part dark brown; fore tibia pale brown with four dark annulations; mid tibia mostly pale brown with three annulations basally; hind tibia mostly pale brown with two dark annulations sub-basally and medially; tarsus entirely brown. Abdomen: reddish-brown. Surface and vestiture: body mostly dull, impunctate, covered with two types of long setae, pale and dark ones; entire dorsal surface is covered by tiny microtrichia. Structure: Head: slightly prognathous ( Fig. 3A, C ); vertex flat; interocular distance longer than single compound eye width; compound eye height subequal to head height; antennal socket originating from sub-basal part of compound eye connecting base of maxillary plate, 1/3 basal part of eye height ( Fig. 3B–C ); total antennal length shorter than body length; scape as almost thick as pedicel, base thinner than, and distal apex as thick as pedicel, shorter than interocular distance; pedicel cylindrical, thickest at apex; basiflagellomere longer than scape, subequal to distiflagellomere ( Fig. 3A ); proportion of scape to distiflagellomere 0.21:0.82:0.35:0.33; labium long, apex reaching fifth abdominal segment; first, second and fourth labial segments subdivided subapically ( Fig. 3A, F–H ). Thorax: pronotum wide, longitudinal length shorter than 1/2 basal maximal width, posterior margin concave and almost straight at middle; calli weakly swollen; scutellum large ( Fig. 3D ), anterior width longer than 1/2 basal pronotal width, longitudinal length slightly shorter than commissure; metathoracic scent gland evaporative area triangular with anterior angle rounded, peritreme flattened with distinct microtrichia, directed upward and posteriorly ( Fig. 3E ); lateral margin of each hemelytron almost straight; outer cuneal margin subequal to anterior margin, longer than 1/3 embolial margin length; tarsus three-segmented; claw with apical tooth ( Fig. 3I, J ). Abdomen: length not to apex of cuneus. Genitalia: genital capsule strongly asymmetrical, left side tumid apically ( Fig. 2C ); right paramere long, slightly shorter than left paramere, apical process broad ( Fig. 2D, E ); left paramere vertically curved, apical process short and tapered, sensory lobe with a weak process ( Fig. 2F, G ); endosoma relatively simple and membranous with three sclerites, sclerites similar in shape and in length ( Fig. 2H ).

FEMALE: Unknown.

Measurements. Male (n=1)

Body. Length, clypeus–apex of membrane: 3.04; maximal width: 1.18. Head. Length: 0.41; width, including compound eyes: 0.55; compound eye dorsal width: 0.15; interocular distance (vertex width): 0.26. Antenna. Scape length: 0.21; pedicel length: 0.82; basiflagellomere length: 0.35; distiflagellomere length: 0.33; total antenna length: 1.71. Labium. Segments I–IV length: 0.33:0.48:0.31:0.41; total length: 1.55. Pronotum. Mesal length: 0.35; posterior maximal width (straight): 0.97. Scutellum. Anterior width: 0.52; mesal length (including mesoscutum): 0.54. Protarsus. Total length: 0.27; length of tarsomeres I–III: 0.12:0.15;0.10. Hemelytron. Length: 1.91; commissure length: 0.58; outer embolial margin length (straight): 1.38; outer cuneal margin length (straight): 0.54.

Material examined. Holotype (♂): ’SW MADAGASCAR \ ISALO N.P., Zahavola for \ cca 850m; 21.i.2013 \ M.Trýzna leg.’.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. South Madagascar ( Fig. 4 ).

Etymology. Named after the type locality, Madagascar.

Remarks. This new species is assigned to the genus Psallops based on its similarity to previously described species, particularly its small body size, comparable morphometric traits, and, most notably, the left paramere structure. It is included following the approach of Namyatova & Cassis (2019a), even though interocular distance is longer than compound eye width and antennal socket originates from 1/3 basal part of eye height. These features are also found in the Australian Psallops .

Psallops madagascariensis sp. nov. is easily distinguished from most congeners by unique characters such as the finely mottled brown dorsum densely covered with two types of dark and golden setae, and markings and annulations of legs and embolial margin. Most other congeners have a relatively simple dorsum with coarsely mottled patterns, and/or with notable spots (e.g., P. myiocephalus Yasunaga, 1999 and P. formosanus Lin, 2004 ), or simple bicolorous dorsal coloration (e.g., species presented on Figs 1 and 5 ). This new species is also distinguished by the paramere structures, particularly the elongated and large right paramere that is slightly shorter than the left paramere. Many Psallops species have a simple and small right paramere relative to the left paramere (see Fig. 5G–H below, figs 25–26 in Yasunaga et al. (2010); fig. 5d–e in Namyatova & Cassis (2019a); and fig. 1f–g in Kim et al. (2025)).

Psallops madagascariensis sp. nov. may be related to the Australian species, such as P. kalumburu Namyatova & Cassis, 2019 , based on the head structure that somewhat the prognathous head, the antennal socket originating at 1/3 basal part of eye height, the subdivision of fourth labial segment, three-segmented tarsi and large right paramere.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Psallops linnavuorii Herczek, Popov & Gorczyca, 2016, holotype, male (A, B); Psallops niedzwiedzkii Herczek & Popov, 2016, holotype, male (C, D); Psallops webbi Herczek & Popov, 2014, holotype, male (E).

FIGURE 2. Psallops madagascariensis Taszakowski, Kim & Gierlasiński sp. nov., holotype, male: habitus (A, B), genitalia (C–H). Dorsal view (A), lateral view (B), genital capsule (C), right paramere (D, E), left paramere (F, G), and aedeagus with removed phalotheca (H). ap = apical process; app = sclerotized appendages; bp = basal process; ds = ductus seminis; es = endosoma; sg = secondary gonopore; sl = sensory lobe.

FIGURE 3. Psallops madagascariensis Taszakowski, Kim & Gierlasiński sp. nov., holotype, male: lateral view (A), head in the frontal (B), and lateral (C) view, front part of the body in dorsal view (D), metathoracic scent gland (E), structure of labium (F–H), protarsus, lateral view (I), pretarsus in magnification (J). at = apical tooth; cl = claw; p = parempodium; sI–sIV = labial segments I to IV; st = suture; tI–tIII = tarsomeres I–III.

FIGURE 4. Distribution of Psallops madagascariensis Taszakowski, Kim & Gierlasiński sp. nov. (A), and Psallops namibiensis Taszakowski, Kim & Gierlasiński sp. nov. (B–F).

FIGURE 5. Psallops namibiensis Taszakowski, Kim & Gierlasiński sp. nov., habitus: holotype, male (A, C), paratype, male (B, D); genitalia (E–H). Dorsal (A), lateral (B) and antero-dorso-lateral (C) view, genital capsule (E), aedeagus (F), right paramere (G), left paramere (H). ap = apical process; app = sclerotized appendages; bp = basal process; ds = ductus seminis; es = endosoma; sg = secondary gonopore; sl = sensory lobe; th = theca.