New genus and species of ant-like true bug (Hemiptera: Miridae) from the Canary Islands

Roca-Cusachs, Marcos, Goula, Marta (2016): New genus and species of ant-like true bug (Hemiptera: Miridae) from the Canary Islands. Zootaxa 4173 (1), DOI: http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4173.1.

Trichobothria

26 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 24-26)."Trichobothrial structure, function, and occurrence are reviewed for the Arthropoda. A survey is made of all setae that have been classified as trichobothria within the Hemiptera. Trichobothria are recorded for the first time from the mesofemora and metafemora of the Miridae. Scanning electron photomicrographs showing detailed structure and drawings of the numbers and locations of these specialized setae are presented for representatives of the majority of the currently recognized tribes in the family. Within the limits of current knowledge the trichobothria in the various taxa of Miridae are homologized and a numbering scheme is presented. It is suggested that the hypothetical primitive number for the mesofemur is six and that for the metafemur seven or eight. The phylogenetic significance of the trichobothria in the Miridae is discussed, with the conclusion that they constitute an autapomorphic character and that the Miridae, including the Isometopinae, represent a monophyletic group"--P. [1]

New Indian banyan plant bug.

15 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 26 cm.A new genus and new species of the plant bug, Chimairacoris lakshmiae Yasunaga, Schuh, and Cassis are described from Bangalore, India. This morphologically and ecologically specialized mirid belongs to the subfamily Phylinae on the basis of genitalic structures and is currently considered best placed in the subtribe Oncotylina of the tribe Phylini. Its morphological convergence with termatophyline mirids and placement within the Phylinae are discussed. It is associated with psyllid leaf galls on Indian banyan, Ficus benghalensis. The gall-producing psyllid, Trioza sp., and a mealybug, Phenacoccus parvus, are confirmed as prey of this unique mirid. A similar phenomenon observed in some Montandoniola spp. (Anthocoridae) and Fingulus species (Miridae: Deraeocorinae), which are associated with thrips species of the genus Gynaikothrips (Thysanoptera: Tubulifera) on Ficus microcarpa, is also documented

In memoriam - Yuri Aleksandrovicz Popov

On 16th November 2016, Yuri Alexandrovich Popov, the world-renowned palaeontologist passed away. His specialisms were the morphology, taxonomy and phylogeny of insects, particularly Heteroptera and Coleorrhyncha. His work was devoted to both modern and fossil insects. [fragm. tekstu

Journeys within the Leucophoropterini: Revision of the Tribe, Genera and Species, and Description of New Genera and Species from Australia and the Indo-Pacific

The tribe Leucophoropterini (Miridae: Phylinae) is a diverse assemblage of primarily Indo-Pacific and Australian bugs which are united by simple, small genitalia and a trend towards ant-mimetic body forms. Previous to this work, the relationship of the Leucophoropterini to the other tribes of Phylinae, as well as the generic relationships within the lineage, was unresolved. Further, the characters initially proposed to unite the tribe are brought into question with the addition of several recently discovered taxa from Australia. The Leucophoropterini is first re-evaluated within a phylogenetic analysis of the subfamily Phylinae, using a combined molecular and morphological dataset to test the monophyly of the lineage, re-test the character synapomorphies supporting it, and to determine the closest relatives to the tribe. The molecular dataset includes 4 genes (COII, 16S, 28S, and 18S), and 123 morphological characters for 104 taxa, which is analyzed in a parsimony analysis using Tree analysis using New Technology [TNT], a model-based analysis in RAxML, and a Bayesian analysis in Mr. Bayes. All three methods resulted in phylogenetic trees with nearly identical generic and tribal groupings, and a lineage containing Pseudophylus Yasunaga, Decomia Poppius and Tuxedo Schuh being sister-group to the Leucophoropterini. With the closest relatives to the Leucophoropterini determined for outgroup selection, a generic revision of the tribe including both Australian and Indo-Pacific taxa is accomplished using 137 morphological characters and is analyzed in an un-weighted and implied weighted parsimony analysis using TNT for 86 leucophoropterine taxa. The Indo-Pacific taxa of Leucophoropterini are found to be related to the Australian Leucophoropterini, and at least two genera within the tribe (Sejanus Distant, Leucophoroptera Poppius) were found to be paraphyletic. Lastly, taxa are revised within the context of the generic-level phylogenetic analysis, with new genera and species from Australia and the Indo-Pacific being described

Ant mimicry in Australian plant bugs: a new genus (Heteroptera: Miridae: Austromirini: Carenotus gen. nov.), eight new species, myrmecomorphic traits, host plants and distribution

The Australian plant bug tribe Austromirini consists of ant-mimetic taxa which are poorly known, with no information of their phylogenetic relationships and ant-mimetic traits. In this study, we examined nearly 1000 ingroup specimens and developed a comprehensive morphological dataset comprising 37 characters, which was analysed both weighted and unweighted, using ‘Tree analysis using New Technology’ (TNT) software. A single minimal length phylogenetic tree was found, comprising a monophyletic group of ant-mimetic taxa, that included Myrmecoroides rufescens, Myrmecoridea sp., Kirkaldyella spp. and eight species of a new genus, Carenotus gen. nov. The myrmecomorphic traits of Carenotus and allied ant-mimetic taxa are documented and analysed phylogenetically, in conjunction with genitalic characters. Carenotus is defined by the myrmecomorphic colour patterning of the abdominal venter, whereas the ingroup species relationships are supported by genitalic characters alone. Carenotus is described as new with eight included species as follows: C. arltunga sp. nov., C. louthensis sp. nov., C. luritja sp. nov., C. pullabooka sp. nov., C. scaevolaphilus sp. nov., C. schwartzi sp. nov., C. tanami sp. nov. and C. yuendumu sp. nov. Host plant associations are also documented, ranging from host plant specificity and genus-group preferences to host plant generalism. The distribution of Carenotus species is documented with reference to phytogeographic subregions, with all species being semi-arid and arid dwelling. The male and female genitalia of Kirkaldyella pilosa and K. rugosa are described and illustrated, for comparative and phylogenetic purposes. This research expands our knowledge on the plant bug tribe Austromirini and has broader implications for myrmecomorphic research in the suborder Heteroptera. ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2FF9BE23-38A6-42B4-8488-74F216D8237

Sexual selection and predation drive the repeated evolution of stridulation in Heteroptera and other arthropods

Acoustic and substrate-borne vibrations are among the most widely used signalling modalities in animals. Arthropods display a staggering diversity of vibroacoustic organs generating acoustic sound and/or substrate-borne vibrations, and are fundamental to our broader understanding of the evolution of animal signalling. The primary mechanism that arthropods use to generate vibroacoustic signals is stridulation, which involves the rubbing together of opposing body parts. Although stridulation is common, its behavioural context and evolutionary drivers are often hard to pinpoint, owing to limited synthesis of empirical observations on stridulatory species. This is exacerbated by the diversity of mechanisms involved and the sparsity of their description in the literature, which renders their documentation a challenging task. Here, we present the most comprehensive review to date on the systematic distribution and behavioural context of stridulation. We use the megadiverse heteropteran insects as a model, together with multiple arthropod outgroups (arachnids, myriapods, and selected pancrustaceans). We find that stridulatory vibroacoustic signalling has evolved independently at least 84 times and is present in roughly 20% of Heteroptera, representing a remarkable case of convergent evolution. By studying the behavioural context of stridulation across Heteroptera and 189 outgroup lineages, we find that predation pressure and sexual selection are the main behaviours associated with stridulation across arthropods, adding further evidence for their role as drivers of large-scale signalling and morphological innovation in animals. Remarkably, the absence of tympanal ears in most Heteroptera suggests that they typically cannot detect the acoustic component of their stridulatory signals. This demonstrates that the adoption of new signalling modalities is not always correlated with the ability to perceive those signals, especially when these signals are directed towards interspecific receivers in defensive contexts. Furthermore, by mapping their morphology and systematic distribution, we show that stridulatory organs tend to evolve in specific body parts, likely originating from cleaning motions and pre-copulatory displays that are common to most arthropods. By synthesising our understanding of stridulation and stridulatory organs across major arthropod groups, we create the necessary framework for future studies to explore their systematic and behavioural significance, their potential role in sensory evolution and innovation, and the biomechanics of this mode of signalling

Hemiptera of Mauritius

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