Punctifulvius Schmitz 1978
Creators: name: Yasunaga, Tomohide
name: Wolski, Andrzej
name: Taszakowski, Artur
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Miridae
Punctifulvius

description: Genus: Punctifulvius Schmitz, 1978
Diagnosis: See the recently revised diagnosis by Namyatova & Cassis (2019).
Discussion. Until now, Punctifulvius has been known from its disjunct distribution, with P. kerzhneri found in the temperate and cold temperate zones in the eastern Palearctic Region and P. aquilonius and P. austellus known from the wet tropics and temperate rainforest of Australia (Yasunaga 2000; Kim et al. 2019; Namyatova & Cassis 2019). Our study significantly increases the distributional range for this taxon, which is now found from the Palearctic, across Southeast Asia, to Australia (Fig. 12).
Based on similar external appearance, the closest sister genus of Punctifulvius was assumed to be Yamatofulvius Yasunaga, 2000 currently known by four Japanese species (Yasunaga 2000). However, Yamatofulvius congeners have several unique synapomorphies, such as a frontal head with a few spines on the labrum (= epipharynx) (Fig. 7I) and more or less sinuate male antennomere II (Fig. 7H) (Yasunaga 2000); these structures were reported to function during courtship. The adult males were observed to ride final instar females (Fig. 7G–I). The riding males hold the partners tightly, using the labral spines (Fig. 7I) and second antennomeres (Fig. 7H), until the females complete final eclosion to the adults (Yasunaga & Miyamoto 2006). Wolski (2010) observed similar spines on the labrum and sinuate antennomere II in some genera of the Rhinocylapus group as defined by Gorczyca (2000), containing Proamblia Bergroth, 1910, Rhinocylapidius Poppius, 1915, and Rhinocylapus Poppius, 1909 (Wolski 2010: figs 3B, D, E, 4A–F). This author also included Mycetocylapus Poppius, 1914 in the complex. Subsequently, spines on the labrum and sinuate antennomere II were also found in the newly described genus Rhinocylapoides Wolski & Gorczyca, 2011 (Wolski & Gorczyca 2011: figs 1, 2, 4) and it was added to the Rhinocylapus complex by the authors. Wolski (2010) presented a set of morphological features unequivocally defining the Rhinocylapus complex, the most important of which is the shape of the parameres, unique among cylapines, with left paramere distinctly rounded, apical process flattened, with short, rounded process at extreme apex (Wolski 2010: figs 6C, D, 8C, D, E, 10B, C, 11B, C, 12B, C, 13B, C, 14B, C, 15C, D) and right paramere distinctly smaller than left paramere, flattened, margins of paramere body more or less parallel (Wolski 2010: Figs 6E, 8H, 10D, 11D, 12D, 13D, 14D, 15E). Such shape of the parameres is also found in Punctifulvius and Yamatofulvius (Figs 6C–F, 8A–D; Yasunaga 2000: figs 50, 51, 66, 67, 70, 74; Yasunaga & Miyamoto 2006: figs 6K, N) and Wolski (2010) suggested their affinity to the genera of Rhinocylapus complex. Recently, Namyatova & Cassis (2019) and Tyts et al. (2022) placed Punctifulvius and Yamatofulvius in the Rhinocylapus complex based on the results of their molecular and morphology-based phylogenies, with Punctifulvius being positioned as a sister group to other genera of the complex. They presented its revised diagnosis and listed the following characters for distinguishing Punctifulvius from other members of the complex: punctured thoracic pleura (Figs; 3D, 5C, 7A, B; Namyatova & Cassis 2019: figs 10E, F, P), pit between pronotal calli (Fig. 3B; Namyatova & Cassis 2019: figs 10B, C), antennomere I subequal in length to or narrower than antennomere II (Figs 1A, B; Namyatova & Cassis 2019: fig. 4), subdivided labial segment I (Figs 3E, 5D, 7B; Namyatova & Cassis 2019: 10 O), left paramere sensory lobe with a basal outgrowth (Fig. 6C: Yasunaga 2000: fig. 51; Namyatova & Cassis 2019: 11 D, J). Additionally, species of Punctifulvius have endosoma with a single, curved, sharply pointed sclerite (Figs 6B, 8E; Yasunaga 2000: fig. 52; Namyatova & Cassis 2019: figs 11A, B, F).
Namyatova & Cassis (2022) paid attention that most of these features are also present in Teratofulvioides punctatus Carvalho & Lorenzato, 1978, a single representative of the genus Teratofulvioides Carvalho & Lorenzato, 1978 known from Papua New Guinea. Their observations were based on the original description of Carvalho & Lorenzato (1978), without any specimen of T. punctatus at hand. Our study of the single specimen of this species collected in the Indonesian Irian confirms the close similarity to the Punctifulvius species, with the only differing character, i.e., the lack of the long process on the left paramere sensory lobe (Carvalho & Lorenzato 1978: 85, 86). On the other hand, P. sakaerat n. sp. lacks the long process on the left paramere sensory lobe as well (Figs 8A–B). Unfortunately, we could not study the male genitalia as the abdomen was partly damaged in the examined specimen of T. punctatus. Nevertheless, given the known distributional range of Punctifulvius and the fact that most of the diagnostic characters for Punctifulvius are found in T. punctatus, it is very likely that both genera are synonymous.
description: Published as part of Yasunaga, Tomohide, Wolski, Andrzej & Taszakowski, Artur, 2023, First record of the plant bug genus Punctifulvius Schmitz from the Oriental Region, with descriptions of three new species (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae, Cylapinae), pp. 152-169 in Zootaxa 5382 (1) on pages 153-156, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5382.1.17, http://zenodo.org/record/10280497