Fulvius attenboroughi Maslowski, Taszakowski & Wolski 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Masłowski, Adrian
name: Baňař, Petr
name: Carapezza, Attilio
name: Chérot, Frédéric
name: Jindra, Zdeněk
name: Taszakowski, Artur
name: Wolski, Andrzej
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Miridae
Fulvius
Fulvius attenboroughi

description: Fulvius attenboroughi Masłowski, Taszakowski & Wolski sp. nov.
(Figs 1, 2)
Diagnosis. The new species belongs to the anthocoroides -group (see discussion below) and can be distinguished by combination of the following set of characters: vertex convex medially, sloping onto posterior margin of vertex and frons (Figs 1A, C, E); pronotum mostly black with contrastingly yellow collar and posterior margin (Fig. 1A); anterior lobe of pronotum with calli distinctly upraised (Figs 1B, E, F); scutellum entirely black (Fig. 1A); hemelytron mostly yellow with large brown stripes and patches (Fig. 1A); fore and middle legs entirely yellow (Fig. 1A); sclerotized rings paired, subellipsoid, situated laterally on genital chamber (Fig. 2A); dorsal sac of genital chamber membranous, situated laterally (Fig. 2A); interramal sclerite of the posterior wall subtriangular (Fig. 2C), apices of gonapophyses 8 and 9 obtuse (Figs 2D, E).
Description. Female. Macropterous. COLORATION. Head. Mostly black, weakly paler, dark brown posteriorly (Fig. 1A); antennomere I mostly pale gold, basal part narrowly black; antennomere II dark brown on basal one third, remainder of antennomere black except for apical, relatively broad, pale yellow annulation; antennomere III (glued to separate card attached to specimen) black; antennomere IV missing (Fig. 1A); labium dark brown on basal two thirds, remainder of segment yellow; segment II entirely yellow; segments III and IV dark brown. Thorax. Pronotum. Mostly black; collar and posterior margin yellow; calli with dark yellowish patch anteriorly (Fig. 1A). Mesoscutum and scutellum. Black (Fig. 1A). Thoracic pleura. Dark brown (Fig. 1A). Hemelytron. Basal one third yellow with brown, longitudinal stripes, two on clavus (one along medial part and other along inner margin), other two on corium (one along claval suture, other along inner margin of embolium) and one along outer margin of embolium; apical one third dark brown except for relatively large yellow patch on apex of embolium and exocorium; clavus dark brown (Fig. 1A). Legs. Yellow (Fig. 1A); forecoxae with narrow dark brown annulation basally. Abdomen. Mostly dark brown, weakly tinged with dark yellow. TEXTURE AND VESTITURE. Head, pronotum, thoracic pleura, mesoscutum and scutellum with net-like sculpturation based on microsetae (Figs 1F, G); hemelytron shagreened (Fig. 1H). Head. Vertex with transverse row of four long, erect, cylindrical apically serrate bristles, such bristles also present on anterior portions of vertex and frons; remainder of head with fine, short, semirecumbent setae (Figs 1C–F); antennomeres I and II clothed with short, fine and recumbent setae, antennomere I with few long semirecumbent bristles, apical two thirds of antennomere II also with scale like, closely fitting short setae (Figs 1C–F); antennomere III covered with long, dense, semirecumbent setae. Thorax. Pronotum. Collar with several fine, short, semirecumbent setae and with transverse row of four long, erect, cylindrical apically serrate bristles (Figs 1E, F); remainder of pronotum with fine, short, semirecumbent, moderately dense setae, each anterior angle with single erect, stiff bristle (Figs 1E, F). Mesoscutum and scutellum. Covered with sparse setae similar to those present on pronotum (Fig. 1G). Thoracic pleura. Glabrous. Hemelytron. Shagreened, covered with relatively dense, uniformly distributed, moderately long, fine, scale-like setae (Figs 1G, H). Legs. Coxae with several fine, short setae; remainder of leg covered with moderately dense, short, semirecumbent setae. STRUCTURE. Body elongate oval (Fig. 1A).
Head. Eyes somewhat removed from pronotal collar (Fig. 1A); vertex convex medially, sloping onto posterior margin of vertex and frons (Figs 1C, E); antennomeres I and II nearly cylindrical, antennomere I weakly narrowed basally, antennomere II weakly broadened toward apex (Figs 1A, C, E); labium reaching hind coxae (Fig. 1B); segment I subdivided near medial part (Figs 1B, C); segment II subdivided near apex (Fig. 1B). Thorax. Anterior lobe of pronotum strongly convex, large, occupying two thirds of pronotum (Figs 1A, B, E); humeral angle thin and relatively long; posterior margin strongly concave (Figs 1A, G). Mesoscutum and scutellum. Mesoscutum weakly convex; scutellum flat (Fig. 1G). Thoracic pleura. Scent gland evaporative area of metepisternum narrow, situated posteriorly. Legs. Tarsus two segmented (Fig. 1I); pretarsal claw with subapical tooth (Fig. 1J). Abdomen. Female genitalia. Genital chamber membranous (Figs 2A, B); sclerotized rings paired, relatively large, subellipsoid, situated laterally (Fig. 2A); dorsal sac of genital chamber membranous, relatively broad, situated laterally (Fig. 2A); lateral oviducts removed from each other, conflating into dorsal sac (Fig. 2A); ovipositor thin; gonapophyses 8 connected by distinct membranous structure along entire length (Figs 2B, D); apices of gonapophyses 8 and 9 obtuse, without any teeth apically (Figs 2D, E); gonapophysis 9 dorsal margin with single tooth medially (Fig. 2E).
Measurements. Female (n=1)
Body. Length, clypeus-apex of abdomen: 3.85; width: 1.28.
Head. Length: 0.63; width, including compound eyes: 0.53; interocular width: 0.25; eye dorsal width: 0.16; height in lateral view: 0.42.
Antenna. Length of antennomere I: 0.38; II: 1.07; III: 0,55; IV:–.
Labium. Total length: 1.95; length of segment I: 0.50; II: 0.53; III: 0.55; IV: 0.38.
Pronotum. Mesal pronotal length: 0.47; lateral pronotal margin length: 0.58; posterior pronotal maximal width (straight): 0.88.
Scutellum. Anterior width: 0.46; length (mesoscutum excluded): 0.41, length (mesoscutum included): 0.63.
Hemelytron. Claval commissure: 0.84; corium length: 1.67; outer cuneal margin length (straight): 0.37; cuneus width: 0.42; cell length: 0.56; cell width: 0.18.
Material examined. Holotype (♀): ’NW MADAGASCAR, 23.-26.i.2015 \ Ankarafantsika N.P., 71 m, \ near Ampinjoroa village, \ circuit “Tour du lac”, \ S 16°18'13,0''; E 46°48'49.1'' \ M. Trýzna leg. (MMBC) (Fig. 8A).
Biology. Unknown. Single known specimen was beaten from vegetation.
Distribution. North-west Madagascar (Fig. 7B), Ankarafantsika National Park, seasonal forest.
Etymology. The new species is named in honor of Sir David Attenborough, whose outstanding documentaries have sparked a love for nature in many people.
Remarks. Fulvius attenboroughi sp. nov. is classified as a member of the anthocoroides -group as characterized by Gorczyca (2002a), Sadowska-Woda et al. (2008), and Wolski et al. (2018) based on the following characters: head, pronotum, thoracic pleura, mesoscutum and scutellum with net-like sculpturation based on microsetae (Figs 1F, G) (Wolski et al. 2018: figs 41–43; Gorczyca et al. 2020: figs 1A, C), second tarsomere not subdivided medially, subapical tooth present (Fig. 1J) (Wolski et al. 2018: figs 45–46; Gorczyca et al. 2020: figs 3A, B); membranous structure between the gonapophyses 8 present (Figs 2B, D) (Gorczyca et al. 2020; figs 5C, D). The new species is most similar to Fulvius carayoni Pluot-Sigwalt & Chérot, 2013, F. kajae Gorczyca, 2000, F. kerzhneri Gorczyca, 2000, and F. webbi Gorczyca, 2000 in sharing the yellow stripes along hemelytra (Fig. 1A; Pluot-Sigwalt & Chérot, 2013). It can, however, be easily distinguished by the convex vertex (Figs 1A, C, E), eyes slightly removed from the pronotal collar (Fig. 1A), the upraised pronotal calli (Figs 1A, B, E), and the broader yellow stripes along hemelytra (Fig. 1A). Within the abovementioned, possibly closely related group of species, F. attenboroughi sp. nov. is most similar to F. kerzhneri in sharing the pale yellow pronotal collar and posterior margin of pronotum and unicolored scutellum (Figs 1A, 3A).
description: Published as part of Masłowski, Adrian, Baňař, Petr, Carapezza, Attilio, Chérot, Frédéric, Jindra, Zdeněk, Taszakowski, Artur & Wolski, Andrzej, 2023, Notes on plant bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae) from Madagascar with a description of new species of the cylapine tribe Fulviini and checklist of Madagascan mirids, pp. 73-92 in Zootaxa 5330 (1) on pages 75-77, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5330.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/8249102