Physopleurella floridana Blatchley, 1925, a synonym of Physopleurella mundula (White, 1877) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Cimicoidea: Anthocoridae)

2005·1.5 MB·

by  John D Lattin

PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH.
107(2), 2005, pp. 460-462
Note
Physopleiirellaflohdana Blatchley, 1925, a Synonym of Physopleurella mundula
(White, 1877) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera; Cimicoidea: Anthocoridae)
The genus Physopleurella Reuter (1884) The type specimen is lacking the head, pro-
was erected to contain Cardiastethus niun- thorax, front legs, mid- and hind legs on the
dulus White, 1877, described from the Ha- left side, part of the left forewing and there
waiian Islands with no specific locality. has been some damage to the tip of the ab-
Physopleurella now contains 13 species, in- domen. The right side of the specimen is
cluding P. floridana Blatchley, 1925 (Ford imbedded in glue on the point. The speci-
1979). The type species, P. mundula men has been examined previously as evi-
(White), is known to occur on the Hawaiian denced by a second hole in the locality la-
Islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, Molokai, bel. The label reads as follows: Dunedin,
and Oahu (Zimmerman 1948; Nishida Fla., Apr. 3, 1923. Provonsha indicated that
1994, 1997, 2002). Zimmerman (1948) in- the paratype was no longer in the collection
cluded an illustration of the adult of P. ofPurdue University (June 2004). A review
mundula and Hiura (1959) published on P. of the species description in Blatchley's
armata Poppius from Japan and included publication clearly indicates characters of
illustrations of the adult and other anatom- Physopleurella: short beak, faint preapical
ical details. Herring (1967) reported this transverse impression on pronotum, ostiolar
species from nine widely separated islands canal curved backward (and continued in a
in Micronesia. Ford (1979) reported twelve forward direction as a narrow carina [see
other species ofPhysopleurella from Africa Herring 1965, fig. 18]), front femur en-
(Camaroon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Re- larged with inner surface with a row of
union, and Zaire), Australia, Fiji, Japan, spinelike setae and anotherrow ofsetae, the
New Guinea, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and anterior tibia curved to fit against the femur,
Taiwan, and P. floridana Blatchley from and the rugulose mesopleura. Blatchley's
southern Florida and possibly from Central species description mentioned a faint fus-
America. Carayon (1972) included Physo- cous band across the apical portion of the
pleurella in the Anthocoridae subfamily clavus and corium, legs yellow brown,
Lyctocorinae, tribe Cardiastethini, together punctures fine and irregular on the clavus,
with such genera as Amphiareus Distant, corium, embolium, with a small setain each
Brachysteles Mulsant and Rey, Buchanan- puncture, and size 2.8-3 mm. I have com-
iola Reuter, Cardiastethus Fieber, Dufour- pared the remains of the type with recently
iellus Kirkaldy, and Tiare Herring. Today, collected specimens of Physopleurella
this assemblage of taxa, and others, are mundula (White) from Oahu and other Ha-
placed in the tribe Dufouriellini (Ford 1979, waiian Islands (courtesy of the Bishop Mu-
Schuh and Slater 1995). seum, Honolulu), including a specimen I
Blatchley (1925) described Physopleu- collected on Oahu, April, 2004) and find
rellafloridana from Florida and added Pan- these two species to be identical. Physo-
ama as another locality in 1926. Henry re- pleurellafloridana Blatchley, 1925, is here
peated these records in 1988. The type of considered a synonym of Physopleurella
Physopleurella floridana Blatchley was mundula (White, 1877) (new synonomy).
made available through the kindness of A. A label has been placed on the type speci-
Provonsha, Collection Manager of the Pur- men of P. floridana that indicates the cur-
due Entomological Research Collection. rent status of Blatchley's species.
VOLUME NUMBER
107, 2 461
Specimens of Physopleurella floridana and Oahu. Elsewhere, this species has been
Blatchley and P. mundula (White) were re- reported from Guam (Usinger 1946). the
ceived through the efforts of T.J. Henry. Marshall Islands (Usinger 1951), and Fiji
The three specimens had been identified by (Gross 1954).
the late H.M. Harris (no date of identifica- Most records on habitats for this species
tion cited), and were in the H.M. Harris stated that specimens were beaten from
Collection donated to the National Museum dead leaves of palmetto (Blatchley 1926);
of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution beating dead leaves and branches (Usinger
(USNM) in 1977. The collection data fol- 1946, 1951); banana leaves (USNM speci-
lows: 1 ? Mexico intercept/Phila. Pa.//June mens), ti leaves of hula skirt(!); Ficus re-
8, 1933/A.G. Wells//on banana \eaf//flon- tusa (USNM specimens). Zimmerman
dana/li.M. Harris Coll. 1977; 1 9 Hondu- (1948) reported a collection that included
ras on bananas/Zintercept N.Orleans 2-17- sugar cane, roofs of houses, dead cane
36//floridana, H.M.Harris Coll.; 1 6 (ab- leaves (preying on psocids and small leaf-
domen missing) Canal Zone; Barro Colo- hoppers) where was most common where
it
N
rado, 18-vii-1924. .Bank^/fPhysopleitrella psocids occurred. The specimen I collected
floridana Det. H.M. Harris (no date)//flori- on Oahu was taken beating dead leaves.
dana H.M.Harris Coll. 1977. The speci- These habits and habitats are common to
mens ofP. mundula (White) were identified the habits of many Dufouriellini (e.g.. Lat-
by R.C. Froeschner in 1961 and had the tin 1999a. b). —
following collection data: 1 S Honolulu, Acknowledgments. My thanks to A.
Feb. 10-43//Ti leaf, hula skirt, Hawaii No. Provonsha, Collection Manager. Purdue En-
842//lot No. 43-3SS9.//PhysopleureIla mun- tomological Research Collection; T J. Hen-
dula (White), det. Froeschner '61; 1 $ Bar- ry. U.S.D.A. Systematic Entomology Lab-
ber Point, Oahu, Hawaii, II-10-65//ex Ficus oratory, Washington, D.C.; A. Ramsdale.
retusa//CJ.Davis Collector, 6 Wahiawa, Collection Manager. Bishop Museum. Hon-
Oahu 7-58//light trap, E.J.Ford, Jr.; 1 6 (?) olulu; and to L. Parks. Oregon State Uni-
(abdomen missing) Honolulu, TH. 1-23-43/ versity, for careful attention to the manu-
Hawaii 821//Ti leaf hula skirt//lot H43- script, and to a careful reviewer.
2001. As indicated above, Physopleurella
floridana is considered to be a synonym of Literature Cited
P. mundula, accordingly, the three speci-
mens cited above have been identified as Blatchley. W. S. 1925. Some additional new speciesof
such and a label Physopleurella mundula Heteroptera from the southern United States, with
(White) placed on each specimen. Note that characteri/alioii ut a ncu genus. Entomological
News 36: 45-52.
the records of P. mundula from Mexico, . 1926. Heteroptera or True Bugs of Eastern
Honduras, and the Canal Zone constitute North America, with Especial Reference to the
new country records ofP. mundula, and the Faunas of Indiana and Florida. Nature Publishing
Florida specimens of P. floridana (now P. Company, Indianapolis, 1,116 pp.
mundula) also represent a new record (Flor- Carayon, J. 1956. Trois esp^ces afraicanes de Physo-
pleurella (Hemipt. Anthocoridae). Bulletin du
ida) and add yet another non-indigenous Museum National (.i'llisioirc Nalinvllc (2) 2Si I i:
species of Anthocoridae to the fauna of 102-1 10.
America north of Mexico.) The specimens . 1972. Cautercs sNsicmaliques et classihcalion
from Oahu, Hawaiian Islands, will be in- des Anthocoridae(Hemipt.). Annalesde laSiK'iete
cluded in a manuscript now in preparation Fniomologique de France (N.S.). 8: 3()9-.^49.
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thocoridae of the Hawaiian Islands. Nishida Degree, Universit\ ofConnecticut. \ii ' 1.'^8 pp.
(1997, 2002) reported P. mundula from the Gross, G. F 1954. A rcMsion ofthe llowcr hugs (Het-
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