Phthiarella Brailovsky, 2009

Phthiarella Brailovsky View in CoL

Phthiarella Brailovsky, 2009: 70–71 View in CoL View Cited Treatment

Type species: Phthia decorata Stål, 1865: 184 .

Redescription. Previously given by Brailovsky (2009) and with additional information.

Structure. Head. Longer than wide or about as long as wide; flat, not declivent; preocular distance longer than eye diameter; tylus in lateral view weakly lower than juga; posttylar depression forming a single sulcus; antennal segment I slightly thicker than following segments, thickening gradually from base to apex; rostrum usually reaching posterior third of abdominal sternite IV. Thorax. Pronotum. Wider than long; strongly declivent anteriorly in dorsal view; collar distinct, placed between the anterior pronotal angles; anterolateral borders obliquely straight, finely dentate; humeral angles robust at base, tapering into short to large, and acute to subacute spine, directed outward; posterolateral borders barely sinuate, outer third dentate, inner third smooth; posterior border gently convex, smooth; calli rounded, slightly raised, posteriorly with two deep pits, each lateral to midline; callosities not reaching the lateral margins; triangular process absent; pronotal disk without longitudinal medial carinae; posterior margin with low transverse ridge. Scutellum. Wider than long; flat, with minute wrinkles. Thoracic pleura. Mesosternum with shallow sulcus; metathoracic peritreme bilobate. Legs. Fore femora ventrally armed with one large subdistal acute spine and behind them without or with one tiny spine; middle femora ventrally armed with two large subdistal acute spines following by one row of shorter acute spines; hind femora slightly incrassate, ventrally armed with two large subdistal acute spines, following by two rows of shorter acute spines; hind femur gradually incrassate in both sexes; fore and middle tibiae slender, unarmed, sulcate; hind tibiae ventrally armed with one row of stout and tiny denticles, sulcate. Abdomen. Abdominal sterna without medial furrow. Male genitalia. Posteroventral edge of genital capsule sinuate to straight, lateral angles rounded and slightly folded inward ( Figs. 59‒67). Paremeres. Figs. 68‒105. Female genitalia. Abdominal sternite VII with fissura short, covering one third of length of sternite; plica subtriangular, apically truncate; gonocoxa I short, subquadrate, medially concave, inner margin open, raised and clearly exposed; upper and outer margins rounded and continuous.

Integument. Head dorsal and ventrally bearing minute, pale, erect setae, except the area close to rostral segment I with abundant and longer setae; antennal segments I–IV bearing minute, pale, setae, shorter than diameter of each segment; rostral segment I with abundant, short, pale, decumbent setae; segments II–III with abundant, pale, erect setae usually equal to the diameter of each segment; IV with isolated, tiny, setae; pronotal and scutellar disk, and clavus and corium with relatively abundant, short, pale, erect setae; pro-, meso-, and metapleura, pro-, meso, and metasternum and acetabulae, bearing abundant, short, pale, semidecumbent setae; coxae, trochanter and femora clothed with short, pale, erect setae; tibiae bearing abundant, large, semidecumbent to erect rather long, pale setae, some of them longer than the diameter of the segment; tarsi with abundant, large, pale semideclivent to erect setae; abdominal sterna bearing abundant and large, pale setae, mixed between shorter decumbent setae; middle third and posterior of male genital capsule bearing large, abundant, pale setae; lateral margins with abundant, short, pale, erect setae. Punctuation. Head dorsal and ventrally with few isolated punctures; pronotal disk with small and abundant punctures; scutellar disk with some isolated punctures; clavus and corium conspicuously punctate with abundant small punctures; propleura with deep compact punctuation; meso-, and metapleura almost impunctate, except the posterior margin deeply punctate; abdominal sterna almost impunctate.

Note. A relatively low number of specimens were examined, approximately 106, which leads us to speculate that their habitat is the crown or tree canopies, and only occasionally specimens descend to bushes and lower herbs. This idea is corroborated because considerable numbers were captured using fish carrion butterfly traps, baited with either putrefied fish or shrimp and fogging ( Eger et al. 2015). Males and females of Phthiarella spp . were either attracted, with a slight bias to males.