Revision of the genus Vanniusoides ( Heteroptera : Miridae )

The genus Vanniusoides Carvalho & Lorenzato is revised and redescribed, a new species V. clypeatus is described from the Solomon Islands. Redescription of the species V. brevis (Poppius) and a key to the species of the genus are given. Illustrations of dorsal habitus, tarsi and male genitalia of the new species are provided.


INTRODUCTION
The genus Vanniusoides was established (Carvalho & Lorenzato, 1978) for a single species, Vannius brevis Poppius.This species from Papua New Guinea was described on the basis of a single female.
Originally, the new genus was distinguished from the genus Vannius Distant, 1883 by the presence of a small tubercle projecting downwards on the clypeus.Vannius Distant, Vanniusoides Carvalho & Lorenzato and other related genera were grouped in the tribe Vanniini in the Palaucorinae (Gorczyca, 1997).
The genus Vanniusoides is known only from Papua New Guinea and distinguished from the other genera of the tribe by the pretarsal structure, structure of head, thin elongated femora and structure of male genitalia (Gorc zyca, 1997).
During a visit to the Natural History Museum in Lon don, the senior author found 16 representatives of the genus Vanniusoides collected in the Solomon Islands.They represent a new species, which lacks the tubercle on the clypeus.This structure is not characteristic of the genus but of the species Vanniusoides brevis (Poppius).A description of the new species, and redescriptions of the genus and species V. brevis are given below.

Differential diagnosis
According to structure of the pretarsus and the male genitalia this genus is related to the Afrotropical genus Afrovannius Gorczyca, 1997 but differs from it in the relatively thin femora, thick setae on hemelytra and rela tively long rostrum.Both genera can be distinguished from Vannius Distant by the presence of a subapical tooth on claws and characters of the genitalia.

Redescription
Characterized by the general colour pattern (Fig. 1) and the pretarsal structure.Body elongate oval, smooth, bearing long, thick setae.Head vertical, vertex slightly convex, without longitudinal sulcus, frons prominent.Clypeus distinct, eyes contiguous with pronotal collar.Antennae longer than body, contiguous with eyes, inserted on tubercles in the middle of the anterior margin of eye.First antennal segment thicker than the others, which are thin and covered with short setae.
Hemelytra with well developed embolium, cuneus long, almost twice as long as wide at base.Membrane well developed, with two cells.

Redescription
Male.Body length: 3.2 mm, width: 1.2 mm., colour pale yellow with contrasting red spots and patches.Head pale, width (in top view) 0.6 mm., length: 0.32 mm., height: 0.6 mm (in lateral view).Eyes large, red, diameter of eye: 0.2 mm.Clypeus with a small but distinct tuber cular ventral projection.First antennal segment red, paler in the apical part, covered with pale setae, thickened, length: 0.39 mm.Second segment pale yellowish, tinged with red and weakly thickened in the apical part, length: 1.4 mm.Third and fourth segments broken.Pronotal collar pale.
Hemelytra pale with two large red patches, the apical part of clavus red, the rest pale, obscure, embolium wide, pale, with a longitudinal row of small red patches.Cuneus pale with a red patch in the middle.Membrane and vena tion pale.
Legs pale, reddish in places, covered with short setae.Metafemora reddish in the apical part, tarsi pale.
Remarks.The holotype (female) deposited in the Hun garian Museum of Natural History is badly damaged and it is virtually impossible to measure it precisely.Other females were not available.Thus, measurements of females are those of Carvalho & Lorenzato (1978).

Vanniusoides clypeatus sp. nov.
Diagnosis.This species can be distinguished by the flat and widened clypeus (Figs 4-5), colouration of the head and structure of the male genitalia.
Underside of the body yellow with red patches, legs usually yellow, sometimes darkened and tinged with red, only metafemora dark brown with red bands and patches.
The shape of the genital capsule triangular (Figs 6-7), parameres thin, flat, curved , theca weakly sclerotized, transparent.Vesica present, with inflatable folded lobes lacking minute teeth .One folded lobe possesses two sclerotized appendages while in V. brevis, judging by drawings in Carvalho & Lorenzato (1978), all inflatable folded lobes of vesica except one armed with minute teeth apically, sclerotized append ages absent.Ductus seminis outside vesica rather wide and well sclerotized and invisible inside vesica (Fig. 15).In all probability it nearly reaches the middle of vesica but possesses very thin, practically invisible walls and opening of secondary gonopore.There is little information on the biology of the species of the tribe Vanniini.Some species have been described on the basis of single specimens and some are known only from light trap material.In a few cases (Gorczyca, 1997) the notes on the labels on pinned specimens indi cate that they live on fungi e. g.Paracylapus lestoni (Gorczyca, 1996b).Others have been found on fruit and flowers e. g.Vannius rubrovittatus Distant, V. oculatus Carvalho (Gorczyca, 1997).There is no information on the biology of Vanniusoides brevis (Poppius) and there is also no information on how the specimens were collected.The representatives of Vanniusoides clypeatus were caught with a vacuum collector on a river bank, in flood refuse and between stones.These are unusual sites for the species of this group, being more typical of the family Saldidae.