Morbora DISTANT 1899

Gerry Cassis & Loren Vanags, 2006, Jewel Bugs of Australia (Insecta, Heteroptera, Scutelleridae), Denisia 19, pp. 275-398 : 321-323

Morbora DISTANT 1899 ( Figs 2d, e , 11 , 12 , 13, 14, Table 5 )

Morbora DISTANT 1899: 47 (gen. nov.); DISTANT 1899: 47 (description); BERGROTH 1904: 355 (note); SCHOUTEDEN 1904: 86 (description); KIRKALDY 1909: 265 (catalogue); GROSS 1975: 88 (description); MCDONALD & CASSIS 1984: 538, 547 (key; revision); CASSIS & GROSS 2002: 586 (catalogue)

Type species: Morbora australis DISTANT 1899 monotypy

Diagnosis: Morbora is recognised by the following characters: body oval; head semicircular, with dentate margins ( Figs 11 a-c, 12a); body with fanlike (Figs 13c, h, i) or clove-like (Figs 13a, b, f) setae intermixed with curly sericeous setae; pronotal, corial and connexival margins dentate ( Fig. 11 ); male androconial glands present on abdominal sterna IV-VI ( Figs 2d, e ); ejaculatory reservoir small, oval ( Figs 14c, d ); ventral conducting canal straight; CAI membraneous, medially fused ( Figs 14c, d ); CAII strongly sclerotized, U-shaped ( Figs 14c, d ); CAIII present or absent ( Figs 14c, d ); vesica, elongate, arcuate or S-shaped ( Figs 14c, d ); female gonocoxae I tripartite; interlocking rami absent; spermathecal fecundation canal short; spermathecal reservoir elliptoid; and spermathecal bulb bilobed.

Description: Body oval; small species, males 4.51-5.37 mm, females 4.41-5.88 mm; dorsum moderately convex; cryptozoic colouring, yellow-brown to dark brown, with patterned darker markings; dorsum with elongate clove-shaped (Figs 13a, b, f) to fanlike setae (Figs 13c, h, i), intermixed with curly sericeous setae (Figs 13a, e, h); densely punctate. Head: semicircular, strongly deflexed ( Figs 12a, b ); lateral mar-gins of jugae explanate, strongly denticulate, surpassing apex of clypeus ( Figs 12a, b ); bucculae moderately tumescent, medial margins subparallel ( Fig. 12c ); eyes small ( Figs 12 a-c); antennae: AI elongate, either longest subequal or subequal to AIV; labium: reaching metasternum; either LI or LII longest segment, LIII & LIV small, either subequal or LIII longest. Pronotum: subtrapezoidal, moderately convex in profile ( Figs 11 a-c); anterior margin excavate; with broad, explanate paranotal lobes, lateral margins convex, explanate, denticulate, anterolateral angles anteriorly produced, extending beyond posterior margins of eyes ( Figs 11 a-c, 12a-c); posterior margins rounded to truncate ( Figs 11 a-c). Scutellum: broad, U-shaped to subhemispherical ( Figs 11 a-c), strongly convex in profile; dentate corial and abdominal connexival margins visible ( Figs 11 a-c). Thoracic sterna: prosternal margins and anterior margin of proepisternum jointly raised, moderately explanate ( Fig. 12c ). Thoracic pleura: external efferent system of metathoracic glands moderately developed ( Fig. 12c, d ); ostiole small; evaporative area of metathoracic gland extending onto posterior portion of mesopleuron and beyond peritreme; peritreme short, tongue-like, raised, and wrinkled ( Figs 12c, d ). Pregenital abdomen: broad, strongly convex; lateral margins spinose; male abdominal SIV-VI with paired, suboval regions of androconial glands ( Figs 2 d-f). Male Genitalia: ventral surface of pygophore terminal in orientation ( Fig. 12e ), ventral margin entire ( Fig. 14a ); genital opening small to moderately sized ( Figs 12f , 14a ); parameres short, crown small, hook-like, tip blunt ( Fig. 14b ); aedeagus broad; phallotheca conical, without processes, weakly sclerotized ( Figs 14c, d ); ductus seminis proximalis thin, membraneous ( Figs 14c, d ); ejaculatory apparatus simple ( Figs 14c, d ), with single, straight, ventral conducting canal, without convolutions; ejaculatory reservoir short, suboval; dorsal conducting canal simple, not expanded; vesica broad, elongate, weakly S-shaped ( Figs 14c, d ); CAI large, membraneous, medially fused, distally divided, without sclerotization ( Figs 14c, d ); CAII large, strongly sclerotized, U-shaped, with subdistal spur ( Figs 14c, d ); CAIII membraneous, medially fused, distally free, without sclerotization ( Figs 14c, d ). Female Terminalia: female paratergites IX Sshaped; female gonocoxae I divided, tripartite; interlocking rami absent. Spermatheca: fecundation canal short; spermathecal reservoir weakly dilated, simple; and spermathecal bulb bilobed, with proximal and distal flanges.

Diversity and distribution: Morbora is endemic to continental Australia, comprised presently of three species.

Included species: M. australis DISTANT 1899 Australia M. hirtula BERGROTH 1904 Australia M. schoutedeni BERGROTH 1904 Australia

Remarks: DISTANT (1899) first described Morbora , with SCHOUTEDEN (1904) and GROSS (1975) providing subsequent redescriptions. MCDONALD & CASSIS (1984) redescribed the species, without providing any additional observations for the genus or comments on its relationships.

GROSS (1975) placed Morbora in the Odontotarsinae , on the basis of observations by Fred McDonald of the male genitalia, the latter worker suggesting that they resembled members of the Odontotarsinae . Our observations confirm these findings, and have found further evidence that Morbora is nest-ed within the odontotarsines. As stated above, Morbora has male abdominal androconial glands, in common with some Palearctic odontotarsinae taxa ( Table 3 ). Moreover, we have found that some species of Psacasta (e.g., P. exanthematica SCOPOLI ) have the first gonocoxae divided (bipartite), which is a putative homology to the tripartite GXI condition found in all the species of Morbora .

Figures

Fig. 2: Abdominal Sternal Glands of Scutelleridae (a-c) Coleotichus costatus (a) abdominal venter, sternal glands on SIV-SVI (b-c) higher magnification of sternal glands (d-f) Morbora schoutedeni (d) androconial glands on SIV-SVI (e) higher magnification of microsculpture medial to androconial glands (f) higher magnification of apex cuticular duct of glandular unit of androconial glands (g-i) Tectocoris diophthalmus (g) androconial glands on SIV-SVI (h) higher magnification of androconial glands on abdominal SVI (i) higher magnification of apex of cuticular ducts of glandular units of androconial glands. Abbreviations: Ag = Androconial glands; Cd = cuticular ducts; Sg = sternal glands. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 11: Habitus of Morbora species (a) M. australis (b) M. hirtula (c) M. schoutedeni. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 12: Scanning electron micrographs of key characters of Morbora australis (a) Head, dorsal view (b) Head, lateral view (c) Head and thorax, ventral view (d) External efferent system of metathoracic glands, ventral view (e) male pygophore, ventral view (f) male pygophore, dorsal view. Abbreviations: Ag = androconial glands; Ea = evaporative areas; Pe = peritreme; P(r) = right paramere. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 14: Male genitalia of Morbora schoutedeni (a) pygophore, dorsal view (b) paramere, lateral view (c) aedeagus, lateral view (d) aedeagus, ventral view. Abbreviations: C = crown of right paramere ; CAI = first conjunctival appendage; CAII = second conjunctival appendage ; CAIII = third conjunctival appendage; DS(D) = ductus seminis dorsalis ; DS(P) = ductus seminis proximalis; Er = ejaculatory reservoir; GO = genital opening; Pt = phallotheca; S = stem of paramere; V = vesica ; VCC = ventral conducting canal of ejaculatory apparatus; VM = ventral margin of genital opening.

Tables

Table 5: Morbora australis, M. hirtula, and M. schoutedeni: diagnostic measurements in millimetres. N = sample size.

		Male			Female
	N	Mean±SD	Range	N	Mean±SD	Range
M. australis
Length	1	5.37	-	4	5.40±0.22	5.27-5.73
Pronotal width	1	4.41	-	4	4.17±0.21	3.85-4.29
Width between eyes	1	1.59	-	4	1.66±0.13	1.54-1.84
Antennal segment length
I	2	0.64	0.61-0.67	7	0.60±0.03	0.54-0.63
II	2	0.30	0.29-0.30	8	0.33±0.02	0.30-0.36
III	2	0.22	-	8	0.23±0.02	0.22-0.26
IV	2	0.35	-	7	0.32±0.02	0.28-0.35
V	2	0.62	0.62-0.63	7	0.56±0.03	0.50-0.59
Rostral segment length
I	1	0.62	-	2	0.59	0.57-0.61
II	1	0.51	-	3	0.45	0.39-0.54
III	1	0.45	-	2	0.45	0.42-0.48
IV	1	0.34	-	2	0.33	-
Morbora hirtula
Length	3	5.06	4.97-5.12	2	4.90	4.41-5.39
Pronotal width	3	3.64	3.58-3.72	2	3.55	3.31-3.80
Width between eyes	3	1.53	1.47-1.57	2	1.58	1.54-1.62
Antennal segment length
I	5	0.58±0.04	0.53-0.63	3	0.61	0.61-0.62
II(a)	5	0.33±0.03	0.30-0.36	2	0.36	0.35-0.36
II(b)	4	0.23±0.02	0.21-0.25	2	0.22	0.22-0.23
III	3	0.40	0.35-0.42	2	0.42	0.41-0.42
IV	5	0.65±0.03	0.62-0.70	2	0.64	0.63-0.65
Labial segment length
I	1	0.82	-	1	0.85	-
II	1	0.97	-	1	0.91	-
III	1	0.36	-	1	0.42	-
IV	2	0.37	0.36-0.38	1	0.45	-
Morbora schoutedeni
Length	2	4.74	4.51-4.97	5	5.47±0.34	5.00-5.88
Pronotal width	2	3.79	3.65-3.92	5	4.41±0.28	4.17-4.85
Width between eyes	2	1.40	1.35-1.45	5	1.70±0.09	1.59-1.84
Antennal segment length
I	4	0.54±0.02	0.51-0.57	9	0.68±0.06	0.61-0.76
II(a)	4	0.25±0.03	0.22-0.28	9	0.28±0.03	0.23-0.33
II(b)	4	0.23±0.01	0.23-0.24	10	0.22±0.01	0.21-0.24
III	4	0.29±0.02	0.27-0.31	10	0.32±0.04	0.24-0.39
IV	4	0.49±0.03	0.46-0.52	9	0.55±0.04	0.46-0.61
Labial segment length
I	2	0.77	0.75-0.79	3	0.75	0.73-0.79
II	2	0.77	0.76-0.79	2	0.79	0.73-0.85
III	2	0.36	-	2	0.41	0.36-0.46
IV	2	0.38	0.36-0.39	1	0.43	-