Austrotichus GROSS 1975

Gerry Cassis & Loren Vanags, 2006, Jewel Bugs of Australia (Insecta, Heteroptera, Scutelleridae), Denisia 19, pp. 275-398 : 302-303

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.12996779
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13715126
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0380878F-FFA4-FF83-FDD0-FCEBC01EFE3A
treatment provided by	Luisschmitz
scientific name	Austrotichus GROSS 1975
status

Treatment

Austrotichus GROSS 1975 ( Figs 3a View Fig , 4 View Fig , 5 View Fig , 6 View Fig )

Austrotichus GROSS 1975: 83 (gen. nov.); MC-DONALD & CASSIS 1984: 538, 545 (key description, genitalia); CASSIS & GROSS 2002: 582 (catalogue)

Type species: Austrotichus rugosus GROSS 1975 , by original designation

Diagnosis: Austrotichus is recognised by the following characters: posterior margin of pronotum rectilinear ( Fig. 3a View Fig ); thoracic sterna carinate, not overlapping ( Fig. 4c View Fig ); anterior margin of proepisternum truncate ( Fig. 4c View Fig ); peritreme of metathoracic glands short, arcuate ( Fig. 4d View Fig ); posterior margin of male pygophore medially emarginate ( Fig. 4e View Fig ); CAI absent ( Figs 5c, d View Fig ); CAII(L) without lobal sclerite ( Figs 5c, d View Fig ); CAII(M) with short lobal sclerite ( Figs 5c, d View Fig ); CAIII bifid, medially fused, CAIII(V) with short lobal sclerite ( Figs 5c, d View Fig ); gonocoxae I not divid-ed, medial margins raised; and, spermathecal reservoir membraneous, weakly dilated, elliptoid.

Description: Body elongate-ovoid ( Fig. 3a View Fig ); dorsum and venter strongly convex; wing tip not extending beyond scutellum ( Fig. 3a View Fig ). Head: mostly flattened, posterior aspect of vertex weakly convex ( Fig. 4a View Fig ); jugal margins thickened, subcarinate ( Figs 4a, b View Fig ); bucculae margins subparallel, weakly expanded anteriorly ( Fig. 4c View Fig ). Pronotum: strongly transverse, subtrapezoidal; anterior margin weakly concave ( Fig. 3a View Fig ); anterolateral margins subcarinate; posterior margin rectilinear ( Fig. 3a View Fig ); callosite region weakly demarcated; disc strongly convex, declivent posteriorly ( Fig. 3a View Fig ). Scutellum: broad, strongly depressed beyond anterior 1/2; elliptoid tumescence on anterior margin, marked sublaterally by dark foveae ( Fig. 3a View Fig ); lateral margins convex ( Fig. 3a View Fig ); base of corium and clavus, and connexiva III-VII exposed ( Fig. 3a View Fig ). Thoracic pleura: external efferent system of metathoracic glands well-developed ( Fig. 4d View Fig ); evaporative areas occupying most of metepisternum, extending to mesepimeron ( Fig. 4d View Fig ); ostiole small ( Fig. 4d View Fig ); peritreme short, raised, reniform, not medially sulcate ( Fig. 4d View Fig ). Thoracic sterna: lateral margins sulcate, prosternal and mesosternal keels not overlapping ( Fig. 4c View Fig ); anterior margin of proepisternum truncate, not elevated ( Fig. 4c View Fig ). Male Genitalia: pygophore ( Figs 4e, f View Fig , 5a View Fig ) caudally oriented, moderately large, transverse; genital opening dorsal, narrow, suboval, lateral margins setose ( Figs 4f View Fig , 5a View Fig ); parameres with columnar stem, moderately hook-shaped crown, flange at base of crown ( Fig. 5b View Fig ); aedeagus ( Figs 5c, d View Fig ): phallotheca short, without processes; ductus seminis proximalis narrow, singular, membraneous, tubelike; ejaculatory apparatus moderately developed; ventral conducting canal with about eight paired convolutions, heavily sclerotized; ejaculatory reservoir small, subelliptical; dorsal conducting canal narrow; ductus seminis distalis and vesica basally incrassate, sinuate, apically truncate; CAI absent; paired CAII greatly enlarged, membraneous, distally bifurcate, lateral branch without sclerotization, medial branch with small, acute lobal sclerite ( Figs 5c, d View Fig ); paired CAIII mostly membraneous, with lateral margins sclerotized, bifurcate, lateral branch membraneous, medial branch with small acute lobal sclerite, medial pair fused along midline ( Figs 5c, d View Fig ). Female Abdominal Venter: posterior margin of SVII weakly bisinuate, weakly thickened medially. Female Terminalia: caudally oriented, bi-planar; paratergites VIII subelliptoid, medially raised; paratergites IX small, narrowly elliptoid, medially rounded; gonocoxae I moderately large, medially depressed, posterior margin concave, medial margins elevated. Spermatheca: short proximal fecundation canal; spermathecal reservoir narrowly dilated, elliptoid, membraneous, without pronounced modifications; pump short, with dorsal and proximal flanges; bulb oval.

Diversity and distribution: Austrotichus is a monotypic genus, which is broadly distributed in temperate Australia, including Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

Included species: A. rugosus GROSS 1975 Australia

Remarks: GROSS (1975) described Austrotichus as a monotypic genus, based on external characters alone. MCDONALD & CASSIS (1984) supported its generic status, and described the male and female genitalia. It is a distinctive genus of jewel bug, with a robust body, apomorphic male genitalia and metathoracic glands, and specialized host plant associations. Unlike species of Coleotichus , this genus has the posterior margin of the pronotum rectilinear ( Fig. 3a View Fig ) (also in Solenotichus and Afrotropical Solenosthedium SPINOLA ) and the anterior margin of the scutellum is moderately tumose, with sublateral dark foveae ( Fig. 3a View Fig ). The male genitalia of Austrotichus rugosus , with the paired CAIII mostly membraneous ( Fig. 5c, d View Fig ), differs from species of Coleotichus , Solenotichus circuliferus , and extralimital species of Elvisurinae , where the CAIII is sclerotized. In addition, the peritreme is short in Austrotichus ( Fig. 4d View Fig ), much shorter than in Solenotichus ( Fig. 9d View Fig ), still apparent in comparison to Solenosthedium , and much shorter than the consistently elongate peritreme of species of Coleotichus ( Fig. 7d View Fig ).