Blattakeraia actinostrobi, Symonds & Cassis, 2018

Symonds, Celia L. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2018, Systematics And Analysis Of The Radiation Of Orthotylini Plant Bugs Associated With Callitroid Conifers In Australia: Description Of Five New Genera And 32 New Species (Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2018 (422), pp. 1-229 : 79-82

Blattakeraia actinostrobi , new species

Figures 11 , 12 , 20–23; map 1

DIAGNOSIS: Defined by the following characters: elongate labium, extending over abdomen; pronotum narrow, lateral margins angled no more than 30°; dorsum with dark simple setae; left paramere with round and broad sensory lobe, short and broad apophysis; right paramere with moderately arcuate apex and expanded apical flange with serrate margin, subapical dorsal margin with few serrations; PES with smooth, narrow apical margins on submedial process, distally with right branch also smooth and narrow, left branch short and serrate; DES2 constricted subapically with narrow, pointed apex; DES1 distally bifurcate with few marginal serrations, margins mostly smooth, pointed apically; DES1 dorsad to DES2; female interramal lobes medially bifurcate.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Large size, elongate, body length 4.78–5.15 mm, pronotal width 1.07–1.14 mm. COLORATION: Dorsum uniformly bright green; AI bright to dark red, remainder of antenna yellowish orange, darker apically; cuneus concolorous with rest of forewing; forewing membrane vein bright green, with adjacent bright green suffusion; major cell of forewing membrane with bright green spot (fig. 12). SURFACE AND VES-

TITURE: Dorsum with dark, almost black, simple setae; antennae with moderately short, medium- brown simple setae; AI simple setae almost black. STRUCTURE: Head: Strongly expanded anteriorly, ca. half width of eye; frons moderately protruding beyond anterior margin of eyes (fig. 20A, C); eyes large, four-fifths height of head (fig. 20B, D); labium elongate, extending beyond metacoxae over abdomen. Pronotum: Trapezoidal, narrow (figs. 12, 20C, D); 1.3× wider than head; lateral margins weakly angled 30° to midline of body; posterior margin very weakly concave to straight. GENITALIA: Pygophore: Left paramere extending slightly over ventral margin of pygophore (fig. 21B, D, E). Left paramere: Sensory lobe weakly expanded, round, broad, arcuate (fig. 22B); apophysis short, relatively straight, uniformly broad (fig. 22D). Right paramere: Apex moderately curved inward, sclerotized flange with small spinelike marginal serrations, subapical dorsal margin with few small spinelike serrations (figs. 21D, E, 22C). Phallotheca: Entire left dorsal margin below lateral tumescence (fig. 22D). Aedeagus: PES dorsad to secondary gonopore, DES2 dorsad to PES, DES1 dorsad to DES2 (fig. 22E); PES originating proximate to base of secondary gonopore, DES1 and DES2 originating distad to base of PES and secondary gonopore; PES bifurcate distally, branches unequal in length, right branch narrow, acuminate, margins smooth, left branch short and serrate; submedial process of PES narrow, apically acuminate, margins smooth, base straight; DES2, unbranched, apex constricted and narrow, margins smooth; DES1, bifurcate in distal third, branches unequal in length, apical margins pointed and mostly smooth with few spinelike serrations, with elongate basal keel (DESk).

Female: Large size, elongate, body length 4.51– 4.76 mm, pronotal width 1.11–1.21 mm. GENITA- LIA: VLP with small spiniferous lateral lobes arising adjacent to rami of gonapophyses 8, adpressed to VLP (fig. 23A); posterior wall of bursa copulatrix with posterior margin straight; IRL divided medi-

ally with inner branch short, outer branch elongate, surface spiniferous (fig. 23B).

ETYMOLOGY: This species is named after its association with the previously recognized Australian plant genus Actinostrobus (now synonymized with Callitris ).

HOST PLANTS: Known from Callitris arenaria , C. pyramidalis and an unidentified Callitris species.

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 10.7 km S of Cataby on Brand Hwy , 31.25855 ° S 115.82047 ° E, 57 m, 08 Aug 2005, G. Cassis, Actinostrobus pyramidalis , det. WA Herbarium PERTH 07620330, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00005731 ) ( WAMP).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 1.3 km E of Brand Hwy on Bibby Rd, 30.49747 ° S 115.46602 ° E, 231 m, 08 Aug 2005, G. Cassis, Actinostrobus pyramidalis , det. WA Herbarium PERTH 07621825, 1♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00005733) ( AM). 10.7 km S of Cataby on Brand Hwy, 31.25855 ° S 115.82047 ° E, 57 m, 08 Aug 2005, G. Cassis, Actinostrobus pyramidalis , det. WA Herbarium PERTH 07620330, 1♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00005730) ( AM), 1♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00005732) ( WAMP). 12.9 km E of Green Head on Coorow Green Head Rd, 30.06102 ° S 115.09913 ° E, 83 m, 09 Aug 2005, G. Cassis, Actinostrobus arenarius , det. WA Herbarium PERTH 07620233, 1♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00005740) ( AM), 1♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00005739), 4♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00005741– 00005744) ( WAMP). Needelup Rd North, 31.3 km N of Gnowangerup-Jerramungup Rds, 33.67855 ° S 118.79086 ° E, 290 m, 07 Aug 2005, G. Cassis, Callitris sp. , 1♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00005735), 3♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00005736–00005738), 4♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00021791–00021794) ( AM).

OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUSTRA- LIA: Western Australia: 1.3 km E of Brand Hwy on Bibby Rd, 30.49747 ° S 115.46602 ° E, 231 m, 08 Aug 2005, G. Cassis, Actinostrobus pyramidalis , det. WA Herbarium PERTH 07621825, 1 juv. (AMNH_PBI 00005734) (AM).

DISTRIBUTION: Known from four localities in the southwest of Western Australia, which is the limit of the range of the two identified Callitris host-plant species (map 1). Collected with Avititerra lepidothrix (table 2).

REMARKS: Blattakeraia actinostrobi is distinguished from B. hochuli by the following charac- ters: the labium extends to the basal abdominal sternites; the pronotum is relatively narrow, with the lateral margins not strongly divergent posteriorly (fig. 20C); the left paramere is round and has a broad sensory lobe and short apophysis (fig. 22B) (cf. acuminate and apically serrate sensory lobe and elongate apophysis (fig. 26B)), and extends only slightly onto the ventral margin of the pygophore (fig. 21B, D); the right paramere has a more arcuate apex and enlarged flange (fig. 22C); the submedial process and right distal branch of PES has smooth apical margins, and the base of the submedial process is straight (cf. serrate distal margins and twisted base of submedial process for PES in B. hochuli : fig. 26E); DES1 is more dorsal to DES2 (cf. left dorsolateral in B. hochuli : fig. 26); and the interramal lobes differ in shape (cf. figs. 23B and 27C).

Figures

FIG. 11. Callitroid Orthotylini + Naranjakotta sidnica. Generic overview of aedeagus and arrangement of endosomal spicules. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIG. 12. Avititerra, Blattakeraia, and Ngullamiris species, dorsal habitus photographs of males. A. Wing membrane without subcuneal clear spot. B. Wing membrane with subcuneal clear spot. Scale bar = 1 mm.