Wallabicoris prostantheri, Schuh & P. Pedraza, 2010

Schuh, R. T. & P. Pedraza, 2010, Wallabicoris, New Genus (Hemiptera: Miridae: Phylinae: Phylini) From Australia, With The Description Of 37 New Species And An Analysis Of Host Associations, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2010 (338), pp. 1-118 : 63-65

Wallabicoris prostantheri , new species Figure 30; map 1; plate 4

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the chalkwhite coloration of the body and appendages (pl. 4), the moderate size, with a mean total length of 4.70, and the structure of the male genitalia, the apical portion of the endosoma strongly curving, of moderate length proximad of the secondary gonopore and greatly elongate and strongly curving apicad of the secondary gonopore, the secondary strap of the endosoma complete and short submedial twist, and the left paramere weakly elongate, with a distinct shoulder on the posterior process, closed over most of the dorsal surface (fig. 30), and somewhat exceeding the margin of the pygophore in repose. Head only moderately projecting beyond anterior margin of eyes, mean ratio width head/length head 3.75, interocular distance small, just less than one-third width of head (mean 0.31). Breeds on Prostanthera spp. (Lamiaceae) . Size larger than all similarly colored Lamiaceae-feeding species, except W. dicrastyli ; slightly smaller than the Thymelaeaceaefeeding W. pinocchii . Smaller than all the chalk-white Asteraceae-feeding species. Potentially confused with W. rutidosi , but that species with a broken secondary endosomal strap and a short apex of the endosoma distad of the secondary gonopore.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Body greatly elongate, parallel sided, total length 4.19–5.31, ratio l/w 5 3.44. COLORATION (pl. 4): Pronotum unicolorous pale; hemelytron unicolorous pale; markings on cuneus absent; membrane unicolorous pale, extreme base unicolorous with remainder, veins white; venter light green; antennal segment 1 yellow to dirty yellow, with one or two black medial setae; antennal segment 2 yellow to dirty yellow; labium pale with segment 4 heavily infuscate; hind femora unicolorous pale, without black spots; hind tibial spines dark without dark spots at bases. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum with black setae intermixed with pale setae on hemleytron, and with some sericeous or woolly setae. STRUCTURE: Head: Somewhat projecting, ratio wh/lh 5 3.72; antennal fossa with ventral margin 1 diameter above ventral margin of eye; interocular space relatively small, ratio iod/wh 5 0.49; eyes leaving gena moderately exposed in lateral view (hg3/ he20); labium just reaching onto abdomen. GENITALIA (fig. 30): Endosoma: Base moderately long, with a tight U-shaped bend; distal half of shaft smoothly curving; primary endosomal strap greatly elongate apically, ratio lae/lsg 2.83; apex of primary endosomal strap distinctly curving; secondary endosomal strap very slender, of uniform width from endosomal bend to gonopore, reaching to level of secondary gonopore, with a short submedial undulation; secondary gonopore seen frontally in lateral view of endosoma. Phallotheca: More or less right angulate, dorsal surface without a hump; dorsal surface with a conspicuous keel. Left Paramere: Body elongate, somewhat exceeding pygophore margin; in dorsal perspective closed over about three-fourths length; body tapered toward apex in lateral perspective; anterior process arising at posterior margin of shaft; anterior process angled posterodorsally; posterior process flattened, broadest at angulate apex; posterior process with strongly projecting shoulder at base; base of posterior process at least somewhat elevated above level of paramere body. Right Paramere: Body moderately elongate, ratio lrp/ wrp 3.00; body more or less parallel sided; posterior margin with a distinct protuberance subapically; body more or less confluent with base; apex with a weakly elongate fingerlike process.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the host genus, Prostanthera Labill. (Lamiaceae) .

HOSTS: Recorded only from Prostanthera campbellii F. Muell. (Lamiaceae) (pl. 9C).

DISTRIBUTION (map 1): Know from a single collecting event in the Goldfields region of Western Australia.

DISCUSSION: Prostanthera campbellii is distributed from the Goldfields of Western Australia north to the Pilbara. Thus, we might expect a corresponding distribution for W. prostantheri , on the assumption that it is host specific.

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 28 km S of Menzies (3.5 km E of Hiway), 29.91917 ° S 121.1514 ° E, 500 m, 25 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Prostanthera campbellii F. Muell. (Lamiaceae) PERTH 05099714, 13 (AMNH_PBI 00090056) ( WAMP).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 28 km S of Menzies (3.5 km E of Hiway), 29.91917 ° S 121.1514 ° E, 500 m, 25 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Prostanthera campbellii F. Muell. (Lamiaceae) PERTH 05099714, 23 (00090057, 00090058), 3♀ (00090063, 00090070– 00090071) ( AM), 33 (00090055, 00090061– 00090062), 2♀ (00090067, 00090068) ( AMNH), 2♀ (00090069, 00090072) ( UNSW), 23 (00090059, 00090060), 3♀ (00090064–00090066) ( WAMP). Ca 35 km S of Menzies, 29.96214 ° S 121.1323 ° E, 600 m, 24 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Prostanthera campbellii F. Muell. (Lamiaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05099714, 13 (00087259), 1♀ (00087260) ( AM).