Inoma solusa, Cassis & Symonds, 2008

Cassis, Gerasimos & Symonds, Celia, 2008, Systematics, biogeography and host associations of the lace bug genus Inoma (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Tingidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 48 (2), pp. 433-484 : 466-469

Inoma solusa sp. nov.

( Figs. 2 , 13b) Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, AUSTRALIA: NORTHERN TERRITORY: 10.4 km N of Ross Hwy on Arltunga Claraville Rd , 23.53334°S 134.509°E, 640 m, 26 Oct 2001, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Silveira, Wall ( AMNH _ PBI 00016124 ) ( AM).

Diagnosis. Inoma solusa sp. nov. is recognised by the following combination of characters: moderate size ( Fig. 2 ); rather uniform light brown dorsal colouration, with dark brown head and pronotal callar region ( Fig. 2 ); head and pronotum with dense elongate, curly, silvery woolly setae; hemelytra almost glabrous; abdominal venter with elongate, straight setae; pronotum and hemelytra with uniform distribution of short major setiferous tubercles; cephalic spines elongate, occipital spines outwardly curved; paranota biseriate with medial cells much smaller than lateral cells; costal area biseriate with moderately large areolae; subcostal, discoidal and sutural areas all with moderately sized areolae.

Description. Moderate size, macropterous form (male 2.48) ( Fig. 2 ).

COLOURATION. Head: dark brown, almost black; cephalic spines yellow-brown; bucculae dark-brown with paler margins. Antennae: orange-brown (AIV missing). Pronotum: callar region dark brown, almost black; posterior lobe yellow-brown; paranota, pronotal longitudinal carinae and collum yellow to orange-brown with a few small red-brown spots on margins. Thoracic pleura and sterna: dark brown; sternal carinae yellow-brown. Legs: mostly orangebrown; tarsi dark brown, almost black. Hemelytra: mostly yellow to orange-brown, with a few red-brown patches on margins, and in sutural area. Abdomen: venter dark brown.

VESTITURE. Woolly setae on head, dorsum and thoracic pleura, moderately densely distributed, elongate, curly and silvery. Major setiferous tubercles on pronotum and hemelytra, short and densely distributed, terminal seta no longer than tuberculate base. Head: minor setiferous tubercles covering most of cephalic spines. Antennae: minor setiferous tubercles present on AIII, terminal seta elongate with tapered apex. Pronotum: major setiferous tubercles in opposing rows on paranota and paranotal carinae. Thoracic pleura and sterna: woolly setae straighter than on pronotum; posteroventral margin of proepimeron with a few major setiferous tubercles; sternal carinae with two rows of hair-like setae. Legs: femora and tibiae with minor setiferous tubercles, terminal seta mixed short and long, bristle-like and pale. Hemelytra: woolly setae almost absent; major setiferous tubercles in opposing rows on costal margins and veins, thinning apically on costal margin. Abdomen: venter with elongate, pale, straight, semi-erect, hair-like setae.

STRUCTURE. Head: spines elongate; frontal spines parallel; medial spine straight; occipital spines curved outwards. Labium: short; just reaching mesocoxae. Antennae: AIV unknown. Pronotum: callar region convex, tumid; collum moderately enlarged; paranota biseriate, obliquely extended, medial row of areolae small, large laterally; carinae areolae small. Hemelytra: costal area biseriate, areolae moderately large; subcostal, discoidal and sutural areas with moderately large areolae; hypocosta narrow. Male genitalia: not examined.

MEASUREMENTS. Measure of 1 J given in Table 2.

Differential diagnosis. Inoma solusa sp. nov. is similar to I. stysi sp. nov., differing by the following characters: 1) uniform distribution of short setiferous tubercles; 2) hemelytra almost glabrous; and, 3) greatly elongate and strongly curved occipital cephalic spines, extending beyond lateral margins of eyes.

Etymology. This species name is inspired by the Latin adjective solus, -a, -um, meaning alone, as it is described from a single specimen, however, the word solusa is created as combination of letters; noun in apposition.

Biology. No host record with specimen. Possibly from Eremophila , but not confirmed.

Distribution. This species is known from central Australia, restricted to the Northern Territory ( Fig. 13b).

Figures

Fig. 2. Habitus photographs of Inoma species:I.multispinosa Hacker, 1927 (macropters and brachypters), I. silveirae sp. nov. (macropters and brachypters, also in lateral view), I. solusa sp. nov. and I. stysi sp. nov. Scale = 1 mm.